I hope everyone is able to do something they enjoy and spend time with the people that matter most to them over the next week off for Spring Break.

This is our last chance to re-charge for the sprint to the end of the school year. 

We will already be involved in the start of end of the year activities when we return from break. Senioritis will be at its all time high, 8th graders will already think they are in high school and 5th graders will have visions of being middle school students. 

It is our job to keep our students focused for a successful completion of the school year. 

Retirements 

This stretch will also mark the final stretch for three long-time employees as they prepare to ride the sunset into retirement.

At the intermediate school, sixth grade teacher Jacqueline Lincoln will retire having served the children of Durham Unified for 30 years.

At the elementary school, secretary Yolanda Prentice (29 years) and 4th grade teacher Roni Masuda (24 years) are also on the final stretch of long careers serving the children of Durham.

Thank you to all three of you for all you have done for the community, schools and children in Durham. You will all be missed.

Planning for 2026-2027 school year

We have been hard at work hiring staff members to join the Durham family and fill our open teaching positions for the 2026-2027 school year.

The following teachers have been hired at the elementary school: Tianna Andrade (Transitional Kindergarten), Jillian Ruiz (Kindergarten), Devani Sparks (4th grade) and Nicole Luce (5th grade).

The intermediate school has hired Natalie Kusie and Emma Eastman (6th grade), Kiara Noble (English) and Sarah Wohletz (Math/Science)

This means that as of this date, all of the open teaching positions for the 2026-2027 school year have been filled.

DES (from Samantha Brown)

This week at DES, our 3rd-5th grade teachers attended their annual CAASPP training during Monday's Early Release in preparation for state testing upon our return from Spring Break. Paraprofessional Appreciation Day was on Wednesday, April 1st. A huge shout out to all our amazing instructional paraprofessionals at DES! We rescheduled our Wednesday, April 1st schoolwide picnic and staff challenges to Friday, April 17th in hopes the weather will be more accommodating. We had a Minimum Release Day today, Friday, April 3rd, following our monthly safety drill, many primary grade egg hunts in the courtyard, and CAASPP testing practice in the upper grades. Our TK students took walking field trips this week to the Durham Post Office this week, and our 3rd grade class took a field trip to the Durham Cemetery as part of their Durham Living History studies on Thursday morning. 

There will be NO SCHOOL next week, April 6th-10th, for Spring Break. 

When students return on Monday, April 13th, our Student Council will meet during lunch with advisor Molly Knobbe, and 3rd-5th graders will attend a CAASPP Testing Rally at the end of the day beginning at 1:00PM in the MPR. Our Chess Club will meet after school in the Library while teachers meet during Early Release Collaboration for grade level planning. CAASPP Testing will begin for grades 3-5 on Tuesday, April 14th, staff will meet after school for their monthly staff meeting, and Mrs. Del Carlo's class will have their 1st grade evening VAPA Performance of "Nuts! The Musical." Miss Madera's 1st grade class will perform the following evening on Wednesday. On Friday afternoon, we will hold our schoolwide picnic and staff challenges, as well as celebrate our March students of the month with Popsicles with the Principal in the courtyard.

DIS (From Josh Rowe)
FFA Success
Lolo Gore recently traveled with Durham FFA’s Advanced Parliamentary Procedure Team to compete at the Regional Contest on March 13. The team earned a 4th place finish, securing a spot at the State Finals in Fresno on April 17.

Individually, Lolo earned Outstanding Chair 1, recognizing her as the top debater in her group for correctly executing all required motions. This is an impressive accomplishment, especially as Advanced teams are typically made up of high school juniors and seniors. We are incredibly proud of Lolo’s achievement.

American Legion Auxiliary Essay Contest Winners
Durham Intermediate School is proud to celebrate three student winners from Mrs. Lash’s class in this year’s American Legion Auxiliary Essay Contest, themed “What Freedom Means to Me.”

• First Place: Dawson Bunch

• Second Place: Maggie Rappa

• Third Place: Logan Rowe

All three students have been invited to read their essays at the American Legion Ice Cream Social at Memorial Hall on September 8, 2026.

