#EducationMatters

Part of moving towards 21st-century learning is creating a suitable 21st-century classroom that creates a conducive environment for collaborative, student-centered learning. 21st-century education emphasizes the integration of technology, student-driven learning, and collaborative work.

Published on 1-3-18

Plumas County is fortunate to have many local growers, farmers, and ranchers that provide our area with fresh local produce, grass-fed beef, and locally-raised pork and poultry. For the last five years, under the leadership of Jessica Linford with support from Paul Mrowczynski and Emily Bryant, Plumas Unified School District has been concentrating on connecting with these local food chains and working to bring locally raised meat and fresh produce into the school cafeterias. The PUSD Food Services team, now led by the new Food Services Program Manager Amber Russell, is committed to supporting local growers and serving high quality, nutritious food.

Published on 12-20-17

Plumas Unified School District (PUSD) is grateful to partner with the U.S. Forest Service, Plumas National Forest (PNF). The Forest Service is full of amazing people who regularly show up for our kids. Among these many, there is one whose dedication has touched and changed lives, Michele Jimenez-Holtz. For the past 17 years, Michele has not only shown up in normal and anticipated ways, but she has elevated her commitment beyond any precedent.

Published on 12-13-17.

Plumas Unified is actively working to keep students and staff safe. Like fire and earthquake drills, ALICE drills and training take place at each school site. ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate, and is the nationally recognized training strategy for proactively handling the threat of an aggressive intruder or active shooter. Frank Carey is Plumas Unified’s ALICE Instructor. Recently Frank Carey attended a national ALICE conference in Nashville, organized by the creator of the training.

Published on 11-16-17

On Friday November 3rd, Plumas Unified schools closed to allow certificated staff, which includes teachers and administrators, as well as classified staff, which includes all support staff, to come together for a Professional Learning Day (PLD) at Quincy Junior/Senior High School. In August, certificated staff attended a PLD focused on trauma-informed instruction. The November 3rd Professional Learning Day continued and expanded on this mental-health focus, this time serving teachers and all support staff together.

Published on 11-15-17

All California teachers must clear their teaching credential by completing a two-year Induction Program with an accredited school district. The Induction Program provides each teacher candidate with a coach that is an experienced, fully California credentialed teacher. The coach and candidate meet four hours a month for a total of 40 hours a school year to go through a set curriculum, broken up into six cycles that focus on helping the candidate implement best teaching strategies into their classroom. The Plumas Unified School District pays for the new teacher Induction Program, providing the curriculum and coach compensation for each candidate.

Published on 11-8-17

For 30 years the 6th-grade outdoor education program has acted like a spark to ignite students’ interest and connection to the natural world around them. Yet, as a stand-alone program isolated to 6th grade, much of the momentum built throughout the year can be lost. The memories and experiences stick with students for a lifetime, but ultimately without a continued focus, a passion for natural science and the specificities can decline. The just completed pilot, Taylorsville Camp Wild, for 7th-grade students continues the outdoor education legacy and builds on the momentum created the year prior. As Rob Wade explained, “6th grade is about introducing students to concepts and forging a connection to their home- to the rivers, forests, and mountains. Seventh grade is about stewardship of these natural resources and working to better care for our homeland while going further and deeper into our scientific discoveries and understanding”.

Published on 10-05-17

Thirty years have passed since Joe Hagwood, Warren Grandall, John Gallagher, and Jim Schaber, with the help of Cindy Phelps and Evelyn Whisman, collaborated to create what we know now as the Feather River Outdoor School (FREd), located at the UC Berkeley Forestry Camp, in Meadow Valley.

Published on 9-28-17.

Every day teachers overcome obstacles in the classroom, problem-solve on the go, address failures and challenges, and work to create more opportunities and better ways to engage students. Yet, so many of these moments, these everyday victories and triumphs go unnoticed. In our small district, many new ideas and efforts are personally and individually spearheaded by the teachers themselves, who lead, implement, and follow through to make their vision a reality.

Published on 9-14-17

This year marks the fourth year of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Framework in Plumas Unified. PBIS is a proactive approach to establishing the behavioral supports and social culture needed for all students in a school to achieve social, emotional, behavioral, and academic success. PBIS is a framework, not a curriculum or program, which means it can be applied differently to fit each school’s needs. The Portola Student Services Coordinator Shannon Harston compared it to a parenting book. Harston stated, “similar to how parents adopt various practices from a parenting book, schools are in essence homes that can use the PBIS framework differently for their individual needs.

Published on 9-07-17