Honoring Our Volunteers
Sonya Breckenridge of Cosumnes River Elementary School
Sonya Breckenridge was recognized as an Education Partner at the May 10, 2011, meeting of the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education. Sonya began volunteering six years ago when her oldest child entered kindergarten at Cosumnes River. She has held numerous positions in the Cosumnes River PTA, including e-Script coordinator, parliamentarian and is currently serving in her second year as president. Sonya has made many contributions to Cosumnes River through the years as a member of the PTA. As e-Scrip coordinator, Sonya led the charge in raising money to purchase an entire lab of laptop computers on mobile carts. Students use these computers in classrooms and around campus for a range of tasks, including monitoring their own Healthy Fitness Zone data to research for reports. As parliamentarian, she championed organizational changes within the Cosumnes River PTA to help it become more efficient and supportive during difficult economic times. Lastly, as president, Sonya helped guide the PTA during the construction of and move into Cosumnes River's new campus. Sonya is married to John Breckenridge. They have two children who attend Cosumnes River, Anna - a 5th grade student and Gavin - a 2nd grade student.
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New California immunization law for incoming 7th-12th grade students
A new California law now requires that all students entering 7th through 12th grade in the 2011-2012 school year provide schools proof that they have received an adolescent pertussis (whooping cough) booster shot (Tdap) prior to starting school.
Students will not be able to attend school in 2011-2012 until they show proof of the booster shot.
The new law was enacted following a widespread pertussis epidemic in 2010. Pertussis is a serious disease that causes coughing fits that can last for months. It can also be deadly for infants.
Once your student receives the Tdap booster shot, bring the written proof to the front office of your student's current school. If your student has already received the Tdap booster shot, please bring a copy of the written proof to your student's current school.
The Elk Grove Unified School District is urging parents of current 6th through 11th graders to get the booster shot now to avoid the back-to-school rush this summer. Please note that the tetanus-diphtheria booster shot (Td) does not meet the requirement of the law. Students must have the Tdap booster to meet the requirements of the new law.
California law allows parents/guardians to exempt their child from the pertussis booster (Tdap) immunization for two reasons: (1) medical (by way of letter from physician) or (2) personal beliefs. The law does not allow parents/guardians to elect an exemption out of convenience. The exemption form is available at the school and must be completed at the school of attendance. If you have questions, contact the nurse or Health Records Assistant at the school.
After the 2011-2012 school year, only students entering 7th grade will need to show proof of having received the adolescent pertussis booster shot.
For additional information, please visit the California Department of Public Health website.
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EGUSD Virtual Academy to hold Open Houses for new students and parents
The Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) Virtual Academy will hold open houses for new students and parents to provide an overview of the district's K-12 virtual education program, meet staff and ask questions. Registration for the 2011-2012 school year is now open. Registration materials can be obtained or submitted during these open houses or parents can visit http://blogs.egusd.net/egva/ to download materials. Open houses will be held at Cosumnes Oaks High School (8350 Lotz Parkway, Elk Grove 95757) in the Computer Lab near the Library on the following dates: Wednesday, May 25th 8:30 a.m. Thursday, June 16th 12 p.m. Friday, July 22nd 3 p.m. For more information about the EGUSD Virtual Academy, contact (916) 686-7747, email EGVirtual@egusd.net or visit http://blogs.egusd.net/egva/. |
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Toby Johnson Middle School yearbook wins nine awards in regional competition
The Toby Johnson Middle School yearbook Jamboree has earned nine awards in the Journalism Education Association Northern California (JEANC) 2011 Annual Contest.
Each year, the JEANC Annual Contest recognizes the work of high school newspapers, news websites and yearbooks. Although the competition is geared for high schools, Johnson's yearbook staff decided to enter the contest this year.
Jamboree took home awards in the following categories:
First Place: Feature Photo
First Place: Infographic
Second Place: Academics
Second Place: Feature Photo
Second Place: Infographic
Third Place: Academics
Third Place: Clubs & Organizations
Honorable Mention: Specialty Spread
Honorable Mention: Theme/Concept
For more information about the contest, click here.
