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As students return to schools, they may find changes

By Raiza Canelon/Staff Writer

When Valley students return to the classroom next week, there might be some changes, including new staff, classrooms being added or improvements to the campus.

Santa Ynez Valley Union High School which begins Aug, 27, added two classrooms on the westside of the school which will house a math class and a tutorial building.

“The new bleachers and the football field lights are ready and we are also finishing the barn for the agriculture department, which might not be completed until just after school starts,” said Ray Kirchmaier, business manager at SYVUHS.

The high school also has a new superintendent, Paul Turnbull; principal, Suzanne Nicastro; and two new teachers, Cheryl Lee, who will teach video production, and Emilio Soltero, who is replacing recently retired art teacher Connie Rhodes. There also is a new long-term substitute, Melissa Jacobi, who will be taking over for Julie Estabrook while she is on maternity leave.

The College School District begins Sept. 2, and introduces the new technology system into each classroom linking the entire school together.

“Some of it was installed last year, but it is now fully operational in all classrooms on both campuses,” said Supt. Jim Brown.

Brown also said all classrooms at the upper and lower campuses now have access to the Internet, cable television, a wide screen LCD projector and an inter-district e-mail in every class now. Students will be able to make videos and post them to the Internet so all classes can see their production.

“We also have a new computer lab with 30 stations that will help with education programs,” he added.

The Buellton Union School District has a new no cell phone policy, according to Terri Schrapel, office administrator.

When school starts on Aug. 27, students will not be allowed to have cell phones on during school hours.

Tom Cooper, superintendent for the district, will also be the principal for Jonata School.

The new Buellton Community Recreation Center Thompson/Cypert Gymnasium at Jonata Middle School is finished and will be open for use by the time students arrive on campus.

Enrollment is up for Oak Valley Middle School with 100 kindergartners registered this fall, which is a record high, Schrapel said.

Lisa Restivo, who taught middle school at Jonata, is now the additional kindergarten teacher due to all the new students. In addition to another teacher, school officials said that another classroom had to be converted to house the students.

New teachers at Jonata are Carlos Gonzalez, who was part-time last year and is now the full-time math teacher, and Amy Shiffman, who is the part-time English teacher for seventh grade.

Santa Ynez Valley Christian Academy has added two new teachers to its staff. Marisa Nunez will be the new first-grade teacher and Elijah Goodrick is the new middle school math and science teacher.

The Christian Academy begins Sept. 3 and has new school hours, which are 8:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. for sixth through eighth grades, and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for kindergarten through fifth grade.

Ballard School begins Aug. 27, and is announcing the start of their new program working with Apple Mac computers and students third through sixth grades will have their own laptop computer to work on.

“I don’t think the kids will get to take them home the first day of school, but as the year progresses we’ll see how it works out,” said Allan Pelletier, superintendent and principal of Ballard. “There will be a lot of issues such as the broadband internet and training the teachers correctly, but it will be exciting.”

Ballard also has a new third grade teacher, Jennifer Gamboa. Pelletier said the school is very excited to have her.

Los Olivos School District has a new superintendent, Marsha Filbin, and Gary Crispin who taught second grade and at Olive Grove Charter School has been named the new principal for Los Olivos Elementary. They begin classes on Aug. 25.

The Solvang School Dis- trict begins Aug. 25 and they are introducing a new program into their school system called Virtual Academy. The academy is an Internet-based home-school program for students in kindergarten through eighth grades that features the highly acclaimed K12 curriculum. A credentialed teacher will mentor each student, meeting weekly for guidance and assessment.

Students still will have the opportunity to interact with their peers while participat-ing in the program through music and arts, physical education, sports and after-school activities. Solvang School developed this new program to meet the needs of many Valley families who wanted an alternative educational program for their children, according to the school’s Web site.

Raiza Canelon can be reached at 688-5522, Ext. 6008, or rcanelon@syvnews.com.