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Internet Safety Tips
Tip: Use social networking privacy settings to set your profile to "private" and don't accept just anyone as a friend. Please visit EGUSD's Internet Safety Blog for more information about Internet Safety.
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Honoring Our Volunteers
Patricia Alvarado of Elk Grove Elementary School
Patricia Alvarado was recognized as an Education Partner at the June 21, 2011, meeting of the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education.
Patricia has been an active classroom volunteer since her children entered kindergarten at Elk Grove Elementary School. For the past several years, she has served as the English Language Advisory Chairperson on Elk Grove's School Site Council. Patricia is always willing to step in at a moment's notice and assist in interpreting for Elk Grove's Spanish-speaking parents and students. Additionally, she has developed and coordinated the sales and distribution of the school yearbook for the past four years.
On countless occasions, Patricia and her family have made donations to families in need and always work hard to keep Elk Grove Elementary ahead of the curve.
Patricia is married to Ruben Alvarado. They have two sons - Marco, who will enter Elk Grove High School as a 9th grade student in the fall and Desi, who will begin 7th grade at Joseph Kerr Middle School next year.
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Deadline for mandatory Tdap booster shot extended
A new California law is now in effect requiring students in grades 7-12 to show schools proof of a Tdap booster shot for Pertussis for the 2011-2012 school year.
Pertussis (whooping cough) is a serious disease that causes coughing fits that can last for months. It can also be deadly for infants.
The first day of school for students in grades 7-12 is Monday, August 15th. The California legislature has extended the deadline to turn in the proof to schools until 30 days after the start of school.
Parents can turn in the proof of vaccination throughout the summer at school offices. To view school office summer hours, click here.
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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Back to School = Update Your Information
With the beginning of a new school year, the time has come to update your child's information at their school site. It is important that this information is up-to-date at the school site so you can be contacted in case of an emergency. Please update general information (address, phone numbers, emergency contacts, etc.) in your child's file if needed. In addition to the usual means of communicating with parents - phone calls, flyers sent home, etc. - the Elk Grove Unified School District now has the ability to communicate with parents and guardians through an email system that is integrated with our student information system. This system allows for increased district and school communication with parents about important information and events. It will also allow the district and schools to save money on paper and printing costs during these tough budgetary times. We understand that not all families have access to the Internet or email. Therefore, at this time, the emails will be an additional communication tool. Important information will continue to go home to parents in print format. If you have already submitted your email address to your child's school you should be receiving emails. You can make certain that the email comes through by adding the email address donotreply@egusd.net to your acceptable email addresses in your spam filter. If you would like to receive emails in the future, please contact your child's school to have your email address added to your student's registration information. Should you have questions about the email system, please contact communication@egusd.net. |
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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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 Based on the final California State Budget, signed into law on June 30, 2011, EGUSD was able to lower its budget cut target for the 2011-2012 school year and rehire the remaining certificated staff members who had been laid off. A total of 445 certificated staff members had received a final notice of layoff in May 2011. This means that 2011-2012 class sizes will remain the same as in 2010-2011. This good news is tempered, because the financial future of public schools in California continues to remain uncertain. Our elected state leaders have provided public schools with a one year budget solution with but no certainty regarding the level of future school funding beyond the 2011-2012 year. As we open school for the 2011-12 school year, EGUSD is faced with increasing costs such as health care and fuel, concerns over future cash flow, flat enrollment and a volatile state budget. These factors mean that the district is not able to restore all budget cuts made for the 2011-2012 school year. The district continues to face a budget deficit for the 2012-2013 school year. In addition, there is uncertainty about the final state budget, which is based on questionable assumptions. One assumption is that California's revenues will grow by $10.6 billion in 2011-2012. In the event that $4 billion of this revenue does not materialize, the legislature has defined "automatic triggers" that will be used to address mid-year cuts on school districts. This trigger allows for the possibility (subject to negotiations) of the reduction of an additional seven school days. A second concern is that the new state budget lowers the Proposition 98 guarantee, the legally mandated minimum funding for public education. Each time Proposition 98 is lowered, it becomes the new beginning point for future year funding. In the 2011-2012 adopted state budget, $2.1 billion dollars of Proposition 98 money is being redirected to cities and counties rather than to schools. While the budget contains a pledge to repay school districts the $2.1 billion it is borrowing, the failure of a ballot measure to increase taxes would mean that it would take five years to repay the entire sum. EGUSD continues to monitor the information out of the state and will provide updates to staff and the community as they become available. For more information about EGUSD's budget, visit Budget Watch.
