​Principal’s Blog, December, 2019
 
PSA Parents, Students, and Staff!
For my December blog I thought I’d write about 3 inspirational people with whom I’d like to spend the holiday break. The first person I would choose is Jane Goodall because she is one of my heroes. For those of you who may not know about Jane Goodall, she is a primatologist, which is a scientist who studies primates. She is an expert on chimpanzees. She studied them for over 55 years, mostly in their natural environment in Tanzania. I’d love to spend time with her, because chimpanzees are some of the most intelligent and interesting animals, and I share her adoration for them.
The second person I would like to spend the holiday with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He is such an obvious choice—I mean, who was more compassionate, brave, and assertive in his convictions during the 1950’s-1960’s? His “I Have a Dream” speech is one of the most inspirational of all time. I would want to be in the presence of someone who saw human beings for what they are—simply, human beings, regardless of the color of their skin. I would like to talk with him about how far we have come with civil rights and race relations. I think he would be proud of our progress.
The third person I would like to spend time with is Stephen Hawking. Hawking was a genius! I could spend hours with him learning about physics and outer space. He would probably have to explain things over and over to me because he’s such a complex thinker, but, I’d love to try to learn more about outer space and other topics that he was an expert in!
These are just a few people I find interesting and intriguing…. Who would YOU like to spend the holiday break with? (Besides family and loved ones of course!)
Have a Wonderful Winter Break!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Stickel

PSA Parents, Students, and Staff,

For my October blog I’d like to discuss college and career readiness. When many of our teachers were in middle and high school, there was a big push for college-readiness. With today’s generation, there is still that push, but additionally, there is a growing push for career-readiness. Career technical education plays an important role in engaging student interest in a variety of career pathways. PSA is striving to increase our career technical education courses.

This year we have added a Cybersecurity course for our high school students. This course is offered off-campus at the new “County ROP Cybersecurity Center.” We have 23 students in the course this year who are learning about how to protect internet-connected systems from cyberattacks and unauthorized access to data centers and other computerized systems. In addition to our new Cybersecurity course, we have added a Protective Services course, where students are learning about career opportunities and skills needed to be a correctional officer. This year our Dispatch class has been a-g approved, so it is recognized as an approved college-readiness elective course. 

As of this school year our career pathway courses include those listed above, as well as the following: Fire Science, Emergency Medical Response, Police Academy, Administration of Justice, Law and Justice, English 9: Bullets of Truth, English 10: Reading, Writing, Law and Public Safety, English 11: Literacy, Advocacy and Public Services, and 12th Grade Government and Cybersecurity.

It is our hope that by offering these courses, students will gain interest in public safety service careers and pursue these careers after graduation.
 
—Mrs. Stickel, Principal

Hello PSA Parents, Students, and Staff!
We are off to a wonderful start to the 2018-19 school year and the students are doing great! This year, one of our main focuses will be to improve student achievement school-wide. We have made some changes this year with regard to our Advisory classes, so that all of our students are receiving extra instruction in Math and English.

Parents can also help out at home to improve skills in these areas. Some things parents can do to support your child are as follows:

Math Skills: Purchase flashcards for multiplication and division. Even high school students sometimes need a refresher with these basic skills. Just 15 minutes a night of flashcard practice can make a big difference. Kahn Academy and IXL Math are two free online resources for math skill development as well. Have your child log-on and practice a little each night. (*IXL Math is for Math I students only).

English Skills: The best way to improve reading and writing skills is to read frequently. Ask your child to read a little each night from a book or magazine of their choice. If they have reading assignments for homework, have them read aloud to you or explain to you what the reading was about after they are finished. Being able to talk to you about what they have read helps them to internalize the concepts. Thirty minutes of reading each night is recommended. Additionally, you can read over their written work. For example, read over an English essay and tell them about sections you really like. 

Ask your child to put away the electronic devices while they work on homework. Once they are finished with their homework, practice some math and/or reading for thirty minutes or so. From start to finish, homework and skills practice should take a couple of hours, give or take, depending on the grade level. After that, they will still have plenty of time for phones and video games. But remember, school always comes first!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Stickel, Principal

Principal’s Blog, August 2018

Hello! My name is Jennifer Stickel, and I am the principal at Public Safety Academy. I’d like to share a bit about myself so you may all get to know me better. I look forward to getting to know you as well.

Education: 
I have been working in education for 17 years. I began teaching in 2001. I came to PSA in 2009, and was promoted to the Academy Principal in 2013. Before becoming a teacher, I attended UCR. I earned my teaching credential at the University of Redlands, and my Masters in Education at CSUSB. I love working in secondary education, and I hope to remain at PSA for many years to come.

Family Life:
I am happily married with 4 stepchildren. We love to play cards and board games, go to the movies, and take vacations to the beach together in the summer. Our two oldest daughters are in college, our son is an 11th grader this year, and our youngest daughter is in 7th grade.

Hobbies/Interests: 
I love to paint, play the piano, and read historical fiction. I am passionate about animals and donate to several animal rescue organizations. I have a dog named Lady, and a cat named Penny. I love being a school principal, and look forward to coming to work every day!!

Advice for a Successful School Year: 
READ READ READ, every night! Studies continue to prove that literacy is the key to getting better grades in all subjects. Putting down the phones, tablets, and other technology, for just 30-60 minutes a night, and reading a book, magazine, or newspaper, can increase student achievement drastically.
Have a splendid school year!!
—Mrs. Stickel
 

Principal’s Blog, April 2018
Dear PSA Parents, Students, and Staff,
It’s that time of year again! State testing is upon us. I am happy to report that PSA students rocked the test last year. We had a schoolwide increase in test scores and we’re ready to show continued growth this year. From the end of April through the month of May, students will be testing by grade level. We are confident that our scores will continue to increase as a result of the hard work of our students, staff, and parents. Without everyone’s involvement, we would not have the success we’ve seen thus far. So remember, keep up the hard work! We’re almost finished and summer break is right around the corner. Let’s make these last two months count!
Don’t stress, do your BEST, forget the rest!
 
