Christmas Newsletter

UCS First Trimester Highlights: A Great Start to the 2024-2025 School Year!

The first trimester of the 2024-2025 school year has been a fantastic one at UCS! We’ve celebrated our Hawk HERO culture with fun events like Back to School Night, the PSO Jog-a-thon fundraiser, and the annual Turkey Trot on the Lemoore College campus. We’re so proud of the positive energy and spirit that’s been building across campus.

Sports & Activities:

• Our 6th-8th graders are thriving in the West Kings County Athletic League, with flag football, volleyball, and soccer seasons underway. Some games were even played on the Lemoore College field and in Eagle Arena!
• New ASB officers have taken the lead, planning events like Red Ribbon Week and upcoming Anti-Bullying and Mental Health Awareness activities.

Academic & Enrichment Programs:

• UCS has launched a new after-school program for 6th-8th graders, funded by ELOP.
• We’re gearing up to honor our Hawk Scholars (3.0-3.79 GPA) and Dean’s List (3.8-4.0 GPA) awardees and continue celebrating students each week with Hawk HERO awards and Student of the Month recognitions.

Safety & Student Engagement:

• Safety drills, including fire and lockdown drills, were successfully completed.
• Fun Fridays continue to be a hit, rewarding positive behavior and offering a chance for students to socialize.

Upcoming Projects & Recognition:

• We’re awaiting approval for our 4-H membership and looking forward to launching our gardening and art clubs.
• Our students have read over 214,600 pages this year, and we’re celebrating academic achievements with upcoming presentations in math, ELA, science, and history.

Pride & Achievements:

• UCS is proud to be ranked in the top 25% of CA middle schools and the top 10% of CA charter schools by U.S. News & World Report.

Yearbook Orders:

• Don’t forget to order your yearbook and capture this memorable year!

We’re proud of all that’s been accomplished so far, and we’re excited for what’s to come. Let’s keep showing our Hawk Pride as we continue to make UCS a place of excellence, growth, and fun!

Our 5th grade students had the opportunity to dive into an ocean of fun and learn about the underwater habitats of Monterey Bay and other ocean habitats. Students discovered the work that the team from the aquarium does to care for the animals as well as learned surprising facts about the animals. This trip was truly a memorable experience for all!

The Lemoore Police Department and Fire Department as well as Kings County Sheriff's Department provided some unique learning experiences for our Eagles. Students in grades TK-2 had the opportunity to get up close and personal with our emergency vehicles including police cars and fire trucks. Students in grades 3-6 were able to participate in a presentation from a canine handler and learned how the dogs are trained to support local police efforts. We are so thankful for our partnership with these local agencies!

Before Thanksgiving break we celebrated our achievements from Trimester 1. Students were recognized for Academic Improvement, Academic Effort, SOARING in class and around campus, and for perfect attendance. Individual students were given the opportunity to earn various prizes with drawings and a bicycle was given to 2 students- one from K-3 and one from 4-6. Special recognition was also given to a student for her reclassification as an English Learner and to both of our volleyball and football teams. It was a wonderful time of celebration for all of our Eagles!

• On November 22nd, Lemoore Elementary held our Trimester 1 Awards Rally. It was a celebration of achievement. The entire school attended one of two rallies, games were played, awards were given, and students won prizes. Our parent club donated many prizes and many families came to celebrate student achievement.

Lemoore Elementary celebrated Red Ribbon Week with some fun dress up days. This was all an effort to increase student awareness of saying NO to Drugs. The Lemoore Police Department also provided opportunities for students to learn and tour local emergency vehicles.

Lemoore Elementary students have been reading and earning tickets for a book raffle. On November 4th, student names were chosen and over 65 students were given a new book.

The 2024 Volleyball team ended the season UNDEFEATED and are league champions. The team showed amazing sportsmanship. They played with all aspects of ROAR.

Our Liberty rally was on November 15 and the entire campus had a blast! The Liberty Percussion team kicked off the rally with a high energy performance. The pink themed rally featured a friendly Staff vs Students showdown with volleyball and dodgeball matches, along with a fun round of musical chairs and scooter races. Some of the staff even performed a dance for students. Everyone had a great time, and 8th grade came out on top, winning the ultimate prize of having lunch outside with music. It was a day full of excitement, music, and school spirit. Thank you to everyone who helped make this a successful event for all our students.

This year our Liberty ASB put together a "Grateful Tree" in the Liberty Cafeteria. Students contribute a leaf, writing down something that they are grateful for, whether it's family, friends, or a personal accomplishment. This collaborative tree celebrates the spirit of thankfulness and also fosters community and appreciation. We are so grateful for our students, staff, and Lemoore community, and love that this tree gets to remind us about gratitude.