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VHS teacher James Welcome is News 10's Teacher of the Year
Valley High School English and history teacher James Welcome was selected as the 2011 Esquire IMAX/News 10's Teacher of the Year at a ceremony held at the Esquire/IMAX Theater on June 9th. He was previously nominated and selected as the February 2011 News10 Teacher of the Month.
Welcome teaches English and history to English Language Learners (ELL) at Valley. Welcome and his colleagues also offer after-school tutoring to students throughout the year, make home visits and meet several times a year with students and their parents as needed.
"James Welcome is an extraordinary teacher who created a partnership program in which ELL students are supported throughout all disciplines as he trains and monitors teachers and their support for his students," said Keven MacDonald, principal at Valley. "In addition to working tirelessly throughout the school year, he has designed and coordinated a summer intersession program for the last two years to support not only ELL students, but all Valley High School students. It is wonderful to see James recognized for all the hard work and dedication he has devoted to helping his ELL students, as well as other Valley students, succeed."
With this honor, Welcome received a $5,000 check from Schools Financial Credit Union, a $500 IKEA gift card, a pizza party for his class every month for a year and a Comcast entertainment package for restaurants and event tickets.
To see the video of Welcome at the awards ceremony, click here.
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EGVA registration for grades 9-12
closes on August 1
Registration deadlines for the Elk Grove Unified School District Virtual Academy are rapidly approaching! The last day to register students in grades 9-12 is Monday, August 1. The last day to register students in grades K-8 is Friday, September 2.
The EGUSD Virtual Academy offers an innovative learning experience for the 21st century student. This accredited online academy allows students in kindergarten through 12th grade to experience teaching and learning from virtually anywhere a computer will take them. The curriculum is provided through a partnership with K12, a national online program. All courses are aligned to the State of California's standards and benchmarks. Classes span from core subjects to a wide variety of electives with a strong emphasis on building skills and critical thinking.
Student learning is guided by Elk Grove Unified teachers. Students have access to their teachers in person, online and by email. Parents play a critical role as learning coaches in the EGUSD Virtual Academy to support their students' learning.
The EGUSD Virtual Academy is part of a free public education system. Students enrolled in the EGUSD Virtual Academy can earn an accredited high school diploma through the Elk Grove Unified School District. This academy is open to students living in Sacramento, Amador, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Placer, San Joaquin, Solano, Sutter and Yolo counties.
For more information on how to register for the EGUSD Virtual Academy, click here .
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Follow EGUSD on Facebook & Twitter
Did you know you can keep up with the latest news and updates about the Elk Grove Unified School District on Facebook and Twitter?
It's true! Since their launch in May 2010, parents, students, staff and community members have been able to follow EGUSD on Facebook and Twitter.
Twitter allows the district to send short, concise updates on a variety of topics, including: upcoming events (graduations, etc.), activities, emergencies and breaking news, budget updates, district awards, weather reports and school closures, board meeting updates and weekly topics (i.e. character education, energy conservation, Internet safety tips).
On Facebook, users can not only get updates like they can on Twitter, but they will also find links to feature stories about the district, view photos from district events, view upcoming district events on the calendar and read about new awards and honors earned by our students, teachers and staff.
Facebook and Twitter does not replace any of the communications tools the district currently has in place. It serves as a supplemental tool to reach individuals who currently do not access the communications tools the district already has.
You can "like" Elk Grove Unified on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/ElkGroveUnified.
To follow Elk Grove Unified on Twitter, visit http://twitter.com/elkgroveunified.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Please email the Communications Department at communication@egusd.net or call (916) 686-7732.
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