YUCAIPA, CALIFORNIA, MAY 2023 — At a regularly scheduled Board meeting on May 17th, the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District Board of Education recognized the District’s School Site Teachers of the Year.
Every school year each of the 13 schools in the District selects its most exemplary teachers for the chance to be nominated for the Teacher of the Year program which is sponsored by the California Department of Education and facilitated by the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools.  The nominee will be chosen from the 13 teachers listed below and the announcement will be made at the District’s annual Kickoff event on August 7th.

Assistant Superintendent Jim Stolze introduced the teachers to the Board one by one while sharing quotes from the nomination forms.  Each contained stories of unique ways the teachers support their students both in and out of the classroom but all maintained the same themes. Goes above and beyond, powerful and versatile, heart for kids, multi-talented, compassionate, inspiring, and loving are just some of the phrases and words found within the nomination forms to describe the teachers.  The Board echoed the same sentiment while highlighting the lifelong impacts teachers have on their students.

Congratulations to each of the teachers who were selected!

• Darah Cleary
• David Domena
• Ingrid Villalobos
• Steven Stockman
• Shane Buechler
• Susana Ramirez | * Amanda Parisi
• Sherri Fountain
• Lindsey Gilsen
• Paul Kane
• Steve Mulvihill
• Jessica Lingenfelter |

Be sure to visit yucaipaschools.com to learn more about the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District or to enroll your child for the 2023-24 school year.

The Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District recognized the District’s school and behavioral health counselors at a regularly scheduled Board meeting on Tuesday, February 21st, 2023.  The recognition follows the February 6th National School Counseling Week sponsored by the American School Counselor Association which highlights the tremendous impact school counselors have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.

The District employs 30 of these professionals who, across all grade levels, provide academic guidance, social-emotional support, career information, class schedules, and so much more.

Assistant Superintendent Jim Stolze introduced the counselors to be recognized by sharing that, “counselors are immeasurably important to what we do in our schools.  As an administrator in the District, I can’t tell you how many times my counselor saved me… We all extremely value what counselors bring to the team.”

The Board echoed the same sentiment as Mr. Stolze highlighting the importance and impact of school and behavioral health counselors.  Below are each of the amazing counselors serving students across the District:

• Taylor Beach
• Natalie Brasher
• Jennifer Brasher
• Karen Brossia
• Janet Curtis
• Angelica Echauregui
• Danielle Elgan
• Melissa Fashempour
• Janet Gutierrez
• Rebecca Islas
• Marisa Kwappenberg
• Denise LaForcade
• Tasha MacQueen
• Gina Mairena | * Katie McKee
• Marielena Miranda
• Wendy Montgomery
• Rafael Ocampo
• Victoria Orozco-Sapp
• Michelle Pauls
• Xochitl Perez
• Brittany Perisits
• Lisa Reyes
• Cassy Samel
• Pamela Sibley
• Michelle Torres
• Tiffany Wagner
• Lauren Wiley
• Diana Williams |

School and behavioral health counselors are a vital support system for all students often guiding them through difficult personal and academic situations to ensure they have the tools needed to succeed from transitional kindergarten to college, career, and beyond.  These individuals make significant contributions to the District’s mission of “Making a Difference in the Life of Each Child.”

To get in contact with your child’s counselor, please contact your child’s school.  Be sure to visit yucaipaschools.com to learn more about the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District or to enroll your child for the 2023-24 school year.

The Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District (YCJUSD) is now accepting student registrations for the 2023-2024 school year.  The District serves the Yucaipa and Calimesa communities and is home to six elementary schools, two middle schools, and three high schools as well as a charter school, preschool, and adult school.  School placement is determined by the student’s residential address with the exception of the Competitive Edge Charter Academy (CECA) and the three high schools.

