Superintendent's Message

 

SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGE

 

Welcome to the Fruitvale School District where we have been nurturing and educating students since 1895.  Fruitvale continues to uphold our longstanding reputation of “Excellence in Education, for Every Student, Every Day.” Fruitvale serves over 3,000 students in Preschool through 6th grade at four Elementary Schools: Columbia, Discovery, Endeavour, and Quailwood.  District 7th and 8th grade students attend our one Jr. High: Fruitvale Junior High School. 

Fruitvale is committed to supporting all students' academic and social development, providing intentional support systems designed to remove barriers and support families in their educational journey. Literacy is a central focus in the Fruitvale District.  Fruitvale utilizes a highly individualized approach to delivering targeted instruction for every student based on their unique needs and skills in reading and writing. “Walk to Learn” is instructional time in addition to students’ regular ELA block. Every day for nearly an hour, students literally “walk” to their learning group for reading and writing instruction tailored to their individual needs.

The system includes four tiers — intensive, strategic, benchmark, and enrichment. Fruitvale students are assessed as they enter a grade level to determine their strengths and deficits for placement. Students can move through the tiers based on their learning development; for example, when a student demonstrates high levels of mastery in reading, they have an opportunity to move into enrichment and conversely, if a student exhibits struggles with specific skills, they will receive instruction to correct their challenges. Ultimately, the goal is to transition students as quickly as possible from learning to read, to reading to learn. 

Walk to Learn is for all students, regardless of reading skill or possible disability. Many students with disabilities and Individualized Education Plans greatly benefit from Walk to Learn because their challenge may not be reading, so if eligible, they are placed in the higher tiers of enrichment.

Fruitvale’s goal is to see 95% of students throughout the district reading at grade level and we are making great progress. Spring 2024 end-of-year reading assessments reflect performance well above the average with more than 80% of Kindergartners, 75% of 3rd graders, 79% of 6th graders, and 91% of 8th graders reading at grade level.

Reading success for our students cannot be celebrated without recognizing our incredible staff. Their relentless dedication to tackling the challenge of organizational change and working as a collective team to support our students has and will continue to greatly impact our students’ lives. It is exciting to see the reading performance tide rise as we continue to improve our practices and we are excited for the future.

Mathematics is also a focus throughout the District.  With the introduction of the Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant, Fruitvale has had the unique opportunity to deploy a Math Specialist Teacher at every elementary school. The Math Specialists Teachers spend one year in each grade level, planning for and providing exceptional mathematics instruction while co-teaching with classroom teachers.  The Math Specialist system allows students to receive aligned mathematics instruction and classroom teachers a full year of co-teaching professional development in the implementation of the new California Math Framework. The Grant duration is 5 years:  2023-24=6th Grade   2024-25= 5th Grade   2025-2026=4th Grade  2026-27=3rd Grade  2027-2028=2nd Grade

Thank you for entrusting us with your precious students.  We recognize this is a tremendous responsibility and we are honored to partner with you.

Sincerely,

Leslie Garrison

SUPERINTENDENT’S BACKGROUND

Leslie Garrison earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies with a minor in Mathematics from California State University and her Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration from Point Loma Nazarene University.  Mrs. Garrison’s career in education began in 2002 where she taught Jr. High Mathematics and coordinated the Student Council. Mrs. Garrison moved into her first administrative role as a Superintendent/Principal for a rural elementary school district, after which she began her administrative tenure in Fruitvale.  Mrs. Garrison served as the site administrator at Fruitvale Jr. High from 2009 through 2019 when she moved to the District Office.  

Mrs. Garrison is a Kern County Native and a third-generation graduate of Taft High School.  She is the first in her family to earn a degree and proudly shares her exceptional local educational experiences. Leslie and her husband have four children and six grandchildren, several of whom will be attending Fruitvale schools. 

Leslie Garrison has served as the Fruitvale School District Superintendent since 2020.