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District News

Annual Survey: A Continual Improvement Effort

Updated Wed, Jan 25th

In CUSD, we are committed to being an Organization of Excellence, continually improving each day to be a great place to learn, work, and provide an excellent education. Part of that process is gathering input from the people we interact with every day and using what we learn to further our commitment to getting better every day

We are seeking your input. On January 12, 2023, we will send the survey link to families and employees, and teachers will make time in class for students (grade 3 and up) to take the brief survey.

Our partners at Huron | Studer Education are administering the survey, providing an opportunity for you to provide feedback anonymously. The online survey will be available in English and Spanish, and you can respond via any Internet-connected computer or mobile device.

We are committed to listening and responding to your experiences in our district. We will use the feedback to celebrate and build upon our successes and to identify areas for improvement in specific areas.

Please check your email or ParentSquare account on January 12th for our message and link to the survey.

Storms: Schools Are Open and Prepared

Updated Wed, Jan 18th

smiling girl holding umbrella as car drives away

Dear CUSD Families:

As our region experiences powerful storms this week and next, please know that we are prepared to provide a safe and engaging learning experience for your students.

As long as the school can operate safely, it will remain open. Schools are considered “critical facilities”, according to PG&E, which gives us higher priority for restoring power.

Unlike other types of emergencies, storms may have very localized conditions needing to be addressed. Our district officials collaborate with local emergency agencies to determine whether there is a safety need requiring school or schools to be closed.

If your child’s school needs to make a change to its schedule, we will send a notice to you through our normal channels—ParentSquare, email, text, social media. (Please be sure the school office has your most current emergency contact information.)

If your child will be absent due to illness or some emergency situation, please notify the school office. If your child is well, we hope to see them at school as usual.

In view of how much instructional time our students missed in recent years, it is even more important that we do everything we can to provide safety, consistency and quality instruction for all of our students.

Kindergarten: The Next Step in a Lifetime of Learning

Updated Wed, Jan 18th

children's feet in boots taking a step forward

Do you know someone with a four or five year old? If so, please let them know about enrolling for the 2023-24 school year.

Whether entering Kindergarten or Transitional Kindergarten (TK), Campbell Union School District gives children a great start to a lifetime of learning. They will gain a sense of personal responsibility, self-direction, critical thinking, collaboration, and more.

Enrolling in Kindergarten?

Children who will be five years old on or before September 1, 2023, should enroll in kindergarten for the 2023-24 school year. Start the online process at home at campbellusd.org/enrollment.

More TK for Four Year Olds!

TK is the first year of a two-year kindergarten program that bridges preschool and kindergarten. For the 2023-24 school year, children are eligible for TK if their fifth birthday falls between September 2, 2023 and April 2, 2024.

Encourage the Next Step.

Our Enrollment FAQ web page has answers to frequently asked questions, tour dates to visit schools, and more.

Our Enrollment Staff is available by phone, enrollment [at] campbellusd.org (email), and in person, Monday through Friday (except holidays), from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Recording Software Partnership Takes Learning to Next Level

Updated Wed, Dec 28th

student smiling while listening to beat he made

Thanks to a new partnership, students across the district are using a new audio/recording program to create music and more. And they love it!

“When I learned about Soundtrap, a subsidiary of Spotify, in schools, it seemed like a great fit for our goal of providing innovative real world experiences. It gives our students another way to be creative as they demonstrate their learning through podcasts and music in relevant and engaging ways,” said Superintendent Shelly Viramontez.

The district was able to leverage some of its Art Block Grant funds to contract with Soundtrap and provide site licenses for all of its schools, she added.

Soundtrap is a secure, cloud-based recording platform that works on all operating systems. Students at several schools are using it to create music, develop podcasts, collaborate on projects, and take presentations to a new level.

Sherman Oaks Music Teacher Jay Mason uses the software to reinforce the musical skills on ukulele, such as rhythm, melody, harmony, and song structure. “It makes it very easy to introduce students to music composition and production,” he said. “And it has been a great tool to introduce students to the basics of content creation rather than consumption.”

“Students love it,” said CSI Teacher Misty Kleusner. “My favorite part is that they want to revise their “work” (the recording) to improve it. They also are great with self-directed learning, using video tutorials on how to do different skills to create their podcasts, and teaching one another when they discover new things or someone who needs help.”

smiling boy holding ipad
Roman

girl in glasses smiling and holding ipad
Lexi

Roman, a Blackford second grader, beamed as he showed how many tracks he created. “It’s cool, because I like to make music,” he says. His classmate, Lexi, said “I like singing and dancing, and I get to make my own music with it.”

“The kids love sharing the cool stuff they’ve created,” said Innovation Teacher Jonathan Natividad. He sees many applications for using the software in any grade. “With math facts, you can count beats and measure time. For English, you can practice long and short vowel sounds and put them to music. It can be used in so many ways that engage students in what’s being taught.”

A Message from the Superintendent

Updated Wed, Dec 28th

Superintendent Viramontez sends a video message of appreciation and of looking forward as the Winter Break approaches.

“Our Winter Break and the end of 2022 is almost here. It’s a great time to reflect on our accomplishments so far, celebrate the strength of our community, and look forward to what we can still accomplish together,” she says.

Click for the full message.