Registration is open for all grade levels and schools and the process can be completed either online or in person.  There are five verification requirements to successfully complete the process including; proof of age, immunization records, current residence, current parent/guardian photo identification, and an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and/or 504 Plan, if applicable.  If a student attended YCJUSD for the 2022-23 school year, registration does not need to be completed again unless the student attended Transitional Kindergarten at CECA.  Registration for new students and current Transitional Kindergarten students at CECA requires an additional step.

Families interested in enrolling their students into CECA must enter their information into a survey.  Depending on the number of entries, a lottery process may be used to randomly select new students until enrollment in the charter school is full.  Students not selected in the lottery process will be placed on a waitlist in the order they registered.  Students placed on the waitlist are not automatically enrolled in their school of residence.  Enrollment must be completed for their school of residence unless they are a current YCJUSD student.

There is space for all students, current and new, to attend their assigned school of attendance however, the District encourages parents/guardians to complete the registration process early.  If your child turns four before the 2023-24 school year begins (August 10, 2023), they are eligible for Transitional Kindergarten.  If they turn five on or before September 1, 2023, they are eligible for Kindergarten.  All children ages 6 to 18 must attend school as prescribed by California law.

To register your child or to learn more about the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District, please visit YucaipaSchools.com.

The Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District (YCJUSD) has formed a new partnership with the Breathmobile Program to help better serve youth with respiratory illnesses in the eastern region of the Inland Empire

The Breathmobile Program was implemented by Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and San Bernardino County in association with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America to bring respiratory care directly to those who need it most.  YCJUSD is now one of over a dozen school districts in San Bernardino County to partner with the Breathmobile and is the closest ally in the East Valley.

The fully staffed Breathmobile offers cost-free appointments for children, including a complete evaluation, examination, care plan, and extensive patient-family education.  While medical insurance is not required to use the Breathmobile, it is recommended to bring proof of insurance to assist the team in writing prescriptions.

District Nurse, Dr. Heather O’Bier, DNP, RN, has worked with the program in the past stating, “I have seen firsthand how the Breathmobile helped to get students’ asthma under better control.  I am so excited we can offer this to our school community.”

The Breathmobile will be in the Yucaipa-Calimesa area every six weeks beginning in February but you can make an appointment with them at any time at any location.  To make an appointment, please call the Breathmobile 1 at 909-498-6277.  To learn more about the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District, visit YucaipaSchools.com or email them at Contact_Us@ycjusd.us.

YUCAIPA, CALIFORNIA, JANUARY 2023 — The Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District Board of Education held a special meeting on Tuesday, January 24th to participate in a facilitated workshop with the goal of collaboratively setting a vision and building a strategic focus for the School District.

Board President Mike Snellings, Clerk Cathy Bogh Coate, and Members Sharon Bannister, Debbie Miller, and Bob Miller worked with professional facilitators Dr. Emma Diaz and Becky Foreman to lay out their individual objectives for district success ultimately consolidating the goals into an overall vision and strategic plan for the District.

Facilitator Dr. Diaz shared, “we use a very specific method called the technology of participation to draw information from the Board collaboratively.  As facilitators, Becky and I ask the right questions while the Board comes up with the answers.  Sometimes it isn’t about the answer, it is about the journey.  The magic happens in the dialog.”

After Board President Snellings called the meeting to order, Ms. Foreman and Dr. Diaz started the facilitation process by asking the Board to select specific accomplishments they hope to celebrate over the next year. The importance of inclusion was highlighted by each of the Board Members with veteran Board Member Sharon Bannister sharing the value of ensuring that all voices matter.  Board Clerk Cathy Bogh Coate further expanded that, “[the District] has a large population of socio-economically disadvantaged students.  I want to make the individuals in this category flourish.”

Over the course of the workshop, the Board actively engaged with each other and was led by the facilitators to continue building on the foundational ideas curated after being asked a single question.  “How do we demonstrate that every student matters?”

The answers held overarching themes that were very much rooted in the District’s existing principles of equitable academic success, meaningful parent and community engagement, and maintaining a valued effective team of educators.

