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District Newsletter
Winter Issue
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WINTER ISSUE 30
Message from the Superintendent
Dear Lemoore Union Elementary School District Parents & Staff,
It is hard to imagine how fast our year is going and the holidays are upon us. As we complete the first part of our year together, we are proud of the progress we are making to ensure positive learning outcomes for our students. This is due to the purposeful work that has taken place by our teachers, support staff and dedicated leaders skillfully leading our schools. They continue to provide our students with learning opportunities and experiences to support their ongoing growth and development. Our priority remains the same, which is ensuring that EACH ONE of us have a relentless focus on the learning and the wellbeing of our students. It is an honor to work alongside dedicated staff and leaders in pursuit of our shared mission, to do whatever it takes to make a difference for EACH ONE of our students.
December, is a truly a time to reflect, as we experience another year come to a close. As a district, we are grateful to serve our wonderful students who continue to lean into their learning striving to obtain proficiency on their guaranteed standards and meet their individual goals. We acknowledge their hard work, accomplishments, perseverance and resilience. We believe in our studentsâ ability to succeed and we support their continued learning both inside and outside of the classroom. We cannot wait to see everything they will achieve in the 2024 New Year.
We are excited to share our winter edition of our LUESD Newsletter with you. We have a new look and platform and I hope you will take time to read and discover the incredible experiences our students have enjoyed during our first trimester at each one of our schools. We have also provided critical information regarding attendance, foggy day schedules, and upcoming 2024-2025 enrollment registration information.
As a reminder, Winter break will take place from Monday, December 18, 2023 through Friday, January 5, 2024. All schools will be closed during this time. Our district office will be closed from December 25, 2023 through January 2, 2024.
Again, we are thankful for EACH ONE of our students, staff members and families for your support and partnership. Please take time to delight in the traditions that make this wonderful time of year so special. I hope you enjoy all the special moments and memories created and are able to take time to relax, recharge and connect with those you cherish.
Happy holidays and a wishing you a safe and healthy 2024 New Year!
Sincerely,
Cheryl Hunt
Superintendent
Lemoore Lions
Trimester 1 Awards Rally
On November 17th, Lemoore Elementary held our Trimester 1 Awards Rally. It was a celebration of achievement. The entire school attended, games were played, awards were given, and students won prizes. Our parent club donated many prizes and many families came to celebrate student achievement.
Red Ribbon Week
Lemoore Elementary celebrated Red Ribbon Week with some fun dress up days. This was all an effort to increase student awareness of saying NO to Drugs. The Lemoore Police Department also provided opportunities for students to learn about their K-9 program and to tour the emergency vehicles.
Lemoore Elementary Book Fair
The Fall Lemoore Elementary Book Fair was held from November 27th - December 1st. On November 28th, a night event was held.
Meadow Lane Mustangs
Itâs the most wonderful time of the year. There are a lot of exciting events coming up at Meadow Lane before Christmas and New Yearâs break, but most wonderful of all is the learning that will take place.
Each grade level team in the Mustang Nation has been working diligently, teaching students the guaranteed standards, and moving students toward proficiency. This is a big task and the kids and staff are up for it. They will continue working hard to ensure that learning happens. In the meantime, we have a number of upcoming events for students and families. Heading the list are the grade level spelling bees that will take place during the week of Wednesday, December 6. Mrs. Bevens is our spell-master for the site event and two students from each grade level will earn the right to participate in the District Spelling Bee in January.
Another activity is our student of the month breakfast to be held on December 7th and 8th. The focus for November was on perseverance, one of the character expectations for ALL students at Meadow Lane. Having resilience, persistence, and perseverance are qualities that serve an individual well in life, and we are looking forward to celebrating our students in these areas.
Also on Thursday, December 7th, musical learning will be on display. Fifth and sixth grade band students will host a concert at 1:30pm out on the basketball courts. We are excited to hear all the learning that has taken place under the watchful eyes and ears of Mr. Huebschle, our band teacher. As if that was not enough for one day, also on December 7th, the Meadow Lane parent club, the Mustang Nation Foundation, will be hosting the second Family Night of the year. It will be a Winter Wonderland theme. Families will be able to sign up for a limited number of spaces available for seasonal art activities and seasonal family photographs taken, for a small fee. The event will run from 5:00-6:30 pm. Finally, the annual TK and Kindergarten Christmas presentation will take place on Thursday, December 14th, at the Liberty Middle School cafeteria, at 6:00 pm. Each class will be singing a song and the night will end with the big audience participation, Mexican Hat Dance.
