Fortuna Elementary School District

Superintendent’s Report

October 2024

Curriculum and Instruction:

All certificated positions have been filled for this year.  Since the last Board meeting, we have hired a school nurse; welcome Sarah Dumas!  We have filled most of our classified vacancies except a few special circumstance instructional assistance (SCIA) and instructional assistants.    

The overall feedback from staff and students regarding our K-8th math pilot program, Amplify’s Desmos, continues to be positive.  This is the first year using this program for our K-5th grade students and the second year for our 6th-8th grade students.  We will continually monitor student progress and gather teacher feedback throughout the year to make decisions about curriculum adoption in the spring.  

Our new social-emotional learning curriculum, Character Strong, is being implemented from TK-8th grade. This curriculum aims to increase students’ belonging, well-being, and engagement.  We recently sent a team of employees to a Character Strong conference in Kentucky to learn how to implement Tier II of this program. This team will lead the way to implementing the next tier of Character Strong.   

We are already more than halfway through the first trimester.  Teachers will begin scheduling conferences in the next few weeks in anticipation of meeting with parents during Conference Week, scheduled for November 18th-22nd (early dismissal all week).  

In addition to all of the beginning of the year trainings, many of our staff members are participating in various professional development opportunities this year, including Prepared Classroom, Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI), Character Strong Tier II Certification Training, CodeStack Conference, School Nutrition, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, Get Your Teach On, California Kindergarten Conference, Plain Talk About Literacy & Learning, Teaching Stronger Brains, & Associated Student Body (ASB) Workshop.  

Our District will continue to educate our students and families regarding the importance of attendance. Missing any amount of school can impact student achievement.   

Budget:

There is nothing new regarding the budget other than we received verification from HCOE that our 2024-25 LCAP and budget were approved.

Our Budget Manager, Jennifer Goodner, has begun working on the FESD First Interim report, a snapshot of our revenue and expenditure forecasts for the current fiscal year and a projection for the two subsequent fiscal years. This is the time for us to adjust the budget based on the enacted budget and subsequent trailer bills, the closing of the prior fiscal year, and other factors that impact revenue and expenditures. The First Interim report covers the period from July 1 through October 31 each fiscal year and must be submitted to the Humboldt County Office of Education by December 15. 

We are nearing the end of our annual audit submissions. Our auditors have requested that we gather a few more items, and then we will await our final audit report from Christy White, Inc.  

Construction and Maintenance:

Now that the Walker project is close to completion, we will begin deciding to move forward with other bond projects on our list.   

Miscellaneous:

Our 10-day Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP) over the school breaks are scheduled for November 25-27, February 19-21, & April 15-18.  The program will be held at Walker Elementary and available to current TK-6th grade FESD students.  Sign-ups will be open on Parent Square from October 11-23.   

We encourage parents, guardians, and community members to volunteer at our schools.  Please contact our school offices to inquire about volunteering.  

Important Dates:

10/23/24:             ELOP Sign-Up Deadline

11/11/24:                Veterans’ Day - No School

11/18-11/22/24:     Conference Week - Early Dismissal

11/25-11/29/24:    No School

Respectfully Submitted,

Amy Betts

Highlights from the 10-17-24 Board Meeting:

• Congratulations to our October Superintendent Award recipients!

  • Ambrosini Elementary:  Levi Vizgaudis

  • Walker Elementary:  Alessandra Olea

  • Toddy Thomas:  Corben Yaple

  • Fortuna Middle School:  Mason Hartzell

• Thank you, Mateo Herrera-Cortes (Toddy Thomas) and Sofia Baker (Fortuna Middle School), for providing ASB updates. 

• The Board appointed Tara Lewis to the vacant Area R FESD Board of Trustees position and administered the Oath of Office.   

• The Board approved the Consent Agenda.

• The Board accepted the approval letter of 2024-25 LCAP/Budget Review from HCOE.

• The Board selected Ren Wohlers as the FESD Board member to serve as a representative to elect county committee members.  

• The Board approved adding Bertha de la Cruz as a signer for the FESD FRC Account.  

• The Board accepted a donation from Fortuna Sunrise Rotary.   

• The Board approved the updates/revisions to BP 6158 & AR 6158.  

• The Board approved the updated/revised Master Agreement for Independent Study.  

• The Board approved the following updated/revised/new policies, administrative regulations, and exhibits: AR 4119.12, E(1) 4119.12, AR 4219.12, E(1) 4219.12, AR 4319.12, E(1) 4319.12, BP 5145.3, AR 5145.3, BP 5145.7, AR 5145.71, E (1) 5145.71, & BP 5146. 

• The Board approved the canopy purchase for FMS.  

• The Board appointed Laurie Pringle to the vacant At Large FESD Board of Trustees position (beginning in December). The Oath of Office will be administered at the December 12th meeting.   

Next Regular Board Meeting: November 14, 2024