DRPD Girls Soccer
The DRPD Middle School Girls Soccer team earned an impressive 8–0 victory over Chico Junior High this week.

Goal scorers:

• Ashton Alaways – 3

• Maggie Sluis – 2

• Kali Pretzer – 1

• Lydia Cooley – 1

• Brynna Allen – 1

Strong defensive efforts were led by Julie Felix and Andrea Garribay. Congratulations to the team on a great win!

Employee of the Year Recognition
Durham Intermediate School is fortunate to have exceptional staff who consistently go above and beyond for our students. This year, we proudly recognize:

• Tami Thomas – Classified Employee of the Year

• Regan Withrow – Certificated Employee of the Year

Tami Thomas demonstrates an unwavering commitment to student success. She consistently steps in to support students and staff, ensuring every student feels seen, valued, and cared for. Her compassion and dedication have a lasting impact on our school community.

Regan Withrow brings incredible passion to her teaching and inspires students through her love of English and learning. This year, she led the organization and implementation of Project 8th Grade, creating meaningful opportunities for students to showcase their learning. She consistently challenges and supports her students to strive for excellence and reach their full potential.

We are grateful for Tami and Regan and the positive impact they make each day.

Important Dates

• April 3: Minimum Day

• April 6–10: No School – Spring Break

• April 15: 8th Grade Promotion Pictures

DHS (From Marty Wilkes)
Counseling has been busy this week wrapping up before Spring Break. 

In Advisory students did another Character Strong lesson. This week’s To Be Challenge is to be Polite. Students and staff were encouraged to be extra polite and considerate by saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to everyone they interact with - especially those who are often overlooked. Great practice for all of us!

Seniors have been busy working on their Durham Common Scholarship Application. Mrs. Ladd has done A LOT of teeth pulling to get a good amount of our seniors to apply for this important scholarship that is shared with multiple community agencies who are extremely generous to our students. Great work to those seniors who completed their application by the deadline!

Students who will be taking the SAT when we return from break did the digital registration this week so they will be ready to test first thing in the morning on Wednesday, April 15th. 

Staff had some fun kicking off Spring Break this week with Underground Homecoming. After a few days of confusion, students started to pick up on what we were doing. At the end of the week we had a contest to see if students could identify each of the daily themes. All students were encouraged to submit their guesses and multiple prizes were awarded. Thank you Mrs. Ladd for organizing this rogue homecoming event for our school - DHS is a better place for students and staff because of things like this. See attached photos - Can you guess our themes??

Athletics:
Baseball: The boys improved to 13-0  overall and 2-0 in the SVL. They won their second SVL game over Colusa 21-2. They beat Redding Christian 2-0 on Monday, and then took a win from Quincy 6-1 on Tuesday.  The boys play Willows at home on April 7, and they travel to Willows on April 8.  The boys close out the week by hosting a tournament starting on April 10.

Softball: The ladies are 6-6 and 0-2 in the SVL.  The Girls play Willows on April 13, Paradise on April 14 and Biggs on April 17.

Golf won their match this week and are 2-0 in the SVL play.

AG:
Our Parli-Pro Team is headed to State Finals! On April 17th and 18th they will be competing in Fresno for a Silver Bowl and a State Title.  

Applications are now out for the 2026-2027 FFA Officer Team. They are due on April 3rd to Mr. Deaton. Please have your student reach out if they would like more information.

If your student is showing an animal at the fair with FFA please make sure they schedule a project check with their advisor. They need to have a total of 4.

-Mr. Deaton: Sheep, Goats, and Steers
-Mrs. Kann: 1/2 of the Pigs and Turkeys
-Ms. Trujillo: 1/2 of the Pigs and Rabbits

Student Services and Supports (from Marilyn Bertolucci)
Having a break from the structure and routine of school brings relief and relaxation to some and can activate anxiety in others. 

If you are an employee of DUSD and participate in the Butte Schools Self Funded Programs Insurance you are able to see mental wellness support for you or your family members. As part of the Employee Assistance Program you are eligible for six free sessions per year of counseling along with other wellness services. 

