April 8, 2008

School Scene

Campbell Christian School fifth graders present “Cinderella”

Campbell Christian School’s entire fifth grade class of 35 students along with five of its fourth grade students presented the musical production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” to 900 people attending the three performances on March 13, 14 and 15.

Campbell Christian School student Shelly Garcia as Cinderella steps out of the pumpkin-turned-carriage as fairy godmother, Michelle Vera, watches and applauds.

“Tryouts were held in December before Christmas vacation,” said musical director and school music teacher Sunny Ahrens. “Since then, for 10 weeks, the kids did not have a break from rehearsing after school Monday through Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m.

“Discipline and commitment are just as important as singing, dancing, acting and having fun. Students learned that it takes teamwork, stamina, resilience and a sense of humor to present a stellar production,” she added.

“So much went into making this musical a success. We were very fortunate to have the support and leadership of two talented teachers and a team of dedicated parent volunteers. They made presenting a top-notch performance possible,” said Ahrens.

First-grade teacher Shelley Lautenslager and art teacher Rhonda Jose were both assistant directors. Parent volunteers were responsible for creating the sets, props, costumes, lighting, sound and videotape. Stage crew, make-up and hair, dressing room assistance for costume changes, concession stand, ticket sales coordination and publicity were all done by volunteers behind the scenes of the production.

“We added a third performance this year on Thursday night, because we had to turn away some people last year,” said Ahrens. “Tickets have always been open to the public and both this and last year our show sold out Friday and Saturday nights.”

Campbell Christian School is a non-profit institution serving 220 elementary school students, 130 preschoolers and 22 infant/toddlers. It is located at 1075 W. Campbell Ave. in Campbell. For more information, call (408) 370-4900 or visit the Web site at www.campbellchristian.org.

Forest Hill students surpass donation goal

Forest Hill Elementary School’s second annual book drive surpassed all expectations this year. In only two weeks, students and families collected more than 2,100 books for Next Door Solutions, a shelter for battered women and their children.  

“We were amazed at the generosity of our Forest Hill families,” said teacher Kathy Schlief. “Last year, we collected about 1,500 books in a three-week period. We didn’t think families would have many books left to donate after ‘cleaning house’ last year.”

In addition to books, Forest Hill collected personal hygiene items—toothbrushes, toothpaste, lotion, new socks and underwear—to help the Next Door Solutions mothers and children. “We received many, many bags of those items, too,” said Schlief, who delivered the donations March 10 with teachers Julie Cittadino, Rebecca Martin, Kathy Verbera and her daughter.

Forest Hill School is one of 12 schools in the Campbell Union Elementary School District. About 570 students attend the elementary school, which offers kindergarten through grade five. It is located at 4450 McCoy Ave., in San Jose.

Project Cornerstone honors Forest Hill Elementary School an ‘Asset Champion’  

Nearly 900 attendees gathered Thursday, March 6 at the Fairmont Hotel for Project Cornerstone’s fifth annual Asset Champions Awards Breakfast to celebrate outstanding individuals and organizations that make a difference in the lives of youth in Santa Clara County. Campbell Unified School District’s Forest Hill Elementary School was awarded the “Caring Elementary School Climate” Award.

“I’m always proud to participate in this event,” says San José Police Chief Rob Davis, who co-hosted the breakfast with Gunderson High School senior Misha Balangit. “It’s a privilege to help Project Cornerstone recognize the people and groups who do so much for the young people in our community.”

Principal Lani Potts here with San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis, who served as emcee, accepted Project Cornerstone’s “Caring Elementary School Climate” for Forest Hill Elementary School.

Forest Hill Elementary School serves over 600 students from Campbell and San Jose, from preschool to fifth grade, including five special day classes. Forest Hill was given the “Caring Elementary School Climate” award because of its mission to prepare students to be self-directed, resourceful problem solvers with the flexibility and confidence to succeed in an ever-changing world. Staff, students and parents work together to form a climate of community, compassion and collaboration, resulting in an educational experience that promotes academic, social and emotional success for all students.

Based on the principle that children will reach their fullest potential in an environment that respects unique, individual needs and promotes compassionate understanding, Forest Hill promotes a thriving, positive, predictable and safe school climate emphasizing the core values of respect, responsibility and safety.

