Ventura College Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Mike Orman, Patty Wendt and Leslie Herrera to its board of directors.

“We are excited to have Mike, Patty and Leslie join our board,” said Anne King, Ventura College Foundation executive director. “Each brings impressive leadership skills in diverse disciplines, which will be valuable assets to our organization.”

Orman embarked on a career in banking following his graduation from the University of Southern California. In 1983, he transitioned to community banking where decisions are made by people live in the community and understand the local needs of the businesses and families they serve. A resident of Ventura County since 2004, Orman is currently EVP and COO of Ojai Community Bank, and will become Market President upon completion of the bank’s acquisition by Bank of the Sierra.

Wendt is a counselor at the Ventura College’s Educational Assistance Center where she has worked since 1996. She is an advocate for determining appropriate support services and community resources for students with disabilities, and developed and teaches the class, “Strategies for Success in College and Life.” She will serve on the board as a faculty representative.

Herrera, a student at Ventura College, is the 2017/18 President of the Associated Students of Ventura College. She brings an expertise in communications to the foundation board, where she will serve as student representative.

The Ventura College Foundation’s board of directors is led by Rob van Nieuwburg, chair; Ruth Hemming, vice-chair; Nicole Kreutz, treasurer; Mike Montoya, secretary; David Keebler, Ventura College president; and Anne King, executive director.

Established in 1983, the Ventura College Foundation provides financial support to the students and the programs of Ventura College to facilitate student success and grow the impact and legacy of Ventura College as a vital community asset. The Foundation also hosts the Ventura College Foundation Marketplace, an outdoor shopping experience held every weekend on the Ventura College campus east parking lot. For more information, contact Anne King at (805) 289-6461 or aking@vcccd.edu. Or visit www.venturacollege.edu/foundation.

Ventura County Office of Education

Triton Academy, a school that serves students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from throughout Ventura County, is in search of a new place to call home. For the past ten years, Triton Academy has operated at a campus in Camarillo leased from the Pleasant Valley School District (PVSD). PVSD has shared that, due to expected growth in enrollment, it anticipates needing the site for its own students for the 2018-19 school year. The district has asked Triton Academy to vacate the facility at 700 Temple Avenue at the end of the 2017-18 school year.
Triton Academy is operated by the Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE) and provides a highly-regarded educational program for students with ASD. By using a comprehensive, trans-disciplinary planning and service delivery process, Triton Academy’s programs specifically addresses the language, communication, behavioral, sensory, and social needs that are often associated with ASD. The school serves students in third through twelfth grades and currently has an enrollment of 81 students who come from thirteen different school districts in Ventura County.

VCOE is actively exploring several options to locate a new home for Triton Academy. These include finding an unused or underused facility in another school district, using existing VCOE facilities or creating a temporary campus with relocatable buildings on a vacant site. Since Triton Academy’s students come from all parts of the county, the goal is to find a centrally located site.

VCOE has reached out to the superintendents of the county’s 20 school districts to request their assistance in identifying potential new locations for the school. “We are confident we will find a new home for Triton Academy in time for the 2018-19 school year,” said Stan Mantooth, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools. “We do not anticipate any interruption in the vital services Triton Academy provides to its students and their families.”

Triton Academy was developed in response to the increased need to support students with ASD. It has been recognized as a model school throughout the state due to its highly specialized programming and research-based methodologies. Triton Academy’s programs—supported by the collaboration between parents, students, teachers, specialists, paraprofessionals, and administrators—leads to successful student outcomes and safe learning environments.

VCOE has set up a webpage to keep parents, employees and the community up-to-date about efforts to find a new location for Triton Academy. The webpage can be reached at vcoe.org/triton-move.

About the Ventura County Office of Education
The Ventura County Office of Education provides a broad array of fiscal, training and technology support services to local school districts, helping to maintain and improve lifelong educational opportunities for children, educators and community members. VCOE also operates schools that serve students with severe disabilities and behavioral issues, provides career education courses, and coordinates countywide academic competitions including Mock Trial and the Ventura County Science Fair. Learn more at: www.vcoe.org.

Shakespeare: A Celebration
Though Thursday, Sept. 28
Kwan Fong Gallery of Art and Culture

William Shakespeare-inspired art will be exhibited this summer at California Lutheran University while the annual Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival takes place on the Thousand Oaks campus.

“Shakespeare: A Celebration” will be on display through Thursday, Sept. 28, in the Kwan Fong Gallery of Art and Culture.

Bankside Gallery in London displayed the first version of this exhibit in 2016 in collaboration with the Globe Theatre to mark the 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death.

At the Kwan Fong, a range of paintings and prints by artists from the British Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers will relate to Shakespeare’s life and plays including “Hamlet,” “Macbeth,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The Merchant of Venice,” “Twelfth Night”, “The Tempest,” “Winter’s Tale” and “Antony and Cleopatra.”

