CUSD welcomes 1,948 students during first day of school

The Carpinteria Unified School District welcomed 1,948 students this week, for the 2023-24 school year. Enrollment is down 57 students from last year.

I would like to recognize the operational staff: human resources, custodians, maintenance, grounds, food service, transportation, business office and office coordinators for hiring staff and preparing school sites for the Aug. 21 school opening. We were ready to greet 1,948 students and 320 staff for a terrific 2023-24 school year!

We also appreciate the Measure U team and McGillivray Construction for completing the Canalino plumbing, the Summerland field and the Main School roofing/painting projects on time for the first day of school.

Class size

Elementary class sizes range from 10 to 24, with an average of 18 students; Carpinteria Middle School (CMS) and Carpinteria High School (CHS) average 21 students in their classes (excluding small special education classes).

New CUSD certificated staff

We have hired the following new teachers: Marissa Chavez, at Aliso Elementary School; Makenna Pugh, Crystal Wang, Christina Ota and Sarah Strong at Canalino Elementary and Carpinteria Family School; Anya Simonovich at Summerland Elementary; Elizabeth Owens, Regan Held, Diana Alvarez, Ellecia Bittner, Sherrie Paul and Elizabeth Poulin at CMS; Karen Vanderburg, Kurt Miller, Reyna Lopez, Jonathan Ramirez and Emily Garcia at CHS; and preschool special education teachers Rebecca Weber and Shannon Thompson. At the district level, we have hired school psychologist Ashley Somics and district nurse Yesenia Marquez.

Congratulations

Forty CHS Future Farmers of America (FFA) students and FFA teachers Mr. Lopez and Ms. Garcia successfully participated in the Ventura County Fair this summer. The CHS FFA booth placed second, winning prize money, and the following FFA students were winners: Ashlee Mora, FFA champion novice hog showman; Taylor Trembly, two-time champion advanced goat showman; David Badillo, championship novice goat showmanship; Cecilia Lemus, champion novice steer showman; and Mathew Munoz, reserve champion and fairs county bred and fed champion.

Free internet application

Cox Communications offers free Internet to qualifying families through the combination of two programs: Connect2Compete ($9.95 per month internet for qualifying families of kindergarten to 12th grade students) and the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program (monthly subsidy of up to $30 per month for those who qualify). It is very easy to apply. Visit the link to get started: cox.com/ACP.

California Universal Meals program

Students at public schools across California can continue to receive at least two free meals a day at school this academic year, thanks to a state initiative launched during the pandemic. Under California’s Universal Meals Program, all public school students in grades transitional kindergarten through 12, regardless of their parents’ income, are eligible for free breakfast and lunch.

Professional development

On Aug. 16, we greeted teachers for the 2023-24 school year with a Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO) presentation on how we can make a bigger impact on student learning by improving our Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) process. During early release for transitional kindergarten through eighth grade, and late start Mondays for CHS every week, teachers work in grade level and/or department PLCs to “improve the skills and knowledge about how we teach and what we teach through collaboration among colleagues, and to improve the learning outcomes for students.”

This year, CUSD teachers will engage in professional development throughout the year with SBCEO Consultants to learn a new framework for effective PLCs and to increase the impact of existing PLCs.

Measure U

Push bar hardware on gates and security cameras were installed at all sites. Canalino Elementary’s plumbing project, the painting and roofing for Main School and the installation of the Summerland Elementary field and playground monkey bars were completed this summer. Acoustical tiles were installed in CHS administration building and the CHS parking lots were slurried. Plans for the Canalino Learning Center have been submitted to DSA and approval is expected in fall.

Summerland tennis courts

During the summer, sidewalks and drains were installed and the court slab was poured. A completion date is expected in mid-October.

Diana F. Rigby is the superintendent of the Carpinteria Unified School District. She can be reached at [email protected].

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