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On Tuesday February 15th, Piru Elementary School and its proud principal Tricia Godfrey hosted a crowd of approximately 70 parents, district staff, community members and students for the dedication and unveiling of the new marquee sign. The brand new sign, paid for through community fundraising efforts of The Friends of Piru (FOP) parent group is a new and important way for the school to communicate with parents and the community. For approximately four years the parent run group Friends of Piru had it’s sights on a marquee for the school all the while funding other needs at the school. Parents at the school choose the sign and FOP wrote the check for nearly $6,000.00 At the dedication Godfrey recognized the work of John and Luanne Schaper, as well as “Mrs. Dollar… thank you so much for just not giving up.” Friends of Piru Board members and Piru residents Katherine Ponce and Maria Villa were thanked although they were unable to attend. The final president of Friends of Piru Kelly Baker was the only board member able to attend the event and receive the thanks in person. Ponce, Villa and Baker were instrumental in organizing many fundraising drives which allowed the group to purchase many items for the school, recently including: paper (nearly $400.00 current school year) headsets and supplies for computer lab, “Bellworks” books ($2,500.00), kindergarten and after school rugs, coordinating a grant for over $1000.00 in library books and supporting the 6th grade annual science camp.

At the beginning of this school year Friends of Piru disbanded due to the fact that the children of all board members either moved up to the middle school or transferred to other elementary schools and there were no current Piru school parents who had been involved with the organization in the past. Current Piru school parents formed a new parent group, Friends for Change, its new name chosen by students at Piru Elementary School. Friends for Change will be planning many new fundraising efforts to continue to supply items requested by the school.

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The third grade classes of Mrs. Bergamo and Mr. Barrera planted a Phenology garden this fall. The new garden is an addition to the existing ornamental butterfly garden installed, 2007-08, by Mr. Schaper’s and Mr. Barrera’s second grade classes. A Phenology garden is used to study the relationship of weather to plant blooms and insect activity. In Piru’s case, the plants installed are a combination of native and ornamental plants which will focus on attracting native wildlife such as hummingbirds, butterflies, and native bees (which are not as aggressive as honey-bees).

The Phenology garden will part of larger area to be completed later this school year. Piru students will record the first flower blooms and measure the plant growth from year to year. The goal of the garden is to have students record weather trends and predict insect activity. We are excited to have our students interact with their natural environment and use the scientific process to make predictions.

The garden was a part of a grant issued by the U.S. Fish and Game Wildlife Services. Kristin Lairson, Special Projects Coordinator, and Michael Glenn, a biologist with the F.W.S, worked together to bring this exciting garden and concept to not only Piru but also other schools in Fillmore. The Piru Farm Committee, parents volunteers (Beatriz Ruiz, Josefina Velgara and Vikki Galen provided healthy snacks), and the third graders worked together to help complete the first phase of the garden. It was fun to see our students excited to plant and work with nature to understand they can influence their natural environment in a positive way.

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Piru Elementary students showing off the up-to-date playground.
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Piru Elementary school as seen from the Principal’s window.
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First grade students are hard at work in their classroom.
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Piru School is a joyful, peaceful place to be! Our families and community members are always welcome to visit at any time. If you would like to join me for a ”silent walk through” and enjoy a peek into the hard work and happy atmosphere in our classrooms, library, computer labs, or any of our facilities, please come by anytime! Have a donation you’d like to make? Our students are always in need of more supplies for our enrichment activities and projects, and Piru School always needs helping hands and eyes in order to keep our students safe, learning, and feeling loved.

This year our entire staff is focused on collaborating with and supporting each other in and outside of the classroom. We have a school wide focus on three things we do on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis: celebrating each other (students and adults!), keeping and reviving our traditions, and serving each other and our community.

Piru School will be hosting a monthly family and community event. Our very first monthly celebration was an ice-cream social following our Back-To-School event. Our second evening on Monday, September 27th was centered around a presentation of no-cost family services provided by Fillmore Options; a free book give- away; School Site Council elections and ELAC elections, and a kick-off for our annual Scholastic Book Fair. Despite the heat, a large number of parents and students came to have a popsicle, speak with the principal, vote, and to bring home new books. Our Parent and Community Night in October will focus on nutrition, fitness and making healthy life choices.

Our students and staff use a motto as we work and play together every day: “Safety, Learning, and Love.” Classrooms are busy, student behavior is very positive and each Piru staff member is working their hardest and best to meet our students needs. Please come by as soon as you can, and feel the magic that is unfolding at our school. Our staff and our parents are going the extra mile to make sure students truly come first. I would like to join our staff in expressing our deepest gratitude to the communities of Piru and Fillmore for your care and support of our whole school, during the launching of our brand new year.