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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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Pleasant Grove, Sheldon high school agriculture students participate in International Economics Summit
On April 29, 90 agriculture students from Pleasant Grove and Sheldon high schools gathered together to participate in the International Economics Summit program.
The summit, which uses curriculum from the Federal Reserve Bank, includes a day where students act as economic advisors for a country and trade, make alliances, take out loans and discuss relevant issues - all in the hope of improving the livelihood of their country.
Pleasant Grove agriculture teacher Tara Meade got the idea to bring the economics summit to Elk Grove Unified from a conference she attended about a year ago.
"The conference explained how to implement the curriculum for the summit in the classroom," said Meade. "So I spoke with Jim Looper (agriculture teacher at Sheldon High School) about trying the program with me to make it a more enjoyable experience for everyone. I gave him the curriculum and walked him through it and it just grew from there. The summit truly gives students a way to apply the concepts they have learned to real-life situations."
Students at both schools prepared all semester long for the summit by studying international economics and relating the concepts to their assigned country. The countries represented at the summit were: Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Denmark, Ethiopia, Finland, Greece, India, Israel, Sierra Leona, Singapore, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
The summit was held at Pleasant Grove High School.
"Tara did an extraordinary job at mentoring me through the program and spearheading the summit," said James Looper, agriculture teacher at Sheldon. "The students and staff at Pleasant Grove were incredibly accommodating to our Sheldon students. The students were especially excited to see EGUSD Board President Priscilla Cox supporting the event. It was truly an incredible, positive experience for everyone who participated. The students really enjoyed the day and came away with so much more than they ever could have received in the classroom."
For more information about the International Economics Summit, click here.
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EGUSD high school students take home awards at 15th Annual Teen Digital Reel Showcase
 Students from two Elk Grove Unified high schools took home awards at the 15th Annual Teen Digital Reel Showcase on Friday, May 6 at the Crest Theater. The Teen Digital Reel Showcase invites teens to produce short computer-enhanced movies that address compelling topics. Students earned awards in the following categories: Sheldon High School Short Story - Animation - Tyler Norman Castelo, Josue Cuellar, Aaron Fletcher, Reed Gibson, Ariel Hevesi, Michael Howe, Sean Kennedy, Jacob Licca, Mario Mitchell, Byron Rosario & Igor Sacara - "The Mees" - Best of Category
Franklin High School Best of Show - Victoria Suan & Alayna Mirjanovic - "A Ghost Tale"
Experimental Beauty/Surrealism - Ben Arriaga & Arman Seneris - "Endarken" - Best of Category & Best Portfolio
- Ryan McFarlane - "Floor 3" - Award of Excellence
Music Video/Creative Audio Design - Gabe Figueroa & Katarina Linsenbard - "Everybody Knows It Was Me" - Best of Category & Best Portfolio
- Samantha Vu & Jenise Vu - "My House" - Award of Excellence
Public Service Announcement Duet - Monique Sypkens & Jessica Lamorena - "Don't Be the Influence" - Award of Excellence
The annual competition was created by the Tower of Youth to showcase the filmmaking talents of high school students. Students may submit entries in nine content categories: Perspectives on the Environment, Public Service Announcement, Commercial Duet, Sports Industry, Music Video or Creative Audio Design, Experimental Beauty/Surrealism, Documentary, Short Story - Live Action and Short Story - Animation. For more information on the Teen Digital Reel Showcase, click here.
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Social Media - Protect Your Future with Your Decisions Today
Think before you post.
This simple mantra is growing in popularity - especially amongst the ranks of high school students applying to college and the workforce - as more and more college admissions officers and potential employers are utilizing Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social networking sites to recruit future students and employees. A whopping 82 percent of America's top colleges are now using social media regularly to recruit students to their school, according to Schools.com.
