Parents and community members got a chance to hear from Newhall School District officials and governing board members at last week’s State of the District about what the district is doing to help students.  Superintendent Leticia Hernandez and governing board President Sue Solomon welcomed guests to Wiley Canyon Elementary. Hernandez acknowledged that there was “something else happening” at the same time — namely game four of the World Series featuring the L.A. Dodgers and New York Yankees — and thanked those in attendance for coming out.  There were four topics that were presented on: arts and music programs; parent engagement; attendance; and data analysis and curriculum alignment. Newhall School District Superintendent, Leticia Hernandez, welcomes the crowd during the “Newhall State of the District” at Wiley Canyon Elementary School on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal There was a short break in the middle of the presentations so that the district’s student choir — made up of students from Valencia Valley, Peachland, Pico Canyon and Newhall elementary schools — could perform and show off the harmonies that they have been working on.  Arts and music  Solomon and Amanda Montemayor, assistant superintendent of human resources, spoke about how Proposition 28, an annual funding block grant approved by California voters in 2022, has helped the district to hire dedicated music and art teachers.  According to Solomon, 80% of the funding that the district receives goes to hiring staff, followed by about 20% going to training and resources and then a small percentage for administrative matters. She added that an arts master plan is in place and the hope is to find more funding to expand the theater program.  Suzan Solomon, governing board president of the Newhall School District, addresses the crowd during the “Newhall State of the District” at Wiley Canyon Elementary School on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal “When we got the Prop. 28 money, it allowed us to expand musical offerings and other arts at different sites,” Solomon said.  Montemayor added that the district is still in need of an additional music teacher on top of the two who were already hired, as well as an art teacher.  Parent engagement  Board member Ernesto Smith and Gina Ramallo, executive director of student support services, explained the importance of being engaged as a parent and how that can help students.  Smith focused on parents being partners and how being engaged allows for strategies to be formed at home to support student learning and provides opportunities for two-way communication with school and district staff.  Updates on school measures, such as Prop 28, were presented to attendees during the “Newhall State of the District” at Wiley Canyon Elementary School on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal Ramallo took a look at the different ways that parents can engage with the district and the different school sites. She mentioned governing board meetings and parent workshops as ways to learn more about the district, while at school sites, parents can volunteer in classrooms, go on field trips, be part of the school site council and be part of a parent teacher association or organization.   Attendance  Arik Avanesyans, assistant superintendent of business services, was proud to say that after a dip during the COVID-19 pandemic, average daily attendance is back to a somewhat normal level.  The district had been between 95 and 96% in 2021 and 2022 before going down the next year.   Amanda Montemayor, assistant superintendent of the Newhall School District, speaks to the crowd during the “Newhall State of the District” at Wiley Canyon Elementary School on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal Board member Isaiah Talley said being in class every day helps students to grow both academically and socially.  “When your kids are at school regularly, they will gain habits, and they’ll learn how to interact with other children socially better,” Talley said, adding that data shows that those who do not attend as much class earlier in life tend to graduate high school at a lower rate.  Avanesyans looked at how the district is funded via attendance, and how elementary districts typically get less funding than unified or high school districts.  The Newhall district this year is getting $11,984 per student, down from the $14,361 that it got in the 2022-23 school year. Avanesyans said that is due to one-time pandemic funding no longer being available.  Data analysis  Wanting to increase state test scores, Kate Peattie, assistant superintendent of instructional services, said the district is partnering with Orenda Education to align its curriculum with the standards set by the state.  Students in the Newhall School District choir show off what they’ve learned during the State of the District held at Wiley Canyon Elementary on Oct. 29, 2024. Tyler Wainfeld/The Signal. That has helped the district to increase its percentage of students meeting the state standard to 67% in English, 20% better than the rest of the state.  The program works by using an assessment matrix to learn what students need more help with, testing multiple times a year to fine-tune learning, and using year-over-year data to continually reevaluate the process.  But while the district is doing better overall, board member Donna Robert highlighted how the district is working to ensure that all student groups are being served. Data shows that 81% of general education students met the standard in English, but only 56% of special education students did so and 23% of English learners.  She said this is another example of how being in class every day can help, as the targeted instruction can only get better the more is known about a student.  The post Parents get informed at Newhall’s State of the District  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.