The Fillmore High School Band is alive and well, and happening as a seventh period high school class. The Fillmore Band Boosters are making plans to purchase new uniforms for our hard working musicians. The existing band uniforms were purchased 25 years ago. There are currently 51 members of the marching band, and only 35 uniforms can be pieced together. A band member described the uniforms as old, smelly, and in urgent need of replacement.

Band Director, Greg Godfrey, estimates the uniforms will cost around $30,000. Plans to raise money include designating a portion of every band fundraiser to the uniform account, creating several special fundraisers, and asking the community to contribute. Our students need uniforms they can wear with pride.

The Fillmore Band Boosters are a group of parents and music lovers who support all Fillmore and Piru school bands, which includes high school, middle school, and elementary level music students. The Band Boosters assist the music programs by providing supplementary funding for all areas of the music program including instruments, instrument repair, transportation, uniforms and sheet music.

Donations are always welcome and may be sent to:
Fillmore Band Boosters, PO Box 1008, Fillmore, CA 93016

The group meets the first Monday of each month, except when it falls on a school holiday, at 6:30 PM in the High School Band Room. For more information, contact Band Boosters at 524-6137. All contributions are tax deductible.

Camarillo, Calif. Oct. 20, 2009 – CSU Channel Islands (CI) has announced a campus and community town hall meeting to be held Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in Malibu Hall 100 on the University campus.

The town hall meeting, an initiative of the CSU’s Chancellors Office and the University’s Center for Community Engagement, will provide a forum for the University and community to engage in conversations about needs and assets as a result of the current economic crisis, raise awareness of the impacts of the crisis, strengthen partnerships between the University and the community, and provide a foundation of information for the CSU to seek external funders to support community engagement work throughout California.

CI’s Center for Community Engagement, in collaboration with the Martin V. Smith School of Business & Economics, the Political Science program, Student Government, and Ventura County Together – a community collaborative comprised of First 5 Ventura County, United Way of Ventura County, Ventura County Community Foundation, and the Community Commission for Ventura County will host the meeting.

Ventura County Together will begin the program by presenting CONTINUED »

United Water Conservation District, in association with the American Ground Water Trust (AGWT), is offering a great opportunity for local teachers to learn about the science of water. The two-day Groundwater Teachers Institute will provide real-life applications of a variety of areas of science as they relate to providing water for our homes, the environment, agriculture and more.

The Institute is open to high school and middle school teachers from the Ventura, Oxnard, Santa Paula, Fillmore and Camarillo areas and is limited to 30 attendees. And in recognition of the fiscal challenges currently confronting our schools, United, together with several generous co-sponsors, is picking up the full cost of the program, including the cost to the schools of hiring substitutes so that their teachers can attend.

The program, which will be held the evening of Thursday, November 5 and all day Friday, November 6, will include tours of Oxnard’s GREAT Program Desalter and United’s Freeman Diversion Dam, and will have the benefit of presentations by water experts from various disciplines including fisheries biology, geology, agriculture, engineering and more.

Any teacher interested in the program should contact Tony Morgan or Ken Breitag at United Water Conservation District (805-525-4431) or register online at www.agwt.org/teachers/institutehome.htm.

United would like to thank the following sponsors for helping make this program possible: Blois Construction, the City of Oxnard, the City of Ventura, Famcon Pipe and Supply, FGL Environmental, Hopkins Groundwater Consultants, Hydrometrics LLC, Leavens Ranches, Limoneira Company, Nordman Cormany Hair & Compton LLP, Penfield & Smith Engineers, and Ventura County Resource Conservation District.

California State University Channel Islands

Camarillo, CA. - The science clubs at CSU Channel Islands (CI) have planned an exciting event for Ventura County students in grades K-8. The First Annual Science Carnival will take place on Friday, Oct. 23, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at University Charter Middle School, 550 Temple Avenue, Camarillo.

The event was initiated by Dr. Philip Hampton, Professor of Chemistry at CSU Channel Islands. Hampton, who is also the Director of the National Science Foundation’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) and the Director of HIS STEM Grant at Oxnard College, is eager to encourage students to investigate STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) majors or careers.

The Science Carnival coincides with National Chemistry Week. Hampton credited the CI biology, chemistry and LSAMP clubs with the creation of the carnival. President Mary Grabiak and Vice President Ashley Bonneau of the chemistry club, the Free Radicals, were instrumental in spearheading the development of the event. Hampton and his students worked closely with Charmon Evans, Director of the University Preparatory School, so that all science content would relate to the science curriculum covered in grades K-8.

