Superintendent's Update

Christine Schieferle, Superintendent, Fillmore Unified School District

September 23, 2021

This is an exciting week for Fillmore Unified School District. We began Homecoming week on Friday September 17, with a Flashes Football win against Oak Park. Our students played great, demonstrated positive sportsmanship, and our community came out and cheered on our team. Our new Flashes Spirit Tunnel made its debut and contributed to the exciting atmosphere. We thank the Fillmore Athletic Boosters Club for their generosity! On Saturday, September 18, FHS hosted a well-attended, outdoor Homecoming Dance in the West Wing. On Sunday, Trustee Morris and I had the pleasure of supervising Float Building, and we all look forward to seeing the floats this evening in the Blue and White Parade starting at 6:00 p.m. Our amazing Fillmore High Alumni Association has a great evening planned to honor and celebrate Flashes pride and tradition. We will wrap up the week on Friday, hosting Santa Maria High School for our 2021 Homecoming Football Game. These traditions are one of the many reasons why we are proud to live in Fillmore and have our students attend FUSD schools!

On Monday, September 20, Trustees and District Staff had the opportunity to attend the Agriculture Administrator’s night at Otto and Sons. I would like to thank The Fillmore High Ag. Department for coordinating a beautiful evening for the Fillmore, Santa Paula, Ventura, and Carpentaria Agriculture Career Technical Education (CTE) programs.

We’re close to the finish line for the CTE Building construction. Landscaping installation is complete, and they have checked all the irrigation lines. There are 2 final pieces of equipment will be arriving by Friday. Staff is being trained to operate the equipment. We have a Haas Mini Mill, Rotary lifts and Hunter equipment training scheduled. They are also finalizing the date for the plasma table training. We anticipate that the students will be touring the new facilities and trained on procedures and starting to train on the equipment prior to fall break and will fully move into the building after fall break. Finally, Desks are in place, the new building is getting its final clean-up and waiting for students to arrive.

On Friday, September 17, all schools celebrated Constitution Day by participating in a variety of activities from AP Government Students reciting the preamble, discussions, and lessons on the significance of the preamble and constitution. Our teachers planned engaging lessons, and students had fun while learning.

Today is the 26th day of school and we will continue to celebrate our students back in school full time. Fillmore Middle School and Fillmore High are preparing mid-quarter progress reports and will mail home to families by the end of the week. We are completing our beginning of the year testing in English Language Arts and Math and have started reading intervention at 3 of our elementary schools. We are still recruiting for intervention teachers at Piru School.

I’d like to thank our staff for their dedication to our students and for the time they are taking to implement the many new health requirements and public health mandates. I would also like to thank our families for their continued support and patience as we work through this school year prioritizing student and staff safety, teaching and learning, and social and emotional wellness. We ask that you please continue to prescreen your children each day and keep them home if they have any COVID Symptoms. Working together, giving one another grace, and putting our students first will make this a great school year. Thank you!

Message from Superintendent Christine Schieferle

Great news for Fillmore High School!

Construction at the FHS Career Technical Education (CTE) building is very close to completion. At the site they are working to complete the installation of hand railing and the electrical work for the welding booths. FHS is planning to work on a staff and student orientation for the building and equipment during the month of September and looks to have students in the classrooms after fall break. Stay tuned for information regarding a Grand Opening event during the week of October 4, 2021.

Go Flashes!

Successful first week of school

Dear FUSD Families,
As we conclude our first full week of school, we will continue to celebrate having our students back into our schools and classrooms. I would like to thank our dedicated staff, families, and the community of Fillmore for your support, patience, and encouragement as we navigate this school year. Please know we are following all California Department of Public Health and Ventura County Public Health guidelines. With all of the challenges we are facing regarding extensive contact tracing and identifying positive cases, it is the highlight of each day to see our wonderful students engaged, learning, and reconnecting with peers. We will continue to prioritize the safety of our students and do our very best to communicate in a timely manner. Please continue to prescreen your child each day before sending them to school and if your child has any COVID-19 symptoms, please do not send your child to school and please call the school office. Together, we can make this a positive school year for our kids!

Proud to be a part of FUSD,
Christine Schieferle, Superintendent  

COVID-19 Daily Self-Screening Tool [English/Spanish]

Good afternoon families.

This is Christine Schieferle, Superintendent for the Fillmore Unified School District.

We are looking forward to welcoming our students back to school tomorrow, August 19. Please remember to prescreen your child before sending them to school. If your child has COVID-19 symptoms, has been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or has been identified as a close contact, please do not send your child to school. Please call the school office. Families can find the prescreening tool on our FUSD website. All families will also receive a text message with a link to the prescreening tool. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s school. Thank you and we look forward to a great year!

Buenas tardes familias.

Esta es un mensaje de Christine Schieferle, Superintendente del Distrito Escolar Unificado de Fillmore.

Estamos deseando dar la bienvenida a nuestros estudiantes que estarán de vuelta a la escuela mañana, 19 de agosto. Por favor, recuerde de autoevaluar a su hijo antes de enviarlo a la escuela. Si su hijo tiene síntomas de COVID-19, ha estado en contacto con alguien que ha dado positivo a COVID-19 o ha sido identificado como un contacto cercano, por favor no envíe a su hijo a la escuela. Por favor llame a la oficina de la escuela. Las familias pueden encontrar el cuestionario de salud para la autoevaluación del COVID-19 en nuestro sitio web de FUSD. Todas las familias también recibirán un mensaje de texto con un enlace al cuestionario de salud para la autoevaluación del COVID-19. Si tiene alguna pregunta, comuníquese con la escuela de su hijo. Gracias y esperamos un año estupendo!

