Principal's Message: 

Dear Alta Sierra Families,

I hope you and your students enjoyed a restful and joyful spring break together. This time to recharge is so important, and we are excited to welcome everyone back for a strong and successful final stretch of the school year.

As we return to our routines, we ask for your continued partnership in supporting strong attendance habits. Being present and on time each day truly matters. When students arrive late, it not only impacts their own learning, but also disrupts the flow of instruction for the entire class. Establishing consistent routines helps students feel confident, prepared, and ready to learn, and we appreciate your support in reinforcing this at home.

We also want to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the diverse traditions within our community. To those who recently celebrated Easter, we hope your day was filled with peace and joy. For our families who will be observing Passover later this month, we wish you a meaningful and reflective holiday.

Looking ahead, our annual state assessments are quickly approaching. Testing will take place over several weeks to ensure students can focus on one subject area at a time:

• April 27th – May 8th: English Language Arts (Reading & Writing)
• May 11th – May 15th: Science (8th grade only)
• May 18th – May 22nd: Mathematics

These assessments are an important opportunity for students to demonstrate what they have learned throughout the year. The results help guide placement in honors and advanced courses, as well as identify areas where additional support may be beneficial. They also serve as a valuable reflection for both students and teachers on the progress made in mastering grade-level standards.

We encourage all students to do their very best and approach testing with a positive mindset. 

Students tend to perform best when testing alongside their classmates in a familiar classroom environment, so consistent attendance during this time is especially important. If appointments are necessary, we kindly ask that you schedule them during elective or PE periods whenever possible to avoid missing academic testing sessions.

Thank you for your continued support, encouragement, and partnership. Together, we can ensure a strong finish to the school year for every student.

With appreciation,
Jennifer Carter
Principal, Alta Sierra Intermediate School

• A missed school day is a lost opportunity for students to learn.
• Teacher effectiveness is the strongest school-related determinant of student success, but chronic student absence reduces even the best teacher's ability to provide learning opportunities.
• Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance.
• Poor attendance has serious implications for later outcomes as well. High school dropouts have been found to exhibit a history of negative behaviors, including high levels of absenteeism throughout their childhood, at higher rates than high school graduates.

The CUSD Dress Code

4) Establishes a Learning Environment Focused on Education

Please assist your student to make good dress code choices daily!

Dress Code Reminders:

• Clothing that exposes bare midriffs or cleavage is prohibited at any time during school or school-sponsored activities or events.

• Shoulder straps on tops and other clothing must be a minimum of two inches (2”) wide

• Shorts are to have an inseam of at least five inches (5”). Shorts are to be stitched evenly around, and if frayed, must be stitched to avoid further fraying. Holes revealing skin or undergarments are not allowed. Spandex or Lycra shorts are not permissible.

• No slippers will be allowed. Sleepwear is not permissible.

• All hats must be worn facing forward at all times. All other hats are unacceptable. Hats and/or caps and/or sunglasses must be removed in the classrooms or offices.

• Nose Rings are not allowed.

We are extremely proud of our Alta Sierra Bruins for their exceptional performance at the Fresno County History Day competition on Saturday!

The theme for this year, "Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History," motivated our students to produce remarkable work. A total of twenty-seven students, representing ten projects, qualified for the state competition. Great job, Bruins!

Congratulations to the following History Day Champions advancing to the State Competition in May.

• Sarah Khan and Simone Luternauer for their documentary titled: "Public Reaction to Napster: Music, Law, and Change”

• Chase Belmont, Savannah Gilbert, Marion Paulson, Colton Shoales, and Drew Terrence for their documentary titled:"Giving Credit Where Credit is Due: ECOA”

• Dean mark Polendey for his exhibit: “Counter-Reformation Arts: An Artistic Reaction to Protestantism”
  

• Dylan Stemwedel for his exhibit: “A Revolution in Rubbish: How Jean Vincenz’s Fresno Landfill Reformed Global Waste Management”
  

• Keilani Siagan and Genesis Veneracion for their exhibit: “The Delano Grape Strike: A Fight For Fairness and Respect” 
  

• Sanvi Brar, Hayley Hoang, Jonathan Lauf, and Cassie Rozema for their exhibit: “Radium Strikes Again: The Radium Girls Revolutionizing History”

• Matthew Bunton, Bradley May, Derek Nguyen, Atticus Staicer, and David Zhang for their website titled: “A Reform in History: Revolution of the NCLC.”

• Rexus Estrada, Reyus Estrada, and Derek Olaes for their website titled: “China's Violent Reaction: The Boxer Rebellion and the Struggle for Reform.”