While discussing how to more effectively exhibit support for the District’s team, Board President Snellings turned to the crowd of administrators and bargaining unit leadership to share, “you’re all really important.  You are doing the work and we truly do value what you do.”

Member Bob Miller also called attention to the significance of school safety and his desire for the District to be recognized at the national level for implementing measures to protect students, families, and employees.

As the meeting came to a close, the facilitators summarized the purpose and outcomes of the meeting ultimately giving everyone in attendance the direction needed to move forward in achieving unified success in the name of demonstrating that every student in the Yucaipa-Calimesa community matters.  In the coming weeks and months, school administrators and bargaining unit leadership will be working closely with each other to employ the direction given by the Board during the workshop to further build on the foundational principle of, “making a difference in the life of each child.”

The workshop offered a rare opportunity for the Board to have an open discussion with one another and solidify a vision for enhancing achievement and success for all students in the District with Board Member Debbie Miller emphasizing that, “in the end, all students matter.”

To learn more about the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District and the Board of Education, please visit yucaipaschools.com or contact the District via email at Contact_Us@ycjusd.us

The Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District has officially launched its partnership with STOPit Solutions to provide a conduit for anonymous incident reporting in the name of school safety

On January 17th, the anonymous reporting platform went live to begin receiving reports from students, families, employees, and members of the community.  STOPit allows individuals to anonymously report safety, misconduct, or compliance concerns to help others or connect with trained crisis counselors from the Crisis Text Line to help themselves.  There are multiple methods to submit information that will be monitored 24/7 to enable timely incident response from the appropriate source.

To submit a report online, anyone can visit appweb.stopitsolutions.com/directory, search for “Yucaipa-Calimesa,” and then begin completing an easy to fill out form.  To submit a report via telephone, dial 909-363-3306.  There are also mobile reporting applications available for Android and iOS devices.  Search “STOPit” in your mobile devices app store to download it today.

The School District is inviting everyone in the Yucaipa-Calimesa area to participate in using the platform to help enhance the safety of the community and its schools.  For more information about STOPit, please visit yucaipaschools.com or email the District at Contact_Us@ycjusd.us

Earlier in the 2022-23 school year the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District (YCJUSD) Board of Education dedicated $1.5 million to enhance school safety.  As part of that ongoing effort, on December 13th, 2022, the Board took action to approve a new partnership with an anonymous reporting platform created by STOPit Solutions.  The Board and District are encouraging community participation in the new program that officially launches on January 17th, 202

STOPit allows individuals to anonymously report safety, misconduct, or compliance concerns to help others or connect with trained crisis counselors from the Crisis Text Line to help themselves.  There are multiple methods (mobile application, website, and hotline) to submit information that will be monitored 24/7 to enable timely incident response from the appropriate source.

STOPit can be used by anyone.  All families, students, employees, and community members are invited to participate, as needed.  If you have a safety concern for an individual or school, please feel free to visit yucaipaschools.com where you can find the District’s STOPit webpage to report an incident or learn more about the program.

A big change happened recently in the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District.

Patty Ingram, who served on the board of education for 26 years, retired. During her tenure, the district expanded to include Competitive Edge Charter Academy, Chapman Heights Elementary School, Mesa View Middle School, survived the lean years of the Great Recession, established the linked learning academies at Yucaipa High School and navigated through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I really have had a great time,” said Ingram, who served multiple times as board president and clerk, at her final board meeting on Dec. 13. “It was not at all what I expected when I started out, thinking … a meeting a month, big deal.”

Click here to read more.

Mesa View Middle School 8th grader Olivia Sprague won the 2D Age 10-13 art category at the 2022 G4K Youth Art and Film Competition hosted by Give 4 Kidz on October 15th in Riverside, California with her realistic representation of bok choy.  When asked about her experience, Olivia had the following to say.

