Honoring our Volunteers
Pam Ayo of
Sunrise Elementary School
Pam Ayo was recognized as an Education Partner at the January 19, 2010 meeting of the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education.
Ayo first became active at Sunrise when she volunteered for several parent committees that were created prior to the opening of the school. When Sunrise opened in August 2007, Ayo was elected to the Board of the Parent Faculty Organization (PFO). She has also worked as a volunteer in her grandson's classroom, as a lunchtime supervisor and periodically as an overload classroom instructional assistant.
Now in her third year as a member of the PFO, Ayo has taken an active leadership role, supporting all of the organization's major projects - increasing library circulation, jog-a-thons, movie nights, the unity picnic and fundraising. Ayo has also been an essential volunteer in the production of school musicals at Sunrise, including Annie and The Lion King. The Wizard of Oz is currently in production.
Ayo has also worked tirelessly to offer fundraisers not only through the PFO, but for fifth and sixth grade students as well as they earn their tuition for Sly Park Science Camp. As a result of the funds raised by fundraisers coordinated by Ayo, teachers and students have had access to instructional supplies, school assemblies, awards and incentives for academic achievement and the Accelerated Reader Program.
Ayo's husband Ed also volunteers to assist with projects at Sunrise. A man of many talents, Ed has built carnival games, prepared gallons of spaghetti, barbequed hundreds of hot dogs and manned booths at the school yard sale.
Pam and her husband Ed are the proud grandparents of Adam, currently a seventh grade student at Katherine L. Albiani Middle School and graduate of Sunrise Elementary School.
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Community Board Meetings to return in February 2010
Community members will have an opportunity to ask questions and get answers from EGUSD board members on February 2, 2010, at Community Board Meetings. Each year, EGUSD's seven trustees hold individual meetings at seven school sites.
The meetings offer an opportunity for parents, students, staff and community members to get an update about the district, learn about how the state budget is affecting EGUSD and ask questions. The meetings will also feature a student performance or presentation.
The meetings are from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Trustees will hold meetings at the following locations: Monterey Trail High School, Joseph Sims Elementary School, Elitha Donner Elementary School, Cosumnes Oaks High School, Samuel Kennedy Elementary School, Prairie Elementary School and Robert J. Fite Elementary School.
If you have any questions about the meetings, please contact the EGUSD Communications Department at (916) 686-7732 or communication@egusd.net. |
EGUSD offers Open Enrollment at 14 secondary schools
The Elk Grove Unified School District is accepting applications through February 11, 2010, from EGUSD students who wish to apply for Open Enrollment at seven middle and seven high schools.
Open Enrollment applications for students currently enrolled in the 6th and 7th grades for the 2009-2010 school year will be accepted for the following middle schools: Harriet Eddy, Edward Harris, Jr., Samuel Jackman, Joseph Kerr, Elizabeth Pinkerton, James Rutter and T.R. Smedberg.
Open Enrollment applications for students currently enrolled in the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th grades for the 2009-2010 school year will be accepted for the following high schools: Cosumnes Oaks, Elk Grove, Florin, Laguna Creek, Monterey Trail, Sheldon and Valley.
Parents are invited to attend open enrollment meetings at 7 p.m. on January 28 at Laguna Creek High School or at 7 p.m. on February 4 at Florin High School.
To apply for Open Enrollment, parents/guardians should complete one Open Enrollment form for each student. The forms are available at schools, by calling the Secondary Education office at (916) 686-7706 or online at www.egusd.net.
No elementary schools are included in Open Enrollment for the 2010-2011 school year.
Questions can be directed to the Secondary Education office at (916) 686-7706. | |
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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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The financial outlook for education continues to look dismal. In January, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger released his proposed state budget for 2010-2011. The Governor's budget attempts to address an estimated $19.9 billion budget deficit for the state.
The Governor stated that he was "protecting education" in his budget and "fully funding Proposition 98." On the face that is good news, until you dig deeper into the Governor's proposal. The reality is that K-12 public education faces more cuts in 2010-2011.
The Governor's budget proposal includes a negative .38 percent Cost Of Living Adjustment. That equates to another budget cut of about $24 per student for Elk Grove Unified School District for the 2010-2011 school year.
In addition, the Governor's budget further proposes a $1.5 billion cut to K-12. While the Governor's proposal indicates that the $1.5 billion would come out of school district administrative costs, finance experts agree that after years of budget reductions, the target of the cut will likely change.
The Governor also proposed eliminating the sales tax on gasoline, and changing it to an excise tax on gasoline. That hurts public education. Proposition 98 sets the minimum funding level for education. The Proposition 98 formula includes sales taxes, but not excise taxes. The shift to an excise tax would lower the Proposition 98 minimum funding level for education.
