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Gold Fun Facts
After the old Rhodes
School was closed, Beth
and Stanley Engs who lived across the street from the school took on volunteer
caretaker duties to watch over the school.
They even placed a "goat-guard" to patrol the fenced yard around the
school. The goat was instrumental in keeping
would-be intruders away.
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| Honoring Our Volunteers
Jamie Tibbetts of
Cosumnes River Elementary School
Jamie Tibbetts was recognized as an Education Partner at the March 31, 2009, meeting of the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education.
Tibbetts began volunteering at Cosumnes River Elementary School when her daughter Brooke was in kindergarten. Currently, Brooke is a 6th grade student at Cosumnes River.
When Brooke was in the first grade, Tibbetts volunteered to teach the PTA-sponsored Art Club. This club exposed students to everything from drawing to ceramics. Tibbetts has been volunteering in this role ever since. After taking on the Art Club responsibility, she was named the PTA's Enrichment Club Coordinator - overseeing the Choir, Drama and Spanish clubs. Over the last seven years, Tibbetts has brought more artistic projects to Cosumnes River, including the Jr. Duck Stamp Contest, "Works of Heart" Art Exhibit and a greeting card fundraiser utilizing student artwork.
In addition to these projects, Tibbetts has made her mark at Cosumnes River in additional ways, including the Cosumnes River Roadrunner logo that she designed, DVD productions that celebrate students' memories of their experiences at Cosumnes River and two ceramic kilns that were made possible through Tibbetts' work with the community.
Tibbetts has also contributed to Cosumnes River through their drama program. Over the last four years, Tibbetts' has been involved with the annual drama production and has served as director for the past three years. This year's musical production, "A Date with Disney," had a cast of 35 boys and girls ranging from grades 3-6. They performed for a combined audience of nearly 1,000 staff, peers and family members throughout the day. Tibbetts has also coached many Oral Language Faire individuals and teams over the years. This year, Tibbetts coached her daughter's winning Individual Dramatic Interpretation of "Old Glory" about the American flag.
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EGUSD Mock Trial and Moot Court teams place well in competitions
Both Elk Grove and Franklin high schools have fared well in recent Mock Trial and Moot Court competitions.
The
Elk Grove High School Mock Trial Team recently placed second at the
Constitutional Rights Foundation 28th Annual California Mock Trial Competition
held March 20-22 in Riverside, California.
Elk Grove
High School won the state competition
in 2007, becoming the first high school from Sacramento County to do so.
Team coach David
Hill was awarded the Mock Trial Adult Advocate of the Year Award at the
competition as well.
Franklin High School's Team B won the 2009 Gordon D. Schaber Moot Court Competition. Franklin prevailed over Bella Vista High School to take home top honors.
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Free dental screenings to be offered for incoming and current EGUSD kindergarten students
The Elk Grove Unified School District will offer free dental screenings for incoming and current EGUSD kindergarten students on Friday, April 17 at three district elementary school sites.
California law requires children to have a dental screening by May 31 of his or her first school year. Dental evaluations that have happened within the 12 months before a child enters school also meet this requirement.
Kindergarten students from other EGUSD elementary school sites may be screened at any location, but must be accompanied by a parent.
EGUSD will partner with Western Dental School to provide the dental screenings.
Screenings will be offered at the following school sites:
Florin Elementary School
7300 Kara Drive
Sacramento, CA 95828
8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Irene B. West Elementary School
8625 Serio Way
Elk Grove, CA 95758
8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Helen Carr Castello Elementary School
9850 Fire Poppy Drive
Elk Grove, CA 95757
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. | |
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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.
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Students to take center stage at EGUSD 50th Anniversary Student Talent Showcase
Future young stars will have their chance to display their talents at the EGUSD 50th Anniversary Student Talent Showcase on Saturday, April 18 at 5 p.m. The show will be held at the Performing Arts Center at Cosumnes Oaks High School.
Talent from across all grade levels will include vocalists, dancers, musicians, a baton twirler, a puppet show and a magician. Student acts were selected by their school site.
A top winner will be chosen in each grade category - K-3, 4-6, 7-8 and 9-12. Two People's Choice Award winners will be selected by the audience, one winner from grades K-6 and one winner for grades 7-12. The People's Choice Award winners will be voted on by ballot at the show. People's Choice Award winners will be announced the following week after the Talent Showcase.
Tickets are $5 and will be sold at the door. All proceeds raised from the Talent Showcase will be used for student scholarships.
