Superintendent’s Messagedo.bonita.k12.ca.us/documents/Superintendent/Supt Message...Superintendent’s Message Happy New Year! Welcome, 2018 with open arms. A new year brings about

Superintendent’s Message Happy New Year! Welcome, 2018 with open arms. A new year brings about the feeling of fresh and new beginnings. Now is a great time to ask yourself, what can I do to make an impact over this next year? Bonita Unified School District has accomplished many achievements during the first half of the 2017-18 school year. We celebrated the completion of the new Ramona Middle School gymnasium that was made possible by the contributions of our communities. We created new partnerships with our local college and universities, and we experienced many incredible student performances such as the Sound of Music, directed by Kelly Kocalis and performed by San Dimas High School drama club. As we look ahead, we have many more targets and projects lined up for this year. With the dedication, determination and tireless efforts of our staff, students and communities, we will not just complete, but we will exceed our targets. A few celebrations we anticipate early in 2018 are the completion of the Lone Hill Middle School gymnasium, the Bonita High School Choir led by Todd Helm will perform at Carnegie Hall in February, and all students will continue to make academic progress. Events such as sports, Spelling Bee, Senior Project presentations, culinary competitions and much more provide our students with opportunities to excel. Our Associated Student Bodies will continue to arrange student assemblies, pep rallies, and other enriching activities to ensure our students have a well-rounded education. My best wishes to you and your families as we embark on the 2017-18 journey together. Sincerely, Christina (Christy) Goennier, Ed.D. Superintendent Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Bonita Unified Said Goodbye to Governing Board Member Jim Elliot and Installed New Governing Board Member Matthew Lyons Bonita Unified hosted a community retirement reception to honor long-time Governing Board Member Jim Elliot who retired December 6, 2017. Students from Bonita High, San Dimas High and Chaparral High culinary classes showcased their cooking talents and served hors d'oeuvres while an elementary honor choir, led by directors Heidi Bird and Heidi Brightbill, put guests in the holiday spirit by performing two festive songs. City council members and mayors from the cities of San Dimas and La Verne presented Mr. Elliot with awards thanking him for his service, not only to the school district, but to their communities, and Mount San Antonio College Trustee Rosanne Bader acknowledged him with a special recognition.

Photo 1: Honor choir students perform during Elliot’s reception

Photo 2: Culinary arts student Sara Siu from San Dimas High School helped prepare and serve guests at Elliot’s reception

Photo 3: Mayor Morris with council member Emmett Badar and city manager Blaine Michaelis present an award to Elliot

Photo 4: Mt SAC Trustee Rosanne Bader recognizes Elliot Later that evening during the Board of Education meeting, Matthew Lyons was installed as the new Governing Board Member to fulfill the remainder of Elliot’s term until 2020. Lyons is a familiar face to many in Bonita Unified. Since 1994, he has actively participated in PTA, ASB, the Bond Oversight Committee, and School Site Councils at Grace Miller Elementary and Ramona Middle Schools.

Photo 5: Lyons takes the Oath of Office

Citizens Oversight Committee Keeps District Construction on Track At their meeting on December 6, 2017, the Bonita USD Board of Education heard a report and accepted the annual independent audit of bond funds from the District’s Citizens Bond Oversight Committee. The annual report was provided by the Committee’s chair, Dr. Roger Hanawalt.

Susan Cross Hume, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services and District staff liaison to the Committee introduced Dr. Hanawalt and provided information about the Committee. She noted that a Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee is required for all school district bond sales which were conducted under Proposition 39, the Strict Accountability in Local School Construction Bonds Act of 2000. The purpose of the Committee is to provide an independent body to review expenditures from taxpayer supported bond funds to ensure that the expenditures are for valid projects as detailed in the original bond ballot language. Both of BUSD’s bonds, Measure AB and Measure C, fall under the Proposition 39 requirements.

Mrs. Hume explained that, in Bonita USD, the Committee has nine members. The members represent various community groups, including parents, PTA, Business/Chamber of Commerce, Taxpayers Organization, Senior Citizens, and Community at Large. The Committee meets quarterly to hear a presentation from the District construction manager, as well as receive a financial update from the District’s financial program manager. Periodically the Committee will tour facilities where work is underway, or have recently completed construction or modernization.

