Latest news with #JeffersonElementary
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
East Bakersfield neighbors advocate traffic safety after bicyclist is struck by a car, hospitalized
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A tragic bike crash on Wednesday sent an 11-year-old boy to the hospital with critical injuries. The boy went to Jefferson Elementary School in east Bakersfield, nearby the community vigil Thursday night, where neighbors prayed for a speedy recovery. The tragic crash happened Wednesday, just before 5 p.m. Police said the boy was riding his bike east on Quincy Street when the driver of a silver sedan struck him in the intersection of Quincy and Owens streets. The prayer service was held at the intersection with neighbors and Jefferson elementary community members joining hands. Danielle Marks, a neighbor, lead the service. 'The mother was on FaceTime with us and she let us know he just got out of surgery. They were able to reconstruct his face which at first we heard that more than likely wasn't going to be happening,' said Marks. Family says motorcyclist's remains found at scene weeks after CHP pursuit resulted in his death Police say that the driver was not speeding or impaired. The posted speed limit is 25 miles per hour. However, Yvette Cardanes, who saw the crash said that there is an unsafe driving issue on this intersection. 'It had to take a careless act of somebody to be careless on this block. The speeding here is ridiculous. We have people that get off that freeway still driving almost 40-65 miles per hour on this intersection…there is no stop signs,' said Cardanes. The intersection has no marked crosswalks or stop signs and Cardanes advocated for more. 'Something needs to be done for this community by the city. We need stop signs, we need speed bumps, we need a speed limit,' said Cardanes. We reached out to Andrae Gonzales, the city council member that resides over this area if the intersection will see any improvements. He said that he will work with city staff to see if there is anything to be done and recommended community to use the city's traffic calming handbook. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Joplin Schools names two new principals
JOPLIN, Mo. — Joplin Schools announced the promotions of two district educators Friday. The district said current assistant principals Josh Thompson (Soaring Heights Elementary) and Tylan Harris (Irving Elementary) will step into head principal roles at Jefferson Elementary and Eastmoreland Elementary, respectively. Thompson began working in the district in 2016, and has taught English Language Arts, and P.E. at East Middle School. Additionally, he was also head coach of the high school's boys and girls soccer teams from 2018-2023. He will succeed Kern Sorrell as Jefferson Elementary principal, who announced his retirement at the end of this school year. 'It is a true privilege to serve as the principal of Jefferson Elementary,' said Thompson. 'I'm excited to be part of such a hardworking and talented team that shares a deep passion for our community. Together, we will partner with families to ensure every student feels supported and prepared for the challenges of tomorrow.' Harris has served in the district since 2018, teaching fifth grade at Jefferson Elementary, and later coaching the Freshman Football Team from 2020-2023. Harris will succeed Heather Surbrugg as Eastmoreland Elementary principal on July 1. Surbrugg will transition to building leadership at Joplin Early Childhood, the district said. 'I am honored to begin this next chapter of my leadership journey at Eastmorland,' said Harris. 'The school, staff, students, and community partners have an excellent reputation, and I look forward to joining such a dedicated team. Heather Surbrugg has provided exceptional leadership, and I am committed to continuing the important work she has begun.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Local elementary schools reopen after mysterious rash outbreak
JEFFERSON, Ohio (WJW) — A school district in Ashtabula County that closed because of a mysterious rash on Friday is back open on Monday. The rash outbreak forced two elementary schools in the Jefferson Area Local School District to close for cleaning. According to school officials, students at both Jefferson Elementary and Rock Creek Elementary came down with the rash. ODOT closing these I-271 express lane access ramps 'The closure will provide time to thoroughly disinfect and sanitize all school buildings and buses and implement additional safety precautions to help prevent further spread,' said the district in a release on Friday. As of Friday, health officials were still working to figure out what was causing the rash, but school officials said it appeared to be viral and contagious. The Ashtabula County Health Department said they have been seeing more cases of Fifth disease — also known as 'slapped cheek.' However, it wasn't yet clear if that's the virus causing problems in the schools. Snake falls into woman's margarita at restaurant According to the Cleveland Clinic, Fifth disease mainly affects children but can also occur in adults. The illness typically resolves on its own within several days, but is highly contagious and can spread through respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing, or close conversation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Many Fresno Unified students start at a disadvantage. Misty Her was one of them
Long before Misty Her became superintendent of Fresno Unified, she was a kindergarten student struggling to learn how to read at Jefferson Elementary in the 1980s — about a mile from the school district's downtown headquarters. Born in a prisoner of war camp during the Vietnam War, Her's family relocated to the U.S. when she was 5 years old to flee persecution. Her family settled in Fresno, where her parents found jobs at Fresno Unified as custodians. 'I was so scared. I didn't speak English. I didn't look like all of the other kids. I felt invisible, out of place, alone,' Her said. Fresno Unified trustees announced Her as their pick for permanent superintendent on Wednesday, becoming the first woman superintendent in the district's 152-year history. Her's directive is to turn around a school district that has long struggled with low test scores and raise the student achievement of tens of thousands of disadvantaged students, many of whom share similar modest upbringings to their new superintendent. Her says she wouldn't have pursued a career as an educator if it weren't for her teachers. It was in the very classrooms that her parents cleaned for 30 years, that she learned to read and write — and dream of pursuing a career as an educator, Her said. In her acceptance speech Wednesday, Her recounted how a librarian in the school district helped her learn how to read by handing her a popular children's book, 'Madeline.' She said she saw herself in the titular character and came to believe that she didn't need to hide her differences and began to feel like she belonged. 