• Ajooni Goyal for her performance titled: “Game Changer: The Revolution of Title IX and the Reform that Revolutionized American Education”

• Adam Godrey, Morgan Metzler, and Meleane Potasi for their performance titled: “Victoria Woodhull's Testimony to Congress: A Revolution in Suffrage, a Radical Reaction, and the Long Road to Reform.”

Earning Runner-Up…

• Myla Bennyhoff, and Sarla Malik for their exhibit titled:“1975 Women's Day Off: The Revolutionary Strike and Lasting Reactions that Reformed Icelandic Law and Society”

• Olivia Jones for her podcast titled: “Climbing the Ladder: Reforms of the Daughters of Bilitis”

• Ananya Gulati for her website titled: “The Classroom Cold War: The Sputnik Reaction and the Reform that Revolutionized American Education”

Earning Honorable Mention…

• Harshan Maan and Jeet Manjal for their Website titled: “Revolt Against the Raj: How the 1857 Revolution and British Reaction Reformed Imperial Rule”

Also, to be commended for their participation in History Day….

• Elias Garcia
• Elizabeth Cargill
• Eva Wilkins

Please help us celebrate these amazing students for their incredible dedication and passion in pursuing scholarly historical research! Their hard work truly deserves our recognition!!!

Our ASI Science Fair students have been working hard coming up with science fair project ideas, researching, collecting & analyzing data, and competing against other students at the Fresno County Science Fair. 

Award Winners

• Myla Bennyhoff-2nd Place and Broadcom Coding with Commitment Award - 8th Grade Computer Science-Pinpoint a Pothole: Can Sensor Technology Reliably Detect Potholes and Enhance Community Safety?

• Madison Levay-2nd Place - 7th Grade Plant Sciences-The Role of Coffee Compounds vs Pure Caffeine on Plant Growth

• Carlos Martinez & Patrick Garth-3rd Place - 8th Grade Physics-Wave Transmission of RC Cars

• Madeline Heisdorf & Ellery Noyes-3rd Place - 7th Grade Product Science-Effectiveness of Stain Removers based on Chemical Composition

Other Hard Working Participants

• Amrit Gill & Laya Pattipati
• Autumn Reid & Olive Deis
• Quentin Brasil
• Sia Sharma & Madeline Adams

So proud of all of these hard workers!

Please congratulate our amazing Science Olympiad Team!

Our Science Olympiad Team did a great job representing Alta Sierra at the 2026 Fresno Regional B on Saturday 03/07/26!!!!! We took 3 teams to regionals this year and Team A earned 6th PLACE in the overall competition! ASI was awarded 17 medals on Saturday!!! Linked are the photos/videos!

A special shout out to our event winners!!!!!

1st Place Winners:

• Boomilever: Zhanna Whitfield & Olivia Graves
• Hovercraft: Alayna Lum
• Meteorology: Colton Schoales & Andrew Terrence
• Scrambler - Bristol Walker & Jude Abu Senan
• Solar System - Alayna Lum & Luna Wang

• Helicopter - Sofia Gaxiola & Vera Ngo
• Rocks and Minerals - Vineth Abeysinghe & Nianzu (John) Cen

4th Place Winners:

• Boomilever - Dean Mark Polendey
• Codebusters - Alayna Lum & Luna Wang
• Entomology - Zhanna Whitfield & Olivia Graves
• Helicopter - Colton Schoales & Andrew Terrence
• Machines - Myla Bennyhoff & Hayley Hoang
• Scrambler - Cindy Li & Kinsley Thomas

5th Place Winners:

• Codebusters - Vineth Abeysinghe, Nianzu (John) Cen & Dean Mark Polendey

• Entomology - Delaini Steward & Kaira Anderson
• Solar System - Vineth Abeysinghe & Nianzu (John) Cen
• Write It Do It - Zhanna Whitfield & Olivia Graves

 We are so proud of the commitment that our team made to prepare for this competition. They are all winners in our eyes. GO BRUINS!!! 🐻🏆🏅👨‍🔬👩‍🔬

This is our March 27th Videography Newscast produced by our Videography class. This month our ASBN highlights our spring rally, swimming, track and field, and our Bruin Spotlight.

A HUGE Shout-out to our Videography Advisor: Randy Downer. THANK YOU for making this such a great experience for our students!

In April, Positivity Project lessons and discussions in AB class will be focused on the following topics: Fairness, Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence, & Purpose. 

 As a reminder, there is a home-to-school connection opportunity for you to practice and encourage these character strengths with your children at home. Visit the Positivity Project's  P2 for Families (password: P2), to watch a video, read a quote, and talk about the answers to three questions.