There is so much good going on around us and it is all driven by the daily work of learning, practicing and reviewing the guaranteed standard in reading, writing, math, history, science, PE, and music, that sometimes one can forget what all this is for. Itâs for us, all of us, because the learning, the knowledge, the skills our children gain serve us all and make our Meadow Lane Community, the Mustang Nation, and all of Lemoore a better place to live.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
The Meadow Lane football team finished with a three way tie for first place with a 4-1 record. The volleyball team worked hard all season long and picked up a win in their last game of the season. SPIRIT, the Meadow Lane mascot was kicking up his heels over Mustang victories.
University Charter Hawks
The 1st trimester of the 23/24 school year at UCS has been an awesome one! We celebrated our Hawk HERO culture with events such as Back to School Night, PSOâs Jog-a-thon fundraiser, and Annual Turkey Trot around the West Hills College campus. We also have sports at UCS for the first time ever, with our 6th graders participating in the LUESD district elementary sports program. We just finished up with flag football and volleyball, and are looking forward to soccer season starting after winter break. New ASB officers campaigned and have been voted on by the student body, and are hard at work spearheading such events as Red Ribbon week the upcoming Anti-Bullying and Mental Health Awareness week. We continue to recognize students on a weekly basis at our Friday Flag Salute in the quad area, with our Hawk Hero awards and Student of the Month/Golden Hawk awards given out monthly. Bus evacuation drills and emergency response vehicles made an appearance on campus for Red Ribbon Week. Fun Fridays remain a popular weekly event the students look forward to for socializing and positive behavior recognition. AVID elective and tutorial classes have gotten underway, utilizing seniors from LMCHS as our class tutors. We will be having our first round of âUCS Starsâ and âTop Hawksâ wall painting ceremonies soon. In addition, we look forward to our amazing presentations and projects in our math, ELA, science, and history classes celebrating learning from the 1st trimester. Our students have started off the year reading over 1100 books thus far in the school year. Finally, yearbook orders have already started as well! We have alot to be proud of as we continue to show our Hawk Pride here at UCS!
Cinnamon Eagles
Big Brothers Big Sisters
We are excited to expand the Central California Big Brothers Big Sisters program to Cinnamon Elementary starting in January. This program consists of high school students from Lemoore High School mentoring our Eagles once a week after school at Cinnamon. This program will be a great opportunity to support our students both academically and socially. We will have our official ribbon cutting ceremony in January of 2023!
Monsters Inc. Book Fair and PTC Family Art Night
âMonsters Inc.â was the theme for Cinnamon Elementaryâs most recent book fair. Mrs. Ahumada and family turned the library into the Scare Factory complete with frightfully good reads for our students. Students had the opportunity to purchase books, participate in a coloring contest and a guessing jar, as well as donate books to the school. Our total sales for the book fair was $8483.08. In addition, Cinnamon Parent Teacher Club held a Family Art Night in which students could create fall art. Both of these events were a great success for our Eagles and their families!
Football and Volleyball Teams
Cinnamonâs football and volleyball teams had great seasons! Our football team ended the season 4-1 with one loss against Meadow Lane. This was a 3 way tie for 1st place! Great job Coach Henriquez and team! The volleyball team ended the season also 4-1 with one loss against Freedom. This was 2nd place Great job Coach Wheatley and volleyball team!
Trimester 1 Assemblies
Before Thanksgiving break we celebrated our achievements from Trimester 1. Students were recognized for Academic Improvement, Academic Effort, SOARING in class and around campus, and for perfect attendance. Individual students were given the opportunity to earn various prizes with drawings and a bicycle was given to 2 students- one from K-3 and one from 4-6. Special recognition was also given to multiple students for their reclassification as an English Learner and to both of our volleyball and football teams. It was a wonderful time of celebration for all of our Eagles!
Freedom Jets
The Flight Plan
We continue to follow the Flight Plan: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Resilient. Students are awarded tickets for showing examples of respect, responsibility and resiliency. Those tickets can be used at the Freedom Flight Store for a variety of prizes. On November 17th, we celebrated students at our First Trimester Rally. Students were recognized for their effort, progress, and for following the Flight Plan.
