Boynton Community Association

Letter From District one Councilwoman Linda Lezotte

Nov 13, 2000

BOYNTON VISION

o ISSUE NO. 16 o P.O. BOX 700705, SAN JOSE, CA 95170-0705 o FALL 2000 o
Newsletter of the Boynton Community Association
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"It begins with a meeting and ends with a safer neighborhood"

Boynton Community Association's Next Meeting

Time & Date: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 8, 2000
Location: Starbird Community Center at Starbird Park
Guest Speaker: Rhonda Faber- Superintendent Campbell Union HS District
Topic: Update on Blackford High School

Letter from District One Councilwoman Linda LeZotte

Dear Neighbors,

My commitment to developing strong neighborhoods has taken root in District One. Here's a fresh update about new and continuing developments in your area.
Starbird Park
Starbird Park will soon see the completion of a $400,000 project that includes landscaping, tree plantings and new play area equipment (for both tots and youths).

The park's improvements were in direct response to community feedback. Two community meetings were held to discuss ideas for renovation. During the first meeting, the City of San Jose Parks and Recreation Staff, Todd Capurso, and Tom Richman and Associates listened to neighbors' concerns and presented options for a playground design. In the second meeting, they presented the final design to ensure that it would address all concerns.
The construction was originally scheduled to take place during the park's busiest season. However, I requested that the work begin after Labor Day to allow neighbors to enjoy the park all summer. Construction will be completed in March 2001.
Strong Neighborhoods Initiative
Strong Neighborhoods Initiative (SNI) is a commitment by the Mayor and City Council to revitalize neighborhoods throughout San Jose. SNI improves neighborhood conditions, enhances community safety, and expands community services. This project is a partnership with the City of San Jose residents, the Redevelopment Agency, Parks and Recreation Department, Planning and Code Enforcement and many other city Departments.

In District one, I have designated two areas for SNI projects. The first area selected is Winchester Boulevard. We started the first phase of the project by identifying candidates for the Neighborhood Advisory Council
(NAC). The 25-member NAC will include representatives from neighborhood and business associations, property owners, tenants, religious organizations, and schools within the designated area. Identifying candidates is a vital first step since the NAC will help select the projects to be implemented. To learn more about SNI, please join us on October 28th at 9 AM at the Rosemary school for a workshop.

The second area identified, the Underwood and Blackford neighborhood, will be addressed in the near future.

Moreland-West San Jose Community Center
The Moreland-West San Jose Community Center is a model partnership between the City and the Moreland school district. The $4 million dollar project includes an 18,000 square feet facility with the following amenities: a full gymnasium, two multi-use classrooms, a kitchenette, office space, storage capacity, and restrooms on the Castro Middle School site.

Rather than having the school district and the City create separate facilities on limited budgets, this project delivers a more complete facility for both educational and recreational needs. While the school district and its students will benefit through an expansion of educational programming and athletic facilities, residents of West San Jose will receive increased recreation, leisure, and neighborhood services opportunities.

During school hours, Moreland West will have priority access to the sports complex for classes, special activities, and athletics. The new facility and existing school buildings and grounds will be available for general community use after school hours, weekends and summers. You are invited to attend the dedication ceremonies on November 4, 2000 from 11 AM to 1 PM at 1850 Fallbrook Avenue.
Linda LeZotte


Anderson Village School -- from Principal Sue Healy

Happy Fall! We are excited to be back at school! The programs that we put into place over the last 2 years are beginning to show results. If you have been reading the reports on the testing results, you know our students have made great strides towards reaching new academic goals. Anderson Elementary's SAT/9 scores went up considerably last year. The state set our API (Academic Performance Index) at 557. We were supposed to grow 12 target points. Instead, our students grew by 54 points! Our new SPI score is 611. This growth took a dedicated commitment on everyone's part. The staff, students, and parents worked very hard to achieve these goals.

This year we are attempting to reach even farther. We began the school year in August with some of our pre-kindergarten students. Mrs. Rasmussen, a veteran of over 30 years, volunteered to teach this class. She worked with 20 students who did not have any previous schooling, tested low, or who would be too young for the kindergarten as compared to their peers. These students learned many different skills including letters sounds, their names, numbers, and how to cut, fold, and draw. These are the essentials of the first few weeks of kindergarten instruction. The program also benefited these students in that they were able to practice the routine of going to school. Mrs. Rasmussen and her two aides: one English speaking, one Spanish speaking were invaluable in helping these students to have a successful beginning to the school year.

As far as our interventions, we will continue to have accelerated learning programs for the students in grades 2-5. These extension activities take place at the beginning and end of the day. English as a Second Language (ESL) and Bilingual programs are still in existence for all students grades 1-3. ESL is provided for students in grades 4 and 5 also. Extra support for those students struggling with reading and math concepts is implemented during the day and after school. After school, teachers are scheduling their own individual Homework Centers to meet students' needs.

