News from EGUSD

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.

Energy Awareness Month at EGUSD

October is Energy Awareness Month and throughout EGUSD, efforts to conserve energy have become part of the daily routine.

EGUSD has been recognized over the past few months for its efforts in energy conservation. On July 15, the district was awarded a 2010 SMUD (Sacramento Municipal Utilities District) Community Energy Award for the district's work on energy conservation. On September 21, the district was recognized by the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors as a recipient of the 2010 Sacramento Sustainable Business of the Year Award. The district was selected for this award by the Business Environmental Resource Center (BERC) for EGUSD's outstanding contributions to sustainability and pollution prevention in the community through its Energy Conservation Program and sustainable design and construction practices. SMUD also recognized the district for the award at their October 8 board meeting.

One of the top goals of the district's energy conservation program is to save $1 million in energy costs during the 2010-2011 school year. Each school site and district building has an energy savings goal based on their baseline performance from the 2008-2009 school year that they will be compared to. Energy savings for the months of July and August by school and office sites are currently posted on the Energy Conservation website. Although the results are very promising, due to a number of factors the numbers should be relatively over inflated. For example, the Sacramento area experienced relatively mild weather in July and August. July through October are the district's "high-consumption" months. Therefore to reach the goal, the district has to see a higher pro rata percentage saving in these months.

However, EGUSD's energy conservation program is not just for staff. Students are also being encouraged to join in the district's efforts. Teachers can select students to be designated as classroom energy monitors and "energy ambassadors" to remind their peers to save energy while at school. Teachers are also welcome to request an energy monitor toolkit for their classrooms. This kit includes an energy monitor badge, as well as an energy monitor guide, classroom checklist and classroom pledge.

EGUSD schools celebrate
National GEAR UP Day

VHSGEARUP

Two EGUSD schools celebrated the second annual National GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) Day on September 30, 2010. The annual event honors the work of students, staff and GEAR UP for educational improvement at designated California GEAR UP schools.

"National GEAR UP Day celebrates students, families and school communities across the United States and beyond," said Shelley Davis, Director of California GEAR UP. "The occasion marks more than ten years of support from congressional, state and local leaders and recognizes our collaborative efforts to close achievement and opportunity gaps for ALL students."

Two EGUSD schools have had the benefit of California GEAR UP's support in recent years: Valley High School and Edward Harris, Jr. Middle School. Both schools receive GEAR UP funding and staff support to scaffold the learning of low-income students to provide the skills, encouragement, and preparation to enter and succeed in post secondary education. Nationwide, in the last 10 years, GEAR UP distributed more than $3 billion to nearly 12 million students across the country.

This year, California GEAR UP hosted a community breakfast and site visit at Valley High School on Thursday, September 30 at 8 a.m. The day's activities included: a business and community leaders breakfast, campus tours and classroom visits and lunchtime student activities and performances. The event presented an opportunity for students to network with business and community leaders, families and educators.

At Edward Harris, Jr. Middle School, students created a Dream Wall, finishing the following sentence, "I am a future college graduate. I will graduate from... I will become..." Other activities were planned surrounding conversations about college.

Fall plays at EGUSD

Dim the lights and open the curtain - its fall theater season once again at Elk Grove Unified! The following schools are presenting productions during the fall season:

Cosumnes Oaks High School's theater students will perform "Rumors" on October 21-23. The play, written by Neil Simon, is about four couples who gather at the home of Deputy Mayor Charlie Brock and his wife Myra to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary. However, Ken and Chris Gorman find Charlie upstairs with a bullet hole in his ear and Myra is missing. Show times start at 7 p.m. on all days, with an additional matinee performance at 2 p.m. on October 23. Tickets are $8 general admission and $6 for senior citizens and children under 10. In addition to the aforementioned performances, the COHS Culinary Arts Institute will host a special dinner prior to the show on October 22. Dinner will be served in the Black Box Theater at 5 p.m. with a choice of chicken or vegetarian. Tickets are $30 per person.

Drama students at Florin High School will present their rendition of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None." The play is about a group of strangers who are invited to and stranded on an island off the coast of England. One by one, each of them falls victim to a killer who is practicing his or her own form of justice for their past misdeeds. The play will run November 12-13 and 17-18. Show times begin at 7 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee on November 13. Tickets are $7 pre-sale and $9 at the door.

Franklin High School's Theater Company will present "Is He Dead?" November 4-6 and 12-13. "Is He Dead?" - a play by Mark Twain and adapted by David Ives - focuses on a fictional version of the great French painter Jean-Francois Millet as an impoverished artist in Barbizon, France. With the help of his colleagues, Millet stages his death in order to increase the value of his paintings. All shows start at 7 p.m., with matinees at 2 p.m. on November 6 and 13. Tickets are $10 for general admission and Saturday matinees are $7.

Theater students at Laguna Creek High School will present "All Because of Agatha" November 18-20 at 7:30 p.m. on all days. The play tells the story of Duff O'Hara and his young bride Joan. After purchasing a charming old house in Salem, Massachusetts, they discover that their home is visited each year by a slightly destructive witch named Agatha Forbes. Duff and Joan decide to make a party out of the witch's yearly visit and proceed to invite their friends, family and neighbors. The cost is $6 in advance and $8 at the door.

Monterey Trail High School's drama department will present "The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza" on October 22-23 and October 28-30 at 7 p.m. An additional matinee showing will be held at 4 p.m. on October 28. During the play, two battling narrators and a group of actors attempt to cover the entirety of Greek mythology using audience participation and theatrical insanity. Famous myths - including Pandora's Box, Jason and the Argonauts and Hercules - are interpreted in a slapstick, madcap style. Tickets are $8 for general admission and $6 for students, senior citizens and children.

Pleasant Grove High School's theater students will present "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," on November 4-6 and November 12-13 at 7 p.m. A 2 p.m. matinee will be available on November 13. The play follows the story of Randle P. McMurphy, a convict posing as a patient in a mental institution in order to avoid worker's prison. McMurphy becomes an accidental hero in his efforts to bring sanity to a mental ward run by the iron-fisted Nurse Ratched. Tickets are $9 for general admission and $8 for students with an ASB sticker.

Theatre students at Sheldon High School will present "The Arabian Nights" as their fall production. The play reanimates the ancient myths of the legend of over 1,001 nights. To save her life, a beautiful bride must spin hypnotic tales of genies, jesters, thieves and kings - winning her freedom by eventually winning her husband's heart. Show times are November 4-6 and November 12-13 at 7 p.m. A matinee will be performed on November 13 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 for general admission.

Theatre students at Valley High School will present "Twelve Hungry People" on December 2-4. Performances start at 7 p.m. on December 3-4 and at 2 p.m. on December 2. The original play is written by Valley teacher Patricia Dismukes and Valley High School Theatre students. It tells the story of a family of 12 people celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas together with all the humor and drama that a family can create. The cost is $3 for students and $5 for adults.

Florence Markofer Elementary School holds 4th Annual Donuts for Dads/Muffins for Moms reading event

On October 1, Florence Markofer Elementary School welcomed first-grade parents to campus to participate in their 4th Annual Donuts for Dads/Muffins for Moms event.

Over 100 family members attended the event to spend the morning reading to their children. The event began with a welcome by Eric Murchison, principal at Markofer, followed by a short presentation by instructional coach Peggy Barrad to parents about the importance of reading. Murchison read the book "No Milk!" before allowing parents to read to their children.

"It's amazing the power of simply reading to your children," said Murchison. "This is one of our favorite events at Markofer and we are pleased to see that everyone had a great time."

Donuts and muffins were donated for the event by J. R. Donuts and Mimi's Cafe.