A heartfelt thank you to all who generously donated to our canned food drive and contributed to our Lemoore community. Our Liberty ASB and yearbook students helped pack and sort all the donations, and we donated over 1200 items to Lemoore Christian Aid, during the Thanksgiving break. We appreciate our community's kindness and commitment to helping others.
These are the final standings for the Advisory classes that donated the most items to our drive.
3rd place - Ms. Herleman/Ms Pasillas's class
2nd place - Mr. Gonzalez
1st place - Mr. Garcia
Congratulations to Mr. Garcia's Advisory class.

In October, we celebrated Red Ribbon Week at Freedom, a time dedicated to committing to positive choices that keep us safe. Our staff encouraged students to make decisions that align with the values of the Flight Plan. We emphasized that our choices should reflect Respect, making teachers, families, and ourselves proud, and Responsibility, ensuring that they are safe for everyone, including ourselves. We also encouraged students to be Resilient by making positive choices, even when faced with peer pressure. Throughout the week, both staff and students participated in fun dress-up days with exciting themes, all while reinforcing the importance of making healthy, safe decisions. Readers are Leaders (dress as your favorite book characters), Team Up Against Drugs (sports day), Friends Don’t Let Friends Do Drugs (twin day), and Jet Set the Example to be Drug-Free (students dress as staff).

We had an exciting and successful first season of sports! Ms. Dukes and Miss Garcia guided our talented volleyball team, while Coach Wilson led the Jets football team. Students embraced the Flight Plan, showing strong school spirit as they attended games at Freedom and across the district. Throughout the season, our athletes demonstrated exceptional sportsmanship and impressive growth in their respective sports

In November, Freedom hosted its first annual Turkey Trot! Families teamed up with their children to creatively disguise their turkeys, ensuring they wouldn’t end up on the Thanksgiving dinner table. The event saw an incredible variety of imaginative and fun entries, making it a memorable occasion for all!

Benjamin Franklin once said, "Change is the only constant in life. One's ability to adapt to those changes will determine their success in life." We all know and can recognize that when change comes in, it brings challenges with it, but our success is dependent upon whether we view those challenges as obstacles or opportunities. This is a year of rising to the challenge at Meadow Lane Elementary School, and embracing changes as possibilities for growth and improvement.

So far this year, our Mustang Family has been engaging in actively embracing our challenges with a positive attitude and a heart for serving our students. Each grade level team has been working steadfastly to ensure our students are learning the guaranteed standards to proficiency. Along with academic learning, our staff is committed to helping our students grow into productive and responsible individuals. We have recognized students for demonstrating their Mustang S.P.I.R.I.T. in student of the month breakfast celebrations for demonstrating self-control and perseverance. We have also been taking time during our staff meetings to recognize some exceptional staff who go above and beyond the call of duty to love and support our kids, and have a lasting impact.

Our Annual Days of Gratitude is in its 9th year. Recently our students and staff have been reflecting on gratitude, appreciation, and thankfulness. Ms. Geldore and some student volunteers worked collaboratively to interview everyone they could catch to share what they are thankful for. We were able to put together a slideshow and video of many of the responses. This has been a great way to remind ourselves and each other to appreciate those who make a difference in our lives and leave a meaningful impact. Our students have been involved in so many learning activities to start the year! During Red Ribbon Week, several members of the community of Lemoore were able to come on campus and share some knowledge and experience with our kids. Our Mustang Nation Foundation parent club has hosted a Fall Festival, a Bingo Night and a Winter Wonderland for families. Our 5th grade students got to spend a day learning and exploring the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and when they returned, they spent time writing about what they had learned on their field trip. Our 6th graders were fortunate enough to spend a week away at SciCon and got to participate in numerous hikes, adventures and once in a lifetime experiences. Our TK and Kinder students have been preparing for their Winter program and are excited to put on a show for their families. Additionally, students who are involved in band have been diligently practicing and preparing for their Winter concert and look forward to showcasing their skills and talents in their Winter performance.

There is so much going on to develop and grow as learners, and to enrich the lives and experiences of our students and families here at Meadow Lane! We are filled with gratitude that the beginning of our year has been strong and focused on growth and we look forward to continuing to embrace all the possibilities and opportunities that will help us learn throughout the remainder of the year.

Intra/ Inter District Applications

Window: February 1st and March 31st.