“This art piece was a project I did for the fun of trying out realism as it was my first attempt at doing it. I never expected to be able to inspire other kids by just doing what I love but here I am. Winning was truly a moment I’ll never forget, and the memory drives me to make more pieces in the future and continue what I love. MVMS really inspired me to join this art competition specifically, my seventh-grade ceramics/art teacher, [Mike] Bennett. He always encourages me to do as many art competitions as I could, strive for the best I could be, and never give up. Many of my other teachers have given me compliments and encouragement when they saw my art throughout different class assignments.  MVMS really lifted and encouraged me to get out of my shell and take a chance for the better.”

For winning her category, Olivia’s artwork will be exhibited at the Riverside Art Museum, on the Give 4 Kidz website, the G4K magazine, and she received an award along with $100.

“We are so proud of Olivia for this amazing accomplishment!  There are so many talented students in our District and I love it when they are recognized for their dedication and hard work.  Way to go, Olivia!”  Cali Binks, Superintendent.

Give 4 Kidz is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of our youth through art and literacy programs and providing children in need with school supplies, quality footwear, and enriching experiences.

For more information about Give 4 Kidz, you can visit www.give4kidz.org, and to learn more about the incredible programs at Mesa View Middle School, please visit www.mvms.yucaipaschools.com.

Yucaipa High School’s Thunderbird Theatre is kicking off the school year with a high school edition of Jonathan Lynn’s Clue.  The play is based on the iconic 1985 Paramount movie which was inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery

Thunderbird Theatre Director and Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District Teacher of the Year, Sarah Gray, had this to say about the cast and play, “the Thunderbird Theatre Team has been working so hard this year to prepare for our upcoming production of Clue. The tech crew this year is putting on the final touches of the biggest set we've created at Yucaipa High School since 2016. It is a huge undertaking but the students are thriving and doing an amazing job. The Actors are having a blast learning these classic board game characters and finding the humor and silliness in a murder mystery. This comedy is sure to make everyone laugh and question who the murderer is until the very end.”

The show will take place on stage at the Yucaipa High School Multipurpose Room on November 16-18 at 7:00 PM and November 19 at 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM.  Tickets are $12 at the door.

The full cast and more information about the Thunder Theatre can be viewed at sites.google.com/ycjusd.us/thunderbirdtheatre

YCJUSD Team and Families,

If you didn’t get a chance to watch or attend our dangers of fentanyl presentation with Sergeant David Salyer from the Gang/Narcotics Division of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, below are some key takeaways.  The full presentation along with the slide show are linked at the bottom of this message.  We encourage you to share this information with your children if you believe it is an appropriate time to do so.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Overdose Response Team

• They investigate overdose deaths within their jurisdiction
• Look to prosecute dealers selling fentanyl
• Callouts
• • 2021 - 115 Callouts
  • 2022 - 96 Callouts

Who are the victims of overdose deaths?

• Most commonly males between the ages of 25 and 64
• 17.1 out of every 100,000 males ages 15-24
• 7.9 out of every 100,000 females ages 15-24

History of the opioid epidemic

• Between 1991 and 2011, prescriptions for opioids tripled
• In the years leading up to 2013, the DEA and FDA took a stronger stance on over-prescribing causing addicts to turn to heroin

What is fentanyl?

• A synthetic opioid made in a laboratory
• It is in a powder form in its pure state
• It is a Schedule II controlled substance used for pain management with advanced or terminal cancer patients administered with patches or lozenges
• Fentanyl is commonly mixed with cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine

Introduction of fentanyl

• In the last few years, Mexican cartels began mass-producing counterfeit pharmaceutical pills containing fentanyl
• It costs 5-10 cents to produce one pill which sells for $10-20 each

M30 Pills

• Pharmaceutical companies still mass produce M30 pills legitimately
• If you come across an M30 pill and it is not in a prescription bottle, it is likely a counterfeit containing fentanyl

Fentanyl Overdose Deaths

• San Bernardino County
• • 2020 - 251 deaths
  • 2021 - 317 deaths
  • 2022 - 196 deaths (not a full report)
• Yucaipa
• • 2020 - 6 deaths
  • 2021 - 10 deaths
  • 2022 - 8 deaths (not a full report)

How do we solve the problem?

