HIGHLIGHTS. From El Rancho Unified. ERUSD is answering to the demands of the 21 st Century

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1 HIGHLIGHTS From El Rancho Unified A seasonal publication of the EL RANCHO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Fall / Winter 2013 ERUSD is answering to the demands of the 21 st Century by Martin Galindo, Superintendent We are in the midst of an amazing transformation in public education as the power of technology is embraced and integrated into every part of our daily life. It is not uncommon to see three and four year old students interacting with cellphones, ipads, tablets and other technological devices. The Common Core Standards have increased expectations for student learning that prepares them to thrive in the 21 st century. As a result our district must create conditions for our students to engage and adapt by providing numerous learning opportunities to be creative, collaborate, communicate and think critically. Their future success will depend on how we plan and develop learning environments across our district for students as well as adults that incorporate these four areas. Technology will be a vehicle to help create those learning environments, but that technology will not be used to the fullest for the benefit of our students without teachers, instructional aides and administrators working together in learning environments to learn how to incorporate technology and develop rigorous lessons focused on student learning. In addition to powerful instruction, we will need to align our preschool, elementary, middle and high school curriculum and learning environments focused on science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics that incorporates higher reading and writing skills. The 21 st century demands that our workforce have understanding, experiences and key learning in these areas that provide a critical foundation as they prepare to go to college or enter the workforce. Our country and world need individuals with these STEAM characteristics to address our future challenges in the 21 st century. Continued on the back cover Meet our new Superintendent Mr. Martin Galindo brings 31 years of experience and learning to the El Rancho Unified School District. He began his career in 1981 as a bilingual teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He was an assistant principal for two years and served as a principal for ten years at two different schools. He was an Operations Administrator for two years serving over 150 schools. For six years, he supervised various high school complexes in the southeast area of LAUSD. In Welcome Mr Galindo! 2006, he was selected as the Superintendent of Local District 6 serving 63,000 students in the southeast cities of Bell, Cudahy, Huntington Park, Maywood, South Gate and Vernon. He was unanimously selected as the superintendent of the Bassett Unified School District from He was unanimously selected as the Superintendent of the El Rancho Unified School District beginning July 1, Martin Galindo was born and raised in Pico Rivera and is excited to return home to his roots. He has been happily married for 29 years to his wife Diane who is a special education teacher and has four amazing children. El Rancho High School senior awarded $30,000 science scholarship Juan Navarro, a senior at El Rancho High School, took a big step toward college in October as the Whittier Narrows Nature Center Association awarded him a $30,000 scholarship. Juan was chosen by his Advanced Placement Environmental Science teacher, Mr. Marcelo Leonardi, to Congratulations Juan! receive the inaugural Grace Holtz Memorial Scholarship award. The scholarship, which will be paid in four annual $7,500 installments, is earmarked for graduating high school seniors who will be declaring a science major at an accredited college or university. Funds may be used for tuition, fees and lodging. Juan is aiming for a degree in environmental science. Grace Holtz, a former San Gabriel Valley resident, named the Whittier Narrows Nature Center Association as one of her beneficiaries, designating funds to go toward environmental science education. in this issue School News , 4-5 Rio Vista s API soars to 827! El Rancho High is looking forward to a great year! The Class of 2013's Matriculation District News , 6 Common Core Standards Update Employee Spotlight The District is re-hiring! A farewell to longtime Boardmember Rita Jo Ramirez h

