The Durham Community Park will be flush with activity this Sunday when the Durham Rotary Club hosts its annual Harvest Festival.

The Harvest Festival includes an Arts and Craft Fair, a Car Show and Shine, performances by the Chico Community Concert Band and the Durham High School band. 

Additionally, the popular pancake breakfast starts at 7 am, with a hot dog or tri-trip lunch available starting at 11. 

As always, restored tractors and engines will be on site.

This popular family event helps Durham Rotary raise funds to support scholarships for Durham High School graduation seniors.

The district is ready to go live with My Ride K-12 for parents of students that ride the bus. 

Parents will be able to download the App (see attached picture of the App) and add their students. Once the students are added, students will be able to see whenever their student scans on and off one of the district buses. 

The app also allows parents to look up the location of the bus their student is riding to determine the approximate time it will arrive at their bus stop.

Look for a Parent Square message later today with instructions for downloading and setting up the App

DES (from Samantha Brown)
TThis week at Durham Elementary was powered by great momentum, collaboration, and school pride! We made fantastic use of our Monday Minimum Day, where our staff engaged in deep Professional Learning—focusing on Frog Street curriculum alignment in TK, and walking through CA Math & You alongside grade-level collaboration for K–5.

On Tuesday, we showed our school spirit for Tiger Gear Tuesday and paused to recognize National IT Professionals Appreciation Day, sharing our gratitude for the tech team that keeps our campus running smoothly. We wrapped up the week with a successful Secure Safety Drill on Friday, keeping campus safety a top priority while continuing our Fall PTS Cookie Dough & Gifts FUNdraiser!

Upcoming Events at DES: September 21 – September 25, 2026

Reading Pals Program Begins This Week!

Monday, September 21

• Early Release: 1:40 PM

• Grade Level Collaboration: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Tuesday, September 22

• Tiger Gear Tuesday — Show your Durham Tiger pride!

• Boy Scouts of America Lunchtime Announcements: DES MPR (11:30 AM – 12:30 PM)

• Probationary Teachers Meeting: 2:50 PM – 3:20 PM (Location TBD)

Wednesday, September 23

• School Site Council Meeting: DES Room 2 (3:00 PM – 4:00 PM)

Thursday, September 24

• DHH Field Trip to MONCA (Chico): 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM

• DELAC Mexican Independence Day Dinner Meeting: DES MPR (6:00 PM – 8:00 PM) (Rescheduled from 9/17)

Friday, September 25

• Pajama Day Spirit Day — Wear your comfiest pajamas to school!

DIS (From Josh Rowe)
Cardboard Boat Races
The 26th Annual Cardboard Boat Races were held this morning! Mr. Richards has been working with our 8th grade students to teach them the scientific and engineering principles needed to design and build a boat using nothing but cardboard and tape.

The Cardboard Boat Races are always a great opportunity for our students to put what they have learned in the classroom into action. It was exciting to see their creativity, problem-solving, teamwork, and, of course, whether their boats would float!

DIS Athletics
Our Cross Country team competed in its first meet of the season yesterday at Wildwood. It was great to see our runners get their season underway and represent DIS.

Congratulations to our 8th Grade Girls Volleyball team, who took home the championship at last weekend's tournament in Palermo! Great job to our athletes and coaches!

New Clubs at DIS
We are excited to announce that we have two new student clubs on campus: a Dungeons & Dragons Club and a Yo-Yo Club!

Students interested in joining the Dungeons & Dragons Club can connect with Mrs. Noble or Ms. Kusie. Students interested in the Yo-Yo Club can connect with Mr. Halsey or Mr. Richards.

Both clubs will meet during lunch. Students can check with the club advisors for specific meeting days and additional information. We’re excited to see students getting involved and creating new ways to connect with others who share their interests!

Progress Reports
Our first progress report period of the school year is here! Families are now able to view student progress report grades in Aeries.

If your student's grades are not where you or your student would like them to be, DIS offers several opportunities for additional academic support after school. Homework Help is available Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Math Help is available Wednesdays from 3:10–3:40 p.m.

We encourage students to take advantage of these opportunities early in the year to get extra help, complete missing assignments, and stay on track academically.

Durham Gala — Parent Sign-Ups
The Durham Gala is coming up on Saturday, October 24, at Durham Memorial Hall! This annual event raises funds for all three Durham school campuses and provides principals with opportunities to purchase items and make campus improvements that are not covered through regular school funding.

DIS has directly benefited from the generosity of the Gala and our Durham community. Last year, Gala funds helped pay for the new mural on the DIG, which has been a wonderful addition to our campus. Gala funds have also supported projects throughout the district, including scoreboards, gym equipment, technology upgrades, and more.

