This Week in Paso Schools | Week of 11/09/26

Dear PRJUSD Families,

With the possibility of severe winter weather ahead, now is a good time to remind families how PRJUSD communicates important information during emergencies and other time-sensitive situations.

ParentSquare and our district and school websites are the official sources for emergency updates. For example, if severe weather required a school closure, families would receive an urgent alert through ParentSquare. (You may remember that we tested this feature in October, during the Great ShakeOut earthquake drill.) Additionally, a pop-up notification would appear on the home pages of our websites.

Please make sure the contact information for ALL parents and guardians who should receive emergency notifications is complete and up to date in your child's Aeries account. ParentSquare uses this information to deliver urgent alerts, so it's important that everyone who needs to be notified can be reached.

While we also share updates on Facebook, Instagram, and Nextdoor, social media should not be your primary source for emergency information. Always rely on ParentSquare and our official websites for timely, accurate updates about your child's school. (We've included information about emergency communication from the SLO County Office of Emergency Services in the Reminders section, below.)

Thank you for helping us keep our families informed and prepared! If you have questions about emergency communications or receiving notifications, please leave a comment on this post. Comments are visible only to district staff, not other families, so please feel free to reach out!

The Announcements section features new information and opportunities being shared with families for the first time in the weekly newsletter, and timely mentions of events occurring this week.

The PRJUSD Board of Trustees will meet Tuesday, November 10, in the District Board Room at 800 Niblick Road. Closed session begins at 6:00 p.m., with open session expected to begin at approximately 6:30 p.m. 

The safety and well-being of our students, staff, and visitors are our top priority. To help our schools respond quickly to medical emergencies, our school health offices maintain a supply of emergency medications, including epinephrine for severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis), albuterol for acute asthma attacks, and Narcan for suspected accidental overdoses.

Whenever possible, school health staff will attempt to contact a parent or guardian before administering these medications, provided doing so does not delay potentially life-saving care.

Parents and guardians have the right to opt their student out of any or all of these emergency medication programs by submitting a written request to their school's health office.

Families with questions or updates regarding their student's medical needs are encouraged to contact their school health office directly.

Did you know that reading proficiency by the end of third grade is an important milestone in your child's education? Join us for our upcoming Parent University: Literacy by 3rd Grade workshop on Wednesday, November 18, from 6:00–7:00 p.m. at the Georgia Brown Library (900 Creston Road).

Guest speakers Nicole Bailey and Ana Anaya will share what students are expected to know by the end of third grade, how to monitor your child's reading progress, and simple, practical strategies you can use at home to help build strong reading skills.

All families in our community are welcome to attend, whether or not your child attends a PRJUSD school! Childcare and refreshments will be provided.

For questions or more information, contact Gabriela Clark at gclark@pasoschools.org.

The 2027–28 Academic Calendar is now available to download from the district website. For your convenience, we've also added a link to the 2027-28 calendar in the District Resources section at the very bottom of this message.

There is no school on Wednesday, November 11 in observance of Veterans Day.

The Community section highlights some of the people, stories, and moments that make us #PasoProud!

Big news from Lewis Flamson Junior High School! We're celebrating some outstanding progress on the 2026 California School Dashboard!

Our Lewis Flamson Jaguars improved on ALL SIX state performance indicators compared to 2025! Not a single indicator stayed the same or declined.

Even more impressive, two indicators made a TWO-COLOR jump:

English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Chronic Absenteeism also moved up!

These results reflect the hard work of our students, the dedication of our teachers and staff, and the support of our families. While we know there is always room to grow, we're encouraged by this progress and remain committed to building on it. Every step forward matters, and seeing improvement across all six indicators is something worth celebrating!

Congratulations to the entire Lewis Flamson community!

Superintendent Jennifer Loftus recently sat down with Rich and Frank on the People, Pints & Possibilities podcast for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about Paso Robles schools, her journey from PRHS student to superintendent, and what's ahead for public education.

They covered everything from artificial intelligence in the classroom and bringing back pencil-and-paper learning to exciting opportunities in Career Technical Education, earning college credit in high school, school facilities, and the district's improving financial outlook.

You'll also hear why one PRHS teacher changed the course of her life, what brought her back home to Paso Robles, and why she believes listening to students is essential to building better schools.

It's a great conversation with plenty of laughs along the way!

The Reminders section is a place to revisit information from previous weekly newsletters.

The San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services has shared helpful resources to prepare families for potentially severe winter weather associated with El Niño. These flyers include practical tips for preparing your home, creating an emergency plan, and staying safe during storms, along with information about AlertSLO and Reverse 911, the county's emergency notification systems. We encourage all families to review these resources and sign up for local alerts so you're prepared when severe weather arrives.

For your convenience, we've also included links to these flyers in the District Resources section at the bottom of this newsletter.

All PRJUSD students have access to Tutor.com, offering free, 24/7 academic support in more than 200 subjects. Students can connect with a live tutor for one-on-one help, get support with homework and difficult concepts, submit writing for feedback, and access test-prep resources.

Tutor.com is available to students across all grade levels, so whether your child needs help with an elementary math skill, an essay, a high school science course, or PSAT/SAT/ACT preparation, support is already available.

To get started: Students can open Clever on their district device and select Tutor.com.

It’s already included, already available, and a great resource to keep in mind throughout the school year.

Highlights from the last Board of Trustees meeting included recognition of students who achieved perfect scores on state assessments, presentations from student leaders at Liberty High School and Paso Robles High School, plans for new playground equipment at Kermit King Elementary, updates on student enrollment, and the first-quarter student discipline report.

Use the links below to watch the full open-session meeting on YouTube, or read the latest News, Notes & Votes recap newsletter.

What should our school facilities look like in the years ahead? Our new 2030 Vision: Facilities Master Plan lays out a long-term roadmap for maintaining, improving, and investing in campuses across Paso Robles Joint Unified School District.

Watch our new video for a closer look at the needs identified across the District, the planning behind the Facilities Master Plan, and the priorities that will help guide future improvements for students, staff, and our community.

Watch the 2030 Vision: Facilities Master Plan Video above, or check out the facilities plan for your school using the link below.

Quick Reference brings together key dates, calendars, links, and family resources you may want to keep handy throughout the school year.

There’s always something happening in Paso Robles! In addition to important PRJUSD dates, we’ve included select community activities that may be of interest to our families.