2 From Our Schools Rio Vista Elementary's API soars to 827 and exits Program Improvement! Rio Vista continued their rise to the top of the pack this year with their largest growth yet on the State API or Academic Performance Inde x. Rio Vista had made significant gains in student achievement over the last 3 years with consistent two digit increases. This year they continued that trend adding another 37 points to their API. Rio Vista Elementary's Recognition at the September 12 th, 2013 Board Meeting Previously, Rio Vista had been identified as a "Program Improvement Year 4" school. In 2012 the school met all 17 growth objectives freezing their Program Improvement (PI) status for the third time. With the shift to Common Core Standards looming on the horizon, students and teachers were focused on topping the state API target of 800 and meeting their growth targets. Rio Vista was a For more information......rio Vista Elementary School 8809 Coffman-Pico Road Pico Rivera, CA (562) rve.erusd.org school on a mission and continued their student focused plans. Rio Vista exited Program Improvement, a feat accomplished by only 2 of the 533 "Program Improvement Year 4" schools in the state of California. We are very proud of the hard work that was demonstrated by students, parents, teachers and staff. The school set a goal and everyone worked to make it happen. Congratulations to the Panthers for a job well done! El Rancho High is looking forward to a great school year! by Jessica KWEK, Principal I am absolutely thrilled to be the principal of El Rancho High School! I have had the chance to meet many of our students, staff and community members in the past months and I look forward to learning more about our school community as I get settled. I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a little about myself. I started my career in education as a Spanish teacher at El Segundo High School. After working there for several years, I transitioned into the Activities Director role. I then moved to Orange County and decided it was time to move into an administration position. I worked in the Huntington Beach Union High School District at two great schools, Fountain Valley High School and Westminster High School. I served as AP of Activities, Curriculum and Guidance during my tenure at HBUHSD. I have learned so much about El Rancho through the preparation, interview process and transition. As our new superintendent has emphasized, my first 100 days at El Rancho High as the ERHS principal will be key to establishing clear short and long term goals for our school community. I am in awe of the rich traditions and pride here at The Ranch, and I am eager to work side by side with you as we build upon the strong foundation that is El Rancho High School. The dedicated students, staff and community have proven, year after year, to be an integral part of the success of the Dons. I would like to take the opportunity to tell you about some of the amazing things going on at ERHS since we last reached out: Two of our ERHS students were named National AP Scholars: Gerardo Arteaga ( 13) (passed 9 exams with average score of 4.56) Monserrat Marquez ( 13) (passed 11 exams with and average score of 4.27) In addition, we had several other students who were honored: 48 students were AP Scholars (scores of 3 or higher on at least 3 exams) 15 students were AP Scholars with Honor (average score of 3.25 on all exams and 3 or higher on 4 or more exams) 16 students were AP Scholars with Distinction (average score of 3.5 on all exams and 3 or higher on 5 or more exams) The Board has recognized the following students as Scholars in the National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP) based on their 2012 PSAT scores and current grade point average: Rubi Macias, Jacob Rodriguez, and Jesse Sanchez. Jayro Queme was recognized as Honorable Mention. This year the NHRP is recognizing about 5,300 Hispanic/Latino students selected from a pool of over 259,000 who took the 2012 PSAT/NMSQT. Students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher are recognized as Scholars. Students with GPA of 3.0 to 3.49 are designated as Honorable Mention. At El Rancho High School we offer 12 Advanced Placement courses. This is an opportunity to take a college level class while still in high school and potentially earn college credit, depending upon the score that they achieve on the test in May. We applaud the continued success of our students, staff and families. I look forward to the numerous achievements and victories of our El Rancho Dons during the For more information... school year!...el Rancho High School 6501 S. Passons Boulevard, Pico Rivera, CA (562)

3 District News Common Core Standards Update by Roxane Fuentes, Assistant Superintendent El Rancho Unified School District is on the Common Core pathway! Common Core State Standards (CCSS) provide a clear consistent set of expectations for what students should progressively know and be able to accomplish as they move through the K-12 public educational system. They are the culmination of a broad based effort for states to ensure that students needs are met and they are better prepared for college and future careers no later than the completion of high school. CCSS are built upon the best available evidence of what works and provide uniformity to improve student achievement no matter where a student lives. California Common Core Standards for English-Language Arts require substantial attention to literature throughout K-12. Students build knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational texts. Reading and writing is grounded in evidence from text and there is regular practice with complex text and its academic vocabulary. California Common Core Standards for Mathematics call for a greater focus on mathematics. They focus on building strong foundations, solid conceptual understanding, a high degree of procedural skill and fluency, and the ability to apply the math they know to solve problems inside and outside the math classroom. The Educational Services Department has been providing professional development to ERUSD administrators, school teams, and teacher council representatives in the areas of instructional shifts for English and Mathematics instruction and performance task development since last school year, and will be expanding training to all teachers and support staff in preparation for full implementation of the California Common Core Standards during the school year. Several school sites are also expected to participate in the MAPP field tests for the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium this spring, Students in grades 3-8, and 11 will be assessed through a system of adaptive online exams in either Language Arts or Mathematics dependent upon state selection. El Rancho Unified School District s website ( contains many resources for our district community regarding the California Common Core Standards. Some of those resources include access to the California Common Core State Standards, Common Core videos, Common Core Parent Handbook, and correlating Language Arts and Mathematics Units of Study developed by our own district teachers. ERUSD is committed to providing the best educational program to help support the development of college and career readiness skills for our students! 