The Vine March 6, 2017 From the desk of Superintendent Chris Williams

Several of our schools have signed up for the Scholar Share Scholar Dollars contest for a chance to win up to $15,000 for extracurricular activities. Lewis Middle School, Flamson Middle School, Georgia Brown Elementary, and Winifred Pifer Elementary are among 400 schools total that have registered for the contest. Of those schools, 20 will be selected to win prizes based on school size (4 schools in 5 different categories). The winners will be selected via online votes. In order to help, all you have to do is go to www.myscholardollars.com each day from now until March 24th to vote. Teachers – don’t forget to sign up for the JUSTIN School Grants Program. North County public school teachers can apply for grants of up to $2,000 to fund classroom supplies and field trips. It is a first come, first served process. The earlier you submit your application, the better chance you have of receiving the grant. For more information, go to this link: http://justinwinegrants.com/schools.

@pasoschools @pasoschools @PasoSuper Paso Robles Schools

Culinary Arts The Culinary Arts Academy and Academy Café have undergone major renovations. The Academy Café (now called Café 61) is now selling family meals at their deli. The meals feed a family of 4 – all you have to do is take it home and heat it up! The cost ranges from $20 - $30. Pictured here is our first customer ever – Chief Academic Officer,

Babette DeCou. The program is undergoing a “soft opening” as recipes are tested and students are learning their new roles. We will keep you posted as more meals become available. Café 61 is open to the public and serves breakfast and lunch Tuesdays – Fridays from 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM. And don’t forget that staff members can have food delivered to their school site from the Culinary Express Menu. Orders are due by 9:00 AM and all items are $6.00. Read all about the changes at the Culinary Arts Academy by reading the February issue of PASO Mag: http://www.pasoroblesmagazine.com

“Pequeños Gigantes USA” Update Our very own Vanessa Alvarez, student at Flamson Middle School, appeared on the Univision talent show “Pequeños Gigantes USA” for the last time last week. You can watch her performances by clicking the links below. Vanessa and her family are back home now. Vanessa said that she enjoyed the whole experience and feels like a winner. She’s a winner in our books! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyR_WQ3-o3Q&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ56fimd81Q&feature=youtu.be

PRHS Advanced Dance Show The always-popular annual dance show is happening this weekend! The performances usually sell out so be sure to email Jennifer Bedrosian for tickets: jbedrosian@pasoschools.org. Cost is $10 for general admission tickets and $5 for students w/ ASB and district employees. The show is this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:00 PM at the PRHS Performing Arts Center

Arts Academy at Bauer Speck Drama Performances Drama classes at the Arts Academy at Bauer Speck, under the direction of Katerena Linfield, performed stage readings last week of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “The Principal’s New Clothes”. There were two different casts made up of 4th and 5th graders who performed for the students as well as their family and friends during the school day. The students did an outstanding job!

PRHS FFA Welding Team Continues Win Streak This past Saturday, the Paso Robles High School FFA Welding Team traveled up to West Hills College in Coalinga for the Spring 2017 FFA Field Day. Sixteen teams with 65 competitors attended that day for the welding contest. Students were required to weld samples using Shielded Metal Arc Welding, Gas Metal Arc Welding, and Oxygen-Acetylene Welding. On top of the skilled-based rotations, each student had to take a fifty question general knowledge test, analyze weld defects and industry identification in the Weld Inspection Rotation, fill out a job application on-site, turn in their portfolio, and take a general math test. Paso Robles FFA took 1st as a team with members consisting of: Iver Hansen (1st Individual), Shane Terra (2nd Individual), Zac Alves (11th Individual), and Triston Erickson(14th Individual).