As we prepare for this year's Gala, we would greatly appreciate the help of our DIS families. One of our biggest needs is for parents to help organize and put together grade-level baskets for the silent auction. These baskets are an important part of the Gala, and we would love to have DIS well represented.

There are many ways to support the Gala. Whether you attend, donate an auction item, help create a grade-level basket, become a sponsor, join the Gala Committee, or volunteer to work the event, every contribution makes a difference.

The Gala is truly a community effort, and the money raised comes right back to supporting our students and schools. Thank you to our DIS families and the Durham community for continuing to provide opportunities for our students that would not otherwise be possible.

Upcoming Events
October 9 — 1st Quarter Ends
October 12 — Minimum Day
October 19 — No School

DHS (From Marty Wilkes)
We did not have Advisory this week due to the staff development minimum day. 

This past Tuesday, 20 students went to Chico State for a tour of the campus and learned about the different programs offered (see attached picture).

This afternoon a group of students are touring the Chico State College of Business. They are learning about careers in information systems, finance, accounting, management, marketing, and sales. 

Next Tuesday, September 22, Counseling is hosting our annual Seniors & Parent Information Night. We will begin at 6 pm in the DHS Library for those students and their families who plan to attend a four-year university. At 6:45, all seniors and their families are strongly encouraged to attend the second half of the presentation which will cover valuable information that ALL seniors need to know. Topics include financial aid, graduation regalia, yearbooks and other important senior year tips and tricks. You do not want to miss this!!
Our Ultimate Grad representative will be on campus Tuesday, Sept 22 for our Senior & Parent Information Night. This is an opportunity to purchase caps, gowns, tassels, rings, invitations and anything else grad related. 

Get those themed outfits ready! Homecoming dress-up days are almost here!
September 28th-October 2nd
Monday is Jersey Day
Tuesday is Biker (upperclassmen) vs. Surfer (lower classman) 
Wednesday is BBQ Dad vs. Soccer Mom
Thursday is Twin Day
Friday is Red, White, and Blue

Counseling:
Upcoming events and activities to be aware of:
Sept. 15 - Chico State Tour
Sept. 18 - Chico State College of Business Tour
Sept. 22 - ASVAB Test
Sept. 22 - Seniors & Parents Information Night
Sept. 24 - Chico State College of Natural Sciences Tour
Sept. 30 - UC Santa Cruz Presentation on the PIQs @ 11:55 (Parents are welcome to attend)
Oct. 1 - Butte College Transfer Day (All Seniors will attend)
Oct. 1 - UC and CSU Applications Open
Oct. 2 - UC Santa Barbara Presentation @ 10:00 (Parents are welcome to attend)
Oct. 6- College Application Help during lunch

Athletics:
Volleyball has upped their record to 16-2 and has won their first four league games.  Swimming has won their first three meets handily. Tennis is 3-1 in league and has a 7-1 overall record. Football took it to Oroville last week 42-12 and has a 2-1 record going into tonight's game at Biggs .

Volleyball: 
Sept. 24 - At  Colusa
Sept. 29 - Home vs East Nicolaus

Football:
Sept. 18 - at Biggs
Oct. 2 -  Homecoming vs Colusa
Oct. 9 -  at East Nicolaus

AG:
Up and coming in the Agriculture Department:
Sept. 30 - Lunch Meeting
Oct. 8 - Shasta Field Day
Oct. 14 - Greenhand Leadership Conference

Student Services and Supports (from Marilyn Bertolucci)
 
Suicide Prevention Awareness Month offers a dedicated opportunity to increase awareness, foInitiate a Conversation and Make an Impact. Silence, stigma, and shame remain far too common surrounding the topic of suicide. A person’s suffering should never be answered with silence, and we are dedicated to shifting this reality. You have the power to make a meaningful difference this September.

Taking the step to reach out, asking someone how they are genuinely feeling and offering attentive, open listening can truly save lives. We know that nobody ought to navigate these challenges by themselves, that support is accessible, and that recovery is attainable. It all begins with a single conversation.

If you need to talk, the 988 Lifeline is here.

At the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, it is understood that life's challenges can sometimes be difficult. If you or a loved one are dealing with mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, or just need someone to talk to, our caring counselors are here for you. You are not alone. 

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

Maxim 3 
All good readers are good decoders, because decoding is the on-ramp for word recognition. Decoding should be taught until children can accurately and independently read new words. Decoding depends on well-developed oral language, phonemic awareness, and accurate letter-sound associations.

Weekly Update Archive