Blackford Elementary School

School News

Updated Thu, Apr 14th

At a March 17 Study Session, the Campbell Union School District Governing Board began discussions about proposed changes at three of its schools: Rosemary Elementary School, Campbell Middle School, and Village School, the district’s a parent participation school.

Main components of the proposal include:

  1. Rosemary Elementary School: add a fifth grade class to the preschool-through-grade-four school in August 2016 with a possibility of expanding to a Preschool through 8th grade site in the future.
  2. Campbell Middle School: Expand the grade 5-8 middle school to Preschool through 8th grade, possibly in the 2017/18 school year. (This proposal could include merging Village School and Campbell Middle School, but is not dependent upon it.)
  3. Village School: If the school merges with Campbell Middle, the current Village School campus would convert to a preschool site. If the two schools do not merge, Village School will remain as is and planning for converting Campbell Middle School to a preschool-through-eighth-grade campus would continue.

One of the proposed changes was approved on March 31st: Rosemary School will have a 5th grade starting in the new school year. Discussions about the rest of the proposed changes will continue throughout the year.

“This proposal is a starting point. We are at the very beginning of the conversation,” said District Superintendent Eric Andrew. “Having ample opportunity for discussion is an integral part of the process.”

Andrew said the proposal stems from the District’s Strategic Planning, input from stakeholders, and the goal of ensuring that every school in the Campbell Union School District is a School of Choice. 

“We want each school to be as desirable as the next, so parents are confident that their children are receiving a top quality education in a top quality educational setting no matter which is their neighborhood school, ” he said.

The Superintendent and Board have had multiple meetings with staff, families and other community stakeholders since mid-March, and more are expected.

“We will discuss the District Reorganization proposal at each board meeting until we finalize the plan and identify methods to monitor the implementation of the plan,” Andrew said.

“Change can be uncomfortable, he added, “but it also can bring about wonderful outcomes for our students.”

If you have questions or want to be part of the discussions, please contact the school principal or ask_us [at] campbellusd.org (Email the District)

Updated Tue, Apr 12th

Are you interested in tips and tools to keep up with the fast changing growth of our children, tween, and teens? If so, join the "Take it Personally for Parents" workshop sponsored by Project Cornerstone. For details please contact Kelly Noftz at (408) 351-6430 or kelly [at] projectcornerstone.org. Classes begin Friday 4/15. To sign up go to http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0945aba72d6...

Updated Tue, Apr 12th

We are so excited to share that the students of Blackford raised a grand total of $658.80 to support the Abdul Miracle Disabled Children Foundation. This organization is in honor of one of our very own students and the money goes directly to support children suffering in Sierre Leone.

Updated Mon, Apr 11th

We are excited to announce our cultural festival will take place on Friday May 6th at Blackford. If you are interested in helping with the planning for this event or have an aspect of your culutre you would like to share at the festival please contact Joanna Rascon at jrascon [at] campbellusd.org or 408-978-4675. We are excited about and looking forward to this event.

Updated Mon, Apr 4th
Beltran is sworn in

The Campbell USD Governing Board appointed Pablo A. Beltran to fill a vacancy that occurred when Board Member Juliet Tiffany-Morales resigned on March 10, 2016. He was sworn in on March 31st, and will hold the provisional appointment until the November 2016 election when voters will elect a trustee to fill a four-year term.

“Public schools have a broad purpose which starts with teaching our children the cognitive, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills required for future success,” Beltran said. “I look forward to collaborating with the board and the community to support that long-term vision.”

Updated Mon, Apr 4th

At a March 22, 2016 Strategic Planning meeting, Governing Board members and 25 other participants representing the district’s stakeholders met to discuss progress and next steps toward achieving the District’s Strategic Goals. The group brainstormed what it perceived as District strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats/challenges, and members outlined a set of 6-month objectives for attaining the long-term goals.

Copies of the Strategic Plan are available online, in the school office, and upon request from the Superintendent’s Office. See the plan online. (campbellusd.org/strategicplan)

Updated Mon, Apr 4th

State-mandated reports, known as SARCs, provide information about each public school¹s demographic and academic data, class sizes, teacher and staff information, fiscal data and descriptions of curriculum and instruction. 

Reports for schools in Campbell Union School District are available in school offices and online on our School Information page.

Updated Wed, Mar 30th

What’s for lunch?

The new school lunch menus are online now in English and Spanish.  If you receive our newsletter in your email box, just click the “E-Flyers” link on your e-news page.  You can also view menus online from our school’s home page. If you do not receive our news via email, please check with the school office or your child’s backpack for a copy of the menu.

Updated Tue, Mar 22nd

This year, our students in grades 3–8 will participate in the statewide testing program called the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). The tests in the CAASPP System provide information to teachers, parents/guardians, and students about students’ progress and readiness for college and career.

Our school’s testing dates are May 2, 2016 - May 24, 2016. A letter from our Superintendent about the tests is online at https://www.campbellusd.org/stateassessment.  

The tests for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics are:

  • Smarter Balanced tests, or
  • California Alternate Assessments (CAAs)*

 Science assessments (students in grades 5 and 8 only) are:

  •  California Standards Test (CST) for Science, or
  •  California Modified Assessment (CMA) for Science*

For tips on how to help your child do well on tests, go to www.campbellusd.org/files/testpreptips.pdf or ask your child’s teacher.

If you would like more information about the CAASPP System, please visit the Parent/Student tab of the CDE’s CAASPP Web page at www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/index.asp?tabsection=3#ssr.

For more information or resources about alternate assessments, please visit the CDE’s CAASPP Alternate Assessments Web page at www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/altassessment.asp

If you have questions about your child’s participation in CAASPP, or your right to have your child opt out of testing, please contact the principal of your child’s school.

* Students with individualized education plans (IEP) are eligible to take the CAA and the CMA as indicated in the IEP.

Updated Tue, Mar 22nd

The Campbell Union School District is on a mission to ensure each of our 12 schools is a “School of Choice” for our families and community. We want to know what influences your decision when choosing a school for your children.

The responses to our survey will help us refine our programs to meet the needs of our students and parents by providing an educational experience that is “beyond the expected” at each of our schools and supporting programs.

If you already participated in the survey in early March, thank you.  Those responses will be added to those received this time.

The survey is online and will close on April 1, 2016. 
(Survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/schoolsofchoice2)

For a printed copy, please call your child’s school or the District’s Public Information office.