|
Gold Fun Facts
Elk Grove Union High School was established in 1893 - the first class graduated in 1896. Elk Grove Union High School was the first union high school in the State of California. |
| Honoring Our Volunteers
Jeanne Kraus of
Samuel Jackman Middle School
Jeanne Kraus was recognized as an Education Partner at the January 6, 2009 meeting of the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education.
Kraus began working in Elk Grove Unified Schools in the Valley Hi area in 1998. After speaking to a Prairie Elementary School teacher, she began volunteering in various classrooms at Prairie. While at Prairie, Kraus served on the School Site Council, the Superintendent's Parent Advisory Committee, the District Categorical Advisory Committee and was elected as chairperson for both the School Site Council and the District Categorical Advisory Committee. One of her most memorable moments was being a part of the panel that recommended Fawzia Keval as the new principal of Prairie.
In 2003, Kraus moved on to Samuel Jackman Middle School when her oldest grandchild was promoted from Prairie. It was then she began splitting her time between the two schools. She started her work at Jackman by volunteering in the library and completed many other tasks as a volunteer while still continuing her involvement on the School Site Council and various advisory committees. Kraus was instrumental in writing successful grants that allowed Jackman to become a California GEAR UP school in 2002 and to receive High Priority School funding in 2006. |
Toby Johnson Middle School student to receive Presidential Volunteer Service Award
Ambrielle Auble, an eighth grade student at Toby Johnson Middle School, was presented with the President's Volunteer Service Award on Tuesday, January 13, 2009.
The President's Volunteer Service Award program - created by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation - serves to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service. The award recognizes individuals, families and groups that have achieved a certain standard - measured by the number of hours served over a 12-month period or cumulative hours earned over the course of a lifetime.
Auble earned the President's Volunteer Service Award at the Gold Level.
Auble earned the award for volunteering over 100 hours at the Eskaton Lodge - Gold River. Auble worked with patients that have dementia and Alzheimer's in Eskaton's memory care unit.
|
EGUSD high school jazz bands compete at 20th Annual Folsom Jazz Festival
Jazz bands from Sheldon, Monterey Trail and Pleasant Grove high schools competed in the 20th Annual Folsom Jazz Festival, held on January 24, 2009.
The Tuesday-Thursday Jazz Band from Sheldon High School earned a Superior rating and placed fourth in the AAAA division - the highest division at the festival. Outstanding musician medals were earned by the following students: Manuel Martinez (Tenor Saxophone), Scott Weller (Guitar) and Alania Yamamoto (Trumpet).
Pleasant Grove High School's Jazz Band earned an excellent rating in the AAAA Division.
Monterey Trail High School's Jazz Band also earned an excellent rating in the B Division.
The 20th Annual Folsom Jazz Festival encompassed six venues over two locations: Folsom High School and Rolling Hills Christian Church. Over 130 middle and high school jazz bands, vocal jazz groups and combos representing schools from all over California and Nevada competed in the festival. |
Three EGUSD elementary schools to convert to traditional schedule
On January 20, 2009, the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education approved the conversion of Florence Markofer, Florin and Ellen Feickert elementary schools from a year-round calendar to a traditional calendar for the 2009-2010 school year.
These schools will no longer offer tracks - all students will be on the same school schedule.
Important dates for the traditional school calendar are as follows:
First Day of School: August 17, 2009
Thanksgiving Break: November 25-27, 2009
Winter Break: December 21, 2009 - January 1, 2010
Spring Break: March 29 - April 2, 2010
Last Day of School: May 26, 2010 | |
|
|
|
Welcome to eguNews, an EGUSD email newsletter published every two weeks. If you have questions about eguNews, you can email communication@egusd.net or call (916) 686-7732.
|
|
Community Board Meetings
The Elk Grove Unified community is invited to a night of information and discussion with the seven members of the Board of Education. Each board member will host a meeting at a separate school site from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on February 3, 2009.
The evening is designed as an informal way for parents, community members, teachers, students and staff to meet board members. The meetings will offer the board an opportunity to give an overall update about the district, discuss the state budget crisis and how it relates to the district and to answer questions. In honor of the district's 50th Anniversary, this year's meetings will feature a screening of the fourth segment of a student produced film honoring Elk Grove Unified's rich history.
The seven meetings will be held simultaneously. The public is invited to attend any one of the meetings.
Trustees will hold meetings at the following locations:
Isabelle Jackson Elementary School
Elliott Ranch Elementary School
Joseph Kerr Middle School
Helen Carr Castello Elementary School
Florin High School
Charles Mack Elementary School
Arnold Adreani Elementary School
Questions about the community board meetings can be directed to EGUSD Communications at (916) 686-7732.
|
|
State Superintendent Jack O'Connell visits Florin High School to promote Cal Grants
Florin High School hosted State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, EGUSD Superintendent Steven M. Ladd, Ed.D., EGUSD Board President William Lugg, Jr., EGUSD Board Member Jeanette Amavisca, California Assemblymember Alyson Huber and Diana Fuentes-Michelsion at a press conference geared towards encouraging students to apply for Cal Grants by the March 2 deadline.
