Bonsall Union School District

To the Bonsall Community,

Welcome back to a new school year! We have been working hard this summer to prepare for our best school year ever. Times are still tough financially, but the culture of doing the job well brings exciting expectations. You might have read in the North County Times on 8/16/10, that Bonsall had the biggest gain in North County on the California Standards Test (CST) scores, with a jump of 5 percentage points. Pretty good, but we expect even better results for this coming year. Our Academic Performance Index (API) scores are officially released 9/9/10 and they will bring good news as well, particularly for Vivian Banks Charter, Bonsall West, and Sullivan Middle schools.

After the retirement of Principal Bill Rash, Eric Kosch will replace him at Vivian Banks Charter, and Jon Ray will be the new principal at Bonsall West. A unanimous selection by the interview panel, Mr. Ray beat 55 other applicants for the position. Coming to us from Colfax, and the Twin Rivers school districts in northern California, Mr. Ray knows small school districts well and will be able to bring a depth of experience that will be of great value to Bonsall West and the District as a whole. As a principal there he also had superintendent and coaching duties. At Colfax he brought great increases in student learning through developing a student-centered and high performing school culture, and using smart board technologies. The most common quote heard by community members, staff and board members in Colfax was, “ Your students, parents, and teachers will love him”.

The Bonsall Union School District enrollment appears to have increased by about 60 students, mostly at Bonsall Elementary School, and we are busy with final touches on hiring a few new teachers. We had over 600 applications for these positions and the 25 candidates were all top notch, so the finalists are outstanding. The positions will be in 3^rd grade. The District will also be welcoming new special education employees. The after school program at Bonsall West, Vivian Banks, and Sullivan that was run by the Boys and Girls Club last year is being redeveloped this year. Called the 21^st Century Skills Club, this program will focus more on fitness, computers, enrichment and tutoring. There will also be several new employees new to this program. The names of all the above employees are withheld until after Board approval which expected on 9/9/10.

With new District Goals for implementing more accurate diagnostic assessments for primary students, and a focus on Algebra proficiency, this should be Bonsall’s best year ever in implementing “Academic Excellence and Support for all Students”!

Yours,

Justin Cunningham, Ed. D.

Superintendent