Berylwood Elementary School

Dear Simi Valley Schools Community:
We are excited to share the appointment of three new elementary principals for the coming 2023-2024 school year.

DEBORA PALMER
BERYLWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Starting with DEBORA PALMER, who has served as the interim principal of Berylwood Elementary School since the passing of Dr. Rob Hunter last year. Ms. Palmer has worked in the SVUSD since coming to us from Northern California in 2001, where she started as an elementary teacher at the former Abraham Lincoln Elementary School. She became a literacy coach at Lincoln before taking on a principalship at the former Justin Elementary School in 2010. In 2014, she was named the principal of Madera Elementary School, where she stayed until 2016, when she assumed the role of literacy coach for Berylwood.
Ms. Palmer earned her Bachelor’s degree Bilingual Liberal Studies and a minor in Spanish from California State University-Chico in 1997 and then her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administrative Services Credential from California State University-Channel Islands in 2007.
“I knew at an early age that I wanted to be a teacher and help students succeed academically,” Ms. Palmer said. “My mom was a teacher and I often had the opportunity to help her in her classroom and I liked working with the students.”
Her primary goal coming at Berylwood will be to build relationships, she said.
“It is important to me to help build a community of learners for staff and students where all feel welcome,” she said.
In her free time, Ms. Palmer likes to spend time with family and friends, and read, cook and travel.
Berylwood Elementary School is one of SVUSD’s four Title 1 schools.

KENDRA SPEIGHTS
KNOLLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
In 2018, KENDRA SPEIGHTS came to the SVUSD from the Los Angeles Unified School District to serve as a program specialist for Student Support Services. She has worked at Apollo High School, Big Springs Elementary School, Monte Vista School, Mountain View Elementary School, Simi Valley High School, Sycamore Elementary School and Valley View Middle School.
Ms. Speights said she always wanted to work with children.
“I have had several amazing teachers and wanted to go into education to give back and make a
difference in the lives of students,” she said. “I began as a classroom aide, general education teacher, school psychologist and special education administrator. I have more than 26 years of experience in education and I am a life-long learner who wants to make sure that education is accessible to all of our students.”
Ms. Speights earned her Bachelor’s degree from California State University-Northridge in Child Development in 1995. In 1999 she received her Master’s degree in Educational Psychology and Counseling, and her Administrative Services Credential in 2022.
She said she is excited to help build a school community that is inclusive and provides academic rigor to its students.
“I am excited to embrace Knolls’ traditions while building relationships with all staff members to maximize our students' achievement.”
Married for 25 years, Ms. Speights has three children and two dogs. When she isn’t working, she loves to hike, go to the beach, and garden. Reading and long weekend naps are also on her joy list, along with spending time with her family and traveling.
Knolls Elementary School is a Project-Based Learning school.

JENNIFER CULBERTSON
WHITE OAK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
JENNIFER CULBERTSON is an out-of-district hire who steps in to become the principal of White Oak Elementary School. Most of her career has been spent at Providencia Elementary School in the Burbank Unified School District, where she started as a teacher and now serves as principal.
Ms. Culbertson said she is excited and honored to become a part of the White Oak family.
“My goal is to collaborate with the White Oak community to inspire and support each and every student to reach their best potential so they can succeed from here to anywhere,” she said. “I believe students who feel a strong sense of connectedness and belonging at school will have greater academic success. My hope is that we can work together to create a positive, safe, and fun school community.”
After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology at University of California-Santa Barbara in 1992, she then earned her Teaching Credential in 1996 from California State University-Northridge. In 2009, Ms. Culbertson received her Master’s degree in Educational Administration, along with her Administrative Credential from California State University-Los Angeles.
Ms. Culbertson has been honored numerous times for her educational career, including being named 2022 Elementary Principal Administrator of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators. She became a teacher because her mother was a teacher and she wanted to make a difference in children’s lives.
“There is nothing more rewarding than helping develop young people into kind, thoughtful and contributing members of our society,” she said.
When she isn’t working, she enjoys time with her husband, Dan, whom she met while vacationing in Hawaii. Dan was in the Navy at the time and stationed there. She is the adoring aunt of Ben, who is graduating high school this year, and Ruby, who will soon finish first grade. Ms. Culbertson loves to travel, play board games, attend concerts and craft fairs, and hang with her boxer, Weaver. PHOTO: From left: Jennifer Culbertson, Debora Palmer and Kendra Speights.

