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Painted Rock honoring retiring staff with picnic

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By Emily Sorensen

Painted Rock Elementary isn’t letting its beloved staff retire without a proper goodbye.

The Painted Rock PTA and the Painted Rock Foundation are coming together to celebrate the careers of four women who have positively impacted the lives and education of students for decades at the school.

Retiring from the school this year are the school’s administrative assistant, Bonnie Clark, first-grade teacher Nancy Breisch, third-grade teacher Eileen Tael and music teacher Linda Wise.

The free event will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 6 at Painted Rock Elementary School, 16711 Martincoit Road in Poway. The celebration will include a DJ, children’s activities and food trucks, including Batter Up, Kaminski’s, El Ranchito, Chubby’s, Crepes Bonaparte and Devilicious.

Courtney Klepsch, a parent at Painted Rock who helped plan the event, said the PTA and Foundation members also hoped members of the community would come to the event and share their memories of Clark, Breisch, Tael and Wise, and how they helped shape and influence them or their children’s lives.

The event began as a desire to honor school admin Clark, who was retiring after 32 years. “We don’t normally do retirement parties, but there was so much interest in Bonnie’s retirement,” said Klepsch. When the PTA and Foundation members learned that three other beloved staff members were also retiring, they decided to put on an event that would honor all four women. Both organizations took from their budgets to fund the party, said Klepsch.

Clark has spent 38 years working in the Poway Unified School District, 32 of those as the school admin of Painted Rock. “Bonnie is the heart and soul of this school,” said principal Sal Embry. “She knows every face. She’s going to be impossible to replace.”

“Bonnie is the face of the school,” said Klepsch. “When you walk in, there’s Bonnie. Everyone knows Bonnie. She takes care of our kids. We love and adore her. The school is really going to miss her.”

Breisch has worked for the PUSD since 1990, and began working at Painted Rock as a first-grade teacher in 1999. She has also served as a reading specialist at the school. “Nancy is our expert on reading,” said Embry. “She’s well respected in the community for being that teacher that you want.”

Embry also said Breisch put on the winter music program each year. “She makes me dress up as Santa,” said Embry.

“The transition from kindergarten to first grade is a hard one, and she makes the transition easy for the kids,” said Klepsch.

Tael has been working for the district since 2002, and joined Painted Rock as a second-grade teacher in 2004. This year, she made the move to third grade, to accommodate the large amount of third graders the school has this year. “Eileen is steady,” said Embry. “She’s well respected and well liked.” When she made the move to third grade, most, if not all, of the students from her second-grade class opted to stay with her for a second year. “It really says how much the parents think of her that they chose to keep their kids in her class for another year.” Tael also coordinated the GATE program from Painted Rock.

Wise, the school’s music teacher, has been enriching the lives of Painted Rock’s students with music since 1989. Painted Rock is able to offer music education and enrichment to its students thanks to the Painted Rock PTA, who paid Wise’s salary and will pay for her replacement to continue the music program.

Though they will be continuing the music program without Wise, Embry said it won’t be easy. “It will be hard to replace Linda, because she’s been doing it for so long,” said Embry.

“Thanks to Linda Wise, the students of Painted Rock have music in school on a daily basis,” said Klepsch.

Those planning on attending the event can RSVP at

tinyurl.com/paintedrockparty

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