Kindergarten Enrollment for 2023-24 Begins January

Updated Wed, Dec 21st

four kindergarten children sitting on the floor and smiling

Getting to know—really getting to know—your neighborhood school is important for families about to enroll their children into Kindergarten. Campbell Union School District offers several ways to help families do just that.

First, confirm which is your neighborhood school by using the district’s “Find Your School” link.

Next, learn about your neighborhood school in one of these ways:

Tour your elementary school. See the enrollment tour schedule.
Subscribe to the school's newsletter. Subscription link.
Review the school’s annual plan, known as the LCAP.
Ask the principal about attending a school event or a parent contact you can talk to.
Follow us on social media. @campbellusd

Please visit our Enrollment website for more details about
registering your child for the 2023-24 school year.

The First 5 of California website also offers parents some guidance about what to consider when choosing a school.

Families wishing to request a school other than their neighborhood school will need to participate in the Open Enrollment period that begins January 17th.

Schools Add Narcan to Emergency Response Kits

Updated Wed, Dec 14th

stay safe and chalk rainbows drawn on sidewalk

The safety of our students and community is always our top priority.

Recently, news outlets have been raising awareness about a drug called “Fentanyl” and “Rainbow Fentanyl”. Brightly-colored Rainbow Fentanyl can be found in many forms, including pills, powder, and blocks that can resemble candy or sidewalk chalk (photo below). rainbow fentanyl looks like chalk Fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. See the California Department of Health's Alert on Rainbow Fentanyl.

As we work together to keep our students and community safe, we would like to call your attention to this issue and ask parents to take some time to speak with your children about this danger. Any pill (regardless of its color, shape, or size) that does not come from a health care provider or pharmacist can contain fentanyl and can be deadly. Prevention is key to saving lives.

While we hope to never need to use it, we plan for the worst case scenario and hope it never comes to that. Our District will have a supply of Narcan, a medication that when administered rapidly enough can reverse an opioid overdose, available at all of our school sites. Key district and school-based staff are being trained to administer Narcan. (See information from the California Department of Public Health.)

Student Calendar Approved for 2023-24 School Year

Updated Thu, Dec 1st

“We are pleased to be able to provide our calendar for the 2023 -24 school year so early to allow our families to plan their vacations and get-aways without having to miss school,” Lena Bundtzen, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources.

The Governing Board adopted the district's 2023-24 employee work year calendar at its November 10th meeting. A student version of the calendar is available online at www.campbellusd.org/calendar, and it can be downloaded as a PDF.

10 Student/Educator Teams Vie for Innovation Grants

Updated Wed, Nov 30th

students and teacher standing and presenting to audience

Students have a greater role this year in our second annual Innovation Team Grant Pitch Fest. In Shark Tank-style presentations on November 9th, 10 teams of CUSD students and educators pitched ideas to a panel of judges in hopes of receiving funds to support their innovative ideas.

Their proposals are aimed at three challenges students shared in our spring student surveys:

How can we help students be nicer to each other?
How can we help our schools be cleaner?
Do all students feel like they belong at school?

The Innovation Team Grant program asks school-based teams to see challenges as design opportunities to be solved through testing and refinement.

“This is another way our district demonstrates our commitment to supporting innovation, collaboration, continual improvement, and having those closest to a challenge be part of the solution,” said Superintendent Shelly Viramontez.

“Innovation is a mindset. It’s the courage to view challenges as opportunities, and to design innovative solutions to these challenges together,” said Julie Goo, the district’s Coordinator of Innovation, Teaching and Learning. “Engineering & Design Thinking celebrates our students’ questioning and addressing real-world problems, through identifying and prototyping possible solutions.”

group photo of all pitchfest teams

Year Two Innovation Grant Proposals

Student Voice and Choice: Lunch Clubs, Blackford Elementary
Think Tank: A Welcoming Space for Grades TK - 8, Campbell School of Innovation
Lynhaven’s Kindness Rocks Day, Lynnhaven Elementary
Rosemary Refreshing Remix, Rosemary Elementary
Innovating Learning & Play, Capri Elementary
Science Camp Reimagined, Castlemont Elementary
Creating an “Arcade” for Computer Science Learning, Blackford & Rosemary Elementary
Newcomer Ambassadors, Monroe Middle School
Outdoor Shade, Sherman Oaks Community Charter School
Seating Areas, Sherman Oaks Community Charter School

The judges were impressed by the thoroughness of the students’ presentations and awarded grants to all of the teams. The teams will provide follow-up reports of their progress in the spring.

Thank you to the Pitch Fest judges: Ken Johnson, Executive Director of the Campbell Chamber of Commerce; Devon Young, Designer, K12 Lab Network at Stanford D-School; Danielle M.C. Cohen, CUSD Governing Board Vice President; Pamela Cheng, CUSD Director of Teaching & Learning; Whitney Holton, CUSD Associate Superintendent of Teaching & Learning; and Dr. Shelly Viramontez, CUSD Superintendent.

A Message of Thanks

Updated Wed, Nov 30th

Dr. Shelly Viramontez offers a Thanksgiving message to the community

“We want to express our heartfelt appreciation,” the superintendent says in the video. “We are always stronger when we work together, and we are so grateful to each of you for your support and collaboration.

See the full video message here.

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