However, in addition to using social networking sites to recruit, colleges and employers are also using these sites to make decisions to accept a potential student/employee. This can be either a positive or negative outcome for students. According to Schools.com, 62 percent of college admissions officers said a student's social media profiles have generally helped them in the college admissions process. However, this means that 38 percent of admissions officers feel that social media profiles have hurt a student's chances of acceptance to a school.
To avoid falling into that negative 38 percent, there are steps that teens can take to ensure their social media profiles are not a roadblock to their educational future:
- Look the part: Many prospective college students are creating new email addresses and profiles specifically for college admissions. This helps them keep both a personal and professional presence on the web.
- Privacy is key: Make all of your social networking profiles - such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. - private.
- Don't look guilty by association: Be mindful of the company you keep. Although you may not participate in unsuitable behavior - i.e. posting embarrassing photos, engaging in inappropriate conversations, etc. - your friends might be. Consider deleting these acquaintances from your profile.
- Avoid oversharing: Try to stay away from talking about "hot button" or controversial topics, such as politics, religion, etc. These topics typically wouldn't be shared with an admissions officer so refrain from anything that could potentially rub someone the wrong way.
- Google yourself: You never know what's out there about you, so stay one step ahead of potential admissions officers by searching for information about yourself. If you find anything questionable, hopefully you'll be able to take care of it before they find it.
For more information about social networks and how they can affect an applicant's future, visit Schools.com.
**The social media tips are taken from www.safetyweb.com. **
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EGUSD students win awards in local educational video competition
Elk Grove Unified students turned in a strong showing at the 2011 Student Educational Video Awards (SEVAs) on Monday, May 9th, taking home awards in all four categories across all grade levels.
The SEVAs give students of all ages a chance to share their vision through video or other multimedia about educational topics and issues in their daily lives. The categories include documentary, instructional, public service announcement (PSA), and school news. The SEVAs are sponsored by the Sacramento Educational Cable Consortium (SECC), Comcast, Wells Fargo and News 10.
To view the winning videos online, click here. For more information about the SEVA Awards, click here.
Elementary School Categories
Documentary
SEVA Award
"The Misunderstood Crow" - Jose Magana, Josue Hernandez-Aguilar, Ricardo Diaz-Moreno and Kaleb Rahman-Smith (Prairie Elementary School)
Instructional
SEVA Award
"How to Draw a Really Cool Bird" - Juan Flores, Kevin Camacho and Junior Hernandez-Martinez (Prairie Elementary School)
Honorable Mention
"How to Dance the Hasapiko" - Kristiana M. Perris (Cosumnes River Elementary School)
Honorable Mention
"How to Tie Your Shoes" - Tiffany Tran, Nia Collins and Diana Ventura (Herman Leimbach Elementary School)
PSA
SEVA Award
"No Excuses. Go to School" - Rey Rodriguez, Ryan Watson, Raymond MacKenzie, Wisam Morrar and Kailee Anderson (Foulks Ranch Elementary School)
Honorable Mention
"Internet Safety 101" - Aaron LeDawson (Foulks Ranch Elementary School)
School News
SEVA Award
"Spirit Rallies at Elitha Donner" - Theja Soliman & Marie Gabrielle Metias (Elitha Donner Elementary School)
Middle School Categories
School News
SEVA Award
"First Things First" - TJ-TV crew (Toby Johnson Middle School)
Instructional
Honorable Mention
"How to Survive & Thrive in Middle School" - Andrew LeDawson (Elizabeth Pinkerton Middle School)
High School Categories
School News
SEVA Award
"Wolfpack TV" - COHS Broadcasting (Cosumnes Oaks High School)
Instructional
SEVA Award
"How to Drive a Stick Shift" - Benjamin Margiott (Cosumnes Oaks High School)
Honorable Mention
"Indian Flatbread" - Jasmine Khangura (Franklin High School)
PSA
Honorable Mention
"Decisions" - Tori Winslow (Cosumnes Oaks High School)
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