Cosumnes Oaks High School cheerleaders perform
for national audience
Representatives from the Cosumnes Oaks High School cheer squads joined over 200 of their fellow cheerleaders to participate on the United Cheer Association's (UCA) Varsity Spirit Team at the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Florida on New Year's Day.
The COHS cheer squads were invited to perform at the bowl game as a result of their efforts at the UCA cheer camp held at the University of California, Davis in July 2009. The squads brought home a total of 10 awards - including an overall excellence award - from the camp.
Participating squad members included:
Kiana Allen (Varsity)
Tricia Klein (Varsity)
Mariah Lewis (Varsity)
Alexis Montgomery (Varsity)
Sam Schliekelman-Watson (Varsity)
Courtney Maeda (Junior Varsity)
Ashley Montgomery (Junior Varsity)
Kelsey Orr (Junior Varsity)
Shelby Palmer (Junior Varsity)
Raven Bellamy (Freshman) |
EGUSD student artwork at State Capitol
Throughout the 2009-2010 school year, Assemblymember Joan Buchanan is displaying the talents of EGUSD student artists through three exhibits at her office at the State Capitol.
Assemblymember Buchanan showcases student artwork in her district and capital offices to promote the importance of art education. This past fall EGUSD was represented by the 12 winners of EGUSD's 2009 National Nutrition Month Artwork Contest. The art represents fruits or vegetables that are in season throughout the year. The winning artwork is also highlighted in a year-long calendar with the fruit or vegetable illustrating the month that it is in season.
The next display will begin in February and highlight the art of middle schools. In late spring, the work of EGUSD academy students will be on display.
Anyone is welcome to stop by Assemblymember Buchanan's office to view the artwork. The office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Room 4167 at the State Capitol.
|
Florin High School holds successful FAFSA workshop
On Thursday, January 28, Florin High School held their annual Cash for College FAFSA (Free Applications for Federal Student Aid) workshop. The workshop was their largest ever with over 200 students and parents in attendance.
The event featured 40 volunteers, including CPAs, financial aid experts and 24 bilingual volunteers speaking seven different languages.
Over the course of two hours, 111 students completed the FAFSA applications at the event.
Assembly Member Alyson Huber, Melanie Ramil from Assembly Member Dave Jones' office, Jennifer Wonnacott and Monica Roberts from the Sacramento County Office of Education also attended the event to represent the Cash for College program.
|
Elementary school teachers receive
2010 Digital Journalist Grant
Nancy Ludu, a fourth grade teacher at
Arthur C. Butler Elementary School and Erica Swift, a computer technology
teacher at Herman Leimbach Elementary
School were recently selected to receive 2010 Digital Journalist Grants from
the Sacramento Educational Cable Consortium (SECC).
The teachers will receive a Digital
Journalist Video Kit, which includes a digital camcorder, extra battery, handheld microphone,
Pelican hard case, Bogen video tripod as well as training and support. Training for teachers and students will be
provided by News10 and SECC production staff.
|
Two teachers receive writing fellowships
Two Elk Grove Unified teachers - Ann Hennessey, a special education
English teacher at Franklin High School and Cathy Murphy, a first grade teacher
at Samuel Kennedy Elementary have been selected as the recipients of the 2010
Zoë Barnum Fellowship for Writers.
The fellowships are for study at the Vermont Studio Center (VSC), one
of the nation's most prestigious residency programs for writers and
artists. The fellowships allow teachers
the opportunity to immerse themselves in their own art and creative writing
projects, reinvigorating their teaching approaches and familiarizing them with
the cultural, literary and artistic resources VSC has to offer to their
students.
For more information on the VSC, click here.
|
Harris Middle School students participate in Q&A
with NASA astronauts in space
Edward Harris, Jr. Middle School
students Kelechi Ohiri and Taylor Church had the opportunity to have their
questions about space, science and NASA answered by astronauts aboard the space
shuttle Endeavour. Endeavour is
currently on a mission in space.
Harris Middle School is a NASA Explorer
School. Ohiri and Church submitted their
questions to NASA via video. Space shuttle pilot Terry Virts and mission specialist Kathryn Hire answered the students' questions on NASA TV.
To view the questions, visit the NASA website.
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Budget Update
EGUSD's financial outlook continues to decline following
further analysis of the Governor's budget. On February 4, 2010, the Elk
Grove Unified School District received information from the Sacramento County
Office of Education and school finance experts that the district needs to
reduce its budget by an additional $5 million beyond the $13.5 million
previously identified as a result of the Governor's January budget
proposal. The $18.5 million is on top of the $42 million in reductions
that the Board took action on in November. That brings EGUSD's 2010-2011
need for budget reductions to $60.5 million minimally.
The district, with the help of the Budget Committee, continues
to work to identify the additional $18.5 million in reductions.
Unfortunately, following year after year of budget cuts, the Elk Grove Unified
School District will not be able to make these reductions without significant
layoffs and/or concessions from labor associations. There is nowhere EGUSD
can go without having this level of cuts impact our classrooms and staff.
Of the district's approximately $478 million budget, 88 percent is spent on
employee compensation.
California school districts are mandated by law to notice
certificated staff, which includes teachers, of potential layoff by March 15.
Final notice must be given by May 15. It has been the district's practice, in
consultation with employee associations, to also provide classified staff with
notice by March 15. Unlike certificated staff, classified staff members are
only required to receive one notification.
In the meantime, the Elk Grove Unified School District
continues to have ongoing conversations with its labor associations with
regards to furlough days, freeze in step and column salary increases and a
temporary suspension of the lottery check paid to employees each fall.
The district's negotiations are continuing with a desire to reach agreement on
possible cost containment measures that may enable the district to keep as many
of our staff working as possible.