This was another great showing by our veteran FFA students, but especially for Triston who is a freshman attending his first FFA competition ever. That marks the highest placing by a first-time member from our chapter in an FFA Welding Contest. This also marks the fifth consecutive FFA Field Day win. Congratulations to Mr. Pickard and his students on such an outstanding achievement! Up next is the Chico State/ Butte College FFA Field Day this Saturday. Follow the team on Facebook to keep up to date with events, news, and project updates from the Welding Department. Paso Robles High School Welding Technology Facebook Page

PBIS Tours at Georgia Brown Last week, 5th grade leaders at Georgia Brown Elementary took kindergarten students on a tour of the school to review the PBIS (positive behavioral interventions and supports) expectations. The kindergarteners earned a TIGER Ticket for taking the tour and the 5th graders earned their PROUD TIGER badge. TIGER (or TIGRE) stands for: Take care, Integrity, Georgia Brown, Excellence, and Respect.

VIP Day at Winifred Pifer Kindergarten students at Winifred Pifer Elementary celebrated their annual VIP Day last week. VIP Day is a chance for students to learn about some of the different helpers in our community. The event has been a tradition at Winifred Pifer for more than 20 years! Thank you to all of the community VIPs for attending. Some of the participants included: Paso Robles Police Department, Paso Robles Fire Department, Paso Robles Waste & Recycle, California State Park Rangers, and Camp Roberts which included EOD specialists

District Elementary Basketball Championships Congratulations to the following teams for winning the PRJUSD elementary basketball championships: 5th grade girls: Pat Butler Elementary 5th grade boys: Arts Academy at Bauer Speck 4th grade girls: Kermit King Elementary 4th grade boys: Kermit King Elementary

Lions Club Award Winners Congratulations to the PRHS winter sports athletes who received the Lions Club Award this year. The students were selected by their teammates for demonstrating leadership, sportsmanship, and character. Bottom Row (from left to right) Diandra Wong, Stephanie Cashmore, Yahaira Garcia, Emmaline Voorheis, Ysabel Wulfing, Sophie Prieto, Gorgonio Gonzalez Middle Row (from left to right) Jerahmy Kelley, John Cabral, Luis Villalobos, Jaymie Throop, Nancy Torres, Becca Stroud, Back Row (from left to right) Victor Rodriguez, Sulial Ngiraitpang, Marcus Rodriguez-Stemper, Zane Warren, Ryan Gustafson, Marina Smeltzer

Bearcat Relays The annual Bearcat Relays were held this past weekend at PRHS with 11 teams in SLO County competing. Congratulations to the boys’ team for placing 1st and the girls’ team for placing 3rd. Complete results can be found at: http://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/MeetResults.aspx?Meet=288363 Girls’ Team Scores Boys’ Team Scores 1 Arroyo Grande 80 1 Paso Robles 99 2 San Luis Obispo 77 2 Arroyo Grande 90 3 Paso Robles 76 3 San Luis Obispo 73

Annual Taco Bell Track Meet Sign-Ups Underway Kindergarten through fifth grade students are invited to register for the 32nd annual Taco Bell Track Meet to be held at the Paso Robles High School track on Saturday, April 8 from 8 a.m. until noon with opening ceremonies beginning at 9:00 a.m. This annual event features run, jump, and throw competitions geared toward all ages and abilities of elementary age participants. Students can register to take part in several events including a long jump, turbo javelin throw, and 50, 100, 200 and 400 meter races. All participants are invited to enter three events during the meet. Prizes will be awarded for individual events as well as trophies for the winning school boys’ and girls’ relays.

Registration is $10 per participant. Early registration will happen Monday, March 13 through Friday, March 24 and includes a free Taco Bell Track Meet t-shirt. Everyone who takes part in the meet will receive a collapsible water bottle and a ribbon for each event. To register, students may return their completed form to their school or to the Paso Robles Recreation Services registration desk Monday through Friday between noon and 5 p.m. All registrations received by March 24 will receive a free event t-shirt. Registration forms are available online at www.PRCity.com/Recreation. Please call Paso Robles Recreation Services at 237-3988 for more information.

