Region News

Region 4: Donations go to assist fire victims  Members in ACSA’s Region 4 have given funds to assist 12 educators from Solano County who have lost their homes in the wildfires burning in that area.  Over the last five years, ACSA Region 4 (which includes the counties of Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma, and the city of Vallejo) has been plagued with fires. ACSA Region 4 has tried to respond by offering fiscal support via local ACSA Charters.   When wildfires struck again in August, the Region 4 Executive Board wanted to assist. After checking with the charter presidents, it was apparent that Solano County was hit the hardest related to loss of homes. With the assistance of the Solano County Superintendent of Schools and district superintendents, a list of educators who had lost their homes was compiled.  The ACSA Region 4 Executive Board made the decision that in addition to supporting administrators they wanted to support all educators who suffered the loss of their homes. ACSA Region 4 sent $500 checks to 12 recipients: one principal, one instructional coach, six teachers, one school secretary and three para-educators from the Solano County Office of Education, the Fairfield-Suisun USD and the Vacaville USD. 

Region 5: Administrators of the Year Announced   ACSA Region 5 is proud to announce the following recipients of its Administrator of the Year awards for 2019-2020: 

Marcus Foster Memorial Award for Administrator Excellence and Valuing Diversity Award: Amika Guillaume, Sequoia High School Union District; Superintendent of the Year: Vincent C. Matthews, San Francisco USD; Secondary Principal of the Year: Simone Rick-Kennel, Sequoia High school Union District;  Secondary Co-Administrator of the Year: Kelly Lei Kruger, San Francisco USD; Adult Education Administrator of the Year: Tim Doyle, San Mateo Union High School District; Career Technical Education Administrator of the Year: Emily Aldama, San Francisco USD; Special Education Administrator of the Year: Marla Silversmith, Burlingame School District; Continuation/Educational Options Administrator of the Year: Catherine (Katie) Pringle, San Francisco USD.

Region 9: Ochoa is district’s Administrator of the Year  Sandra Ochoa is the Visalia Unified School District Administrator of the Year and nominee for Tulare County Administrator of the Year. Ochoa was also recently promoted from Assistant Principal of Ivanhoe Elementary School to the principal of Conyer Elementary School in Visalia Unified School District.  “On a daily basis, she creates and sustains a safe, efficient and effective learning environment by monitoring our classified aides during recess and lunch,” wrote Ivanhoe Elementary School Principal George Rodriguez, in his nomination of Ochoa.  To aide in her growth, Ochoa’s leadership responsibilities have increased dramatically. Not only was she the assistant principal, she was also the school’s testing coordinator, athletic director, Culture and Climate Team lead, and School Site Council lead, in addition to overseeing classified staff and serving as a member of the Ivanhoe Community Council. Ochoa also manages trainings in Special Ed management and districtwide trainings in restorative practices.   “She adopted a team­-first attitude and our school has reaped the benefits,” Rodriguez wrote. “At the conclusion of the last school year, our school experienced significant growth in English Language Arts and mathematics on the CAASPP — the most in school history.”