Fillmore Unified School District and City of Fillmore Use of the Fillmore Aquatic Center

August 6, 2021

The Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) is excited to announce the School Board’s decision to support the City’s Aquatic Center replastering project by agreeing to pay 50% of the cost.  The estimated total cost of the replastering project is $542,072.75.  The District’s contribution, $271,036.38, will be paid over 3 years, or a maximum of $90,345.46 per year.  This will be funded by the Building Fund, with revenues from redevelopment, which must be used for facilities, not classroom instruction.

This is in addition to the $36,000 that the District currently pays for use of the facility when it is regularly closed by the City, mid-September through mid-May, or $4,500 per month for 8 months.  During the District’s use time, the District provides its own custodial staff to clean the facilities and lifeguard supervision by our coaches. This fee was calculated based on the cost information provided by the City for utilities and maintenance supplies, such as chlorine.

 In return for FUSD’s annual payments of $126,345.46 per year the District is requesting:

·         Use of the pool for 2 hours per day, scheduled between 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, Monday – Friday during the City’s use time, mid-May through Labor Day.

·         Priority use from one day after Labor Day to two weeks before Memorial Day, with a proposed schedule of:

o   Fall/Winter - September to March season for both water polo and swim: Monday - Friday 5:30 am - 8:00 am, 1:00 pm -7:30 pm and Saturday 6:00 am- 12:00 pm.

o   Spring - March to Memorial Day: 1:00 pm -6:30 pm, 5:30 am -8:00 am, and Saturday 6:00 am – 12:00 pm.

o   This includes access to pool facilities including the restrooms, locker rooms, storage closet in women’s locker room, first aid room, storage room, office (for access to the phone for emergencies), telephone room (for access to overhead lights and the touch pads for the swim lanes), and parking lot.

FUSD looks forward to completing this necessary maintenance project so that our students can continue to swim in our community, at the Fillmore Aquatic Center.

Welcome Back!

Dear Families, 

Welcome to the 2021-22 school year. I am honored to serve as the Superintendent for the Fillmore Unified School District and look forward to meeting with staff, students, families and the community to acknowledge and listen to what you love most about our school district and to identify areas of growth and improvement.

I am excited to share that we are preparing for a full in-person return to school on August 19, 2021. Our goal is to return our schools to as close as pre-COVID normal as possible. This includes scheduling Back-to-School Nights, parent trainings, in-person meetings, and bringing back the after-school Bridges program for students in grades K-8. In addition, students will participate in before and after school activities, athletics, clubs, and extracurricular activities on our campuses. In order to do this, the District is required to follow COVID guidelines from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Ventura County Public Health (VCPH). Our district nurses and administrative staff are in frequent contact with both agencies and the Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE). We will adjust our protocols accordingly as guidance changes. Updated information will be shared with students, staff, families, and the community through our district communication system, district and school websites, and social media. We will always prioritize the safety of our staff and students and are working diligently to ensure all schools are ready for the first day of school.

Below are some of the changes for the upcoming school year:

·         Per CDPH guidelines, masks are required to be worn indoors by employees and students at all school sites, with exceptions per the CDPH face mask guidance.

·         Outdoors, employees and students are not required to wear masks.

·         Students and staff will self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms before coming to school.

·         Students who test positive for COVID-19, exhibit COVID-19 symptoms, or have been in contact with a positive COVID-19 case should stay home and contact their child’s school. School staff will work with District nurses and with the family to identify the level of contact, quarantine timelines, if necessary, and any additional return-to-school requirements and support the family may need.

·         Physical distancing is no longer necessary indoors or outdoors unless the District determines there is a hazard for a particular person or during a major outbreak.

·         Disposable face coverings will be provided to employees and students, if needed.

·         Classrooms, restrooms, playground equipment, buses, and common areas will be cleaned and disinfected by custodians daily with an emphasis on high-touch surfaces.

·         Handwashing stations will be available at all school sites, and students will be encouraged to wash their hands regularly and practice good hygiene behaviors.

·         Water fountains will remain closed and water bottles will be provided to students. Students may also bring their own filled water bottle from home.

·         Students may bring their own backpacks to school.

·         Non-essential visitors and volunteers will not be allowed on school campuses during the school day. All essential visitors (contractors, parents/guardians invited for parent meetings) must wear masks and sign-in.

o   Parents and families will not be permitted to walk their students to class, except for the first two days of school, August 19-20 for elementary students only. Masks will be required outdoors for these two days.

·         We encourage all who can receive the COVID-19 vaccinations to do so, but vaccinations are not mandatory for employees or students.

·         An Independent Study program is an option for students who do not wish to attend school in person. Please contact the Educational Services Department at (805) 524-6036.

For more information, please see the FUSD 2021-2022 COVID-19 Return to School Protocols document located on our district website.

We know the last 16 months of school closures and distance learning programs have been challenging for our students and their families. We look forward to providing additional academic and social and emotional supports to make this return to school experience as smooth as possible and will take measures to respond to the needs of our students. To begin, all schools will have full-time counselors and additional tutoring and credit recovery opportunities for students. Additional teachers have been hired at all elementary schools to provide intervention support and to address learning gaps. A new Wellness Center at Fillmore High School will provide counseling support for students and serve as a resource for families. Family workshops will be provided in English and Spanish to share strategies to support students at home. We look forward to hearing from all our families on how we can best meet your child’s needs and work together as partners in learning. 

I realize there are still many uncertainties and questions as we return to school. However, we do celebrate bringing students back into our schools and classrooms. We are confident that, working together, we can make this school year a safe and positive experience for our students. This is what we do best in Fillmore: we take care of our kids!

Proud to be a part of FUSD,

Christine Schieferle
Superintendent