The featured artists include Corinna Button, who incorporates printmaking techniques into her paintings and ceramic sculptures, which can be found in the permanent collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum and Ashmolean Museum in England and the Jiangsu Art Gallery in China; David Brayne, whose textured paintings of abstracted figures are about open spaces and expanses; and Veta Gorner, a Russian-born printmaker who works from studios in England and Sweden.

The exhibit also features works by Hilary Adair, Jim Anderson, Margaret Ashman, Mychael Barratt, Jo Barry, Richard Bawden, June Berry, Dennis Roxby Bott, Liz Butler, John Crossley, Hilary Daltry, Anne Desmet, John Duffin, David Firmstone, Roger Harris, Julie Held, Frank Kiely, Anita Klein, Linda Landers, Sasa Marinkov, Anne Marlow, Mike Middleton, Julia Midgley, Bridget Moore, Sumi Perera, Simon Pierse, Richard Pikesley, Geoffrey Pimlott, Neil Pittaway, Trevor Price, Peter Quinn, Mark Raggett, Denis Ryan, Peter S. Smith, Richard Sorrell, Sandy Sykes, Bren Unwin, Roy Willingham, Judy Willoughby and Joseph Winkelman.

All of the works will be for sale and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the gallery.

This year, the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival will run from June 30 through Aug. 6 and feature “Love’s Labour’s Lost” and “Julius Caesar.”

The exhibit is free. The gallery is located in Soiland Humanities Center at 120 Memorial Parkway. It is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

For more information, contact Rachel T. Schmid at 805-493-3697 or visit CalLutheran.edu/kwanfong.

Center for Nonprofit Leadership
Inaugural Year Reception
Kim Klein, keynote speaker
Thursday, Sept. 7, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Lundring Events Center

The Center for Nonprofit Leadership presents a lighthearted evening in celebration of the first anniversary of its re-launching, with a keynote address by author and fundraising trainer Kim Klein. The fun includes networking, music, refreshments and hors d’oeuvres.

The mission of this Cal Lutheran center is to build the leadership and management capacity of regional nonprofits while serving the sector as a thought leader.

Admission is free; RSVP is required. For information and to RSVP, contact Leanne Blackwell at (805) 493-3740 or blackwell@CalLutheran.edu.

Lunchtime Organ Recital Series
Joseph Peeples
Fridays, Sept. 8, Oct. 13, Nov. 10 and Dec 8, at 12:30 p.m.
Samuelson Chapel

Adjunct faculty member Joseph Peeples showcases the 2,109-pipe Borg Petersen Memorial Organ in 30-minute recitals on the second Friday of each month. Varied works for all audiences. Attendees are encouraged to bring lunch.

Admission is free. For information, call Campus Ministry at (805) 493-3228 or visit CalLutheran.edu/music.

The Love & Loss Project
Saturday, Sept. 9, 8 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 10, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.
Preus-Brandt Forum

The Love & Loss Project is a documentary theater project based on the true stories of people who have lost a life partner. Playwright/director Claytie Mason of Nebunele Theatre has worked closely with Hospice of the Conejo and their grief support community to create a moving production about partnership and resilience.

In collaboration with concert musicians Rebecca Jackson, Lisa Weinstein and Tiffany Richardson of Sound Impact, singer-songwriter Melissa Thatcher, physical theater creator Brynna Jourden, and visual artist Molly Millar.

General admission is $25, seniors $15, students $10. Sponsored by the Theatre Arts Department. For information and reservations, call (805) 493-3542.

Film Screening: Rick Steves’ “Luther and the Reformation”
Monday, Sept. 18, 6:30 p.m.
Lundring Events Center

Oct. 31, 2017, marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, launched in Wittenberg with 95 theses by a German Augustinian monk named Martin Luther. A public broadcasting special by travel host Rick Steves explains the whats, hows and whys of it all: the economic and social context of the tumultuous period in which Europe left the Middle Ages.

The one-hour documentary was filmed in Erfurt, where Luther was ordained, Wittenberg and Rome. A discussion will follow the screening.

Admission is free. Sponsored by the Division of Mission and Identity in recognition of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. For information, contact Marisa Post at (805) 493-3589 or mpost@CalLutheran.edu.

Fall Sacred Dance Celebration
Saturday, Sept. 23, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center, Room 209

Join Alleluia Dance Theater for a participatory sacred dance workshop. Alleluia is a nonprofit corporation whose mission for more than 35 years has been to inspire and encourage people in their spiritual journeys through movement. The one-day workshop includes non-Western sacred drumming as well as contemporary Christian liturgical dance. Dance and drumming of Ghana is taught in the morning and traditional western liturgical dance in the afternoon. All levels of dance experience are welcome. Pack your own lunch or purchase one on campus during the break from noon to 1 p.m.