Tricia Godfrey
Principal
Piru Elementary School

Fillmore Unified School District

Since the filing of a petition on September 16th with the Fillmore Unified School District to convert Piru Elementary into an independent charter school, there have been a series of incidents in which certain FUSD employees and other individuals have distributed information about the proposed charter school which is either misleading or false, according to Richard Durborow and Chris Pavik, two of the charter petitioners.

In what is apparently an escalation by those opposed to the charter, this past Friday, says Chris Pavik, two of the teachers at Piru School who signed the petition were approached separately by another teacher with close personal ties to the District Office. They were both told by this well-connected teacher that the School Board will not rehire any person who goes to work at the charter school and later decides to return to the District. In addition, one signer was told that the County Office of Education has the list of the signers’ names, and that no other school district in the county will hire them because they signed the charter petition, and the other was told that the Superintendent had said that any teacher who signed the petition, but now withdrew their name, would suffer no repercussions from the District. Says Chris Pavik, “these seem like not-so-veiled threats of intimidation, and they cross the line. As far as the School Board telling Piru staff that there will be no ‘right of return’, I have heard from several sources that such a statement was made at a District administrator’s meeting on last Thursday, that principals were directed by one of the Assistant Superintendents to verbally give this warning to their staffs. Such a statement is tantamount to bargaining away from the table, because that issue is bargainable, and it is illegal for the District to go around the unions and try to negotiate with individual members. I have informed the FUTA President and a CTA organizer of what I heard, and discussed the fact that this is an unfair labor practice, and that the District must stop doing this.” At this time, the petitioners plan to turn over the name of the teacher involved, and the names of those whom the teacher implicated, to legal counsel for possible litigation.

The petitioners first became aware of this apparent misinformation campaign when 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 »

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.

(l to r) Briana Mendoza, Jimena Cortes, and Aurora Aguilar with Mrs. Catalano listen and sing to “This Land Is Your Land.”
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Piru students listen to guest speakers.
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Serviceman Val Pillado speaks to Piru students.
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Story and Photographs courtesy Luanne Schaper, Teacher, Piru School.

September 11, began with a celebration of “Patriot’s Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance” at Piru Elementary School. Students, staff, and community members gathered at the school’s flagpole to honor and recognize the dedication of community members in the military and all those who contribute to preserve the freedoms students and all people have in the United States.

Principal Leticia Ramos welcomed those gathered and offered a salute to our soldiers and local heroes, the police men and women and firefighters, who keep our communities safe. On behalf of the school she thanked and remembered all the men and women who gave their lives so that all of those attending can continue to enjoy the freedoms they have. Students sang “This Land Is Your Land.” Then school employee Tom Rodriquez raised the flag to the gathering’s chorus of “You’re a Grand Old Flag.” Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Ms Ramos introduced community members Reggie Ruiz and Val Pillado who are servicemen and school employees Sam Cardona and Frank Hernandez who are veterans. Guests spoke briefly to those attending. Students were reminded that they too can aid our country by taking part in community service. Teacher Claudia Cornejo, then encouraged students and parents to join her on Saturday, September 19 for a beach clean up in Ventura. The ceremony ended with the singing of the “Star Spangled Banner” and a procession past the flag pole where students placed flowers and notes to those who have served.

Piru Elementary staff and students take pride in their school.

Piru Elementary School is proud to announce that next year it will be offering a full curriculum to students in grades kindergarten though sixth grade. For a limited time we will be accepting 6th grade students from Fillmore. Bus transportation from Fillmore will be provided. Call the school office now and complete an enrollment packet.
Located just 7 miles from Fillmore, Piru Elementary is a small, dynamic elementary school that supports a vision based on "Educating the Whole Child." Piru was established more than 120 years ago and provides a strong academic program. In fact, over the last two years API scores have gone up more than 40 points! Great things are happening at Piru. Our campus farm is growing, we are looking at green school alternatives, we will be offering outstanding student extra-curricular experiences such as a camping trip to Rancho Allegre, an overnight to Fort Tejon, whale watching, La Brea Tar Pits, as well as a fine arts outreach to a variety of music and dance performances. Piru Elementary has both a music and art teacher. This year Piru Elementary began a college outreach program with students spending the day at either Moorpark College, California State University at Channel Islands, or the University of California at Santa Barbara. Now our students want to attend college when they grow up!
If you are interested in providing a unique learning opportunity for your child in a small rural setting, please come see Piru, where students can experience the best of the past and the future!

Six buses, three destinations, 300 permission slips and lots of phone calls later, Piru students all attended college on Monday, March 30th. The visit was part of Piru’s Reaching Higher in ’09 Academic Achievement Focus.
Kindergarten and first grade students went to Moorpark College and thanks to support group Friends of Piru, were able to add an Exotic Animal Show to their College Tour.

