Candice Carter, Aleida Hernandez Named Employees of the Month

LUCERNE VALLEY — Elementary School Counselor Candice Carter and Middle High School Bilingual Assistant Aleida Hernandez were named the school district’s Employees of the Month for March.

 

Superintendent Peter Livingston presented the awards during the Thursday, March 9th meeting of the Lucerne Valley Unified School District’s Board of Trustees.

 

Ms. Carter, the Certificated Employee of the Month, has been the Elementary School’s counselor for nearly a year and right from the start she began making connections with our students and staff.

 

“She made it her mission to understand our community, our school culture, and how to work with our families to help our students through emotional trials and tribulations,” Mr. Livingston said, sharing the words of LVES administrators who nominated her for the award. “She conducts grief counseling with the many students in this community who have had to deal with a devastating loss. She works with groups of students to hash out disagreements and hurt feelings and also with students struggling with behavior issues.”

 

Moreover, Ms. Carter is “one of the most genuine, happy, and upbeat employees we have had the pleasure to work with,” according to her nominators. “She has a way of seeing the positive in most situations and she encourages others to do the same. Candice visits classrooms and teaches lessons upon teachers’ request. She is known to pop up on our News from the Nest to impart wisdom, promote positive behaviors, and provide encouragement.”

 

This year Ms. Carter introduced Sandy Hook’s “Start with Hello” program to LVES students to promote friendship and inclusion so that no student ever feels alone at our school. “Our students all learned to recognize what the signs of loneliness are and how to reach out and start with hello, hola, bonjour, konichiwa or many other greetings to show that they care.”

 

“Ms. Carter is a fierce advocate for our students and has spent quite a bit of her own time and money to ensure that our students have some of the necessities that they lack. She absolutely loves our kids and we are so grateful that she chose Lucerne Valley Elementary School as her home.” 

 

Aleida Hernandez, the Classified Employee of the Month, serves as a Bilingual Assistant at the middle/high school where she has successfully added educational support to the certificated staff members by way of providing instruction to individual and small groups of students in the classroom or in other learning environments.

 

“Aleida has been instrumental in translating, orally and in writing, for teachers, administrators, students and parents,” LVMHS Administrators said. “She has done an exceptional job of establishing and maintaining effective, appropriate working relationships with students, parents, and staff. Miss Hernandez has served as a translator to facilitate communication with monolingual, non-English speaking members of the school community. Additionally, Aleida has performed language census surveys, testing, as well as an array of tasks associated with our English Language Learners.”

 

The following are just a few of the task that assisting in the preparation and delivery of education programs under the certificated staff members:

 

• Communicating with students in English and Spanish language to facilitate instructional processes; provides translation in parent-teacher conferences or telephone calls with limited or non-English speaking parents; translates or writes notes, letters and other materials.
• Communicates effectively with special education teachers to help facilitate the IEP goals of the student. Demonstrates cooperation, openness for growth and willingness to contribute to a team approach to the educational programs at LVMHS.
• Establishes and maintain effective relationships with students and staff.
• Organizes and cares for classroom equipment and materials.
• Reads, writes, translates and interprets English and Spanish second language.
• Works within the regular education curriculum assisting students in accessing the curriculum.

 

“It is with pleasure to recognize this month’s classified employee of the month – Aleida Hernandez!”