The Carnival will feature hands-on science activities, followed by CONTINUED »

Fillmore Unified School District

FILLMORE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2009
5:15 P.M. – CLOSED SESSION
6:00 P.M. – SPECIAL BOARD MEETING
3811 CENTER STREET, PIRU, CALIFORNIA

AGENDA
The public may review or request a copy of support materials provided to the Board Members where the word materials appears.
5:15 P.M.
I. CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
II. ROLL CALL
III. PUBLIC COMMENT ON ANY CLOSED SESSION ITEMS, PETITIONS
This is the time and place to address the school board on any closed session item. State law prohibits the Board from acting on issues not included on the agenda; however, requests may be made for discussion of specific topics at subsequent meetings.
IV. CLOSED SESSION
The Board of Education will meet from 5:15 to 6:00 p.m. to consider CONTINUED »

Fillmore Unified School District

FILLMORE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2009
5:15 P.M. – CLOSED SESSION
6:00 P.M. - REGULAR MEETING
627 SESPE AVENUE, FILLMORE, CALIFORNIA

AGENDA
5:15 p.m.
I. CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
II. ROLL CALL
III. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NONAGENDA ITEMS, PETITIONS
This is the time and place to address the Board. State law prohibits the Board from acting on issues not included on the agenda; however, requests may be made for discussion of specific topics at subsequent meetings.
IV. CLOSED SESSION
The Board of Education will meet from 5:15 to 6:00 p.m. to consider matters appropriate for Closed Session in accordance with Government Code Sections 3549.1, 54956.7 through 54957.7 and Education Code Section 35146. If the Board does not complete Closed Session discussions at this time, the Board may adjourn to Closed Session at the end of the regular meeting. DISCLOSURE OF ITEM(S) TO BE DISCUSSED IN CLOSED SESSION School District Pupils (Education Code 35146)
o Expulsion Case Number 09-10-03 CONTINUED »

From the start of this process of educational reform, it is has been the goal of Piru Charter School to value and protect the work of our school’s classified employees. During the Piru Reconfiguration Committee sessions held in the Winter and Spring of 2009, the entire staff, with input from classified staff, came up with a list of what we called ‘non-negotiables’, principles that any charter plan must include to be acceptable to the staff. Every single teacher on the staff agreed to these principles. Classified employees were informed of the meetings, given agendas and invited to participate, and those that did also agreed to these principles. The key principles the staff decided upon were:

Salary schedule equivalent or better than FUSD’s
Benefit package equivalent or better than FUSD’s
Pension- remain in STRS and PERS
Due process rights for employees (including classified employees)
Union affiliation with local association (for ALL EMPLOYEES)
Staff participation in governance and decision-making (including classified employees)
Staff selects Curriculum (including classified employees)
Retain current staff (including classified employees)

It is the intent of our charter petition, CONTINUED »

Misinformation has been given out to create fear, here are the facts:
Migrant funds will continue, All migrant programs will remain, Piru School will continue to be a free public school, More parent input (parents will be on local Piru school board), More local control, No more waiting for empty promises (how long do we wait for these long promised grant monies???? Where is the student drop-off turn around???? Where is our new safe field????). Future K-8, Smaller class sizes, Our goal is to do what is best for Piru school students; not for the district. For more information, see our web site: www.pirucharterschool.blogspot.com.

La Verdad de Convertirnos en una Escuela Charter
Mucha desinfornación se ha dado para crear miedo; aquí están los hechos: Los Fondos Migratorios Van a Continuar, Todos los Programas Migratorios Van a Continuar, La Escuela de Piru va a continuar a ser una escuela publica y gratitua, Más opiniones de los padres (padres estarán en la junta local de la escuela Piru), Tendremos un mayor control local de nuestra escuela (¿cuånto tiempo tenemos que esperar becas prometidas? Dónde está el lugar seguro que prometiero para dejar y recojer a nuestros estudiantes? Dónde está nuestra nueva cancha segura que fue prometida?). En el Futuro una escuela del kinder a octavo grado, Clases más pequeñas, Nuestra meta es hacer lo que es major para los estudiantes de Piru, no para el distrito. Para obtener más información, consulte nuestro sitio web: www.pirucharterschool.blogspot.com.

When the Piru Charter School train left the station, few passengers were on board. What was described as a “collaborative” effort now appears to represent the work of only 3 individuals with the consent of an additional few people. There was no effort to get “buy in” from more than a small handful of community members, classified staff members, nor teachers not in “the know”.

