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A Message from Superintendent Tom Reusser

Welcome back to the 2022/2023 school year. As we move into another year, I am proud to say that our Sutter County Superintendent of Schools office continues to grow and expand our departments, providing more opportunities to better serve our three priority areas:

1.   Doing what is in the best interest of students.

2.   Providing high quality support to our school districts.

3.   Being a productive, visible presence within the community.

I believe we are excelling in our mission to put students first, of all ages. Our Sutter County Adult Education quadrupled their number of HiSET graduates this year compared to last. Our Tri-County Regional Occupational Program is providing students with work-based learning through internships/externships, as well as providing experience through our Mobile Culinary Food Truck and Mobile Advanced Manufacturing Trailer. And after nearly 2 years of being closed due to COVID-19, Shady Creek Outdoor School safely re-opened and served 2,800 plus students.

Our Special Education Department provides services to Sutter County school districts for students with special needs from birth through 22 years of age. It also serves both Yuba and Sutter Counties with our Regional Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program. This program strives to give deaf and hard of hearing students the resources they need to be as successful as possible in the classroom. The list of our accomplishments goes on.

We continue to do what we can to partner with local agencies for a variety of missions, from supporting events like Cinderella’s Closet, Biz Kidz and several Back to School Drives, to helping our Career Technical Education students find work at medical and dental offices, as well as providing pre-apprenticeships in the construction trade. Our goal is to help educate and grow our community.

Looking forward, I have optimism and excitement for what this new school year has in store. 

Sincerely,

Superintendent Tom Reusser

Sutter County Superintendent of Schools is delighted to welcome Chris Reyna to our team as the new principal of Feather River Academy and Pathways Charter Academy. Born and raised in Colusa, Chris earned his bachelor’s degree from CSU, Sacramento in Ethnic Studies. Right after college, he signed up with the Coast Guard where he served for four years.

Chris’s first teaching assignment was with Youth Build as a CTE Teacher and ROP Coordinator at Yuba County Office of Education. He continued his education to earn his master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction and his administrative credential from CSU, Sacramento. He is currently working towards his doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Grand Canyon University.

Chris has served in a variety of positions during his twenty years in education. He has experience in administration as a principal of both a private and public school, vice principal of a high school, and Coordinator of CTE at a county office. His longest tenure was as principal of TE Mathews and Juvenile Hall in Yuba County. Chris reports that he has always had a love for alternative education.

Chris has two grown children, Hayden and Rachel. He enjoys physical fitness, hiking, traveling, and anything outdoors. He has two dogs, one of which goes with him everywhere.

 Chris is a product of the foster care system. His sixth grade teacher, Mr. Guild, made a connection with Chris that lasted all through his young adulthood. When Mr. Guild passed, he was asked to speak at his celebration of life service. Chris credits Mr. Guild with turning his life around in a positive direction.

Chris states that his goal for his new position is to ensure that all students have opportunities and the ability to believe in themselves. “If a student doesn’t think that a four-year college is the right path for them, what else are they interested in?” Chris stated. “My goal is to ensure that each student is set on a path to be a productive member of society as well as a good family man.”

Be sure to welcome Chris when you see him.

A Great Big Thank You to Schools First Federal Credit Union

Schools First Federal Union donated 50 backpacks filled with a variety of school supplies for our special education students. Deputy Superintendent Joe Hendrix was available to accept this generous donation on behalf of our special education department. 

It has been a HUGE summer for us here at Shady Creek! It’s hard to even know where to start. Just to recap……The return of our outdoor education program was magical to say the least. Serving 2,800+ students from January to June was the highlight of my 16 year career. As I’ve stated numerous times to anyone who will listen, I was in awe of the joy and love we saw daily here on campus…. It was a miracle within a miracle. Whether it was with the students, the staff or just being in nature…. Shady Creek Outdoor School came back stronger and more potent than ever.