Second and third grade students journeyed further to Cal State Channel Islands where they were guided by former student Jim Schaper around one of the newest California campuses!

Fourth and fifth graders were awed by the highpoints of the University of California at Santa Barbara, including: lecture halls, the dorms, the recreation center, the Thunderdome, and of course, the lagoon and beach. All students agreed college looks like lots of fun!

Many thanks from Piru are sent to Fillmore High School Mentors, Elizabeth Fernandez and Samuel Cruz; UCSB Outreach Coordinator, Olivia Palacio; UCSB Guides, Robert Barrera and Stan Levine; Miss Breanna Christie from Cal State Channel Islands; and Mr. Khutug from Moopark College. Special thanks are offered to Mrs. Lynn Edmonds, former principal of Piru Elementary, who wrote the CDBG grant which paid for the buses, and Police Chief Tim Hagel who is constantly looking for ways to support students and facilitate life changing experiences for kids.

Piru students are back in elementary classes today, but with a different outlook and level of motivation. Piru students are going to college!

Fillmore Unified School District

The unique country atmosphere of Piru Elementary has been upset this past week with the demotion of popular principal Richard Durborow, to a teaching position.

The Fillmore Unified School Board took action this past week, in closed session, with 5-0 voting to end Mr. Durborow’s role as principal at Piru and move him to a classroom position.

A petition, with 118 parent signatures, has been signed in support of Durborow, and upset parents filled the board room at the March 10th meeting, protesting the demotion.

Parents are questioning the timing of this action in connection with Durborow’s support of converting Piru Elementary into a charter school. Durborow has made no secret of his support for the charter school system, stating in the Ventura County Star [March 12, 2009], “We’ve been open about the desire to go charter.” And in his support of teachers who “want to go charter,” Durborow stated, “I’m absolutely dedicated to that effort.”
Durborow released a statement to the Gazette on Wednesday, March 18, “I am very disappointed in the decision making of the Fillmore Unified School District. It is appropriate for schools to consider becoming a charter school. Piru Elementary will continue to reach higher and put children first.” CONTINUED »

Marlene Garcia, Jasmine Vasquez, Xochitl Ruiz, Yulizza Aguilar and Jovanny Figueroa lead the Kindergarteners in jumping jacks.
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Fourth grade students take turns jumping rope.
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Sheri Smith from the American Heart Association encourages students to eat healthy foods.
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Fifth grade students wait in line to see how low they can go.
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Piru School got a ‘jump start’ on March’s National Nutrition Month last week. Sheri Smith, a representative from the American Heart Association, arrived at Piru School bringing rump rope activities and enthusiasm to promote Jump Rope for Heart. Jump Rope for Heart is a national educational fund-raising program that is sponsored by the American Heart Association and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD). Funds raised will support lifesaving heart and stroke research while teaching students the value of community service.

First, Piru students participated in a discussion on how their heart works and the value of healthy eating habits. Then the entire school participated in center rotations that included jumping rope, jumping jacks, jumping relays and the Limbo. Sheri not only got hearts pumping but challenged Piru students to eat right and skip soda and chips for the month of March.

Students who accept the challenge and succeed will have their names placed in a drawing. A Barnes and Noble gift certificate awaits the healthy winner.

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Thanks to the hard work of our family, friends and community, the 5th graders from Piru Elementary School went to The Outdoor School at Rancho Alegre this past January. After months of fundraising and waiting, we did it!

As teachers, our goal was to enrich the lives of our students by enabling them to develop their sense of the environment and community, many whom have never gone to summer camp, much less spent a night away from home. Through The Outdoor School, they were able to meet students from other Ventura county schools, go on hikes as long as 9 miles, use a bow and arrow, row a boat in a lake, sing camp fire songs, sleep in cabins, learn the ways of the Chumash, understand how fossils are formed, learn which plants are safe to eat, witness constellations, work together to solve problems, and most of all, try things they’ve never tried before.

While we were at camp, we received visits from Fillmore Police Chief Tim Hagel, some Rotary members, a school board member, as well as our principal, Richard Durborow. They were able to see our students at lunch, and even some of them volunteering to wash dishes in the kitchen!