• This is our final food fair of the year.
• Vendors will include Wetzel's Pretzels, Little Caesars, Panda, Dip-n-Dots, Jamba Juice, Salsa's and Ohana Dole Whip, Bobba and The Chicken Shack.
• Most food items, with the exception of pizza slices, will start at $10+.
• We will be sending out early release bracelets again for ASI Cookie Dough sales. Bracelets will be distributed through science classes to students who earned this reward.

The end of the 12-week grading period is Friday, April 17th. Progress reports will be available for viewing on Parent Connect the week of April 27th. Please check your students grades to date. If you have any questions or concerns, please speak with your student first and then feel free to reach out to your student's teachers.

*All spring semester awards will be determined based on these grades, as we are unable to wait until the end of the school year to recognize and celebrate our students’ achievements.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! 

THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL

Our annual spring musical is a show you do not want to miss.

Dates:

Time: Doors Open 7:30pm. Curtain 8:00pm

Location: BHS Outdoor Theater

Tickets available at the door - $8 for students, $10 for adults

These students were selected by a teacher to be honored at our Bruin of the Month luncheon in recognition of their outstanding demonstration of one or more Positivity Project character traits. This special celebration highlights students who consistently exemplify the values that strengthen our school community and serve as positive role models for their peers.

• Bailey Berumen
• Bradley May
• Bryen Lee
• Brynlee Shubert
• Charlotte Click
• Chloe Hale
• Colton Schoales
• David Murdoch 
• Devin Barajas
• Ella Miller
• Emillio Perez
• Gabriella Martin
• Haig Bayrakdarian
• Hailey Tower
• Jana Trinanes
• Kara Harrison
• Kashiab Vang
• Kinji Mora
• Lexi Moua
• Lillian Vargas
• Makayla Horn
• Makinly Tilton
• Mia Orozco
• Natalie Jaramillo-Negrete
• Porter Swann
• Rachael Quarshie
• Riley Fisher
• Robert Mangano
• Rotem Erez
• Rylan Zinkin
• Savannah Gilbert
• Scarlett Gage
• Sophia Campbell
• Sophie Alarcon
• Stephen Herrera Segoviano

Week of March 12th:

• Henry Sharma - Perseverance
• Kaitlin Tsvirinko - Teamwork
• Mehtab Singhbal - Integrity
• Max Thompson - Responsibility

Week of March 19th:

• Jude Costa - Kindness
• Emma Goosic - Patience
• Aliyanna Hayes - Leadership
• Madelyn Mapa - Integrity

Week of March 26th:

• Aram Petrosyan - Love of Learning
• Dean Cox - Leadership
• Emslee Hernandez - Teamwork
• Dedric Kinzel - Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence

• Paraprofessionals Appreciation Day – Thursday, April 2, 2026 - All Instructional Assistants
• National School Librarian Day – Friday, April 3, 2026 - Mrs. Lulejian
• National Assistant Principal Appreciation Week – April 6 – April 10, 2026 - Mr. Katoch, Mrs. Everson, Mrs. Rios & Mr. Houtsinger
• Public School Volunteer Appreciation Week – April 20 – April 24, 2026 - All Parent Volunteers
• National Administrative Professional’s Day – Wednesday, April 22, 2026 - Mrs. Souza, Mrs. Gerber, Mrs. Montelongo, Mrs. Brandt, Mrs. Anderson, Mrs. Thomas Geil, Ms. Edwards, Mrs. Powell, and Miss Gallegos .
• National Bus Driver Appreciation Day – Tuesday, April 28, 2026 - All Bus Drivers

Month of April: Hmong, Punjabi & Sikh Heritage Month

• Wednesday, April 8th & Thursday, April 9th - Cookie Dough Reward - Students walk to Willow Station during Science
• Friday, April 10th - 8th Grade Bruin of the Month @ Lunch
• Monday, April 13th -  End of Season Pep & Cheer Banquet
• Wednesday, April 15th - End of Year Spring Dance @ Gym - 6:30pm - 8:30pm. *Students must be in in dress code to attend
• Friday, April 17th - PASA meets during lunch - LMC
• Friday, April 17th - 12 week Progress Report Period Ends * 12-week grades are used for all spring and end of the year student awards.
• Monday, April 20th - End of Year Lessons and Expectations Contracts - AB Classes
• Tuesday, April 21st - Last Food Fair of the Year
• Wednesday, April 22nd - 4th Quarter Parent SART Information Meeting - Room 853 at BHS
• Saturday, April 25th - Instrumental Music - Rodeo Parade
• Week of April 27th - CAASPP testing begins in AB Classes
• Thursday, April 30th - Semester 2 Academic Awards - MPR