'That is why I became a teacher. It is why I became a principal. It was why I'm standing here before you today,' Her said Wednesday night. 'Because every child deserves to be seen, every child deserves to be believed in, every single child deserves a future as bright as their dreams, and this is the Fresno Unified we are building together from this day.' Starting her educational career as a bilingual instructional aide, she worked her way up the Fresno Unified ladder as an elementary teacher, vice principal, principal, assistant superintendent, instructional superintendent and, now, the district's permanent superintendent. She also becomes the nation's highest-ranking Hmong K-12 educational professional. The historic significance of her selection is not lost on Her. In an interview with The Bee last May, after she was appointed interim superintendent, Her recounted walking the hallways of the district's downtown headquarters where the portraits of former superintendents hung on the walls — all of them male. It only fueled her desire for the permanent post. 'When people see me, they see a woman, they see an Asian woman,' she said. 'Does that make me nervous? Not really, because all my life, I've had to work to prove myself just because of who I am.' Her takes over the state's third largest district with 70,000 students, 88% of whom live below the poverty line, and only 35% and 25% of whom meet grade-level standards in English and math, respectively. Last year, as interim superintendent, Her set a goal of making double-digit gains to close the gap to standards by 15% for every student in two years. A year later, Her and the school board introduced four goals aimed at raising early student literacy and the percentage of graduates deemed college- and career-ready. Her enters the job already with detractors. One board trustee, Susan Wittrup, voted against Her's appointment, arguing that the school board should have, instead, selected an outside candidate with prior experience turning around large, urban school districts. The district's teachers union, the Fresno Teachers Association, criticized Her's tenure as interim superintendent as lackluster and said the tumultuous, 15-month superintendent search process lacked transparency. Her vowed to lead the district as a consensus builder and said her longtime experience in the district as an educator and administrator — as well as a student — was a strength, not a liability. 'My lived experiences, the struggles, the barriers and perseverance, are not my abilities, they are my greatest leadership strengths,' she said. 'They keep me grounded in our mission. They remind me that when we stay focused, when we align every effort to our shared goals, we can transform futures, and I am living proof of this.' In an interview with The Bee on Friday, she said part of her first-day schedule on Thursday included visiting classrooms and reading stories to students. She said she felt a strong sense of responsibility when she saw the children's bright faces. 'I thought to myself, I am not going to fail them,' she said. The interim superintendent became the target of harassment after she declared herself as a candidate for the superintendency, Her said. She disclosed on Wednesday that she had received racist and sexist threats in recent months, including a racist letter mailed to her home, prompting her to have what Her said was a difficult conversation with her teenage son. 'We ended up having conversations about what he would face,' she said. 'He was very understanding.' Her shared a message to Fresno Unified students after she was named the full-time superintendent. 'I stand before you today, the daughter of refugees, the student who once sat silent and scared in the classroom, and the woman who found hope in a storybook: If a little girl like me, who find her place here, imagine what is possible when we come together. Imagine what we can achieve when we stay focused, when we lead with love and we refuse to let hate win,' she said.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sterling pre-K centers preparing 'littlest learners' for the road ahead
Mar. 1—STERLING — Sterling's pre-kindergarten centers at Jefferson and Franklin elementary schools are setting up their "littlest learners" for success by teaching them the importance of what it means to be a student. Jefferson Elementary Principal Heather Wittenauer said Friday that the pre-kindergarten centers help make the transition to full-day kindergarten easier by teaching students preliminary skills needed to be a good student, including patience, sharing, problem-solving, social interaction and following a structured routine. "It's those basic things that we take for granted because we assume that they're being taught at home, but maybe they're not," Wittenauer said. "You might have an only child at home who doesn't have to share, or they come from a family with lots of kids, and then suddenly they're on their own." Franklin Elementary Principal Brooke Dir said that socialization is a critical component of a student's future success. She said her pre-kindergarten center serves some students with exceptional needs, providing additional specialized staff, such as physical and occupational therapists, to support each child's individualized education plan requirements. "Some kids have siblings they're used to letting speak for them," Dir said. "Then, all of a sudden they're in a classroom where they need to express their needs. So, we work on how they can express those needs and wants." Challand Middle School math teacher Jase Hippen shared a similar story about his son at Sterling's board meeting Wednesday evening. He said his son started at Franklin Elementary's pre-kindergarten center as a mostly nonverbal student who used an iPad to help him communicate. "He went from leaving for school the first day, and the terror that he went through, and losing his mind being away from mom and dad and not being able to speak," Hippen said. "He's made so many leaps and bounds since then. He's a singing monster. I can't describe to you how different he was six months ago." Both centers house four classroom units, office spaces, bathrooms and an inside activity area for kids to play during unfavorable weather. Each classroom has a teacher and teacher's aide. They also regularly receive visits from local high school and college students studying to work in education, as well as volunteers from the Foster Grandparents Program. Wittenauer said there was a strong need for pre-K services in the area, with a waiting list of almost 80 kids before the centers were constructed. Both centers offer morning and afternoon sessions that run for two and a half hours, and they have almost reached their capacity since opening late last summer. Superintendent Tad Everett said the total cost for both pre-kindergarten centers was about $4 million. Wittenauer said Jefferson's center was funded through the Preschool for All grant, and Franklin's center was funded through the district.