These items in the Governor's January budget proposal equates to $13.5 million in additional cuts to EGUSD for 2010-2011. That is in on top of the $42 million already identified for reduction for the next school year for a total of $55.5 million in reductions.
The Elk Grove Unified School District is reconvening its budget committee and will begin the process of identifying the additional $13.5 million in budget reductions. As the district moves forward through this process, we will update parents, staff and community members through this website.
At the January 19, 2010 Board of Education meeting, Richard Odegaard, the Associate Superintendent of Finance and School Support, gave a presentation on the Governor's January proposed budget and its potential impact on education. To view the presentation click here. |
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Two schools and communities join forces to help injured teen
On October 23, 2009, during a football game between Davis and Valley high schools, Valley student Will Barker attempted to make a tackle and was seriously injured.
While Barker underwent six hours of surgery, his family, the Valley coaching staff, players and Valley Athletic Director Stephanie Haas kept vigil. It was determined that Barker had suffered a broken vertebra in his neck.
Barker spent six difficult weeks at the U.C. Davis Medical Center and was then transferred to the Shriner's Hospital for Children. Through hard work and determination, he has made some gains in the movement of his arms and legs through therapy.
While Barker was healing in the hospital, the Davis and Valley high school communities, as well as several other schools, organizations, teams and businesses rallied to assist Barker and his family during this difficult time.
"It was great to see two different and diverse communities come together to support a student and his family through this difficult time," said Keven MacDonald, principal at Valley. "I know that Will and his family are very grateful for all of the love and support they have received."
The following organizations have assisted the Barker family: VHS Gear UP!, VHS Football, VHS Associated Student Body, VHS advisory classes, VHS volunteers, VHS office staff, VHS AVID Program, Valley Sunshine Committee, Davis High School Booster Club, Davis High School Football, Laguna Creek High School Boosters, Elk Grove High School Football, Mesa Verde High School Football, The Buzz Barbershop and Dos Coyotes Border Grill.
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EGUSD schools participate in MLK Celebration
The weather was cold, wet and rainy, but that didn't deter Elk Grove Unified students from participating in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration on January 18.
Since 1983, citizens of the greater Sacramento area come together each January on the day Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday is observed to celebrate his life. The celebration consists of a march/parade, job fair, ecumenical service, multi-cultural talent showcase, children's educational activities and a gospel celebration.
Laguna Creek High School's Black Student Union and students in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.'s Alpha Academy joined over 10,000 participants as they marched in the parade on Monday, January 18th. They were joined by Harriet Eddy Middle School students.
In recent years, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday has come to symbolize a day of service and volunteerism. In the spirit of the holiday, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson sponsored his first Mayor's Challenge, encouraging volunteerism among high school students. At a reception held at the Sheraton Grand on Monday, January 18, Valley High School learned they earned third place in the Challenge. Valley High School students completed 3,072 hours of community service. Valley finished behind Rio Americano and Sacramento high schools.
Also during the reception, the top Valley student volunteers were honored individually for their service. These students included:
Rashae Prasad - 330 hours
Ryan Prasad - 273 hours
Rageen Prasad - 266 hours
Elizabeth Lizardi - 157 hours
Ben Nguyen - 138 hours
For more information on the Mayor's Challenge, visit http://volunteersac.com/rsvp/.
In addition to the Mayor's Challenge, Valley students Russell Yang and Cameron Nelson competed in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratorical Competition, sponsored by Intel. The students had to prepare and present a speech on what freedom meant to them. Yang took home third place and Nelson earned honorable mention.
For more information or to view photos from the MLK Celebration, visit www.mlk365.org.
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Champions Tour pro golfer donates $70,000 to help fund district golf programs
On January 19, the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education formally accepted pro golfer Loren Roberts' donation to help fund golf programs in the district. EGUSD parent Dr. James Reede, Jr. and his son James Reede III were also recognized for their role in securing the donation.
At Charles Schwab Cup Championship in San Francisco in November 2009, Monterey Trail golfer James Reede III and his father Dr. Reede met Champions Tour pro Loren Roberts. Over the course of the day, the younger Reede and two of his friends developed a rapport with the Champions Tour pro. At the end of the day, Dr. Reede and his son were chatting with Roberts when they mentioned that golf programs may be eliminated in the district due to budget cuts.
Roberts, impressed by the students' passion for the game and their excellent manners, offered to donate $70,000 to help fund golf programs in EGUSD for the next two years.
Roberts stated he could relate to the situation surrounding student athletes at Elk Grove Unified as the golf program at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo was eliminated when he was a student there.
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