#WeAreASJUSD Newsletter July 2025

It’s been a busy summer as we look forward to welcoming back students on August 14, 2025. I want to share with you a Look Back at Summer Happenings as well as provide you with some important information about what you need to know to get ready for coming back to school!

I hope you have had a restful and relaxing summer with friends and family!

Barb Dill-Varga, Ed.D.
Superintendent

Review of Summer Projects

New Learning Spaces

We continue to renovate classrooms.  At Anzar, 3 science rooms were renovated. At Aromas, a 7th grade science room (Mrs. Hernandez), a room for  a dedicated TK class  (room 7 next to the library) was renovated, and a 3rd grade classroom (Mrs. S. Taylor). To date, we have completed the renovation of 22 classrooms with 15 non-portable classrooms left to tackle. We are only renovating spaces that likely will not be torn down in future construction projects. We have been notified by our furniture vendor that our order is delayed a few weeks. I am not sure if this is due to the current supply chain/tariff situation, but it is very disappointing.  We will have some temporary seating in there but hope all is in place by Labor Day.

San Juan School Construction

Groundbreaking occurred on June 2, 2025 for the new San Juan School!  Every classroom teacher and their students attended as did the Board of Trustees, administrators, and some local and state officials. This first phase includes demolition of vacated classrooms and site work to get ready for new modular classrooms that will be readied for use for the Fall of 2026. This will be a somewhat difficult two years to fully complete the campus, but the end result will be worth it!  The middle school and the gymnasium will remain, but eventually the rest of the campus buildings will be replaced. Only the administration building and the MPR (multi-purpose room/food service)  will be “stick built”  buildings with the classrooms/library/preschool being modular construction. This is an exciting time for San Juan School!

San Juan Mountain Lions

Summer Professional Development for Teachers

This summer, our dedicated teachers and administrators participated in a wide range of professional development opportunities to better support our students and strengthen classroom instruction. Here's a look at how we invested in learning:

  • AVID Summer Institute (July 30–Aug 1) 16 teachers and administrators explored proven strategies to support college and career readiness for all students.

  • Three teachers attended San Benito County Literacy Summer Institute (July 14–18) Focused on structured literacy practices to enhance reading instruction across grade levels.

  • San Benito County Math Summer Institute (July 23–25) Teachers engaged in math-focused sessions to deepen content knowledge and student engagement.

  • QTEL (Quality Teaching for English Learners) (July 21–25)  Staff strengthened strategies to support multilingual learners in all subject areas.

  • Arts Integration & STEAM Conference (July 7–10) Four staff members explored ways to bring creativity and innovation into the classroom through hands-on learning in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math.

  • Advanced Placement (AP) Research Training at Anzar High School A teacher prepared to launch the AP Research course, part of the AP Capstone program, expanding opportunities for students to engage in college-level research and academic writing.

Summer School 2025: A Multi-Faceted Approach to Learning and Engagement

This year’s summer school offered a rich variety of programs to support academic growth, career exploration, and student enrichment across grade levels:

  • High School Credit Recovery & Grade Enhancement Over 70 students participated in credit recovery and grade improvement courses, earning a combined total of 550 credits to stay on track or get ahead.

  • Summer Bridge Program: A cohort of 12 students engaged in a project-based learning experience centered on architecture and design. Industry partners served as guest speakers, and students presented their final projects to district leaders.

  • Elevate Math: Sixteen students participated in a 23-day course focused on Algebra and Advanced Algebra concepts to prepare for Algebra 2. The program included a field trip to Hartnell College, where students explored STEM labs, the planetarium, and participated in college and career readiness lessons.

  • ASJ+/CASA Summer Program (Grades K–8)  Held at Aromas School, this program provided enrichment through dance, art, and environmental education, including a hands-on field experience at a local horse ranch. Over 100 students participated in CASA this summer, making it one of our most popular programs.