3 Employee Spotlight Larry Brunson, Director of Student Services My name is Larry Brunson and I am happy to serve as your Director of Student Services. I am celebrating 15 years in education and have served as an Instructional Assistant, general and special education teacher, site administrator, and district level administrator. I am married and have two children. I feel very fortunate to be here in El Rancho working and collaborating effectively with all stakeholder groups. Because I have served in so many roles throughout my career, I am fortunate enough to have a better understanding of how to navigate through the waters of education and I am sensitive to the needs of all stakeholders because I have walked in their shoes at some point in my journey. My vision for Student Services is a simple one. I want us to always do what is best for students and I want everyone to remember two things: one, our children don t have a choice in where they are educated so it is up to us as adults and professionals to ensure that they have a quality education and two, we must remember that there is a child in everything we do. In addition, I would like us to develop systems of consistency, professional development and understanding so that we can all work together to problem solve and always keep student success at the forefront of what we do. Again, I am extremely happy to be here and I am looking forward to working together to meet the needs of all students. The District is re-hiring! Due to resignations, retirements and the need of increased staffing at certain sites, the District has been able to bring back certificated and classified staff that were laid off at the end of the school year. The District continues to offer work to our employees who have not been recalled or rehired into other positions by offering them substitute work. Mark Matthews, H.R. Director with Staff

4 El Rancho High Seniors are on the Path to T he Academy Of Art Julian Torres Amda- & Conservatory Of The Performing Arts Nina Marquez Antelope Valley Monique Young Arizona State Alexis Salas Azusa Pacific Monica Gamez Biola David Bustamante Khadidja Diakite Carmen Grajeda Brigham Young -Idaho Perl Bethran Brown Gerardo Arteaga Cal Poly Pomona Cruz Armendariz Erick Arteaga Daniel Becerra Joshua Brambila Giovanni Chavez Jorge Hernandez Daniel Osorio Odanis Perez Isabel Ramirez Victor Romero Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Betsy Cerda Julienne Chow Cerritos Jennifer Acosta Matthew Aguirre-Mata Vivian Alpuche Eric Anaya Anthony Araujo Rigoberto Arceo Jacob Barreras Ana Blas Catherine Borunda Juan Calleros Jenine Casillas Bryan Castro Kevin Castro Raymond Cervantes Vanessa Corral Joshua Coronilla Jose De La Torre Nancy De La Torre Thomas Duenez Jasmine Espinoza Miguel Felix Michelle Flores Suzette Galindo Erick Gamboa Cesar Garcia Jasmine Garcia Alan Gallo Brigitte Garcia Cassandra Gioffredi Alexander Gomez Gilbert Gomez Matthew Gomez Maria Gonzalez Espinal Ashley Gutierrez Juan Gutierrez Asucena Guzman Kassidy Hernandez Andre Hernandez Anthony Herrera Clarissa Iturralde Michael Jimenez Italia Larios Luque Brianna Lopez Christian Lopez Jasmine Lopez Anthony Lucero Jesus Luis-Martinez Kamille Mancina Ricardo Martinez Mireya Marquez Stephany Montano Jorge Montes Aaron Munoz Adrienne Munoz Marcus Munoz Beverly Navarro Bianca Navarro Victoria Navarette Anayeli Ochoa Nelyda Olvera Amanda Orozco Guadalupe Ortega Jonathan Ortega Eduardo Padilla Kimberly Padilla Uriel Pineda Christian Polanco Ashley Porras Andrew Prieto Denise Ramirez Javier Ramirez Joseph A. Ramirez Joseph M. Ramirez Luis Ramirez Thomas Rios Guillebaldo Rocha Armando Rodriguez Jessica Rojas-Orellana Eric Ruiz Alexandra Samaniego Anthony Sanchez Vianey Sanchez Oscar Serrano Yadira Soriano Angelica Torres Carolina Uriate Lisa Valle Dominic Vargas Jose Vera Jason Villa Delon Viray Krystal Zavala Citrus Cassandra Arango Dylan Guzman Michael Ochoa Jose Plascencia III Rafael Polanco Jason Ramirez Jordan Seanez Nick Vasquez Csu Bakersfield Joseph Sanchez Csu Channel Islands Kathleen Canchola Csu Chico Leandra Dominguez Zachary Mejia John Olivas CSU Dominguez Hills