Ferndale Elementary School

Good Afternoon,

I am excited to announce that Will Stephens has accepted the position of serving as our FES 7th- and 8th-grade ELA Teacher. Mr. Stephens will be a dynamic addition to our fantastic Junior High program. Please extend a warm welcome to Mr. Stephens from the Ferndale Unified School District.

Hear from Mr. Stephens'

I am thrilled to join the team at Ferndale Elementary as the 7th- and 8th-grade English Language Arts teacher.

I was fortunate to have had great English teachers throughout high school. Still, my AP English teacher in my junior year was one of the greatest educators I have ever known, with a passion for English that was truly contagious. When I graduated from Sonoma Valley High School in 2009, inspired by her, I enrolled at Humboldt State University as an English major with the goal of becoming an English teacher. I graduated from HSU in 2014, having changed my major to Communication. My lofty goal as an idealistic young person was to feed the world.

I worked various jobs as an organic farmer, finally settling as an oyster farmer on Humboldt Bay, but the draw to teach always remained. After we had our first child, Mac, I decided it was time to make the switch. I initially sought to teach science, which I did for the first four years of my teaching career, along with various math courses, at the Academy of the Redwoods.

I love science, and it will always be a part of my life; however, I am thrilled to pursue my longest-held teaching aspiration finally. Outside of the classroom, I love spending time with my wife and two sons, Mac and Trey. We enjoy spending time outside in nature, gardening, and the slow pace that small-town living affords. I look forward to seeing familiar faces in my workplace and working to better this community I love so much.

Thank you,

Will

We've added over 20 books to our library collection this year with memorial donations. Each book donated in memory of someone features a special bookplate inside, commemorating that individual. This year books were donated in honor of the following: Glenda Miller, Evelyn Paine, Silvia Leonardo, John Nunes, Peter Russ, Bob Parker, Phil Aycock and Paul George.

What a fantastic week we had in the library! Grandparents participated as guest readers during our K-3 class visits. Our special guests included Great Grandparents Sal and Judi Pollace, as well as Jeannette Shinn, Lori Acorn, Merritt Brodt, and Linda Russ. We were also thrilled to have two former staff members, Carrie Coppini and Jodi McKay, return to read to their Grandchildren's classes.

We appreciate everyone who contributed by bringing their piggy banks, cards, and e-wallets to shop at the book fair. Last week was incredibly exciting for many of our young readers, making it the most successful fair ever at FES. The funds raised, totaling over $1900, will be used to buy new books for our library to benefit our students. A heartfelt thank you to the volunteers who made this event possible. Special recognition goes to Christina Ghidinelli for her invaluable assistance with planning, setup, daily sales, and the final wrap-up.

Today and tomorrow the Book Fair is open from 12:30-3:30. Friday morning the sale is open from 8:10-9:00, then it's time to call it a rap. The Book Fair is the annual fund raiser for our school library.

Clarifying information regarding Proposed Layoffs: I believe there is an error in the article “Layoffs May Be Coming at Ferndale Schools” in the Ferndale Enterprise from March 20th. The February 26th recommendation was 6.35 FTE certificated and 3.75 FTE classified. At the March 12th meeting, the board passed 3.68 FTE certificated and 10.575 FTE classified. The numbers in the article referring to the February 26th meeting were switched. It reads, “In February, Superintendent Danielle Carmesin recommended reducing teaching staff, referred to as ‘certificated employees,’ by the equivalent of 3.75 full-time employees (FTEs). “ That should be 6.35. Then it says, “Carmesin also proposed laying off 6.35 classified employees who are not teaching.” That number should be 3.75.​The numbers were switched. The article makes it look like the district increased layoffs in classified and barely reduced certificated. Still, the district reduced the certificated layoffs by 2.67 FTE (from the original recommendation in February). A tremendous amount of thought and time went into this, and it would be great if a correction could be printed in The Enterprise so the information is accurate.

It opens today! 12:30-3:30 this Monday-Thursday, Friday 8:10-9:00am. The Scholastic Book Fair. Thanks so much to all the parents and volunteers to set up the fair and are helping at the sale.

The Book Fair is here! It will open for sales on Monday, March 24th, coinciding with Parent Conference Week. If you're unable to attend but would like to enable your child to shop without cash, consider using the e-wallet option.

The Book Fair is Coming March 24th - March 28th During Parent Conferences , in the Gym https://www.scholastic.com/bf/ferndaleelementaryschool

Author, Robin Newman, did a presentation to FES 1st-4th Grade students last Friday. Newman, who resides in New York, traveled to Ferndale as part as the Humboldt County Children's Author Festival. After her visit to Ferndale, Newman commented, "It was such a pleasure speaking with your AMAZING students today. I loved all of their insightful questions, comments, and observations. And I haven't even mentioned their incredible artwork. All I can say is that Ferndale Elementary made this NY author feel very special. "

Congratulations, Class of 2024! Our community donated and invested $230,000 in Ferndale High School graduates. On average, each student earned $6,000.00 in financial assistance for college, trade school, and the workforce.

We had another wonderful week of Grandparents reading in the library. Marcie Titus read to Mrs. Soderman's Class, Jenny Fisk-Becker read to Mrs. Currier's Class, Mary Rudden read to Mrs. Maxon's Class, Libby Titus read to Mrs. Smith's Class, Lori Larson read to Ms. Rodriguez's Class, Melanie Sousa read to Mrs. Brazil's Kindergarten, and Katie Schrum read to Mrs. Soli's Kindergarten.

Retired teacher and GREAT Grandmother, Judy Dixon visited the library this week. She read to her Great Grandson Treycn's class. Treycn is in Mrs. Griffith's 1st grade.

Ferndale Unified School District has a rich ACADEMIC and ATHLETIC history of producing phenomenal students who are connected to their community. Here's how our students feel about school connectedness, caring adult relationships, and school safety. We aren't perfect but we are the best school district in Humboldt County. Our student data shows the growth our teachers and administrators are making to improve students who will make positive contributions to our community and the world. "Two Schools, One District, One Family, UNIFIED by LOYALTY"

Mrs. Busher's students finished their state projects. Check out their creativity. Well done, 5th graders.

We've had a wonderful week of Grandparents as guest readers in the library this week. We celebrate the bond between families and our school. This week's readers were: Kay Rigney with Mrs. Boyd's TK class, Laurel Johnson with Mrs. Stephen's 5th/6th Grade, Cindy Michel with Mrs. Forman's 4th Grade and Don Witherspoon with Mrs. Busher's 5th Grade. As we wrap up our school year, we'll have more Grandparents visiting the library next week.

The top reasons students look forward to coming to Ferndale Unified School District! Check out what 63 students and families had to say... "Two schools, one district, one family, UNIFIED by LOYALTY."

Do you want to leave a legacy at FHS and FES- To sponsor a brick, please complete the form below with your custom message or logo. At the end of the form submit payment online using the link or QR code provided. Each brick is a $100 donation to FUSD. Donations will be collected and held by Lost Coast Laser until requested by FUSD.

Ferndale Parent Club Presents The Mustang Color Run May 24th from 1:00-2:00 pm

Good Morning, Attached is an image with FUSD Graduation Details. Please let Mr. Griffith and Mrs. Carmesin know if you have any questions. Thank you