Family Literacy Night
In October we hosted our first ever Fall Literacy Family Craft Night. All of our Freedom families were invited to school in the evening to read stories and complete crafts together. It was a fun evening for our students and their families. Our staff had a great time planning this event. .
Freedom Family Pumpkin Patch/ Red Ribbon Week
The Freedom Jet Boosters sponsored a pumpkin patch for our students in October. The kids had a great time choosing a pumpkin. Thank you to our parent club! We also had Red Ribbon Week in October. The students enjoyed learning about the emergency vehicles when they visited our school for Red Ribbon Week. We also had an exciting K9 demonstration.
Engvall Roadrunners
Fall Sports Season
Engvall had a wonderful Fall Sport Season. Engvall football and volleyball teams were complemented throughout the season for having positive sportsmanship on the field/court. We are very proud of both teams for choosing to have positive behavior while in a sporting competition. The Engvall football team led by Mr. Velo ended the season with a 4 - 1 record and Engvall volleyball team led by Mrs. Morshead ended the season with a 3 - 2 record. Engvall Staff and students are proud of the success of both teams.
Third Grade Dictionaries
We were very appreciative of the Lemoore Rotary Club donated a dictionary to each of our third grade students. Our students were very excited. Mr. Dack, a Lemoore Rotarian, provided a dictionary to each of our 75, 3rd grade students. The students will learn to use their dictionaries in class with their teachers then can use the dictionaries as a resource throughout the year and in years to come. We are thankful to the Lemoore Rotary Club for their generosity and support of student learning.
Engvall STRONG student of the month
On October 30, we celebrated students who showed the STRONG behavior attribute of "Respectful". Each student was chosen by their classroom teacher as a person who exemplifies respect. Each teacher briefly shared the reason they chose the student from their class. On November 27th, the Engvall Strong Ceremony focuses on "On Task" and on December 11th focus will be on "No Excuses". Students will be celebrated for their ability to demonstrate "No Excuses" as part of the schools "STRONG" expectations.
Liberty Patriots
Marching Band and Colorguard
Our Liberty Marching Band and colorguard are in full swing this season. Along with 25 other middle school and high school bands, the Liberty marching band and colorguard performed at the Fresno Fair, October 5th. Drum Major Anastasia Galindo took 3rd place, our Percussion team took 1st place, and the Marching Band overall placed 4th.
At the Fowler Band Review, on October 14th, the Marching Band and colorguard received 4th place overall in their division. At the Visalia Band Review, on October 21st, they took second place overall, won their division in music, and took 3rd place in percussion. We are so proud of all their hard work and dedication. If you haven't seen their performances yet, our marching band and colorguard will be performing at the Lemoore Christmas Parade on December 2nd, in downtown Lemoore.
Red Ribbon Week
Thank you to our Liberty ASB for creating a great Red Ribbon week. Students were dressed in neon colors, sports jerseys, western clothing, Halloween colors, and twinned it with their friends.
It was not all about dressing up, our Liberty students were treated to some presentations in their Advisory class about the history of Red Ribbon week, and many different organizations came on to campus to talk about drug prevention and mental health. There was also a K9 presentation on campus, by the Lemoore Police Department. We are so thankful for the organizations that came out for our Red Ribbon Day. It is so important that our students know where to go, if they need any of our local services.
Fall Sports: Basketball, Volleyball, and Cheer
We were able to celebrate our Fall Sports team on November 9th. We are so thankful for all the coaches, families, friends, and cheer team for coming to our games and cheering on our athletes. Our Liberty Flag Football team ended their season with a 2nd place trophy at the Flag Football Championship. Students were recognized for their hard work and camaraderie during their seasons.
Some special recognitions went to students who were leaders and difference makers on their teams.