Zoe Bautista Stephanie Felix Lisseth Franco Dana Gallegos Priscilla P. Hernandez Ashley Hidalgo Julian Knight Cindy Martinez Elisa Martinez Alice Miramontes Oscar F. Perez Aileen Rodriguez Barbie Salmeron Andrew Torres Alexandria Torrez Destiny Velasquez Csu Fullerton Karla Aguilera Vanessa Aguirre Humberto Aponte Emily Espitia Joshua Forniss Anthony Hernandez Krista Hill Jasmine Leon Alexandra Martinez Annalisa Melendrez Esteni Munguia Steven Posada Esmeralda Reynoso Nathalie Sanchez Edith Vazquez Jesse Viduya Miguel Vilchis Csu Long Beach Carlos Contreras, Jr. Jose Ibarra Csu Los Angeles Jason Alvarez Patricia Ayala Victoria Borjon Emilio Burgos Eric Calderon Marlon Car Ambrocio Reynaldo Carbajal Jason Carranco Briana Castaneda Yaneli Cuevas Brian Diaz Iris Diaz Caroline Estrada Ana Flores Linda Flores Brian Gamez Gerardo Gamez Arit Cielo Gomez Cenit Guerra Gabriel Hernandez Luis Hernandez Christopher Jauregui Amanda Lara Viridiana Lopez Adam Luis Lisamarie Maturino Ricardo Medina Brandon Meneses Eric Mercado Nayalie Moreno Deanna Nunez Isabel Ochoa Erik Olvera Abril Perez Stacie Quintanilla Julie Ramirez Kimberly Rojas Francisco Romero Karina Romero Briana Ruiz Carolina Sainz Destiny Santos David Sarco-Climaco Jazmin Soto Carlos Tamayo Alexis Villa Yaritzy Villarreal Griselda Yaber Csu Monterey Bay Alberto Avelar, Jr. Andrea Cedillo Nancy Vielmas Csu NorthrIdge Jorge Guzman Angel Pina Csu Sacramento Zane Frey Egshig Togoo Csu San Bernardino Samantha Gonzalez Csu San Marcos Samantha Gurrola Cypress Kevin Hernandez Alyssa Martinez Tiffany Moran Stefany Pedroza Joselin Prudencio Andrea Romo Anastacia Zapata-Macias Devry Richard Lomeli Dominican Univeristy Of CA Cesar Pacheco El Camino Miriam Gonzalez East Los Angeles Brenda Castillo Leslie Duenas Nichole Enriquez Jessica Fragoso Priscilla Hernandez David Martinez Destiny Marquez Denise Mora Aimee Moreno Vanessa Nunez Marissa Perez Marcus Price Adrian Rodriguez Juan Rodriguez Selena Ruiz Selene Sanchez Cynthia Segura Alejandro Tovar Sabrina Ulibarri Frank Vargas Fullerton City Reanna Castillo Crystal Do Mac Richard Espnoza Cassandra Martinez Michelle Moncayo Alberto Navarro Erika Ortiz Kristal R. Perez Brian Ramirez Edith Reyes Yessica Sanchez Humboldt State Amanda Meza Elissa Sanchez Iowa State Bryan X. Marquez Itt Technical Institute Edwin Bonilla Johnson & Wales Adriana Pattarroyo Kansas Wesleyan Univeristy Cecilia Ibanez La Trade Tech Justin Carroll Steve Salas Le Cordon Bleu Of Culinary Arts Salvado Carmona Dasia Chavez Marilyn Flores Miguel Orihuela Long Beach City Alyza Hayden Agustin Hernandez Jacob Luna Marinello School Of Beauty Selena De La Cruz Military Air Force Julisa Carrasco Elmer Galindo Gerardo Perez Jose Reyes Anthony Toledo Army David Corrales Mazzy Hidalgo John Jimenez Angel Munguia David Ramirez Marines Kelvin Conner Joshua Juarez Armando Valentino Richard Velasquez Navy Daniel Castanon Alejandro De La Rosa Brian Jimenez Baltazar Montejano Nathan Murillo James Wood Modesto Junior Natalie Perez Montebello School Of Beauty Jasmine Delgado Mount Olive Bailee Henry 4

5 ir Future - Matriculation of the Class of 2013 Mount St. Mary's Isela Retana-Torres Perla Sandoval Mt. San Antonio Daniel Avila Jacqueline Beltran Klaryssa Carmona Marissa Holguin Dijon Landrum Sabrina Medina Anthony Perez Isaac A. Rodriguez Rolando Ruiz Mt. Sierra Ivan Contreras Musicians Institute Gilbert Garcia National Lorenna Aceves New Mexico Highlands Serina Rodriguez New York Film Academy Jeana Hernandez Northern Arizona Enrique Angulo Francisco Sanchez Daisy Santa Ana Oregon State Karissa Tlatenchi Andrea Villalpando Pasadena City Natalie Acosta Ruby Ama Gabriela Amaya Roberto Bautista Xochitl Cazares Denis Corea Celine De La Loza Carls Diaz Jean Diaz John Flores III Javier Garcia Jonathan Gomez Crystal Hindson Jazmine Martinez Olivia Mongeotti Michael Mosso Selena Nunez Krystal Ramirez Erik Reyna Edgar Reynoso Chris Rivera Vanessa Rodriguez Lizbeth Peraza Adrian Peru Margarita Valle Stephany