  • Sports Camps (Grades 4–12) Open to students across the district, we hosted summer camps in volleyball, basketball, and soccer, with approximately 30 students participating in each. These camps helped students stay active and build skills in a fun, team-based environment.

We’re proud of the strong participation and are already planning to expand our offerings for Summer 2026!

What's Coming Up!

Data Confirmation - NEW REQUIREMENT

Before your child is going to be officially enrolled, you must complete Data Confirmation. A flyer has been sent home, reminders through Parent Square, and three help sessions scheduled  (one per site) to help you complete the process.  In many cases, you are confirming contact information and other important student information, but this is an opportunity for you to change, update, add information that is current and accurate. Due to the length and format of the Aeries Data Confirmation process, it cannot be completed properly on a phone. We strongly recommend using a tablet or computer to ensure all required fields and checkboxes are visible and completed correctly. If you do not have access to one, please attend one of our Data Confirmation support sessions at any of our school sites listed below.

Please take note of the following critical deadlines:  July 28, the portal opens for you to remotely confirm  your data and remains open through August 12.

WE CANNOT ASSIGN A CLASS PLACEMENT FOR 2025-2026 UNTIL DATA CONFIRMATION IS COMPLETE.

The following three dates are designated (one per school site) for you to come and seek personal assistance in completing the task. You can go to any school for assistance even if your child does not attend that school:

  • August 5 (Tuesday)- Anzar High School - 7:30-10am & 5:30-7:30PM

  • August 6 -Wednesday) Aromas School - 8-11am & 12:30-3PM

  • August 7 - San Juan School - 8-11am & 3-6PM

Data Confirmation

We Are Excited to Welcome Our New Hires!

Anzar High School:

  • Julia Broms, History/Social Science

  • Lizeth Jauregui, Spanish

  • Taylor Wood, Science

  • Sarah McLernon, Science

  • Nathan Santana, Math

Anzar Hawks

Aromas School:

  • Rick Trujillo, Lead Custodian

  • Bonny Fulton, Kindergarten

  • Esmeralda Ybarra, 5th Grade

Aromas Bulldogs

San Juan School:

  • Prema Gammons, 1st Grade

  • Vanessa Parra, 6th grade

  • Rachel Azevedo, 3rd grade

San Juan Mountain Lions

District Office:

  • Sandra Benzor, Child Nutrition Coordinator


ASJUSD

Enhancing Student Services Through Child Nutrition

Sandra Benzor Child Nutrition Coordinator

One of our key goals this year is to enhance student services by improving the quality of our school meals. We're excited to share that our Child Nutrition Department is moving toward less processed foods and more scratch-made recipes! As part of this shift, we’re focusing on inclusivity and community input to ensure our meals reflect what our students and families truly want.

To kick things off, we’ll be launching a district-wide nutrition survey for students, families, and staff. This will serve as a baseline to better understand our community’s preferences and help guide future menu planning.

In addition, we will be forming a Nutrition Advisory Committee—a group of students, parents, and staff from across the district—who will collaborate with us to shape cycle menus and provide valuable feedback. If you’re passionate about school meals and want to be part of this effort, stay tuned! Details on how to join the committee and submit an interest form will be shared in the near future.

We’re also pleased to introduce Sandra Benzor as our new Child Nutrition Coordinator! Sandra comes to us from the Monterey County Office of Education and brings over 16 years of management experience in the food service industry, spanning both educational and restaurant settings. With her background and dedication to nutritious, student-centered meals, she will be the lead in our efforts to elevate our school meal program.

We’re excited about the direction we’re heading and can’t wait to serve up fresh ideas that support the health and happiness of every student!

August Reminders:

  • All Employees Return on Monday, August 11-12, 2025 for professional development

  • All Students Return on Thursday, August 14, 2025

  • Board of Trustees Meeting on Wednesday, August 13, 2025

  • Ed Foundation Fundraiser - Saturday, September 13, 2025