• We are not likely to arrest our way out of the problem
• Prevention education is key
• Law enforcement, firefighters, students, teachers, prosecutors, politicians, and community groups are being educated or already have been

What is the Yucaipa Calimesa Joint Unified School District doing?

• We have increased education and awareness to not only our families and employees but are also working directly with local community groups to increase prevention education
• Every school in the District has at least one dose of Narcan.  Larger schools with older student populations have more doses on hand and there are additional doses available from Student Services
• We have increased campus security/monitors to observe campuses and bathrooms

What should I be doing as a parent?

• When you believe it is appropriate, you should discuss the dangers of illegal drugs with your children
• We encourage you to share Sergeant Salyer’s presentation with your children when and if you believe it is appropriate
• Monitor your child’s social media, cash app activity, and friend circles

Should I be worried about fentanyl mixing with my child’s candy during Halloween?

• Fentanyl is being smuggled across the border in candy-like wrappings to avoid detection
• Just like every other year, candy should be inspected prior to consumption by anyone
• Candy that is not in its original packaging should be discarded immediately

[Video] Dangers of Fentanyl - Sergeant David Salyer

[Slideshow] Dangers of Fentanyl

[YCJUSD Safety Bulletin] Dangers of Fentanyl

[Brochure] Parent Resources

[YCJUSD Press Release] Fentanyl

Thank you for taking the time to help us prevent this epidemic from reaching our schools and students.  If we continue to work together we can minimize the effect this dangerous substance has on our community.

Welcome to the first edition of the Superintendent’s Corner!  I want to start by first introducing myself.  My name is Cali Binks and I am the Superintendent at the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District.  I have had the pleasure of serving the community here for the last nine years and it has been the absolute highlight of my career in education.  This school year I really want to focus on furthering our School District’s connection with the community, and while I would love to meet with everyone in our little Yucaipa-Calimesa village, I thought I’d start putting together short (they all won’t be this long) “blogs” about what we are doing to best serve our students, employees, and you

School safety has been at the forefront of the conversation nationwide over the last few months, and rightfully so.  I think it is important I share with you what we are doing as a school district to protect our employees and students while still maintaining operational security.  The Board of Education and I want to assure you, the safety of those we serve is priority number one followed by providing a high-quality, rigorous education.  I’ll split this topic up over a few weeks and then we will move on to the next!

Law Enforcement Partnerships

One of the many things I love about our community is everyone’s willingness to help one another.  I think one of the biggest factors that contribute to the safety of our schools is the small-town culture we have all cultivated together.  Because of this, our District’s partnerships with local law enforcement and the Cities of Yucaipa and Calimesa are stronger than ever.

Our incredible law enforcement team has made themselves available to us and our teachers anytime we ask.  It isn’t uncommon to see them on campus, sometimes going through classrooms and training our staff on best practices in the event of an emergency, or parked across the street ensuring traffic is controlled during pick up and drop off.  I cannot thank them enough for the level of care they have invested in our schools, especially our School Resource Officer, Deputy Jones.

Visitor Management

If you have visited one of our schools in the last few years and made it beyond the front office, you likely handed your government-issued ID to one of our employees or scanned it in.  Our District uses a visitor management system to not only screen visitors for the safety of our students and staff but to also keep accountability of everyone on campus.  This process is just as much about protecting our visitors as it is about protecting our campuses.

In closing, there are many different avenues our District takes to ensure the safety of everyone in our classrooms and offices.  I will expand more on physical security and the training our employees receive in the next edition of The Superintendent’s Corner.  I hope this publication becomes something you enjoy and look forward to twice a month.  Until next time, please join me in “Making a Difference in the Life of Each Child.”

~Cali