The Piru Charter School petition was written in secret. Over a year ago Piru Elementary School staff met to explore reconfiguration at Piru School to parallel the district’s conversations on reconfiguration. The conversations at Piru were to include ways to improve instruction within the current school structure, investigate the concept of a magnet school, and look at charter schools. The conversations, led by then principal Richard Durborow and long time charter advocate Christopher Pavik, began with a broad focus but were quickly narrowed by the leaders to the single concept of charter. In its discussion the Piru School staff had hoped to gain an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages associated with Charter Schools. However, the leaders rapidly took the discussion from investigation of charter schools to joining a charter association and writing a charter petition to make Piru Elementary to a conversion charter school. A conversion charter school requires the existing school to close then the newly incorporated sef-governed school is opened in its place. Many staff members believed at that point the discussion had been derailed and resulted in an end to whole staff collaboration. The conversations continued with a small group of teachers in secret. The product of these secret meetings was the petition presented to the Fillmore USD on September 16 to convert Piru Elementary School to Piru Charter School.

The founding group of Piru Charter School petitioners presenting their CONTINUED »

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On Wednesday, Oct. 7th, Fillmore students took to the streets for International Walk to School Day. Students from Fillmore Unified School District walked to school assisted by police officers along with parents, teachers and community volunteers. All FUSD students and staff were encouraged to walk to school. The event began at 7 am at Fillmore's City Hall (Fillmore area schools) and at the Piru Fire Station (Piru Elementary). Participants were provided with fun early morning physical activities, as well as nutrition and pedestrian safety fun facts. Students were assisted by community volunteers, parents, teachers and local area agencies. Events continued throughout the day at each campus.

Events included Network for a Healthy California—Gold Coast Region Children's Power Play! Campaign, Safe Kids of Ventura County, Dairy Council of California, Fillmore Police Department, Piru Fire Department, Santa Clara Valley Neighborhoods for Learning, FedEx Kinkos, Fillmore City Hall, Fillmore Unified School District, Fillmore and Piru School staff, parents and students. Hundreds of Fillmore students joined in the Walk to School event.
Those walking from City Hall were accompanied by police officers and other community members. Each student had the opportunity to participate in various physical, nutrition and safety activities in their schools.
Walk to School events focus on creating safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, concern for the environment and building connections between families, schools and the broader community.

On Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Fillmore High School Seniors will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from UC, CSU, community college, and private colleges and universities at the Second Annual Higher Ed Week at Fillmore High School during periods 1 and 3. College and university representatives will be here from Imperial Valley College; California State University Northridge; San Bernardino State University; San Marcos State University; San Diego State University; SDSU-Imperial Valley campus; Chico State University, University of California, Davis; UC Irvine; UC Riverside; UC San Diego; and UC Santa Cruz. Our local community colleges, Ventura, Moorpark, and Oxnard will also be represented.

Private colleges will include Point Loma Nazarene, University of San Diego, Cal Lutheran and Columbia College,
U.S. Forest Service as well as Southern California Consortium.

Many students will have representatives of their college choice here and it will give them an opportunity to ask specific questions about choosing a major, scholarships, campus, dorms, tour dates, academic requirements and paperwork they must complete in order to be accepted. Higher Ed Week emphasizes the importance of making an informed decision on where to attend college.

For more information on Higher Ed Week, please contact Fillmore High School Counselor Norma Perez-Sandford at 524-6107 or npsandford@fillmore.k12.ca.us

Norma Pérez-Sandford is a Counselor at Fillmore High School.

Mary Kramer

Camarillo, CA. - The board of the CSU Channel Islands (CI) Foundation recently announced the winner of its first annual ‘Star Award’ for exemplary service to the Foundation. Camarillo businesswoman and board member Mary Kramer, recipient of the award, was recognized for her tireless work and outstanding commitment to the board’s goals of creating new funding opportunities to benefit the University.

The board, led by Chairman Bill Kearney, a 34-year resident of Ventura, has worked diligently to open new doors for fundraising that will benefit students and faculty. New revenue for research and program development strengthens the University’s mission of providing innovative, multidisciplinary, service-oriented programs. Kearney, a six-year board member, said that he had gotten involved with the board because he, “…, like so many other people in Ventura County, was absolutely thrilled to have a four-year public University in the county.”

The board, composed of both community leaders from different industries and faculty and administrative representatives, was organized to re-energize, restructure and expand fundraising efforts. Bill Kearny emphasized that members of the board have many diverse backgrounds and abilities and that, “Mary brings skills to the group including tremendous negotiating skills.”

Entering her third year as a board member, Mary Kramer CONTINUED »

Fillmore Unified School District

The Fillmore Unified School District received a petition for the conversion of Piru Elementary School to a charter school to be known as the Piru Charter School. The District Governing Board will hold a public hearing on the provisions of the charter, at which time the Board will consider the level of support for the petition by teachers employed by the District, other District employees, and parents.