The school community credits Forest Hill’s collaboration with Project Cornerstone, which includes the Asset Building Champions parent engagement program as well as several asset-building initiatives unique to the school, with significantly reducing the number of behavior referrals to the office and helping achieve a notable increase in the school’s academic performance index score.

”Forest Hill is our first school to be recognized by Project Cornerstone, and they are very deserving of the award,” said CUSD superintendent Dr. Johanna VanderMolen. “I believe that the positive recognition of our youth by the entire community is exemplified at Forest Hill and hope that other schools can use them as a model.”

Project Cornerstone’s mission is to ensure that the development of healthy, caring and responsible youth becomes a way of life in Santa Clara County. The organization works with more than 200 community-focused groups, including schools, youth- and family-serving organizations, city and county governments, and businesses. Project Cornerstone has been recognized by America’s Promise as contributing to San José being named one of the 100 best communities for young people.

Certifiably AVID; CUSD Middle Schools attain AVID Quality Certification

All Campbell Union School District [CUSD] middle schools offer a program proven to help more students follow the college preparatory path: AVID.  

The three middle schools are officially certified for quality, credited to the work of teachers Joe Griffiths from Campbell, April Penny from Monroe, Mary Schlink and Melissa Rush from Rolling Hills, among others.  

AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a school-wide program that helps all students—especially those “in the middle”—succeed in rigorous curriculum, enter mainstream activities of the school, increase their enrollment in four-year colleges, and more.  It began at one high school in 1980 and is now in over 3,500 schools in more than 45 countries. For more information regarding AVID visit www.avidonline.org/info.

Juliet Tiffany-Morales appointed district trustee

Campbell resident Juliet Tif-fany-Morales was appointed to the Campbell Union School District Governing Board on March 27.

The Campbell Union School District Governing Board named Juliet Tiffany-Morales to fill a board vacancy.  Tiffany-Morales, a Campbell resident, is an education researcher and parent. She holds a bachelor’s degree in politics from the University of Cal-ifornia, Santa Cruz, and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Southern California. She was sworn in at the board’s March 27 meeting.

“Juliet’s background and experience give her a valuable perspective on the complicated issues facing both public education and our community,” said Scott Kleinberg, board president. “We are looking forward to working with her to broaden the ability of the governing board to successfully educate all of our students.”

The governing board opted to make a provisional appointment to fill the seat left vacant by the retirement of long-time board member Janet W. Johnson. Tiffany-Morales was appointed to complete the term, which expires November 2008. At that time, an election will be held to fill the seat for the next four years.

James Crawford named deputy superintendent for CUSD

James Crawford is Campbell Union School District’s (CUSD) new deputy superintendent of Administrative Services.

Formerly assistant superintendent of Business Services at Evergreen School District, Crawford has 25 years of experience in public school finance. As Chief Financial Officer, he will oversee all accounting and finance operations, as well as operations and construction of facilities, transportation, food services and insurance.
“I have great confidence in Jim,” said CUSD Superintendent Johanna VanderMolen.  “His experience will be a tremendous asset to us as we weather the current state budget deficits and proposed cuts to education.”

Crawford, a San Jose resident, is a Certified Chief Business Official and has a degree in business administration from San Jose State University. He is the president of the South Bay Area Schools Insurance Authority and a board member on the Commonwealth Credit Union. He fills the position left by Dale Thurston, who retired in December.

Assistance League screen preschoolers with SEE program

The Assistance League of San Jose recognized the importance of early screening of amblyopia or lazy eye long before Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter Dannielynn drew national attention to it.

AL SEE program chair Elizabeth Overstreet screens a young preschooler with the help of Mary Becker.

Their Screening Eyes Early Program provides vision screening to preschool children to detect early signs of this condition. From November 2007 until March 2008, AL volunteers made 24 visits to 15 preschools totaling 800 children including Rosemary Preschool, Rosemary Child Development Center, Primary Plus and Capri Preschool. The volunteer group is in the process of returning to 10 schools for re-screens.

Last November, AL volunteers received training and the teams started visiting preschools in Campbell and San Jose. They provided results to the parents or guardians and identified five children who needed follow-up, with 20 more needing re-screening.

AL member Elizabeth Overstreet directed the volunteers with the help of Prevent Blindness program manager April Nakayoshi. The San Jose Chapter’s affiliation with Prevent Blindness was selected one of AL’s successes at their national convention in Washington D. C. AL is a non-profit, philanthropic group serving the needs of the local community, especially children in need and senior citizens.