Donations to Alleluia accepted. Sponsored by the Theatre Arts Department and supported by a grant from the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship. For information, contact Barbara Wegher-Thompson at (805) 241-8515 or wegher@CalLutheran.edu.

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) graduate and undergraduate students who would like to teach high school math will soon be able to apply for $10,000 scholarships, thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The NSF recently awarded CSUCI with $1,176,577 for a joint project entitled “California Coast Noyce Mathematics Partnership.”

The program is intended to increase the number of high school teachers with strong science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) content knowledge to teach in high-need school districts.

CSUCI’s Professor of Mathematics Ivona Grzegorczyk, Ph.D. applied for the grant in collaboration with CSU Monterey Bay (CSUMB), which also serves high-need school districts in the area.

“What is happening right now in the United States is a shortage of mathematics teachers,” Grzegorczyk said. “It’s the most acute need that we have. We’re importing teachers now, mainly from India because they speak English already, but from other countries as well.”

Each Noyce scholar may receive $10,000 annually for up to two years to fund their education. In return, scholars agree to teach for two years in a “high needs” school district, one year for each year of funding.

Seven CSUCI students were chosen to receive Noyce scholarships this year: juniors Natalie Huerta; Jerome Manion; Kyle McHugh; Jessica Silva and Dale Perizzolo will receive two years of funding for a total of $20,000 each.

The other two, seniors Michael Ruiz and Ana Rodriguez, will receive a year of funding as they pursue their teaching credential for a total of $10,000 each.

Grzegorczyk said the idea is to attract those who want to teach and do research in mathematics, and she wants to see graduates highly qualified to do both. The collaboration with CSUMB allows scholars from both institutions to share research and build networks.

California Coast Noyce scholars are chosen based on a number of criteria including a minimum 3.0 GPA in the last 60 semester units of coursework and a 2.75 GPA overall in the most recent 30 units of college classes. Applicants must be majoring in one of the sciences.

Chair of Liberal Studies and Professor of Education Robert Bleicher, Ph.D., is assisting Grzegorczyk with selecting applicants and other aspects of the grant. Both Bleicher and Grzegorczyk said diversity is always welcome, especially when it comes to Spanish speakers and women.

“Women actually are doing as well as men in high school mathematics,” Grzegorczyk said. “It’s college when they fall behind. This may be some sort of social pressure. Even if they finish with a mathematics degree, they do not go on to graduate schools.”

"Our graduates did as well or better than average on the teachers' tests," said Grzegorczyk.

Recipients must be U.S. Citizens or have U.S. National or Permanent Resident Alien status. Scholars must also have a commitment to teach mathematics.

This is the second time CSUCI has received the grant, the first being for 2009-2014. CSU Humboldt was a partner with CSUCI and CSUMB for the earlier grant, but the grant seemed to have the most impact at Channel Islands and Monterey Bay.

The Robert Noyce Teaching Scholarship program is designed for higher education institutions across the country that have a successful record in preparing math and science teachers.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) is the only public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CSUCI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CSUCI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CSUCI’s Social Media.

Submitted by California Teachers Association (CTA)

Fillmore Unified Teachers Association June 1, 2017

Fillmore Unified School District Still Holds Up 201 7-18 School Year Calendar

Fillmore Teachers met Wednesday with Fillmore Unified School District to continue labor negotiations. The goal for both sides was to finally get a 2017-18 school calendar and possibly agree on a weekly or monthly meeting program for teachers to collaborate.

The Fillmore Teachers have been trying to get an agreement on the calendar since December 2016. The District’s delay has placed many families in limbo as they try and plan vacations, etc. for the coming months, but FUSD kept insisting there would be no agreement on a calendar unless the fall break was eliminated. Teachers wanted to continue the week-long fall break that they believe has benefited our students for over 25 years.

After a grueling long day of negotiations both sides thought there might be an agreement in sight. It came down to FUSD insisting that students must stay in school an extra 15 minutes a day for there to be a late start day on Wednesday to hold teacher collaboration meetings. The students in Fillmore Unified School District currently exceed by the thousands the required number of minutes in the CA Ed Code and there is no need to make students stay an extra 15 minutes. Teachers believe the students already have reached their maximum learning capacity by the end of the day and that adding more minutes will create student burnout and behavior problems. Making students stay an extra 15 minutes is not going to affect student achievement.

Yet despite the teachers’ educational beliefs on the lack of academic and emotional benefits for adding minutes to the end of the school day they were willing to agree to adding 7 extra minutes to get an agreement on a 2017-18 school calendar. FUSD refused and left the negotiation table insisting on adding the 15 extra minutes for teacher collaboration meetings or no calendar with a fall break!