“Our Oversight Committee members are so much more than auditors,” Mrs. Hume noted. “They are true ambassadors for our District, telling people about our projects, and letting them know that their taxes are being spent on what they wanted. We appreciate them so much and are grateful for their service!”

Dr. Hanawalt then presented the Committee’s Annual Report. He noted that the District is in compliance with all laws, regulations, and Education Code requirements. He reviewed the topics covered at the meetings for the year. He also congratulated the District for keeping change orders to under 5% (10% is budgeted.)

The Board of Education thanked Dr. Hanawalt and the other Committee members for their service. Board members also expressed appreciation for the support of our taxpayers in funding our bond measures. Without their help, we could not have the safe and modern learning facilities that our community expects and our students deserve.

Schools in the Spotlight

Arma J. Shull Elementary School

Great Benefits Gleaned from High Level of Volunteerism at Shull Arma J. Shull School continues to be committed to achieving high academic standards and providing a rigorous course of study for all students. That is a part of what makes Shull special, but it is only a piece. What truly makes Shull special is the partnership between staff and families. Not only does Shull have a tremendous amount of daily volunteerism from parents, but retirees and community members as well. The volunteers are used to help teachers facilitate small group instruction, a trademark of Shull literacy instruction. Others are used to help monitor student progress, and yet others to provide an adult reading buddy to extend further support to students who need it. Shull Kicks off the Year with Community Events Another example of how the community works with the school is the multitude of community events provided for students. Already this year, students have participated in Sharknado, Shull’s version of the Walk-a-thon, the Fall Festival, Game Night, along with participation in several parades including San Dimas Night at the Fair, the San Dimas Homecoming Parade, and the Sparkle San Dimas Parade.

Photo 6 & 7: Shull first grade students walk in the Sparkle San Dimas Holiday Parade

Photo 8: Students have a great time at Shull PTA Game Night Shull Highlights Commitment to Character Development Not only are academics a priority, but Shull staff is committed to meeting students’ socio-emotional needs as well. Shull places a strong emphasis on being kind, character development, and giving to others. At the weekly flag salute students are not only recognized for earning awards for reading but are also rewarded when students who complete Acts of Kindness receive a raffle ticket for a chance trip to the prize box. Shull will recognize students who earn more than 10 hours of community service at their trimester awards ceremonies. Also, the Shull community has participated in several drives that benefitted others; a few examples are, the school supply and clothing drive for the victims of Hurricane Harvey, a holiday food drive for needy families from the local community, and a toy drive for Christmas. Again and again, students at Shull learn the value of going out of their way to help others.

Photo 9: Shull student council organizes donations during the holiday food drive

Photo 10: A sample postcard that Shull students sent to soldiers in honor of Veteran’s Day Shull Committed to Art Education The final piece of what makes Shull, “Oceans Above the Rest,” is their dedication to meeting the needs of the whole child. On a weekly basis, students have the opportunity to participate in co-curricular and extracurricular activities, such as choir, band, art enrichment, drama enrichment, cheerleading, Young Renaissance, and more. The list goes on and on. Recently, during an awards assembly, drama enrichment students performed scenes from Aesop's Fables to families. Shull is so fortunate to have so many performance opportunities. There is no shortage of reasons that makes Shull a place in which students are happy to discover life’s treasures.

Allen Avenue Elementary School Coffee Cart to help students learn life skills

The Allen Avenue Coffee Cart was started to help students in the Functional Academic Skills Training class to be as independent as possible and prepared to have a job in the future. While operating our Coffee Cart, students practice life skills. Life skills are skills that are necessary, everyday skills that a person needs to get through life. Some of the life skills practiced include, but are not limited to the following: follow a recipe, sequence steps in an activity, basic number recognition, hygiene, and social skills. Also, our students are proud of their work, learning to be part of a team, and most importantly having fun!

Photo: Speech and Language Pathologist Carolina Macias (left) and FAST Teacher Tiffany Brito (center) receive coffee from students at Allen Avenue