FUESD prepares families for new school year

The officials of Fallbrook Union Elementary School District (FUESD) say they are focusing on helping students and their parents prepare for the 2010-2011 academic year in a newly reorganized district.

According to FUESD superintendent Brian Jacobs, the district is working to “focus on student achievement, instructional improvement and an action plan to ensure the most effective and efficient organizational performance.”

In March, Jacobs announced that the FUESD governing board had agreed to restructure the district for the 2010-2011 academic year, with Live Oak Elementary, La Paloma and William H. Frazier schools becoming K-6 schools. In addition, Maie Ellis Elementary and Fallbrook Street School have merged to become a new K-6 school at the Fallbrook Street campus.

The school district’s reorganization will provide a savings of $517,000 minus an initial startup expense of $100,000 and allow for the revision of school district boundaries.

The reorganization will also allow for all of the in-town schools to be uniform in configuration, and will allow for students to attend schools closer to home.

According to the FUESD Web site, the William H. Frazier School will cater to the majority of De Luz’s students, Fallbrook Street School will cater to the Olive Hill and western part of downtown Fallbrook, La Paloma School will cater to southern Fallbrook and downtown residents, and Live Oak Elementary will be serving eastern Fallbrook and part of Rainbow.

This is a drastic difference compared to the district lines that were used before. With the new organization, children from the same neighborhood would go to the same school, giving students a close proximity of residence, a reduction in transportation, and the unification of Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs).

“This year, our continued efforts to offer the best instructional experience to your child will be furthered in part through the newly instituted grade level configurations and challenging academic learning pathways,” said Jacobs, in a recent letter to parents. “The newly instituted grade level configurations will allow for families to have multiple year experiences at one school site and will also support the academic progress for students being taught in a K-6 setting. Implementation of the new academic learning pathways that consist of Dual Language (K), Mandarin enrichment (K-6), International Scholars (K-8), Music Academy (K-6), and Accelerated Learning Pathways for our college bound students, are some of the new academic experiences being offered to children of FUESD. I am very excited about each of these programs and the skills, experience and dedication that the teachers bring in offering these enriched academic offerings.”

As part of the plan to help parents and students become comfortable with their new schools, FUESD will hold open house night on August 27. At the open house, parents and students will be able to meet the teachers at the schools.

“We hope this will help alleviate the anxious feeling that parents have,” said Jacobs, who said an ice cream social and tour at the various schools was also arranged for families to see the new schools.

While some parents may be concerned about the reorganization of the schools, Jacobs believes that this will allow for teachers to keep an eye on students who may be struggling academically for a longer period of time.

“This will extend the period that teachers can monitor and interact with students that need additional support,” said Jacobs. “In addition, this will allow the district to offer additional enrichment programs and extended opportunities for academically gifted students.”

A sample of that experience and dedication in relation to the enrichment of the core curriculum is that of the International Scholars program. This new program will provide our students an opportunity to develop knowledge of the world’s peoples and cultures through the integration of a variety of lessons. Teachers have designed nine lessons (three per trimester) for each grade level, said Jacobs.

Jacobs also said that parents would still have the opportunity to request inter-district transfer for their students, based on space available.

This allowance may have come from the concern that certain schools within the district may not be able to offer students quality education.

“This concern may have been attributed to Maie Ellis, but that was a part of the reasoning behind the reorganization of the district,” said Jacobs. “Now Maie Ellis houses an educational center, and will not be housing students.”

Jacobs stated that principals would be sending out letters to the parents of their students within the next few days, welcoming them and their children to the new school year.

“As superintendent, my promise to the District and community is to continually strive to provide a quality school District that everyone in the community can be proud of,” said Jacobs. “It will always be my goal to give our students a safe and positive experience while they attend the schools within our district. We are blessed with great kids, supportive parents and community, along with a caring staff.”

For more information on the Fallbrook Union Elementary School District’s reorganization, go to http://www.fuesd.k12.ca.us.

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