FUESD employee receives statewide award

SAN JOSE — Leticia Maldonado Stamos, an eight-year employee of Fallbrook Union Elementary School District, was presented with the Para-Educator of the Year award at the 33rd annual California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) Conference in San Jose on Friday, March 7.

Stamos was recognized for her extraordinary leadership skills, community efforts and support of bi-literacy amongst school-aged children and their families.

Her work and local community service led CABE to nominate her for the National Association for Bilingual Education Para-Educator of the Year award as well.

Stamos is currently a third through sixth grade intervention support teacher at Live Oak Elementary. She manages the new mentoring program the district is implementing this year.

Stamos facilitates the Latino Family Literacy Program, which that promotes bi-literacy skills in the home and educates parents on the importance of reading, and coordinates an annual event promoting family literacy: Fallbrook a Leer [“Let’s Read”].

This year’s event will take place on April 19 from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Maie Ellis Elementary School cafeteria.

Teachers, parents and community members will spend the morning reading stories to groups of youngsters while parents attend a reading workshop at the Mike Choate Center.

Children who attend will receive free books to start or add to their home libraries.

As part of her award, Stamos was presented with a check for $500 from CABE, which she says she will use to purchase children’s books for the event.

For more information on Fallbrook a Leer, to volunteer or make book donations, call Live Oak Elementary at (760) 731-4430.