One Cool Earth Corner One way that One Cool Earth engages students in nature is involving PRYDE and ASES after school program students across the district in “Sprout Scouts”. Garden activities involve students developing safe and respectful behavior around the plants, animals, people, and tools in the garden; connecting to their environment and understanding the impacts of the everyday products we use and behaviors we practice; participating in growing, harvesting, and tasting healthy food; and creating arts, crafts, and projects to contribute to the school community. Pictured here are Ms. Tori’s TK/Kindergarten/1st grade PRYDE students at Georgia Brown Elementary planting a vegetable garden at the entrance to the school.

Looking for fun and meaningful ways to engage in your school community? One Cool Earth needs your help growing PRJUSD gardens big and green! Volunteers can help during garden lunch clubs, class time, and programs like Library on the Lawn to get students learning in the garden and trying new healthy foods. RSVP at action@onecoolearth.org to get involved or get more info! From planting to painting signs, there’s an activity for everyone! Also remember to check out One Cool Earth online: www.facebook.com/onecoolearth or www.onecoolearth.org.

STEM Lessons Students at Virginia Peterson Elementary were treated to some special STEM lessons (science, technology, engineering, and math) and are learning about engineering. Mrs. Maytubby’s 3rd grade class practiced their engineering skills. They designed, built, tested, and redesigned catapults. Mrs. Berry’s kindergarten class enjoyed a day of STEM engineering with the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo engineering students.

Eat Lunch with your Kid Eat lunch with your kid has to be one of the most popular events held at our middle schools. Pictured here is last month’s lunch at Flamson Middle School. As you can see, it was packed full of parents and students. We love that our middle school parents take the time to visit their kids!

Students Learn About Recycling Students at Winifred Pifer Elementary are the latest in PRJUSD to learn abou recycling, composting, and vermiculture. The students participated in a waste audit by separating all the trash that was thrown away during the day.

Georgia Brown Talent Show Georgia Brown Elementary School recently held its annual talent show. The show featured more than 20 acts and 30 students. Acts included singing, dancing, break dancing, drummers, and even “babies” singing Baby Bop. It was a great show by the Tigers!

Attendance Award Congratulations to Winifred Pifer Elementary for having the highest attendance at 94.6% during Month 6. Pictured here are principal, Mrs. Stoner, and guidance specialist, Mr. Hamill. Way to go, Panthers!

FFA Boosters Dinner Be sure to get your tickets soon for the annual PRHS FFA Boosters Dinner! Only 250 tickets are available for this event. Cost is $50/person and includes a steak dinner and beverages. It will be held at the Paso Robles Event Center on Saturday, March 25th.

Read Across America Day Students and teachers throughout PRJUSD celebrate Read Across America Day last week in honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Georgia Brown Elementary celebrated all week with dress up days such as Fox in Sox Day (crazy socks) and Cat in the Hat Day (crazy hat). The

week culminated with an assembly and students dressing as their favorite characters from a comic or book. Winifred Pifer Elementary also celebrated all week. In addition to the dress up days, students got a chance to read to rover, sign a reader’s oath, listen to a daily morning poem, and work on art and fun sheets in the library before and after school. They were also treated to guest readers from PRHS who are students in the CTE Child Development course. Students at The Arts Academy at Bauer Speck celebrated by reading books with their

reading buddies. And students at Virginia Peterson Elementary spent time reading Dr. Seuss’s books with their teachers, para-educators, and instructional coaches.

PRHS PAC-8 League Honors Congratulations to the following Bearcats for being named to the PAC-8 All-League Teams. In addition to those who earned 1st, 2nd, and honorable mention honors, PRHS had two boys’ soccer players earn top honors as goaltender and offensive player of the player. Boys’ Soccer Goaltender of the Year: Alexander Aceves Boys’ Soccer Offensive Player of the Year: Jesus Mendoza 1st Team Benjamin Premenko, soccer Luis Campoverde, soccer Alexis Serna, soccer Marina Smeltzer, water polo Cade England, wrestling Hunter Deverick, wrestling John Cabral, wrestling Juan Camacho, wrestling 2nd Team Mauricio Mincitar, soccer Leonard Anaya, soccer Madison Mitchell, soccer Giselle Zatarain, soccer Tatiana Smeltzer, water polo Mike Dominguez, wrestling Julian Madrigal, wrestling Ernie Trejo, wrestling Honorable Mention: Jose Mejia, soccer Tori Pugh, soccer Sebastian Galsim, basketball Gabe Linn, basketball Sydney Meneses, basketball Miranda Pasky, water polo

