Durham Unified is truly blessed to have the support of so many parents and community members in many different ways.

The community has provided financial support by voting to approve both facility bonds Measure X (2018) and Measure B (in 2024).

The results of these bonds have led to many facility improvements in support of the education of Durham students. 

The new grandstand at the high school football stadium is just one example of the improvements Measure B has helped support. 

It was amazing to see our high school parents come together last week for homecoming to decorate the stadium, including the new shade structure and grandstand.

The attached pictures show how the rope lights really lit up the stadium to add to the great ambiance of the homecoming game.

The lights will stay on the stadium and can be seen at next week’s home game versus Paradise.

This Monday is a minimum day to allow for staff development opportunities for our teachers and staff. 

Students at DIS (12:10), DES (12:20) and DHS (12:50) will all get out early. Please plan transportation plans accordingly.

Teachers, meanwhile, will be involved in training until 4 pm. These trainings are designed to support all staff in the continued effort to help all students improve.

The California College Guidance Initiative (CCGI) is coming to Durham Intermediate School and Durham High School this year.

The CCGI was created by California legislation a couple of years ago. It requires all districts with high schools to use californiacolleges.edu for its students 6th grade through 12th grade. At the high school level, the platform is more about preparing for the college process, including filing for Federal Student Aide through the FAFSA application and applying to attend the university systems in California. 

For intermediate school students, CCGI is more about introducing students to the platform through career interest surveys, creating a plan for careers and understanding college options.

This week at Durham Elementary was filled with school spirit, health and safety, creative arts, and exciting attendance celebrations!

We kicked off Fire Safety Week on Monday, October 5th, welcoming back third-grade teacher Kelly Bischel from maternity leave, followed by an early release for teacher grade-level collaboration. On Tuesday, our campus showed off its pride for Tiger Gear Tuesday, hosted Reading Pals, held our October Staff Meeting in the MPR, and hosted a Parent Preview for 5th Grade Human Growth and Development.

Mid-week, we enjoyed our DES Walk and Squack on Wednesday, October 7th, alongside our monthly 4-H meeting in the MPR. Wednesday was also extra special as we held our first Surprise Attendance Day! DES Staff and Teachers welcomed students in the DES Bus Circle with high energy, welcoming posters, pom-poms, cheering, and plenty of "Good morning, glad you are here today!" messages. Later in the day, Principal Brown visited every classroom to speak about the importance of attendance and showing up for school. Every student present received a DES Tiger water bottle sticker, and the 7th student on each classroom roster was randomly selected to win an Attendance Certificate and a Free Panda Cub Meal donated by Panda Express in Chico. Additionally, two present staff members were awarded coffee gift cards for supporting our students: classified staff member Jennifer Hamill (new DES Food Services employee and DES parent) and certificated staff member Kelly Bischel.

We wrapped up the week on Thursday with another great session of Reading Pals, and on Friday, our campus brought creativity to life during DES Art Docent Chalk Day with our "Under the Reef" theme, followed by the 5th Grade Human Growth & Development session.

Upcoming Events at DES:

October 12 – October 18

National School Lunch Week

Monday, October 12

• Minimum Release Day (12:20 PM)

• Teacher Professional Learning (1st–5th Grade Teachers on NWEA MAP): DHS Library (1:00 PM – 4:00 PM)

• CA Math & You Office Hours (1:00 PM – 2:00 PM) / TK & Kinder Scope and Sequence Update and OxEd Language Screener and Neli Language Intervention Curriculum Introduction (1:00-3:00PM)

Tuesday, October 13

• Tiger Gear Tuesday — Show your Durham Tiger pride!

• Kindergarten Vision & Hearing Testing

• DHH Field Trip to TJ Farms in Chico (8:30 AM – 12:00 PM)

• Reading Pals: DES Room 34 (1:00 PM – 2:30 PM)

Wednesday, October 14

• DUSD Lifetouch Picture Retake Day: DES Portable 34 (8:30 AM until finished)

• DES Walk and Squack (2:50 PM – 3:10 PM)

Thursday, October 15

• Sam Off Campus for PD in Chico (8:00 AM – 2:45 PM)

• Reading Pals: DES Room 34 (1:00 PM – 2:30 PM)

• DELAC Meeting: DES MPR (6:00 PM)

Friday, October 16

• National Boss’s Day

• All TK Classes Field Trip to Patrick’s Ranch Pumpkin Patch (9:00 AM – 11:30 AM)

• DHH Field Trip to Adaptive PE Day at CSU, Chico (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM)

• Great American Shakeout Safety Drill (9:15 AM)

• BMX Assembly: 2nd/3rd/4th/5th Grade Playground (1:45 PM – 2:30 PM)

DIS (From Josh Rowe)
Picture Day Retakes
Picture Make Up Day is coming next week on October 14th. Make ups will be offered in the DES Cafeteria. Check with the DIS in the front office for details.

Meeting with Teachers & Campus Visitor Expectations
We value our partnership with DIS families and appreciate parents reaching out to teachers when they have questions or concerns. Our teachers want to communicate and work with families to support our students.

To help us maintain a safe campus while also respecting our teachers’ time and responsibilities, we ask all families to follow these expectations:

• All visitors must check in at the DIS Front Office before entering campus. This includes visits before school, during the school day, and after the final bell.

• Please schedule meetings with teachers in advance whenever possible. Teachers have meetings, lesson preparation, and other responsibilities before and after school and may not be available for an unscheduled conversation.

• Checking in at the office does not guarantee that a teacher will be available to meet. If a teacher is available, the office can help facilitate the meeting. If they are not available, we will help schedule a time that works for both the parent and teacher.

• Parents and visitors should not go directly to classrooms without first checking in at the office. This expectation applies even if the purpose of the visit is simply to speak briefly with a teacher.