The press conference kicked off on a high note with an encouraging Cal Grant cheer by the Florin High School cheerleaders. After the American and California flags were presented by the Naval Jr. ROTC, Florin principal Mark Cerutti provided a welcome and each special guest had a chance to make remarks on the importance of Cal Grants.
With a Cal Grant, students can be awarded up to $9,700 a year to pay for college or career/technical school. Students and their families can get help applying for a Cal Grant and other financial aid at free local Cash for College workshops offered throughout the state in advance of the application deadline. At the workshops, applicants will receive step-by-step assistance to complete the required financial aid forms.
|
PIQE program teaches parents how to get involved in their child's education
For many parents, learning how to find ways to get involved with the education of their children can be a challenge. Parents may not know how to best support their children to ensure they are receiving the best education possible. These same parents also may not be aware of how to best communicate with their child's teacher and school.
The Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) program offers an opportunity for parents to discover their answers to these questions and more. James Rutter Middle School and Florin High School are two schools in the district that currently offer the program.
"PIQE is a program to train parents how to access public education better," said Richard Wall, PIQE program coordinator at Rutter. "We cover such topics as how to contact the school about their child's grades or how to get help when their kids are struggling academically. Parents also learn about high school graduation requirements and how to better prepare their children for college. Ultimately, PIQE's mission is to equip parents to be effective participants in their child's education."
PIQE was started in response to low-achieving schools in Southern California. Frustrated with the lack of action taken to improve the quality of education for their students - especially in low-income, high-minority schools - education reform leaders began to educate parents in addressing concerns at their schools and empowering them to get involved in their child's education. The success of the first PIQE program led to the development of standard PIQE curriculum and a network that took the program to schools across the United States.
"Any parent can participate in the program," said John Patterson, PIQE coordinator at Florin High School. "Currently, the class is taught completely in Spanish at Rutter. Classes at Florin are taught in both Spanish and English."
The PIQE program is very popular at both Rutter and Florin. At Rutter, currently 30 participants are enrolled in the program. Rutter also provides child care for children ages 3 to 12 years old. The program runs for ten weeks and is presented in a classroom/lecture format. A new PIQE program site was recently started at Monterey Trail High School and there are plans to expand the program to more sites throughout the district.
"Our goal is to educate as many parents as possible in the many ways they can support and encourage their children in education," said Wall. "We also seek to develop a positive working relationship between parents and their child's school."
If a parent wants to get involved in PIQE, they can contact James Rutter Middle School at (916) 422-7590 or Florin High School at (916) 686-7741 to find out when the next PIQE class begins. Translators are available at both schools for non-English speaking parents.
For more information on PIQE, visit www.piqe.org.
|
EGUSD Superintendent hosts bus tour to highlight career academies and pathways
On January 29, 2009, EGUSD Superintendent Steven M. Ladd, Ed.D. hosted a bus tour of career academies and pathways throughout the district for representatives from the University of California, Davis, Elk Grove Unified Board President William Lugg, Jr., EGUSD Board Clerk Jeanette Amavisca and EGUSD Board Member Priscilla Cox and EGUSD Board Member Pollyanna Cooper-LeVangie.
One of the desired outcomes of the bus tour is to create a stronger partnership with UC Davis and Elk Grove Unified's career technical education (CTE) programs. The partnership will not only benefit staff development, but will also assist students who are university-bound.
In addition to strengthening the partnership to help develop CTE programs, additional collaborative possibilities for students include:
-
Active participation on career academy, Regional Occupation Programs (ROP) and career pathway advisory boards
-
Formal articulation agreements similar to Accelerated College Entrance (ACE)
-
Assistance with career academy certification
-
Opportunities for students to regularly visit UC classes
-
Mutual creation of ongoing, expanded learning opportunities for students Additional collaborative possibilities for staff include:
-
UC staff guest lectures
-
Assistance in developing performance-based projects
-
Promotion of mentoring relationships with appropriate staff and students
-
Professional development opportunities for staff
The day began with a brief overview of career technical education in Elk Grove Unified at the district office. The overview explained the CTE Master Plan as well as the district's strategic plan in developing and implementing career academies and pathways. The presentation closed with a summary of current district CTE initiatives and the next steps for the future of career academies and pathways.
Following the presentation, bus tour guests traveled to Franklin High School to visit their School of Technology, Engineering and Media (STEM) Academy. Bus tour guests had the chance to visit a STEM engineering classroom and view a video overview of the STEM program.
After leaving Franklin, the tour continued to Laguna Creek High School. At Laguna Creek, guests learned more about the Manufacturing Production Technology Academy (MPTA) and the new Green Energy Technology Academy (GETA). Guests visited a GETA English classroom, an MPTA math classroom and listened to presentations about both academies.
The final destination of the day was Sheldon High School, where bus tour guests learned about Sheldon's Animation Career Pathway. Guests had the opportunity to mingle with students to chat about the animation curriculum and view various types of animation equipment.
For more information on career academies and pathways, click here. | |
|
|
|