Vasquez- Palmerin Point Loma Nazarene Samantha Herrera Rensselaer Polytechnic Andy Arias Rio Hondo Jacqueline Aguiar Jesus Aispuro Bryana Almazan Jesus Alonso Joshua Alvarez Matthew Alvarran Miguel Angel Avalos Jorge Angulo Guy Arias Joselyn Arevalo Stephanie Arzate Monique Avila Rafael Banderas Breanna Barraza Desiree Barriga Denice Benitez Jennifer Benitez Gerardo Bermudez Jasmine Cabezas Kevin Cabrera Kathleen Calderon Jonathan Cardenas Janice Castaneda Amanda Castillo Martha Ceja Jennifer Cervantes Edwin Chavez Mayra Chulo Jonathan Contreras Dennin Cortes Perez Kriss Cruz Sarah Cruz Priscilla Cuellar James Currie Julissa Diaz Aaron De La Cruz Michelle Dedeian Miguel Dominguez Leobardo Duran Kristen Easley Joseph Encinas Eliana Escalante Jessica Escamilla Robert Espinoza Brianna Estrada Unique Estrada Antonio Fernandez Franz Fernandez Randy Flores Christian Franco Nathan Gallegos Riviana Gaona Adiana Garcia Perla Garcia Jasmine Gaxiola Kyle Germo Crystal Gonzalez Moises Gonzalez Jocelyn Govea Lizeth Guardado Erick Guevara Jose Gutierrez Alejandra Guzman Alexandra Hernandez Brayan Hernandez Brennan Hernandez Fernando Hernandez Nicolette Hernandez Douglas Herrera Jesus Higuera Joel Huesca Hayley Humes Christina Lara Jose Lara Adrie Lopez Amy Lopez Mauricio Lopez Mariah Lozano Cristian Macias Cynthia Martinez Daniel Medina Isaac Medrano Edwin Mejia Frankie Mejia Alexander Mendonca Brian Menodza Sergio A. Meza Steven Mojica Gabriela Morales Antonio Moya Vanessa Naranjo Joseph Navarro Alyssa O'loane Samantha Oregel Al Ornelas Eduardo Orozco Carlos Ortega Georgina Ortega Peter Ortega Nick Oster Sara Pacheco Angie Palomera Melissa Pareja Jonathan Pasillas Saul Pelayo, Jr. Yelssen Pena Angel Perez Alex Quevedo Steven Quintana Javier Quintanilla Berta Ramirez Jaime Ramirez Christian Ramirez Destinee Ramirez Leslie Ramirez Maria Ramirez Alexis Rendon Alexandra Reyes Brandon Rico Omar Rios Vanessa Rios Antonia Robles Gloria Robles Angel Rodriguez Issac Rodriguez Rogelio Rodriguez Valerie Romero Andy Salas Cameron Salcido Alexiss Sanchez Andres Sandoval Osvaldo Sandoval Elizabeth Santana Brenda Santiago Lucas Saravia Karla Sarmienta Juan Sepulveda Danielle Serrano Kristen Shoemaker Aaron Solis April Soriano Lisandra Sosa Crystal Torres William Torres Angie Uribe Hector Valenzuela Brittanie Vallejo Ashley Valli Elizabeth Vargas Anthony Vazquez Veronica Vera Selena Viera Karina Zepeda Valeria Zesati Freddie Zuniga Janelle Zuniga Riverside City Bryen Flores Ruby Makeup Academy Miranda Ordaz San Bernardino Valley Tania Lopez San Francisco State Edgar Barraza Janette Bermeo Megan Cota Andrea Torres Luis Torres San Jose State Celeste Reyes Santa Barbara City Felicia Cabral Santa Monica Gabriela Avila Kimberly Parenteau Julissa Ramirez Efrain Ruiz, Jr. Sonoma State Adrian Diaz Julian Gerardo The Art Institute Christopher Abarca Diana Brito Bonilla Mykeko Carmona Karina Cerdas Rey Cordero Cosme Cortez Heaven Gonzales Diego Huamani Elizabeth Rodriguez Luis Martin Salas Desiree Talmadge Uc Davis Carolina Gomez Elisa Jimenez Cadena Uc Irvine Alma Acosta Luis Aleman Rebecca Amavizca Alberto Castillo Alexandria Castro-Spencer Ana Duran Danom Roulhac Ucla Agustin Campos Nand Chandravadia Jaquelyn Escobar Paloma Martinez Brian Oceguera Destiny Rodriguez Ashley Roque Aaron Tiscareno Hector Vidal Uc Merced Roberto Aquila Oscar Aquino Bailey Felipe Edgar Ibarra Robert Mercado Diana Orta Uc Riverside Stephanie De Luna Erika Gutierrez Araceli Hernandez Brianna Ramos Evelyn Rocha Ariel Salazar Uc San Diego Osiris Arteaga Karla Viramontes Uc Santa Barbara Nicholas Barrera Melissa Camacho Christina Garcia Christina Gomez Gurrola Andrea Munoz Alyssa Pruitt Naomi Zaldate Uc Santa Cruz Jennifer Barnes Nailea Regin Universal Technical Institute Gonzalo Contreras Jose Guerrero Bernardo Hernandez Joshua Serano Manuel Villanueva Of Illinois At Chicago Debbie Bonilla Leonardo Cerna Of La Verne Hazel Estrada Alexsia Flores Roberto Hernandez David Lopez Jaime Moreno Of Oregon Mike Mendoza Of Washington Cristian Roldan Of Western New Mexico Alyssa Campas Vanguard Brandi Wood Whittier Maricruz Argueta Andrew Banuelos Robert Brown III Katia Gonzalez Angelica Navarette Juan Navarro Carmela Nevarez Tiffany A. Ortiz Yale Adriana Gradilla Monserrat Marquez 5

