Grow Our Own Program is targeted at increasing the diversity of our school staff. We recruit recent SJUSD graduates who are interested in becoming teachers.
On Friday, March 28, students from San Jacinto High and San Jacinto Leadership Academy came together for a —a powerful day of learning, leadership, and inspiration!
With the dynamic Dr. Cherina Betters as our featured speaker, students engaged in small group discussions, shared their voices, and showcased their talents through student performances.
The goal? To empower tomorrow’s leaders, spark meaningful change, and create a brighter future for our school community. And our students did just that!
Excellence Through Equity Conference
RCOE held its annual Excellence Through Equity Conference on September 19-20th. Two members from each school site’s equity task force team attended this amazing event to use the information to help inform their Closing the Gap plan at their sites. Two of the SJUSD teams presented at the conference. Our very own equity co-leads, Luke Smith, Ben Pla and Vanessa Gomez presented to a full house on “Disrupting Inequities: Leading Highly Effective Teams for Positive Climate and Student Growth.” Dr. Emily Price, principal at Megan Cope Elementary School and Dr. Tu Price, Coordinator of Equity & Access in Temecula Unified did an amazing job facilitating a workshop titled, "Synergy: Students Must Maslow Before They Can Bloom.” SJUSD is proud of each of our site’s equity task force team!
Supporting Foster Youth
Hello All! My name is Alyana Arrington-Harris and I am your District Foster Youth Counselor. I am diligently working to provide additional support to our All Star (foster youth) and families. My focus is to assist the site school counselor in progress monitoring foster youth students, coordinating services, and providing case management. I am on campuses weekly to build connections with foster students and to begin the process of scheduling All Star Student Success Plan meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to help students and their families identify areas of strength and growth. Together we can identify specific needs of individual students for intentional intervention implementation and resource referral/coordination.
Another facet of my role is to provide All Star Students access to activities and services that enhance social emotional learning. On July 29th, our Foster Youth Liaison, Crystal Ackerman, coordinated a back to school event. Students had the opportunity to participate in our Resource Fair. Backpacks, haircuts, shots, dental care and more were available to students in preparation for the new school year. Community partners distributed resource information to families as well. Upcoming during the fall and spring, the All Is Well Wellness Events which will provide vital information and activities on the importance of mental health. These events will take place on each campus throughout the district. Also, to acknowledge and celebrate each All Star’s birthday, a Birthday Box will be delivered to students within their birthday month. Field trips will be planned to enhance learning.
You may notice that I refer to our foster youth as All Stars. I heard this terminology in a conference years ago from another school district who does amazing work for this population. I thought what a wonderful way to destigmatize how our foster youth are looked upon, while honoring the struggles they have faced and are yet going through. They are truly my team of All Stars!
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SJUSD Foster Youth Counselor (Alyana Arrington-Harris) and District Lead TK12, McKinney-Vento, African American Counselor (Angela McClaron) play a crucial role in supporting students of SJUSD who are in foster care or experiencing homelessness. These counselors advocate for the educational stability and success of these vulnerable populations by ensuring they have access to the resources and support they need. They work closely with schools, families, and community agencies to address barriers to education, such as enrollment challenges, attendance issues, and lack of basic needs. By providing academic support, emotional support, and connecting students to services like transportation, tutoring, and mental health care, they help create a stable and supportive environment where foster youth and homeless students can thrive academically and personally.
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