7th grade Volleyballđ
Most Improved - Olivia Rutledge
Coach's Award - Myumi Peyegrin
MVP - Maddison Adams
8th grade Volleyball đ
Most Improved - Mia Mendez
Coach's Award - Jillian Rodriguez
MVP - Savannah Daniels
Flag Football đ
Most Improved - Paris Campbell
Coach's Award - Janessa Mercado
MVP - Kristopher Mangayao
Cheer đ
Leadership Award - Nevaeh Lopez-Sanchez
Coach's Award - Julia Amaya
Most Spirited - Ahmariea McCoy
Social and Emotional Learning
Right around winter break, everyone's thoughts start to turn to the upcoming time off and family celebrations. It's a great opportunity to make a little space for some social and emotional learning that leans into the spirit of the season. Engaging in social-emotional activities at home during the holidays can contribute to your childâs well-being and provide opportunities for bonding.
Please see the activities below to help promote engaging social-emotional activities during the holidays to foster a positive and supportive environment.
Gratitude Journaling
Encourage your child to keep a gratitude journal. Each day, they can write or draw something they are thankful for. This helps promote a positive outlook and reflection.
Emotional Check-ins
Have regular check-ins with your child about their emotions. Create a safe space for them to express how they are feeling, whether it's through conversation, drawing, or using emotion cards.
Holiday Storytelling
Share stories related to the holidays and discuss the characters' emotions. This can help your child understand different feelings and perspectives.
Crafting for Kindness
Engage in crafting activities that promote kindness, such as making holiday cards for neighbors or creating small gifts for friends or family members.
Mindfulness Activities
Introduce mindfulness exercises or activities, like deep-breathing exercises, meditation, or guided imagery, to help your child manage stress and stay present in the moment.
Teambuilding Games
Play cooperative games or activities that involve teamwork. This can help develop your child's social skills and encourage collaboration.
Cooking Together
Involve your child in holiday cooking or baking. This not only provides a fun activity but also teaches them about planning, cooperation, and the joy of sharing meals.
Family Movie Night
Choose movies with positive messages and discuss the characters' emotions afterward. This can be a great way to explore various themes related to empathy and understanding.
Virtual Connections
If you can't be with extended family or friends, organize virtual meet-ups. This helps maintain social connections and allows your child to share experiences with loved ones.
Acts of Kindness Calendar
Create a calendar with daily acts of kindness for your child to perform, such as helping with chores, sharing toys, or complimenting someone. This cultivates empathy and a sense of community.
Nature Walks
Take a walk in nature together. Being outdoors and appreciating the beauty of the season can positively impact both physical and emotional well-being.
Reflective Art
Have your child create art that reflects their emotions or experiences during the holiday season. This can be a therapeutic way for them to express themselves.
Attendance Matters
Dear Families,
Attending school regularly helps children feel better about schoolâand themselves. Your student can start building this habit as early as preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Consistent attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work.
DID YOU KNOW?
Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation.
Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with schoolwork, dealing with a bully or facing some other potentially serious difficulty.
By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three sign that a student may drop out of high school.
By 9th grade, regular and high attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
Missing 10 percent, or about 18 days, of the school year can drastically affect a studentâs academic success.
Students can be chronically absent even if they only miss a day or two every few weeks.
Attendance is an important life skill that will help your child graduate from college and keep a job.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Make school attendance a priority. Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day and make that the expectation.
Donât let your child stay home unless they are truly sick.
Talk to teachers if you notice sudden changes in behavior. These could be tied to something going on at school.
Ask for help from school officials, afterschool programs, other parents or community agencies if you are having trouble getting your child to school.
We want to express our gratitude to all of our families who continue to work as partners with their school to make sure their children are attending regularly. Let us know how we can best support you and your children so that they can show up for school on time every day. We want your child to be successful in school! Collaborate with the school nurse if your child has any health or medical needs. If you have any questions or need more information, please contact your childâs school. Your childâs attendance can also be monitored through the Aeries Parent Portal. Thank you for your efforts in getting your child to school to maximize their learning opportunities!
Literacy Matters
Over the upcoming winter break, students will have opportunities to participate in memorable family experiences. Please consider reading with your children as one of those memorable and ongoing experiences! Reading with our children can be a fun, rich experience for every member of the family and will also help set your children up for success. Whether older children read books of interest to younger siblings or younger children interact with books with the adults, the next several weeks can be a great time for students to build on their love of reading with their entire family.
Reading, for most children, is already a pleasant and exciting experience. As children practice reading, they become motivated to learn more. The more that adults and older siblings can read aloud to children and with them, the more their vocabulary develops and background knowledge will grow which leads to a greater understanding of the world around them. Reading aloud also provides opportunities for parents and other family members to become role models for reading and share their excitement about stories, poetry, or articles children might not discover on their own.