When asked to share some thoughts about their experiences, here’s what some of the campers said: 1. “I wish I could go again.” – Jatziri R. 2. “If you go camping, it will be fun for you.” - Laura A. 3. “I think everyone needs to go to camp.” – Lupe A. 4. “Camp was exciting.” – Mirella M. 5. “I made a bunch of new friends.” Gaby A. 6. “I even made tea on our plant hike.” – Steven O. 7. “One of the activities was boating. It was really fun splashing water all over.” – Angeles E. 8. “I learned more about Science when we went on hikes. We learned about plants and animals.” – Veronica J. 9. “It’s so fun to sleep in cabins with kids from different schools.” – Kimberly V. 10. “I really liked to go camping, I really learned a lot.” – Vanessa O. 11. “We got to learn the most important thing in nature is connections.” – Keylee T. 12. “I learned how to tell what poison oak is.” – John L. 13. “Camp was fun because I got to meet new people.” – Desiree G. 14. “I was very happy to go because that was the first time I went to camp and I worked very hard to go.” – Justinne L. 15. “We had fun on our hikes.” – Cheyenne A. 16. “I liked it when I dissected a squid.” – Jose R. 17. “Camp was so meaningful to me because I made lots of friends and I had lots of fun.” – Lindsey G. 18. “I went on the nine mile hike. Once I got to the top of the mountain it was really windy but so much fun and the view was beautiful.” – Marisela C. 19. “The special activites were so awesome, I couldn’t choose.” – Curtis P. 20. “I really had fun. I did the Waterfall Hike and did something called The Polar Bear Club. It’s when you can be under the waterfall for 20 seconds.” – Julyan R. 21. “I learned a lot about Science and won the Star Camper Award.” – Jennie G. 22. “Kids should go to camp because you’ll be having fun and doing school work too.” – Adriana N. 23. “I think camp is better than regular school because you learn in a fun way.” – Juan S. 24.”It made me a better person and respect the environment more.” – Tatem F. 25. “The 5th graders thank everyone that helped us go to camp at The Outdoor School at Rancho Alegre.” – Jackie T.

Many thanks go out to everyone that helped us get there: Friends of Piru, El Pescador Restaurant, La Verne Nursery, Fillmore Police Chief Tim Hagel, Fillmore Police Station, Cops Running for Charity, Fillmore Sunrise Rotary, Fillmore Noon-time Rotary, Piru Neighborhood Council, and Piru Parks and Recreation Council. Your belief in our goal made it all possible. The seeds we planted that week will grow in our students for many years to come.

Richard Durborow
Principal, Piru Elementary School

Piru Elementary is an extraordinary school where children come to learn and grow, a place that challenges and nurtures young scholars, and a place that awakens a thirst for knowledge and understanding. Each student receives a high level of individual attention through classes taught by knowledgeable, experienced, and caring teachers.
Our primary goal is not only to promote scholarship, but to give each student the kind of life-learning experiences that will forever shape their world view. After all, these students represent our future!
Literacy Coach Makes a Difference
The last two years we set school-wide goals that included working with a literacy coach. That’s right. We have a coach who goes into all our classrooms and helps model best instructional practices for our teaching staff. She focuses attention on the reading needs of all our students and then helps build a program that ensures student success. And guess what? Her expertise and hard work is paying off in big ways. Student learning has improved. Test scores are up. Because literacy coaches are a powerful way to improve student learning they are now being used throughout Ventura County. Thank you Susan Jolley for being our literacy coach and for all you do for us!
Lesson One Teaches Self-Control and More
Clearly, many of today’s young people are feeling isolated, out-of-control, and full of rage. Instead of doing well in school they drop out. These students need to feel connected and learn skills so their anger doesn’t lead to destruction of self and others.
Last year the staff at Piru Elementary recognized this problem and adopted a program designed to help students cope with stress and take control of their actions. This year we continue using the innovative, violence prevention program called Lesson One-The ABC’s of Life. Students at Piru start each day reading the Pledge for Success and talking about self-control and respect for diversity. As students internalize self-control our teachers spend more time teaching and students spend more time learning. Later this year our staff and students will be trained on new Lesson One skills including self-confidence and responsibility. Thanks Jon Oliver for teaching us how to improve our lives!
Aerobic Exercise Improves Student Learning
Piru students begin each morning experiencing the joy of running and making the powerful connection between aerobic exercise and the increased capacity of the brain to learn. Recent brain-activation studies show that children who are aerobically fit allocate more cognitive resources to a task and do so for longer periods of time. In other words, aerobic exercise improves student learning. In fact, aerobic exercise supercharges your mental circuits and sharpens your overall thinking, lifts your mood, and boosts your memory.
Want to boost your mental abilities? Just put on your running shoes and join us Friday mornings for a run around the school. It may just be the healthiest thing you do all week!
Happy Holidays from Piru Elementary School.

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Piru School has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to enhance the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture through some of America’s greatest works of art.
Picturing America provides large laminated artwork, which will be displayed at the Piru Library, and may be used in the classroom to further understanding and motivate students on American history and culture. Currently on display is American Pottery (1100-1960), which explores several American cultures’ creation of utilitarian vessels; now regarded as works of art. Additionally, facts, pictures, and literature are also available to support the artwork. Displays will change periodically throughout the year. So come visit the Piru Library!