THE FOLLOWING SCHOOLS HAVE NEW PHONE NUMBERS:

James Monroe Middle School (760) 499-1830
Mesquite Continuation High School (760) 499-1810

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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

A Public Hearing will be held by the Board of Trustees of the Sierra Sands Unified School District on February 6, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at the Ridgecrest City Council Chambers, 100 West California Avenue, Ridgecrest, California, to receive public testimony from the community on a proposed resolution to decrease the number of members of the governing board from seven to five, to take effect with the November 2012 governing board elections.

All interested persons are invited to attend and will be given an opportunity to be heard. The public hearing will take place as a part of a special Board meeting. After receiving any testimony at the public hearing, the Board will consider taking final action on the proposed resolution at this meeting.


Board of Trustees
SIERRA SANDS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT



Joanna Rummer
Superintendent and Secretary to the Board of Trustees


Date: January 26, 2012


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NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

A Public Hearing will be held by the Board of Trustees of the Sierra Sands Unified School District on January 23, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. at the District Administrative Office, Board Room, 113 Felspar, Ridgecrest, California, to receive public testimony from the community on a proposed resolution to abolish the District’s trustee residence areas in light of population changes within the District, to take effect with the November 2012 governing board election.

All interested person are invited to attend and will be given an opportunity to be heard. The public hearing will take place as a part of a special Board meeting. The Board will consider taking final action on the proposed resolution at the conclusion of the public hearing at this meeting.

Board of Trustees
SIERRA SANDS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Staff Report on Trustee Residence Areas

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NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

Sierra Sands Unified School District has just received the following information regarding access to the Naval Air Warfare Center/Naval Air Weapons Station.

It is suggested that you try to leave for school 15 to 20 minutes earlier than your usual time and try to use either the Blandy or Richmond Gates when transporting your students to school. Carpooling is encouraged.
It is anticipated that this circumstance will last from Tuesday, January 3, 2012 until February 29, 2012.
Thank you.

NAVAL AIR WEAPONS STATION CHINA LAKE, Calif. – Beginning Jan. 2 through
Feb 29, construction on Inyokern Road across from the Public Works Department will
result in time and traffic changes affecting the Main and Blandy gates. All drivers are
urged to proceed with caution, follow directional and speed limit signs and allow a little
extra time when accessing the Station. Changes include:

Main Gate – restricted to one inbound lane only and closed to outbound traffic 24-hoursa-
day, seven-days-a-week. Traffic speeds will be reduced through the work zone.

Blandy Gate – open for all inbound and outbound traffic 24-hours- a-day, seven-days-a week. The Blandy Gate will assume the role of the Main Gate for commercial vehicles
during the construction period.

The southern portion of Bullard Road, which serves as an entrance to the Public Works
Compound, will be closed for normal traffic and only open for the contractor and crew
working on Inyokern Road. Access to the Public Works Compound for all other
personnel will be via Byrd or Bowen roads.

If necessary, updates concerning traffic patterns/times will be posted on the NAWS
Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/NAWSChinaLake

Questions can be directed to the NAWS Public Affairs Office at (760) 939-1683.

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Press Release
August 31, 2011

For More Information, Contact:
Shirley Kennedy, Assistant Superintendent
Curriculum and Instruction
Sierra Sands Unified School District
113 Felspar Avenue
Ridgecrest, CA 93555
Phone: (760) 499-1600
Fax: (760)375-1959

Sierra Sands Unified School District
Accountability Progress Report for 2011

California’s Accountability Progress Report (APR) was released by the California Department of Education on August 31, 2011. This report shows the current progress of the school district and each school as measured by the state Academic Performance Index (API) and results of the federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the 2010-11 school year.

The API is a state accountability system which measures incremental performance and assigns schools a score of 200 to 1000 with a goal of 800. Five out of six elementary schools in Sierra Sands have achieved API scores above 800 with the sixth elementary school just four points away from the state target. Our secondary schools earn strong API scores ranging from 739-784. The continuation high school meets alternative accountability requirements. The district API score is 789 as compared to the API for the state of California which is 778.

The AYP is a federal accountability system and measures whether schools and districts meet specific performance targets. Specifically for 2011, 67% of students, both school wide and in every subgroup, must be proficient or advanced in ELA and mathematics. Other criteria include a graduation rate target, growth on the API, and the percent of students participating in the annual assessment. Districts and schools receiving Title I or federal funds that do not meet AYP criteria for two consecutive years in any given category are identified by the state for Program Improvement. Under these federal guidelines Sierra Sands as a district, and three elementary schools, did not meet one or more of its AYP criteria this past spring. This places the district and the three schools in Year 1 of Program Improvement.

Staff will present detailed accountability information to the Board of Education at the board’s regularly scheduled meeting on September 15, 2011.

The goal for each Sierra Sands school is to ensure that every student will master the state standards and acquire the skills they need to succeed. “It is important for everyone to recognize that these accountability measures are limited to specific subject areas. Sierra Sands Unified School District educates the whole child offering a variety of opportunities and activities through which students demonstrate success regularly.” states Superintendent Joanna Rummer.


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Welcome to the Sierra Sands Unified School District Website! We are making every effort to make as much information available at only a click of the mouse. We hope you find the information you're looking for easy-to-find and helpful.

Sierra Sands is committed to providing the highest quality education in a safe environment to all K-12 students. We believe the school shares with the family, church, and community the responsibility for developing life-long learners who are responsible, productive citizens.

We are located in the Indian Wells Valley of California's beautiful high desert. The valley, averaging 2,500 feet in elevation, is surrounded by the magnificent Sierra Nevada, Coso, and Argus Mountain Ranges. The city of Los Angeles is a three-hour drive to the south, and Bakersfield, the Kern County seat, is two hours to the west. The highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States (Mount Whitney in the Sierra Nevadas and Badwater in Death Valley) are both within a comfortable driving distance. The air in the Indian Wells Valley is clean and clear with practically unlimited visibility.

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