Welcome to PRJUSD Congratulations to the following employees whose positions were approved at last week’s board meeting: Jessica Shatwell, Academic Crisis Counselor

Jessica Shatwell attended Cuesta College before she transferred to the University of La Verne, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies and Master’s Degree in Educational Counseling. Jessica completed her internship at Lewis Middle School and Paso Robles High School to earn her P.P.S. Credential in School Counseling. Shortly after graduating college, she was able to be a substitute counselor at Paso Robles High School. Apart from working toward her career goals, she loves spending time with her family. She has a son that is growing way too fast, so she understands the importance of cherishing each moment. Jessica enjoys hiking, going to the movies, playing video games, riding roller coasters, and all things superhero.

Elizabeth Cordoba, Spanish Teacher Liz Córdoba has a twenty-some year history of teaching Spanish. She has taught at the University of Delaware, in Costa Rica and at Santa Maria High School. The classes she has taught range from preschool English Language acquisition, to Spanish One through Four, to AP Spanish Language and Spanish for Spanish Speakers. She got her training first by majoring in Spanish Literature at Colby College in Maine, where she earned her B.A. During her sophomore year in college, she studied Spanish film, history, literature, grammar, and art in Madrid, Spain. Later she received her M.A. in T.E.S.O.L. (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from West Chester University, in Pennsylvania, so that she could work and live in Costa Rica with her Costa Rican husband and two sons, Randall and Andrew Córdoba. In the early 1990’s, Ms Córdoba moved back to the Central Coast. Here she obtained her California teaching credential from Chapman University. She then taught Spanish in Santa Maria for the following nineteen years. Besides teaching, she also served

as Department Chair for International Languages and Advisor to the Asian Pacific Club and the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica. Liz Córdoba now lives in San Luis Obispo with her new husband, George Griffin, where she enjoys cycling, designing clothing and learning French. Kathleen Herndon, Teacher

Katie Herndon attended the University of LaVerne, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies. She also attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, where she received her Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential. Additionally, she took Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) courses where she received 28 units. Previously, Katie has worked with students with autism and other related special needs as a behavioral therapist and supervisor for STAR of CA. She began her teaching career at Almond Acres Charter Academy teaching first grade and kindergarten at San Benito Elementary School for Atascadero Unified School District. In her spare time, Katie enjoys a variety of hobbies and activities. She especially enjoys spending time with her family camping, hiking, riding bikes, and going

to the beach. Katie also loves reading and making homemade cooked meals. Blaise Smith, Teacher

Out of Atascadero High School, Blaise Smith accepted an athletic scholarship to study and play football at the University of California, Berkeley. As a Golden Bear, he studied political science and earned his bachelor’s degree. He returned home to pursue a teaching credential at Cal Poly. After earning his credential, Blaise moved to Bakersfield where he began his teaching career at Wasco High School. While there, he taught economics, political science, world history, and U.S. history while also coaching football. After teaching at several high schools in Kern County, Blaise

moved back to Atascadero to help manage a ranch and real estate holdings. He returned to teaching in 2014 at Atascadero Junior High School. Most recently, he worked as a long-term sub in PRJUSD in special education and the Independent Skills Program. Blaise is the proud dad of three children: Jake (21), Sawyer (17), and Tommy (14). He has been active in his community as a long-time member of the Atascadero Greyhound Foundation and adult leader of Cerro Alto 4H. He enjoys playing tennis and riding horses in his spare time.