The district will continue to provide updates about the budget
process on the Budget Watch webpage. |
|
Elk Grove High School student wins
EGUSD Energy Conservation Logo Contest
Tommy Bush, a 12th grade student at Elk Grove High School, was recognized as the winner of the Elk Grove Unified School District's (EGUSD) Energy Conservation Logo Contest by the EGUSD Board of Education at their January 19 meeting.
The Energy Conservation Logo Contest grew out of the need for a logo to brand the district's Energy Conservation program. High school students were invited to create a logo design using computer software. The theme of the contest was "Be Energy Wise. Conserve."
As the winner of the contest, Bush will have the opportunity to work with Kathleen Watt, the district's award-winning web and graphic designer to collaborate on the logo. The logo will then be used on the district's website and other publications surrounding energy conservation.
Last year EGUSD embarked on a new energy management campaign to save money on energy expenditures while also doing the right thing for the planet. An Energy Conservation Committee was created as a result of a new board policy on energy conservation. The policy demonstrates the district's commitment to conserve and use as little energy as necessary.
The committee developed energy conservation guidelines to establish expectations, levels of individual involvement and building operation standards. The committee continues to meet, as needed, to solicit and share input, make appropriate recommended revisions to the guidelines and evaluate the success of the program.
For more information on the district's Energy Conservation campaign, click here.
|
|
New LAW Academy comes to
Florin High School
The next generation of lawyers, legislators, judges, paralegals and court reporters are being cultivated at Florin High School, thanks to the creation of the Elk Grove Unified School District's newest academy - LAW (Law and the World). "According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, employment of paralegals and legal assistants is projected to grow 22 percent between 2006 and 2016," said Carlos Garcia, LAW Academy coordinator at Florin High School. "The LAW Academy was created to give Florin students the opportunity to learn about a career field that will be highly in demand both now and in the future." The LAW Academy is currently recruiting. Students interested in joining the academy must obtain a teacher recommendation to get the process started. Students then undergo an interview process to help determine whether they are a good candidate for the academy. Once a student has been accepted, they must maintain the minimum standard for GPA and attendance to continue in the academy. "Once admitted to the academy, students can choose from three pathways that will guide them toward a host of legal career opportunities: the legal assistant pathway, justice and advocacy pathway and the lawyer, diplomat and legislator pathway," Garcia said. "A variety of classes are available to students in the LAW Academy. We offer a three-part ROP (regional occupation program) series, which includes an introduction to legal careers and two additional legal career classes that delve deeper into occupational possibilities. We also offer a criminalistics class. Currently, we are working on developing two new classes for seniors covering legal research and writing, as well as a survey of law and advocacy through mediation, arbitration and diplomacy." At the end of their academy experience, LAW students will be recognized in a special graduation ceremony in addition to their regular high school graduation. Students will have the opportunity to earn special LAW graduation cords that they can wear in both ceremonies. In addition, students who complete the internship portion of the legal career classes can earn positions in law firms after they graduate and pass the certificate test. Garcia sees great potential for the academy both in the present and for the future. "As a new academy, our primary goal now is to continue to make more students and the community aware of what we're doing, and by extension, attract more students," said Garcia. "We would also like to help our first graduating class from the academy - the class of 2012 - who participate in the internship program with placement in the paralegal field after they graduate. We also see great potential in bringing in students from our English Language Learner (ELL) population to develop a program for ELLs who want to become court interpreters." For more information about the LAW Academy, contact Kiran Grewal, LAW Academy Administrator or Carlos Garcia at Florin High School. |
|
CAAP takes on the
achievement gap at LCHS
There is an old African proverb that states, "It takes a village to raise a child." The Concerned African-American Parents (CAAP) group at Laguna Creek High School (LCHS) is definitely taking this proverb to heart.
"One consistent indicator of eliminating the achievement gap, from a historic perspective, is parent and community involvement in a child's life," said Angela Jemmott, President of CAAP. "CAAP was created to help bridge the gap between these key connections in a child's life."
Since spring 2007, CAAP has worked with parents, students and Laguna Creek administrators to bring change and improvement on campus to help close the achievement gap. The achievement gap refers to the observed disparity on a number of educational measures between the performance groups of students and groups defined by race, ethnicity, ability and socioeconomic status. The achievement gap has been observed on a variety of measures, including standardized test scores, grade point average, dropout rates, special education enrollment, college enrollment and the California High School Exit Exam.
CAAP meets monthly to discuss ways to reach out to parents and students. They have held informational rallies and barbeques where they have surveyed parents on the top challenges they face with their children. CAAP also created an enrichment center with assistance from Laguna Creek administration, now known as Cardinal University as expanded by the ASSETs grant awarded to LCHS. This includes collaborative youth mentoring programs, namely the Black Student Union, Rising Scholars, Alpha Academy and Succe$$.
"We want to make sure that everyone knows we're more than just an African-American group concerned about African-American children," said John W. Taylor, 1st Vice-President of CAAP. "We care about all children, as our mission and vision indicate, and we strongly believe that as we help elevate the lower performing children, everyone benefits. All our children deserve a quality education and every adult in the community must invest some time towards achieving that goal."
Anyone can join CAAP. The group is currently close to 50 members strong. CAAP members do not have to be parents - anyone who is interested in the academic success of students can join the organization. There are no membership fees or dues. The only requirement is to be willing to give a portion of your time, talents and commitment to the overall purpose and mission of CAAP. The general CAAP meetings are held the second Tuesday of every month from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the LCHS Career Center. For more information, please contact Mrs. Joyce Brown, 2nd Vice-President of CAAP at (916) 470-0823.
For more information about CAAP, click here.
| |
|
|
|