But we are more than an outdoor school, we are an event center as well. This summer was super charged with event after event…..When all the dust settled, we ended up serving more groups this summer than ever before! From fiddle camp (which is EXACTLY what the name states… a camp full of fiddles, guitars, cellos and even bagpipes), to yoga retreats, church groups and 4H camps. Shady Creek was booked from June into the beginning of August with virtually no break in between….. WOW! We have also hosted two weekends of Family Camp, which is put on by Sutter Health and our very own Shady Creek Foundation, Yuba Gardens band camp and we were also privileged to host the amazing team at Sutter County Adult Ed. Just even thinking about all we have accomplished is truly incredible! The service of the Shady Creek team is where we really shine. Our two incredible coordinators Bethany Thomas(Outdoor School) and Kindy McCullough(Events) are the best in the business and I am beyond lucky to work with them. Our kitchen staff is the heart of our program, their dedication to guest service is second to none and a huge reason why Shady Creek is such a premier experience.

This summer the campus of Shady Creek has received A LOT of tender love and care as well! Our maintenance team has put in countless hours to making sure we are as fire safe as possible…. I could go into extreme detail of the wonderful work done, but the best way to truly know is to come see it for yourself.

Speaking of seeing for yourself… September 10^th is our annual Friends and Family Day at Shady Creek! This free event is from 10am-2pm and is a great opportunity to experience the wonder of all things Shady Creek.

We are also gearing up for the largest school season in our 65+ year history with over 5,000 students signed up already and more schools adding every week. It is going to be a legendary year…. I can feel it!

I love you all so much and appreciate you more than I can ever express. BOOMSHAKALAKA! 

Submitted by: Shady Creek Director Christopher Little

Exciting news! It's that time of year again to renew your  subscription to your monthly play dough freshly made by Yuba City High School Room 903. If interested, contact Liz Ballou at elizabethb@sutter.k12.ca.us or call (530) 674-4900 ext. 31903.

Last year was my son's (Joseph Givens) freshman year at Marysville high school. For his FFA project he/we chose to do a market pig. It was definitely something different for him as he had never raised an animal. So raising an animal that was going to go to fair to sale was new!

 It was a very big project and in the beginning he was very intimidated. We took it step-by-step with the teacher's (Chase Bisby) guidance and help; we learned what we needed to have and do to raise a pig. He put a little bit of humor in his name by naming him Christopher Paul bacon (Chris P Bacon). It wasn't easy and that little escape artist was always throwing something new at Joseph.

Learning the different tricks and things to get him to eat was hard. Ultimately the things that Joseph tried when Chris P was a baby were yogurt, brown sugar, and his pig food. That was all that worked. I consistently reminded Joseph that Chris P was ultimately a market pig and he would sell him. Sometimes I think I was reminding myself too. If you've never been around pigs for a period of time, they have the personality of a dog. He was so fun and had so much character. They would play together outside in the water hose. I don't know who loved it more Chris P or Joseph. 

 The day came for us to load him in the trailer. I feel like Joseph handled it quite well; probably better than I did. The teacher was great and reassured us both the entire time. Joseph learning to maneuver Chris P around the fairgrounds pig barn was different than the months of practice at home. All he had was a little stick to tap Chris with and neither one of them was familiar with the new place. They both found a good routine and by show they were ready. It was hard knowing what to expect until it was time for the real show. I feel like you can only practice so much. They got in-and-out of the ring without any meltdowns or a runaway pig. We were definitely proud of the accomplishment.

The next big thing was market day. That was the day they both worked for 6 months to make it to. It was definitely a huge relief once that was over. We were so thankful for multiple people bidding on his pig. Ultimately it was Cupcake Magic that bought it. It was a new kind of feeling having such gratitude towards a complete stranger in the community. 

Submitted by: Roberta Givens

Our Sutter School Districts 2022-2023 Student Attendance Calendars

Join us for the 2022 Pink October Walk-Run on October 1! Click here to register.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month!