Yes, you read that correctly, for only 7 minutes a day or at the secondary level about 1 minute per class period FUSD is holding up establishing a calendar for students, parents and employees for the 2017-2018 school year.

Please come and support the teachers and educators at the next school board meeting on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 at 6:30.

F U T A is an affiliate of the 325, 000-member California Teachers Association and is also affiliated with the 3 million-member National Education

Fillmore Unified School District

Submitted by Fillmore Unified School District

The District and FUTA held a second negotiations session on May 31, 2017.

Proposals were exchanged on calendar, salaries, hours of employment, extra pay positions, transfer and reassignment, leaves, class sizes, and teachers on special assignment (please see attached proposals from May 8 and May 31).

The District proposed that the parties agree to implement an agreement for 2017-2018 bargaining unit member work calendar including a fall break in exchange for agreeing to pilot a collaboration time proposal for one year. (Please see the attached MOU proposal from the District to FUTA, including the proposed calendar and daily schedules to accommodate collaboration time).The District's proposal would retain current grade 4 and 5 preparation time, would bank instructional time and would reduce the 30 minute additional teacher duty obligation before and after school to establish 1 1/2 hours per week of collaboration time. However, the District does not wish to sacrifice as much instructional time as FUTA proposed in order to implement collaboration.

All articles remain open at this time.

The District proposed to meet again on June 15, 20, 21, 22, 27, or 28. We also proposed August 8.
FUTA was not available to meet during the summer break.

The next negotiations meetings will be September 7, 14, and 28.

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Article and photos Courtesy of Jan Lee

On May 25 and 26, the kindergarten through fifth grade students at San Cayetano School participated in fun and educational Earth Day activities.

For over 20 years, teacher, Mr. Steve Miech, has organized the Earth Day activities. The students brought recyclable items to school. Then, students used some of these materials to create projects for Earth Day. For example, bottles were repurposed to make hockey sticks, golf clubs and bowling pins. Cereal boxes were reused in the arts and crafts activity. The creative students made various obstacle courses and targets from other boxes, plastic bottles and bottle caps. Over the morning of two days, all students at San Cayetano then had the opportunity to rotate through the 10 activities designed and made by their classmates. Parents and grandparents who may believe that children need expensive toys to have fun would have enjoyed the exuberance displayed by the students at the Earth Day activities.

Again this year, Otto and Sons Nursery donated trees to be planted at San Cayetano. If you have ever been on the San Cayetano campus, you have seen the row of sycamore and other trees. These trees provide shade and beauty for the school. Otto and Sons has donated all these trees. Another thank you goes to Harrison Industries. During the course of over 20 years of Earth Day events at San Cayetano, Harrison Industries has either donated or provided at a small charge all the receptacles to collect and recycle the materials for Earth Day. Fillmore High School students provide leadership at each of the 10 activity stations. It was gratifying to watch the high level of enthusiasm, kindness, patience and skill the high school students demonstrated toward the younger San Cayetano students.

On Friday afternoon, May 26, the San Cayetano students attended an Earth Day rally near the newly planted trees (thank you Fillmore Unified ground crew). Many of the classes had prepared chants, posters or songs about the earth. The third grade sang “This Land Is Your Land.” Several classes performed chants and songs from science units that were part of SEAL (Sobrato Early Academic Language) instruction. Young students use high level academic language as they demonstrate understanding of various topics of instruction. While the Earth Day activities were fun, a great deal of learning and preparation went into the success of the day.

As the end of the school year approaches, remember to thank not only teachers, but all the people who help educate our youth. Participate in activities over the summer that encourage students to read and learn.

FMS Teacher performers, Ms. Beal, Mrs. Bortins, Mrs. Barajas, Mrs. Gadbois, Ms. Musgrove, Mrs. Emhoff, Mrs. Casanave and Mr. Geddes.
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Article and Photos Submitted By Jennifer Beal

Fillmore Middle School’s Annual Talent Show last Friday night May 26th was a resounding success. There were 21 acts that performed center stage at the middle school. The FMS talent show is open to all 6th, 7th and 8th grade students at the school. All they have to do is try out and show up to the practices. Any student with the drive and determination to be in the show could. The inclusiveness is what makes this show so special. Students many had never seen before perform surprised the audience with incredible singing, dancing and jokes as well from the MC’s. The applause from the crowd motivated each subsequent group as they took their turn on the stage. The acts ranged from singing and dancing to martial arts and a scene from a musical. The teachers also performed with a singing and dance number themselves. What makes this talent show such a success is the leadership of the drama club Mrs. Bortins and Ms. Musgrove working tirelessly at lunch and after school with the diverse group of talents of the students to put on the show. Each act had their own music, costumes and props. The positive energy back stage was incredible as each act finished the other students in the wings high fived and fist pumped each other on a job well done. The feeling amongst the performers was inspirational. Great job FMS and its talented students.