Based on the District’s review and analysis of the charter petition and the information gathered at the public hearing, the District Board will either grant or deny the charter. The meeting will occur at Piru Elementary School in their auditorium on Wednesday, October 21, at 6:00 p.m. Translators will be present at the meeting. Transportation to and from Rancho Sespe will be provided courtesy of the Ventura County Migrant Program.

Also, child care for elementary age students will be provided. A copy of the petition can be viewed at the Superintendent’s Office, 627 Sespe Avenue, Fillmore.

Recent articles in the Gazette by proponents of the Piru Charter School petition have implied that the Fillmore Unified School District showed a “lack of real concern for the students and parents of Piru Elementary School.” It is unclear what the petitioners are citing, as the information that follows is a clear indication that Piru has received tremendous support.
The District has shown concern for Piru’s instructional program as it funded the following over the past three years:
• The purchase of a computer lab ($17,000);
• The purchase of Waterford Math and Science software ($40,000); and
• The purchase one half the cost of the Lesson One ($11,250) program that school implemented the past two years.
The above items, with the exception of Lesson One were provided for all of our elementary schools. Also, the District provides outstanding support for our Title I, Migrant and our English Learners by our coordinators, all of whom specialize in our student populations across the District. This support is the luxury of being part of a unified school district.
Below is a partial list of the programs and projects that the District has completed at Piru School just in the last 4 years:
2004-05
• Electrical and Plumbing modernization CONTINUED »

VENTURA, CA - In Project Management Practicum, the capstone course of UCSB Extension's Professional Certificate Program in Project Management, students apply their learned project management skills to assist a community service organization. This fall, UCSB Extension is pleased to again be collaborating with Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County, a charitable non-profit organization dedicated to building homes in partnership with low-income families in need of decent and affordable housing. The student project this fall quarter will be to assist Habitat to plan and conduct a fundraising golf event at Wood Ranch in Simi Valley.

In prior Practicum classes, students planned and executed projects for the Ventura and Santa Barbara Habitat affiliates. These projects included home improvement workshops to raise awareness of Habitat's ReStore, a 25th anniversary picnic to honor homeowners and volunteers, a ReStore location study, and a Women-at-Work day to frame a Habitat house.

"Through projects such as these, students learn by CONTINUED »

California State University Channel Islands

Camarillo, CA. - CSU Channel Islands (CI) has announced the second program of the Fall 2009 Chicana/o Speaker Series. Guest speaker, Dr. Ana Elizabeth Rosas of UC Irvine, will discuss her research on women and the Bracero program entitled, “Ourselves-Our Children: Responsibility and Respectability across the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands, 1942-1947.”

The program, which is free and open to the public, will take place Tuesday, Oct. 13, from 3 to 5:00 p.m. in the John Spoor Broome Library Room 1360 on the CI campus. The series of programs is sponsored by the Chicana/o Studies program, in conjunction with the Center for Multicultural Engagement and is funded by the University’s IRA (Instructionally Related Activities).

Dr. Rosas’ research on women, the Bracero program and its legacy, from 1942 to today, demonstrates the ongoing impact the program has had on Chicano families. A by-product of the program, which allowed Mexican nationals to take temporary agricultural work in the United States, was the separation of the families of migrant workers. For a female migrant worker it meant the lengthy absence of a mother from her children, as she worked to send money back to her family. This resulted in many children resenting the mother’s absence and feeling abandoned.

The separation of family members, some living and CONTINUED »

California State University Channel Islands

WHAT: “Where Are We Now?” with Dr. Sung Won Sohn
WHEN: 12 – 2 p.m., Friday, Oct. 9, 2009
WHERE: CSU Channel Islands, One University Drive, Camarillo, Malibu Hall 100

The worst economic setback during the post-war period is over. The global economy is recovering and the global financial markets are stabilizing. Despite the improved outlook, there are concerns on both economic and financial fronts. There is the risk of a double-dip recession as well as renewed inflation. The funding in the economic stimulus programs will be gradually phased out. The central banks will begin to mop up excess liquidity and start raising the interest rate. The global trade won't be as robust as it used to be. How real are these risks? How will the U.S. economy fare? How will the financial markets including the stock and bond markets respond? Renowned economist, Dr. Sung Won Sohn, will present his analysis.

Sohn is a Professor at the Martin V. Smith School of Business & Economics at CSU Channel Islands. He is regularly quoted by national and global media outlets. Prior to arriving at the University, Sohn was the Chief Executive Officer of Hanmi Financial Corporation, a commercial bank with $4 billion in assets. Before joining Hanmi in 2005, Sohn was Executive Vice President and Chief Economic Officer of Wells Fargo Banks for more than 30 years. He served on the President’s Council of Economic Advisors at The White House during the Ford-Nixon Administration.