6 EL RANCHO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 9333 Loch Lomond Drive, Pico Rivera, CA (562) PostaL CUSTOMER Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No Whittier, CA ECRWSS El Rancho Unified School District Board of Education Delia Alvidrez, President Rita Jo Ramirez, Vice President Rachel Canchola, Clerk Alfred Renteria, Jr., Member Dr. Joseph Rivera, Member Martin Galindo, Superintendent Continued from page 1 ERUSD is answering to the demands of the 21 st Century The El Rancho Unified School District is beginning the school year rested, hopeful and excited but also wondering what the new school year will bring. From my vantage point as the new Superintendent and based on my school visits and interactions with teachers, parents, administrators, community members, community leaders and board members, I see a district ready, willing and already beginning to State-of-the-art Computer Lab at Durfee Elementary meet the challenge of providing the best education possible for our students. Sure, there are still questions related to our fiscal picture, implementing the common core and moving forward with our bond program. But these questions will not deter us from focusing on our core mission-creating the conditions for effective teaching and student learning across our district. A farewell to longtime Boardmember Rita Jo Ramirez Dear El Rancho Parents, Staff and Community, I feel very fortunate and extremely proud to have served on the El Rancho Unified School District Board of Education for the past 20 years. It is a blessing to have worked with dedicated professionals with an unselfish devotion to the educational profession. I am humbled by the confidence that you have entrusted in me. I have always wanted to do what is best for students. This is a community of supportive parents and community members along with dedicated employees that work together to give our children the best possible educational foundation. With every effort we are engaged in, the focus is always on building the academic personal excellence of every student. To have been a part of this, I am forever grateful. Best wishes for continued success! Rita Jo Ramirez Board of Education As I walk through classrooms each day, I have had the opportunity to witness dedicated administrators, teachers and instructional aides setting the tone and creating the conditions for effective student learning. As I walk school campuses, I see the result of a summer s worth of effort by our maintenance staff and custodians as they prepared for the return of our students, North Park Middle's Band Embraces Culture teachers, administrators and support staff. Now that all of our students and staff have returned, it is like we never left. Each individual in our district is creating the conditions for student learning. As identified in the article Resources, Instruction and Research by Cohen, Raudenbush and Ball, it is the relationship between the teacher, the student and the content being taught that determines the quality and level of student learning. Each individual outside of this core, supports this relationship and the challenge of meeting the needs of each and every student in our district. Throughout this school year, from the board room to the classroom, we will assess, modify, improve and become smarter about how we support the core relationship between the teacher and the student. Our challenge is before us. Are we ready for the challenge? From what I have observed so far, there is no doubt in my mind! 6 Are you over 18? Need quality low cost job training or pass the GED Test? Check out the El Rancho Education Center! 9515 Haney Street, Pico Rivera, CA (562) elranchoeducationcenter.org