The Healthy Start Collaborative has expanded to include School Linked Services. These members offer counseling, social, medical and dental services. Already this year, we have had the Mobile Medical Van out once and the Dental Van visited twice! In addition, our own school nurse, Carol Nichols, has helped 150 families receive insurance!
Hopefully, you have had a chance to drive by our school and enjoy our new landscaping. The Home and School Club was instrumental in getting a San Jose Beautiful Grant which allowed us to plant, add sprinklers and get a marquee for the school. We want our students and our community to be proud of our neighborhood school. One of our goals is to continue to beautify this campus. Mayor Ron Gonzales and Our City Forest were very generous in donating 33 trees to Anderson last spring. Please visit our campus at any time to see what a pleasant place Anderson is to learn and grow!

Update on Blackford High School Property

At the recent Town Hall Meeting sponsored by the Eden Neighborhood Association, Rhonda Faber, Superintendent of Campbell High School District, gave an update on the Blackford Property.

Blackford will be receiving some much needed beautification. These improvements include new planting, painting of all the buildings, and the old lockers, no longer in use, will be removed. Once again Rhonda stressed that the District has no plans to sell the property.

On November 8, Rhonda Faber will be speaking to us at the Starbird Community Center at 7:30 PM. Representatives of the San Jose Police Department will also be giving us an update. Please join us for this special presentation.

Update on the Colonial Garden Apartments

The Owners Association continues to meet on regular bases. Their work has resulted in improvements on many of the units. Several parking areas were repaired, new plantings of flowers and shrubs were completed, and regular lawn care is being maintained.

The Association has established better screenings of renters. As a result, we have a much safer neighborhood environment. This is a giant step forward. A lot of hard work has met with success.

Ten Tips To Prevent Identity Theft

Identity theft and account fraud are making big headlines. These problems occur when someone steals personal information such as your bank account or Social Security number, and then, posing as you, cleans out your bank account to runs up debt in your name, or both. This is a very real threat, and it is estimated that some 400,000 people are victimized each year.

Your bank works very hard to ward off these threats, but real security is possible only if you help. Here is what you should do to protect your assets and your good name-to avoid being a victim.

1. Do not give out your financial information on the telephone. Never give your checking account and credit card number, and especially your Social Security number unless YOU INITIATED THE CALL and know whom you are dealing with. Do not give this information to anyone, even if they claim to be with your bank or credit card company.
2. Report lost and stolen checks immediately. Your bank will stop payment on the checks. Check deliveries of new checks to be sure none have been stolen in transit.
3. Store canceled checks and new checks in a safe place.
4. Notify your banker is you receive suspicious phone inquiries asking to "verify a statement" or "award a prize."
5. Guard your ATM Identification Number and ATM receipts. They can be used to access your accounts.
6. Don't just throw away financial solicitations you received in the mail. Tear them up or shred them. Thieves can use them to assume your identity.
7. Don't put outgoing mail on your mailbox. Use only secure Postal Service collection boxes.
8. If regularly expected bills fail to arrive, contact the company. Someone may have filed a false change-of-address to divert your mail.
9. If itemized bills include suspicious items, don't ignore them. Investigate immediately: head off possible fraud before it occurs.
10. Periodically contact the major credit reporting companies to review your credit file and make certain it is correct. For a small fee you can obtain a copy of your credit report at any time.

The three major credit bureaus are:
Equifax (800) 685-1111
Experian (800) 682-7654
TransUnion (800) 916-8800
Important City of San Jose Phone Numbers
City of San Jose Information 277-4000
Council District 1-Linda LeZotte 277-5438
Police Department Violent Crime Team (gangs) 277-3835
Neighborhood Development Center (how to organize neighborhood associations) 277-5350
Code Enforcement 277-4528
Environmental Enforcement (scavenging or illegal dumping on private property) 277-5970
Recycle Plus! Customer Service (garbage) 277-2700
Department of Streets & Parks (parks maintenance, illegal dumping on private property) 277-4373
Street Light Repair (recording) 277-5517
Narcotics Enforcement Confidential Hotline 971-3784
Police Non-Emergency Number 277-4222
Crime Prevention (Neighborhood Watch) 277-4133
Graffiti Hotline 277-2758
Santa Clara County Vector Control (rodents) 299-2050
Shopping Cart Pick-Up 977-0555
Sidewalk Repair 277-2572
Street Tree Trimming 277-2762
Street Sweeping 277-2751
Stray, Injured Animals 277-6529
Abandoned Vehicles
o on streets 277-5305
o on private property 277-5307
o free tow on private property 277-4931
Fire or Police
o emergency 9-1-1
o non-emergency 3-1-1
o cellular phone emergency 277-8911
o report a fire hazard 277-4659
o report a leaking fire hydrant 277-4373
Gang Hotline 293-4264
Crime Stoppers 947-7867
Illegal Drug Activity 971-3784
Mediation for Neighborhood Disputes 299-2206
Legal Aide 283-1540
Senior Services 277-4101

Let your Neighborhood Association work for you!
Voice your concerns, raise issues, participate in your neighborhood association, join a committee and See results!
BCA wishes you and your family safe and happy holiday!
This newsletter is a publication of the Boynton Community Association, a volunteer association organized to provide neighbors with information, services, and activities directed at improving our neighborhood. For more information, write to: BCA, P.O. Box 700705, San Jose, CA 95170-0705 or
email: boynton_community@email.com
website: www.neighborhoodlink.com/public/main.html?nsupercity=466936477&nneighid=306112558