Note: Students currently attending school on an approved intra-district transfer permit are not required to resubmit a new application each year when continuing at the same school. However, a new application must be submitted when a student incurs an address change that establishes new residency outside the boundaries of their attendance area. Please submit all applications to the LUESD District Office

On behalf of the LUESD school community, we congratulate P.W. Engvall Elementary School and Liberty Middle School who were recently recognized as a 2024 Educational Results Partnership (ERP) Honor Roll School for our high achievement and student success! The Honor Roll program, sponsored by the Campaign for Business and Education Excellence (CBEE), is part of a national effort to identify higher-performing schools and districts that are improving student outcomes. Engvall Elementary School and Liberty Middle School are one of approximately 1,700 elementary public schools and 1,311 public middle schools in California to be recognized.

The 2024 ERP Honor Roll utilizes public school student achievement data to identify successful schools and districts. Our school stands above others in the state because of our demonstrated ability to get students to grade level achievement and beyond. Our school has also ​demonstrated consistent high levels of student academic achievement, improvement in achievement levels over time, and a reduction in achievement gaps among student populations.

Here a few important facts about the ERP Honor Roll:

• It’s the only award given in collaboration with business leaders

• It includes graduation and dropout rate data

• It establishes a higher bar of performance than any other award

• It is conducted by Educational Results Partnership, a nonprofit organization that maintains the nation’s largest database on student achievement

Our schools did not apply for this award. Our results led them to us! Because of our accomplishment, our two schools will be featured on the ERP Honor Roll website and a banner has been designed for them to hang proudly at their school sites.

We are thankful for the hard work of our students, teachers and staff at Engvall Elementary School and Liberty Middle School. This recognition is a testament to the sustained focus on academic results and commitment to student success that our schools, parents and community have shown over the years.

We are thrilled to share some exciting news! Congratulations are in order as U.S. News & World Report has released their 2025 Best Schools in the Nation rankings. In 2022, Liberty Middle School and Cinnamon Elementary were individually recognized, and this year, I’m proud to announce that ALL of our schools have earned this prestigious distinction!

This means that every one of our schools is ranked among the top 40% of elementary and middle schools in the state of California, earning the title of U.S. News Best Elementary School and Best Middle School. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff, students, and families. We couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve accomplished together!

Great elementary and middle schools serve students from all socioeconomic backgrounds with the goal of setting them up for long-term success. The U.S. News & World Report rankings apply a consistent methodology across all grade levels. Schools in each state were evaluated based on the percentage of students who performed at or above proficiency in mathematics and reading/language arts on state assessments. The ranking formula is split evenly: 50% focuses on raw test scores, while the other 50% takes into account the performance of students in the context of their socioeconomic backgrounds. In essence, the top-ranked schools are not only high-achieving but have demonstrated success in educating all their students, regardless of background.

This recognition reflects the important work we are doing and affirms our commitment to fostering a district-wide culture of success, rather than isolated pockets of achievement. We are incredibly proud of EACH ONE of our staff for their unwavering dedication to serving our students and prioritizing their learning. This ranking is a direct result of our focused efforts to ensure all students succeed!

Congratulations!

We are thrilled to share an incredible resource for our families – Fresno State’s Parent University Program. This free educational program has been supporting parents across California since 2013, offering a variety of classes designed to help parents become strong partners in their children's education. We have been in partnership with Parent University for over a year now and are excited that hundreds of our families are taking part in this educational opportunity.

Program Highlights:

• Free Virtual Classes: All classes are held online, making it easy to participate from home.
• Course Offerings include:
  • Digital Literacy (Levels I-IV)
  • Financial Literacy (Levels I & II)
  • Social & Emotional Wellness
  • English and Spanish Conversation (Levels I & II)
  • Pathway to College
  • Health & Wellness
  • Parenting Skills
• Class Schedule: Classes run for 4 weeks per cohort, meeting twice a week for 2 hours each (6:30 PM - 8:30 PM) on either Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday.
• Language Options: Classes are available in English and Spanish, with additional languages (Punjabi, Triqui, Mixtec, Vietnamese, and Hmong) available upon request.
• Certificate of Completion: Parents who attend at least 5 of the 8 sessions will receive a certificate.

Why Participate? Parent University aims to strengthen the connection between families, schools, and communities. By taking part, parents can access valuable resources and training that help enhance their skills in areas like financial literacy, digital tools, social-emotional wellness, and more. Ultimately, the program seeks to empower parents and boost both family and student success.

We have shared the upcoming February 2025 Cohort information here and will share this with our families via parent square. We encourage everyone to take advantage of these learning opportunities. Let’s work together to help our students thrive!

Sincerely,

Cheryl Hunt, Superintendent