The following acts will perform at the Student Talent Showcase (not listed in performance order):
Phillip Mitchell, Charles Mack Elementary School - Drums
Reyna Armour, Elitha Donner Elementary School - Vocalist
Jayden Roeser, Raymond Case Elementary School - Puppet Show
Isabelle Goff, Sierra Enterprise Elementary School - Vocalist
Michael Hardey, Carroll Elementary School - Magic Show
Carmen Chu, Julia Agustin, Ashley Chu, Miranda Agustin, Sariah Bryce and Maliyah Almazan, Arthur C. Butler Elementary School - Hula Dance
Madeleine and Alexandra Zhu, Arnold Adreani Elementary School - Piano/Violin
Mi Shaye Venerable, Anna Kirchgater Elementary School - Dance
Alexa De La Torre, Adaira Reum, Ashlyn Hawkins and Camryn Schwabenland, Ellen Feickert Elementary School - Dance
The John Reith All-Star Marching Band and Colorguard, John Reith Elementary School - Drumline
Jenna Vonich, Joseph Kerr Middle School - Baton Twirling
Travis Vue, Sunny Vang, Austin Vang, Jerry Vang, Jonathan Vang, Jonathan Xiong, Alex Tong, Sean Saephan, James Rutter Middle School - Dance
Deborah Cornish, Alexis Babb and Mattice Babb, William Daylor High School - Vocalists
Allison Lorenz and Ayaka Green, T.R. Smedberg Middle School - Dance
Krizzia Manlangit, Franklin High School - Vocalist
Nina Beverly Belen, Laguna Creek High School - Vocalist/Guitar
Marcus Caldwell and Khalel White, Sheldon High School - Vocalists
Nick Spence, Pleasant Grove High School - Dance
Cortney Williams, Rio Cazadero High School - Vocalist
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Elk Grove High School Named California Distinguished School
Elk Grove High School has been selected a 2009 California Distinguished School. Elk Grove will be honored at an awards ceremony in Anaheim on May 29, 2009.
As a part of the application process, schools are required to write a narrative application and then undergo a site validation process. This year, the selection process required schools to provide an in-depth description of two "signature" practices implemented at the schools that are replicable and directly related to the success of their students. In addition to the application, each school was visited by an evaluation team to seek additional evidence about the effectiveness of the "signature" practices.
The California School Recognition Program, now in its 24th year, identifies and honors public schools with the California Distinguished School Award. Participation in the program is voluntary. Elementary and secondary schools are recognized in alternate years.
A total of 341 schools from throughout the state were eligible to submit applications to the California School Recognition Program this year. In all, 125 high schools were selected as California Distinguished Schools for 2009. Schools that were selected to apply for the award were identified for meeting designated federal and state accountability measures based on No Child Left Behind, Adequate Yearly Progress and the Academic Performance Index requirements. The process was conducted by the California Department of Education, along with the assistance of local educators from across the state and in partnership with the county superintendents of schools.
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California Superintendent Jack O'Connell Visits Katherine L. Albiani Middle School
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell visited Katherine L. Albiani students and staff on April 3, 2009. O'Connell was accompanied by Elk Grove Unified Superintendent Dr. Steven L. Ladd, Director of the California Lottery Joan Borucki and school namesake and former EGUSD trustee Katherine L. Albiani.
The event was part of O'Connell's ongoing visits to schools to see firsthand the progress students are making at schools, as well as to commend school officials on their efforts. During the visit O'Connell praised students and staff on their work towards closing the achievement gap. The school's 2008 CST scores demonstrated a closing of the achievement gap in many of its subgroups including a 58 point increase for African American students and a 43 point increase for socioeconomically disadvantaged students.
"Thank you for your help on the achievement gap," O'Connell said. "I've been looking at your test scores and they really demonstrate your hard work."
O'Connell also addressed his concerns about the lack of funding for public education in California and the long-term impact on the number of college students who will choose teaching as a career. During his visit to teacher Timothy Prim's social science course, O'Connell answered questions about No Child Left Behind, as well as shared his career history and current job duties.
Principal Ramona Nelson introduced Jack O'Connell to the staff noting, "He is a champion of public education and has provided outstanding leadership in closing the student achievement gap." She later reported that "staff and students felt particularly privileged by his visit. It was an incredible honor to have Superintendent O'Connell recognize and acknowledge the focused work of the Albiani staff."
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Elk Grove High School students participate in young scholars program 
In 2009, Elk Grove High School welcomed to their campus the Cooper-Woodson Young Scholars program, a new outreach program geared towards preparing African-American students for success.
"The goal of the program is to expose our students to California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) students who have successfully completed high school and are now in college," explained Randy Stark, vice-principal at Elk Grove and one of the administrators of the program. "We want to give our students opportunities to experience college life firsthand. We also want to have them begin articulating issues and their own thoughts and ideas around race and diversity as it pertains to education in societal and personal contexts."
There is no cost to students to join the program. To participate, students need to have at least a 2.0 GPA, interview with a school administrator, demonstrate parental support of the program and commit to attending meetings and events.
"This year we have nearly 30 students in the program," said Stark. "We hope to expand this number in the years to come."
The students participate in activities throughout the year, including parent/student meetings and attending events at CSUS that allow the students to interact with current college students. These events include multicultural conferences and financial aid information sessions. Recently, the students had the chance to attend a lecture by Maya Soetoro-Ng, President Barack Obama's sister. The students will end the school year by attending the Cooper-Woodson commencement ceremony at CSUS.
At the California State University, Sacramento level, the Cooper-Woodson College Enhancement Program (CWC) is an academic support and retention program for undergraduate students. The CWC program was developed out of the need to increase the low retention and graduation rates of underserved students. CWC is very successful in meeting its goals as they currently celebrate a 99 percent student retention rate.
For more information on the Cooper-Woodson Young Scholars Program, please click here. | |
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