#EducationMatters

Two years ago, a then five-year-old Autumn Tognotti, who had just started kindergarten at
Chester Elementary, asked her mom Nicholle Crowther (Tognotti), a Chester Elementary
4th-grade Teacher, “When is the school’s birthday?”. When Nicholle realized she could not
answer her daughter, this simple but insightful question sparked a curiosity in Nicholle to
investigate the history of Chester Elementary School. In the process, she discovered that in the 2017/18 school year Chester Elementary would turn 70 years old.

Published on 5-31-18

The Plumas Unified School District 6th-grade theme is the Year of the Watershed. Both literally and figuratively, 6th-grade is a rite of passage year for PUSD students as they earn their stripes as true mountain kids and explore the many tributaries that create the Feather River Watershed.
Throughout the year, 6th-graders are immersed in the environments that they are learning about to fully explore the scientific principles they are studying, connect to their home, and foster a deep appreciation for and stewardship of the abundant natural resources surrounding them.

Published 4-25-18

The Kindergarten Roundup is an annual collaborative effort of Plumas Unified School District and many county organizations to help incoming kindergartners and transitional kindergartners register for school, obtain their mandated physical and dental exams and have fun doing it! The roundups are orchestrated by the PUSD school nurses who work with local agencies to make the event a success.

Published 4-25-18

Part of moving towards 21st-century learning is creating a suitable 21st-century classroom that creates a conducive environment for collaborative, student-centered learning. 21st-century education emphasizes the integration of technology, student-driven learning, and collaborative work.

Published on 1-3-18

Plumas Unified is actively working to keep students and staff safe. Like fire and earthquake drills, ALICE drills and training take place at each school site. ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate, and is the nationally recognized training strategy for proactively handling the threat of an aggressive intruder or active shooter. Frank Carey is Plumas Unified’s ALICE Instructor. Recently Frank Carey attended a national ALICE conference in Nashville, organized by the creator of the training.

Published on 11-16-17

On Friday November 3rd, Plumas Unified schools closed to allow certificated staff, which includes teachers and administrators, as well as classified staff, which includes all support staff, to come together for a Professional Learning Day (PLD) at Quincy Junior/Senior High School. In August, certificated staff attended a PLD focused on trauma-informed instruction. The November 3rd Professional Learning Day continued and expanded on this mental-health focus, this time serving teachers and all support staff together.

Published on 11-15-17

All California teachers must clear their teaching credential by completing a two-year Induction Program with an accredited school district. The Induction Program provides each teacher candidate with a coach that is an experienced, fully California credentialed teacher. The coach and candidate meet four hours a month for a total of 40 hours a school year to go through a set curriculum, broken up into six cycles that focus on helping the candidate implement best teaching strategies into their classroom. The Plumas Unified School District pays for the new teacher Induction Program, providing the curriculum and coach compensation for each candidate.

Published on 11-8-17

Over the last few years, Chester teachers, Kellie Bainbridge, Meghan Whalen, Aletha O’Kelley, Brooke Geer, Nicholle Crowther, Susan Tantardino, Camille Klimek, and Janae LaGroue (not pictured) have taken on a huge responsibility in our district, by agreeing to pilot Next Generation Science Standards ( NGSS). They have been the pioneers willing to dissect and deconstruct NGSS to create a curriculum guide and instructional plans that are specifically suited to Plumas County.

10-12-17