Moving On: End of School Year

Kari McVeigh

On June 5th, 2013 the New Haven School District superintendent, Kari McVeigh, resigned by taking early retirement. New Haven has begun hunting for a new superintendent. Miss McVeigh resigned after a dispute with the school board over their role regarding management decisions in the district. The final straw seemed to be the school board's failure to support McVeigh's recommendation for the principal of  Ceasar Chavez Middle School. This is a particularly difficult time to find a well qualified new superintendent due to the upcoming district changes regarding technology and curriculum. 

The Race to the Top Grant and Common Core Curriculum changes are both going to begin to be implemented in the new school year. This means changes in teacher's lesson plans and instruction. This means new trainings for all new school personnel.

At the end of this year students enjoy a fun day outdoors to celebrate moving on to new teachers and classes, new friends, and a new start of another school year.  Alvarado will be losing two outstanding teachers. Carolyn Labrie, a long time second grade teacher, and Sonia Wong, a teacher who has taught second, fourth, and fifth grade will be leaving. Mrs. Labrie is retiring. Miss Wong is making a career change. We wish them well and are grateful for all their hard work at Alvarado. 

Parents paint nails for kids and staff.

Clinton Pucket, Marcus Lam, Joe Fritgerald

Dave Trier, and Keith Guernsey had their 

nails painted.

Photos by Maureen Tecson

Welcome Marcus Lam

A Fine Fine Teacher Retires

Penny Johnson leaves New Haven Unified School District after teaching for 41 years. Friends and family join to wish her well. Penny taught in Cabello and Alvarado Elementary. She taught kindergarten and grades 1, 2, 3, and 4. She came from a family of nurses. Her mom was a nurse. Her sister is a nurse, and her daughter is a nurse, but Penny broke the mold and decided to become a teacher.

A measure of Penny's skill was the attendance of three Principals, Louise Waters, Tracie Noriega, and Cheri Benafield, and one Assistant Principal, Donna Mana. Tracie, her principal at Alvarado Elementary, told the group how helpful Penny has always been with everything she has been asked to do.

Tracie Noriega

Alex Schwerin
thanks Penny
for her support.

Sukhy Gill reads from
a book for Penny
made by the third
grade teachers and
their students.

Keith Guernsey
shows a video of
students wishing
Penny the best.

Letty Munoz-Gonzalez
and Roxanne Ramirez
enjoy the festivities.

                Carol Engberg

                                 The party is ON!

                       ManYee Desandies
                       Cheri Benafield

                  Sukhy Gill and Cathy Hampton

                Chris Moriuchi, Sharon Chambers,
                                ManYee Desandies

We Will: Bust This Test

Teachers, Keith Guernsey and Jeff Pickering, made this amazing video. Great fun with an excellent message for student success in California Star Testing.

Alvarado vs Eastin: Staff Softball

Alvarado staff enjoyed a game of softball with the Eastin staff. Both teams are shown here. Alvarado won 5 to 3 but Eastin is going to ask for a rematch as soon as possible.

The AE Team 2012

Belkys Blackwell, Dave Trier, Maureen Tecson, Letty Munoz-Gonzales, Mistee Hightower-Guzman (Assistant Principal), Greg Snelling, Pam Ruley, Jeff Pickering, Clinton Puckett, Tracie Noriega (Principal, kneeling), Jessica Nunes (kneeling)

Photo by Keith Guernsey
who was also on the AE Team.

Winter Concert

Bust This Test

It's that time of year, testing time. Testing is a stressful time for both students and teachers. It used to be called the STAR test and some still use that name. STAR stands for Standardize Test for Achievement in Reading. However, now students are tested for Reading, Math and Science. Officially it's called the CST, California Standardized Test. Teachers have been getting their students test ready with a variety of strategies. At Alvarado the phrase BUST THIS TEST is used to motivate students to focus and try their best. Students use practice tests and strategies for choosing multiple choice questions.

BUST THIS TEST
Go to bed early
Be on time to school
Focus on the test
Read the title first
Read the questions first then read the passage
When you are done, go back and check your answers

Teachers Keith Guernsey, Jeff Pickering, and David Trier produce a video to reduce student test stress and use it in an assembly to motivate students. Go to the Alvarado Elementary School website to view by clicking on view the movie on the left.

California uses five performance levels to report student achievement on the CSTs:

• Advanced: This category represents a superior performance. Students demonstrate a comprehensive and complex understanding of the knowledge and skills measured by this assessment, at this grade, in this content area.
• Proficient: This category represents a solid performance. Students demonstrate a competent and adequate understanding of the knowledge and skills measured by this assessment, at this grade, in this content area.
• Basic: This category represents a limited performance. Students demonstrate a partial and rudimentary understanding of the knowledge and skills measured by this assessment, at this grade, in this content area.
• Far Below / Below Basic: This category represents a serious lack of performance. Students demonstrate little or a flawed understanding of the knowledge and skills measured by this assessment, at this grade, in this content area.

Alvarado Conquers Mission Peak

Staff 2010 Summer Fun

Photo Courtesy of Vince Lindain

Click on the photo to enlarge

Alvarado Now

Keith Guernsey Demos Document Camera

August 2008

2004-2009 Memories, Photos, & Otis Amey

La Verne Sheu Chen
Some things that come to mind include Creanna and Lavontae discussing heaven and hell as 1st graders (It was pretty awesome.), Coach Simmons trying to teach kinders how to put on their flags for football, Keith Guernsey teaching the beginner's choir how to do the robot, happy hour at TGIF's on paydays, and crying in front of the 5th grade class when Faith played and sang a song on the piano for me on my last day at AES. Sigh... miss you guys!

Anna Calubiran
Besides our one in a million staff, one of my favorite things about being a teacher is that every new school year is a rebirth, a chance for all of us (teachers and kids) to refocus, resolve and reinvent ourselves. It's so exciting to get to know each person and build a team.

Maureen Leus Tecson
Today just reminded me of what a great staff we have! So glad to be at aes...

Carmen Jorgenson Principal
Wei Stevens Assistant Principal
2006-2007
Click to picture to enlarge.

In 2005 Otis Amey visits Alvarado. At the time Fred Otis Amey was a wide receiver with the San Francisco 49ers. He was born in Union City and attended and played football at James Logan High School. His mother, Wynelle Amey, was a teacher's aide at Alvarado. She and coach Mark Simmons arranged the visit. As of 2009 Otis is in the Canadian Football League with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was willing to spend some his time talking to the students about the importance of education and hard work. He was fantastic. The students had so much fun learning more about football and hearing him tell about his life. Otis Amey was a huge inspiration.

Otis Amey & Coach Mark Simmons

Otis shows the students how to throw a football.

Teachers and Otis
Click on the photos to enlarge.