We want our families to have access to our teachers and encourage open communication between home and school. Following these procedures helps us maintain campus safety, minimize disruptions to instruction and school operations, and ensure our teachers are able to give parent conversations the time and attention they deserve.

October Minimum Day & Professional Development
Monday, October 12, is a districtwide minimum day. All DIS students will be released at 12:10 p.m. Please be sure to make any necessary transportation arrangements for the early release.

DIS staff will use the afternoon for professional development and collaboration focused on strengthening instructional practices and supporting student learning.

The Manor Project
The Manor Project is officially underway at DIS! King Edward recently visited Mrs. Schnitzius’s class to introduce students to medieval life and help launch this unique learning experience. (see the attached picture)

The Manor Project is a valued DIS tradition that brings English and history together through a hands-on, cross-curricular experience. Students will apply what they are learning in both subjects as they explore life during the Middle Ages and work toward two of the project’s most anticipated events: Feast Day and the trebuchet competition!

We look forward to seeing students bring their learning to life through this longstanding DIS tradition

Upcoming Events
Oct. 9 - 1st Quarter Ends
Oct. 12 - Minimum Day
Oct. 14 - Picture Make-Up Day
Oct. 19 - No School
Oct. 26–30 - Red Ribbon Week
Nov. 10 - Medieval Feast
Nov. 11 - No School in Observance of Veterans Day

DHS (From Marty Wilkes)
The first quarter ends today, grades will be available Wednesday morning.  Quarter grades count towards athletic eligibility but do not go on the permanent transcript. If your grades are good, great, you are on a clear path, but if you have some grade issues you have time to get your grades up before they get etched in stone. 

Counseling
In Advisory this week students watched a video about uploading their pictures of school events, activities, friends and everyday life to go in this year’s yearbook. Students were given time to upload pictures they wanted to share. If parents have photos from school events and would like to share, have your student help you complete the form and upload them. Some classes that had extra time discussed how to set Do Not Disturb schedules on their phones.

In Counseling, now that the CSU and UC application windows are open, we began our weekly Lunchtime College Application Drop-in Help on Tuesday. Seniors are encouraged to grab their lunch and join us in the Library if they need help with any of their college applications. Upcoming dates are Oct 20th and 27th. We will not be available on the 13th due to a field trip. We also have a CSU Representative coming on November 3rd to help with CSU applications on the 3rd of November. 

Mrs. Ladd has been meeting individually with seniors this week to check on their progress toward future goals and discuss the steps needed to reach them. Each student left with a "homework assignment" to complete. Please check in with them to ask how it’s going! 

Students who registered to take the SAT & PSAT completed the Digital Readiness process this week so they will be ready to test first thing in the morning on Thursday, October 15th. 

SOU Registration has a new process this year and it has been quite daunting. Thank you to all our SOU students and families for their patience as we’ve worked through this. Due to all the changes, we have been given a grace period to finalize registration. As a reminder, if your student has not registered AND/OR paid for their class(es) yet, they must do so by Wednesday, October 14th or they will no longer be eligible to earn the college credit. Students who have questions should see their teacher or Ms. Spade. Also, please note students will register for English, as well as the second part of these classes, in the Winter and Spring quarters.

Upcoming events and activities to be aware of:
Oct. 2 - UC Santa Barbara Presentation @ 10:00 (Parents are welcome to attend)
Oct. 6- College Application Help during lunch
Oct. 13 -  eg2go Registration
Oct. 13 -  College of Behavioral and Social Science tour and Chico State.
Oct. 15 - SAT/PSAT test

Athletics
Football:  The team got a big homecoming win by taking down Colusa 27-12.  This game was also the start of league play. The defense came up big with two pick sixes.  The first was by Rhett Rabo, and the second was returned 83 yards by Noah Rilea to seal the win  The football team is now 4-1 overall and 1-0 in Sac Valley League.  Football travels to East Nicolaus tonight to take on the  6-0 Spartans. 

Volleyball:  The girls clicked off two more league wins this week, the first was a 3 set win over Paradise and the second was a 4 set win over Pierce. The volleyball team is currently 26-3 and 8-1 in the Sac Valley League.

Tennis:  The team finished second in the Sac Valley League and qualified for the playoffs.  

Swimming: Swim has now won their 5th straight league meet.

Volleyball: 
Oct. 13 -  at Willows
Oct. 20 -  vs Colusa
Oct. 22 -  at East Nicolaus

Football:
Oct. 9 - at East Nicolaus
Oct. 16 - vs Paradise
Oct. 23 - at Pierce

AG:
This week we attended the awards banquet for the North Valley Section Project Competition. Kate Vanella earned a Gold award for her market and dairy goat SAE projects, and Dani Hutson earned a Silver award for her replacement breeding cattle SAE projects. We also took 26 students to Shasta College for the first field day of the year. Many students did very well and we are proud of their hard work! 

Next week:
Oct. 14 - Greenhand Leadership Conference
Oct. 18-25: National FFA Convention

Student Services and Supports (from Marilyn Bertolucci)
 October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month and its goal is to to promote public understanding and advocate for the acceptance and inclusion of individuals with Down Syndrome. 

Chromosomes are gene packages that dictate how human bodies develop and operate. While typical infant development involves 46 chromosomes, a baby born with Down Syndrome carries a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21.

Although misconceptions and stereotypes persist, people with Down Syndrome continually demonstrate that their condition does not restrict their potential or define who they are as individuals.

Reading Universe Check out the Video Library and the 10 Maxims: What We’ve Learned So Far About How Children Learn to Read!

Maxim 6   No single instructional design can serve all students. Use screening and progress-monitoring data to provide targeted, differentiated instruction matched to individual strengths and needs.

Have an excellent weekend!

Weekly Update Archive