BSSP For Members Page           BSSP Employee Assistance Program

Immediate Help and Resources for All- staff, students and community members

The most important step is reaching out. Help is always available.

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: The 988 Lifeline is a free, confidential, and 24/7 service for anyone in distress. You can connect with a trained crisis counselor for support for suicidal thoughts, mental health issues, substance use, or any kind of emotional distress.

  • Call or Text: 988

  • Chat: 988lifeline.org/chat

  • For Adults: The 988 Lifeline is also a critical resource for parents and staff who are concerned about a young person and need guidance on how to help.

Butte County Local Resources

• Butte County Behavioral Health Crisis & Access Line: For 24/7 support.

  • Phone: 800-334-6622 or 530-891-2810

• School-Based Mental Health Services: Butte County provides mental health services on many school campuses through partnerships with organizations like Northern Valley Catholic Social Services and Youth for Change. These services can include individual, group, and family therapy.

• Crisis Text Line: A free, confidential, 24/7 support service.

  • Text: LISTEN to 741741

• The Trevor Project: For LGBTQ+ youth.

  • Call: 866-488-7386

  • Text: START to 678-678

• North Valley Talk Line: Provides non-crisis, peer-to-peer telephone support.

  • Phone: 855-582-5554 (7 days a week, 4:30 PM - 9:30 PM)

• Butte 2-1-1: For a comprehensive list of community resources.

  • Dial: 211

For more information, visit buttecounty.net/youth.

Another concern during the break is food insecurity. As of April 2026, the poverty rate in Butte County, CA, is approximately 19.25%. The median household income in the county is roughly $67,928, with nearly 20.8% of children living below the poverty level.

The following is a list of food distribution sites and schedules for Butte County in April 2026. This includes the TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) monthly distributions, which are the primary large-scale events, as well as recurring local pantries. These distributions typically provide a variety of pantry staples, produce, and occasionally meat/dairy. Participants usually self-certify income eligibility on-site.

April 7    Gridley
St. Timothy’s Episcopal (410 Jackson St)
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

April 7    Biggs
Biggs Methodist Church (441 C St)
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM & 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM

April 8     Chico
Zion Community Christian Center (895 Virginia St)
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

April 8      Forest Ranch
Forest Ranch Baptist Church (4967 Schott Rd)
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

April 8      Cohasset
Community Hall (11 Maple Creek Ranch Rd)
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM 

April 8      Concow
Pines Hardware (11300 Miller Flat Rd)
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM

April 14     Paradise
1st Baptist Church (6500 Clark Rd)
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

April 14      Stirling City
Sheep Barn (17131 Manzanita St)
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

April 14       Feather Falls
Quonset Hut (1834 Lumpkin Rd)
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

April 15       Forbestown
Forbestown Community Hall (19100 New York Flat Rd)
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM 

April 21    Thermalito
New Life Church (10th & Grand)
7:30 AM – 9:30 AM

April 21        Oroville
Hope Center (2620 5th Ave)
8:30 AM – 10:30 AM

April 21        Palermo
Palermo Community Council (2094 Palermo Rd)
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

April 21       Paradise
First Christian Church (5738 Pentz Rd)
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Recurring Food Pantries & Resources
For families needing assistance outside of the monthly TEFAP dates:

• Chico State – Hungry Wildcat Food Pantry

  • Address: 400 W. First St, Chico (Kendall Hall)

  • Hours: Monday – Thursday, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Closed Fri/Sat/Sun)

• The Salvation Army (Chico)

  • Address: 567 E. 16th St, Chico

  • Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM & 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

• Oroville Rescue Mission

  • Address: 2445 Oro Dam Blvd, Ste 2, Oroville

  • Hours: Monday – Wednesday, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Food boxes for families)

• Magalia Community Church

  • Address: 13700 Old Skyway, Magalia

  • Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Saturday, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

• Help 4 People (Paradise)

  • Address: 5533 Skyway Rd, Paradise

  • Hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Have a safe and fun Spring Break! See everyone back here on April 13th!

Weekly Update Archive