Teachers and staff miss seeing our students! Stay safe- Stay healthy Owls!

FROM DR. JASON PEPLINSKI, SVUSD SUPERINTENDENT
March 12, 2020
Dear Simi Valley Community,
Like you, we are all concerned about the spread of the novel coronavirus and the uncertainty it is creating in our daily lives.
Today, the Ventura County Public Health department declared a local health emergency, which will provide additional resources for coronavirus response. Because of this declaration and in the interest of the health of our community, Simi Valley Unified has decided to close all of our schools beginning Monday, March 16th through Friday, March 27th. We hope to reopen on Monday, March 30th after Spring Break, but that decision will depend on the circumstances at the time. We will update families about our plans no later than Friday, March 27th.
This closure is in support of the recommendations from public health officials to encourage “social distancing” to slow the spread of the virus. It is strongly recommended that students stay home during the closure as much as possible and do not gather in public places.
We understand that school closures have significant impacts on our students and families and we hope to resume normal operations as soon as possible. We will have more information to come regarding lunch distribution for families in need by Friday afternoon, March 13th. This Friday update will also include any other pertinent information. We do not make these decisions without enormous thought and input from county and state officials. Although at the time of this email, we have no active cases of the virus in Simi Valley, we feel this is the best decision we can make. We thank you for your understanding during this challenging time.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jason Peplinski
Superintendent, Simi Valley Unified School District

WELCOME BACK TO SIMI VALLEY SCHOOLS! Tomorrow, Wednesday August 14, is the first day of school. Help us celebrate your family's return to school by adding to any social media posts you share tomorrow? This is our third year doing this and it has been so much fun to see everyone's happy, excited faces as our students return to school. AND PLEASE, EVERYONE, BE EXCEPTIONALLY CAREFUL DRIVING IN AND AROUND OUR SCHOOLS TOMORROW! It's always extra busy in the first couple of weeks of school and we want everyone to be safe! Thank you!!

SPRING BREAK WILL BE FROM MARCH 25 TO MARCH 29. DURING THAT TIME THE DISTRICT OFFICE AND ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED. WE WISH THAT OUR STUDENTS, STAFF AND THEIR FAMILIES HAVE A WONDERFUL BREAK AND ENJOY THEIR TIME TOGETHER. THANK YOU!

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM DR. PEPLINSKI:
Dear Students, Parents and Staff of Simi Valley Schools:

Please be advised that ALL Simi Valley Unified School District schools will be open tomorrow at the normal times. As of now (5 p.m.), the fires are far enough away from us and the air quality is good enough for schools to be open. We determine this by consulting local, state and federal agencies who monitor the conditions in and around us. We also have sent our maintenance and facilities’ teams to any schools affected by smoke and ash today to clean up any issues caused by the fires, especially on the west and east ends of Simi Valley.

If there is any change in this status, we will notify everyone again through these same channels. We also post the same messages to our district Facebook (www.facebook.com/SimiValleySchools/) page, Twitter () and the district’s website (www.simivalleyusd.org). Please understand that we cannot answer individual emails throughout the night.

We look forward to seeing our staff and students tomorrow.

Thank you,
Dr. Jason Peplinski
SVUSD Superintendent

Simi Valley Unified School District The SVUSD serves about 15,500 students with 18 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 4 high schools, an independent study school, a special education preschool and an adult school.

REMINDER: ALL SIMI VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOLS AND OFFICES ARE CLOSED TODAY, FRIDAY, NOV. 9, DUE TO THE FIRES. WE WILL REOPEN ON TUESDAY, NOV. 13 (MONDAY IS VETERAN'S DAY). PLEASE STAY SAFE!

SIMI SCHOOLS SECOND ANNUAL FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL SOCIAL MEDIA CELEBRATION!

This year, we are once again celebrating the first day of school with a social media event. For those who are willing, we are asking that any pictures of your children (or yourselves if that applies) that you post to your social media of choice (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) that you include the hash tag on your post. Last year we had more than 750 families and staff members participate in the first day of school campaign. Within a couple of weeks of this year’s effort, we will once again put together a slide show with as many of your pictures as possible.