Sincerely,
—Mrs. Stickel
 

Dear PSA Parents, Students, and Staff,
​
There is quite a lot of political talk about school shootings, gun control, the need for congressional actions, and so-on… However, what I want to discuss in this month’s blog is what’s beneath the surface of an active shooter. No amount of gun control or safety measures can address the cause of violence. A child who gets to a breaking point, where he/she is so sad and hopeless, or so filled with rage that they decide to bring a gun to school, is a child who has likely been crying out for help for too long. How can we evolve into a more loving and tolerant society? Not all kids feel included. Does this give them a right to fall off the deep end and commit a mass shooting? NO. But could it have been prevented? Perhaps.
There is a story I heard recently about a teacher who asked all her students to write her a weekly note. She would ask them to include how their week went, and most importantly, who they had lunch with and who their best friend(s) are. The kids who seemed not to have many friends were the kids she kept an eye on. The efforts this teacher made and the extra steps she took to make sure all of her students were included by their peers, most definitely had a lasting effect.

Teachers: Maybe you can try out something similar to what the teacher mentioned above did with her students.

Staff and Parents: Kids need to be taught tolerance. It’s in our nature to see differences and to fear differences. But to teach kids that differences are OK, and that we are all the same on the inside, is something we might not do enough. Maybe we think its common sense. But, so many kids feel bullied or like they are outcasts. How can we address this epidemic?

Students: Reach out to the students who sit alone at lunch. Reach out to the kids who seem “weird” and quirky; they are probably some of the most interesting individuals you will ever meet. Reach out to your peers who are shy. Reach out to the kids who don’t have any friends. If kids feel they are an important part of their community, perhaps the feelings of loneliness and hopelessness will begin to dissipate.

All we hear about now days is school shootings, fights, and violence. I hope this generation is the one that puts a stop to the madness. I hope these kids do not become desensitized to violence; but rather, see the sadness that violence brings. I hope this generation becomes an agent for change.
 
Sincerely,
—Mrs. Stickel

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dear PSA Parents, Students, and Staff,
January 15th was MLK Day. As I reflected on what a great person he was, I thought I’d write my blog about how he inspires us all to be better people. As the quote states: Love is the only thing that can drive out hate. This is something I was raised to believe, and something I want to pass on to younger generations. As a small school, we are a family. We do love one another—even if we don’t always like one another  At some of the other public schools out there, we see hate-violence, racism, and bullying. I know PSA isn’t perfect, but I feel there is a closeness among students here. Our cadets are a team; they stick up for one another. This generation of PSA cadets are going to grow up surrounded by love rather than hate. They see beyond color and cultural differences, because they are a family, regardless of their background, skin color, or socioeconomic status. This month, I encourage parents to talk with your children about some of MLK’s values, and how we can all practice these values today. We can all work on being less judgmental, and more accepting and forgiving. MLK said, “Without love, there is no reason to know anyone, for love will in the end connect us to our neighbors, our children and our hearts.” Let’s make 2018 a year where we practice love, tolerance, and kindness toward everyone in our community.
Sincerely,
—Mrs. Stickel

Principal’s Blog, December 2017
Dear PSA Parents, Students, and Staff,
The holiday season is an exciting time filled with giving, gratitude, and love. One thing that can make holidays special is having family traditions. I was reflecting on all the fun things we did growing up during the holidays, and I thought it would be fun to ask our cadets what their holiday traditions are. So I did!
“For our Christmas tradition, our family gathers at my grandma’s house and she makes tamales. My mom makes champurrado and cocoa flan. My aunt makes pozole. My godmother makes the dessert. Then at midnight we get Baby Jesus and carry him and kiss him. Then, we do our Secret Santa gifts. That is our tradition as a family.” —Fabian Lopez, 8th Grade
“We go to Mexico and we celebrate Christmas together. We give out food to the people in need; we go to everyone’s house and give them food. We make a big posada, and everyone is invited.” —Teresa Raya, 11th Grade
“I eat tamales!” —Juan Hernandez and Michael James, 6th Grade
“My family tradition is we go out of town, like to Las Vegas, and last year we went to Miami. We eat a lot and see the lights in Riverside (Mission Inn), with all my family.” —Irmarie Gonzalez, 11th Grade
“On Christmas our family drinks apple cider!” –Jovani Morales, 6th Grade
“My family celebrates Dia de Los Reyes. That’s when you put your shoe in the window and they put a present in your shoe.”—Angelica Hurtado, 8th Grade
“I celebrate Christmas by opening my presents, going to church, eating tamales, and I drink apple cider.” –Robert Tejeda, 6th Grade
“First, what we do is put up the lights on our house and inside. Then we buy a tree and decorate it so it looks nice. Then on Christmas day, we make tamales, hot cocoa, and pozole. Also, we watch Christmas movies. We open presents together when it hits 9:30. So this is our family tradition for Christmas.”
—Jesus Reza, 6th Grade​

“We open gifts at midnight!” –Dolores Lemus, 6th Grade
“We open our presents and we drink eggnog.” –Julian Lopez, 6th Grade
“My family tradition is making tamales, champurrado, dancing to music, making food, doing Secret Santa, opening gifts, and going to the lights at the Mission Inn.” –Jennifer DeAnda, 11th Grade

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!
—Mrs. Stickel