Please set aside some quiet time every day for a read-aloud with the family. During your read-aloud, consider the following:
⢠Talk about the story before, during and after a read-aloud session. Making connections between the story and the childâs life helps to cement their understanding of the ideas. ⢠Use information within the text to answer childrenâs questions. ⢠Talk about illustrations and invite children to describe what they see and how the information connects with the story. ⢠Pause to ask questions: âWhy did that happen? What do you think will happen next? Why did the character do that?â ⢠Bring the story to life! Encourage your children to draw, paint or pretend to be one of the characters. Take turns reading as specific characters.
Your familyâs encouragement of reading will not only underscore the importance of this critical skill but will create wonderful lasting memories with the family and, possibly, a new family tradition!
2024-2025 SCHOOL ENROLLMENT
LUESD continues to be committed to providing families a fast and easy way to register their children for school using an online registration process! Online TK/ Kindergarten registration is set to open on February 1, 2024 and will be accessible through the district website (www.luesd.k12.ca.us).
The district is uses Aeries Online Enrollment to collect all of the necessary information to enroll your children in our district for new enrollments during the current 2023-2024 school year and for pre-enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year.
Parents are highly encouraged to register their child(ren) for kindergarten and/or transitional kindergarten by May 1st to ensure important information and opportunities are not missed. Each elementary school site will host a TK/Kindergarten parent orientation for registered students and parents/guardians during the month of May.
Transfer Requests: The TK/Kindergarten deadline to submit intra-district transfer requests is March 31st and the TK/Kindergarten deadline to submit inter-district transfers is April 15. Late or incomplete registration could result in a denial of a transfer request.
As a reminder, students who are already attending schools within LUESD will NOT need to complete this online registration process for the 2024-2025 school year.
Student Transfers for 2024/2025
Intra/ Inter District Applications
Window: February 1st and March 31st.
Note: Students currently attending school on an approved intra-district transfer permit are not required to resubmit a new application each year when continuing at the same school. However, a new application must be submitted when a student incurs an address change that establishes new residency outside the boundaries of their attendance area. Please submit all applications to the LUESD District Office.
Fresno State Parent University Program
Dear LUESD Families,
Our Fresno State Parent University Program has been positively received by our families this year, as we implemented this new program. We have had well over 100 participants in our first cohort groups. Our next cohort registration is now open with sessions beginning on February 5th and February 6th. We deeply appreciate our families and staff who have dedicated time engaging in these valuable learning opportunities. We have shared a few pictures of our families who have earned their certificates of completion as they concluded their four-week course(s). We congratulate our families for this wonderful investment in their personal learning! Way to Go!!
As a recap, the Parent University program provides online classes in Digital Literacy (I, II, III & IV), Financial Literacy (I & II), Social and Emotional Wellness, English Conversation (I & II), Spanish Conversation (I & II), Pathway to College, and Health & Wellness. All classes are free for our families and take place virtually in the comfort of your home. All classes run 2 days a week for 4 weeks from 6:30 PM-8:30 PM.
Our next cohort registration flyer has been shared below with a QR code to support the registration process. For more information, please visit the Parent University website at
Dear LUESD Families,
Our Fresno State Parent University Program has been positively received by our families this year, as we implemented this new program. We have had well over 100 participants in our first cohort groups. Our next cohort registration is now open with sessions beginning on February 5th and February 6th. We deeply appreciate our families and staff who have dedicated time engaging in these valuable learning opportunities. We have shared a few pictures of our families who have earned their certificates of completion as they concluded their four-week course(s). We congratulate our families for this wonderful investment in their personal learning! Way to Go!!
As a recap, the Parent University program provides online classes in Digital Literacy (I, II, III & IV), Financial Literacy (I & II), Social and Emotional Wellness, English Conversation (I & II), Spanish Conversation (I & II), Pathway to College, and Health & Wellness. All classes are free for our families and take place virtually in the comfort of your home. All classes run 2 days a week for 4 weeks from 6:30 PM-8:30 PM.
Our next cohort registration flyer has been shared below with a QR code to support the registration process. For more information, please visit the Parent University website at https://cge.fresnostate.edu/oced/parent-university.html.