Internet Safety Tips
Tip: Become a net-savvy parent - The best safeguard against online dangers is being informed. Learn the basics of the Internet - read articles, take a class, talk to your kids and other parents. |
Honoring Our Volunteers
The Gallegos Family of Samuel Kennedy Elementary School
The Gallegos family was recognized as an Education Partner at the September 20, 2011, meeting of the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education. The Gallegos family has been actively involved at Samuel Kennedy Elementary School for the past eight years. Cindy Gallegos has served on the GATE Parent Advisory Committee, School Site Council and the Superintendent's Parent Advisory Committee. She has also helped with other school programs - such as MESA and Kennedy University - along with serving countless volunteer hours in the classroom, on campus and on field trips. During their time at Kennedy, the Gallegos children have participated in Kennedy's accelerated and GATE programs, as well as a variety of activities, sports and programs. The Gallegos family enjoys spending time together and cheering on one another during weekend soccer games with community league teams. Cindy Gallegos is a former Kennedy student, having attended the school from fourth through sixth grade. Rafael and Cindy have four children: Rafael, Jr. - a 7th grade student, Jason - a 5th grade student at Kennedy, Kaela - a 3rd grade student at Kennedy and Leandra - a pre-kindergarten student at Kennedy. |
|
Elk Grove High School teacher appointed to
California State University advisory board
Karin Wescom, an English teacher at Elk Grove High School, has been appointed to the California State University (CSU) Expository Reading and Writing Course (ERWC) Advisory Board. The ERWC is a full-year college preparatory English course for juniors and seniors. This course meets the California English-Language Arts Content Standards, tackles critical reading and writing problems identified by the CSU English Placement Test Committee and prepares students to meet the expectations of college and university faculty. The ERWC meets the area "B" credit for "A-G" requirements for both the University of California and CSU. The ERWC Advisory Board oversees the use and trainings for the ERWC curriculum. This year marks the first year high school teachers have been added to the advisory board. The board previously consisted of only college professors. Wescom is one of two high school English teachers in California appointed to the advisory board. She is the Northern California representative. Click here for more information about the ERWC. |
EGUSD to host annual College & Career Fair
The 19th Annual Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) College & Career Fair will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 6th at Cosumnes Oaks High School.
Students will have the chance to meet with over 100 representatives from colleges, businesses and all military branches to increase their breadth of knowledge in exploring the college enrollment process and other options available after high school.
|
EGUSD Communications Department earns three awards in statewide competition
The Elk Grove Unified School District's Communications Department earned three awards in the California School Public Relations Association (CalSPRA) 2011 Excellence in Communications Awards Program. The Excellence in Communication Awards Program recognizes outstanding achievement in communication and public relations for K-16 educational professionals and institutions. The Communications Department captured the following awards: - California Gold Award for the EGUSD Energy Conservation Program
- Award of Excellence in the Logo Design category for EGUSD Virtual Academy Logo, designed by district web specialist Kathleen Watt
- Award of Merit in the Special Event or Program category for the Elk Grove Auto Mall 2010/2011 Graduating Seniors Attendance Drive
The EGUSD Energy Conservation Program also was awarded the Gold Medallion Award from the National School Public Relations Association in June 2011. Entries are evaluated individually against specific criteria reflecting the four-step PR process, as well as quality standards for each category, by a team of school public relations professionals outside of California. The California Gold award is the top statewide recognition honoring superior educational public relations programs. This category showcases excellence in planning and executing a major program or event. Entries are also eligible to receive two other designations of recognition - the Award of Excellence and the Award of Merit. This year, the contest was judged by business public relations professionals in the public and private sectors for Sacramento/Central Valley. The CalSPRA Excellence in Communication Awards program is designed to provide recognition for creative and effective work, as well as valuable feedback from fellow school public relations professionals. This awards program allows school district communications departments to benchmark the quality of their communications programs and projects. |
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Three EGUSD elementary schools selected to pilot new bullying prevention program
 Thanks to a $176,000 two-year grant EGUSD elementary schools are piloting a Steps to Respect (STR) Bullying Prevention Program. The grant was awarded by the Sacramento Countywide Bullying Prevention Project, which includes the Sacramento County Office of Education's Prevention and Student Services and the Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Behavioral Health Services. Raymond case, Roy Herburger and Union House elementary schools will pilot the STR program with students in grades 4-6 this year. The STR program utilizes a three-pronged approach to bullying through teacher, student and parent awareness. To facilitate the program, teachers from selected elementary schools attended specialized bullying trainings. "In STR lessons, students study and discuss core ethical values, such as respect for self and others, caring, responsibility, compassion, trustworthiness and self-discipline," said Tami Silvera, project implementor and district lead for the Bullying Prevention Project for Elk Grove Unified. "The 'whole-school' program is designed to decrease bullying and to foster a climate in which adults and students work together to develop a school culture based on care and respect." A unit on cyberbullying, presented by Gail Desler, technology integration specialist and Kathleen Watt, web specialist, was also addressed at the teachers' training. Desler and Watt spoke on the differences between cyberbullying and traditional bullying, as well as the statistics of bullying. The roles of combating bullying - providing tips and strategies for working with the bully, supporting the victim and encouraging the bystander to cross the line and be an upstander - were also examined. The Common Sense Media curriculum was covered and online resources on the district's Internet Safety page and the 2webwatchers blog were highlighted. Desler and Watt also presented cyberbullying material at parent information nights. The three schools are each holding parent information nights in both the fall and the spring. Click here for more information about the Steps to Respect Bullying Prevention program. |
|
Butterfly garden takes flight
at Prairie Elementary School
Soon students at Prairie Elementary School will be able to visit the wonderful world of butterflies daily, all without leaving their school campus.
Prairie is in the process of completing an enclosed butterfly garden on campus. In April 2011, the garden planters were constructed by teachers, parents and volunteers from Farmers Insurance. The butterfly enclosure was completed a couple weeks later. Students planted flowers in the garden in April and May.
"Anyone can help out with the garden," said McKillop. "In the spring, we're hoping to encourage parent volunteers to help with the maintenance and planting. In the spring, we're planning on adding a vegetable garden to incorporate more learning beyond the walls of the classroom. We're also looking to establish 'Green Team' at Prairie to raise awareness about recycling, composting and general good habits for taking care of the Earth."
Currently, McKillop's fourth grade class along with Melinda Morris' first grade class, Marilyn Farnell's fourth grade class and Marty Wakefield's third grade class have taken on the responsibility for the upkeep of the garden. The garden will finally be ready for its first crop of about 100 butterflies in the spring and McKillop hopes this will bring in more participation.
"Although the garden was created in an attempt to bring science alive, it covers more academic targets than just science," said Lesley McKillop, a fourth grade teacher at Prairie who led the charge in creating the garden. "The garden also allows us to incorporate concepts from writing, reading - specifically our City Wildlife unit - math, social studies and art. The possibilities with the garden are endless."
Prairie funded the garden through donations and a $5,000 Sharing the Dream grant from the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the MetLife Foundation. Each year since 2004, NAESP and MetLife have awarded up to 30 grants for numerous projects through the Sharing the Dream grant program. Selected projects must include parent and community involvement, one of six standards from NAESP's "Leading Learning Communities: What Principals Should Know and Be Able to Do" publication, measureable involvement data and how their project is connected to the success of students and their school. Click here for more information about the Sharing the Dream grant program.
Donations to help sustain Prairie's butterfly garden are also being accepted at DonorsChoose.org. Click here to donate to Praire's butterfly garden.
|
|
EGUSD sponsors Internet Safety Challenge for students in grades 3-6
Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) elementary school students in grade 3-6 now have a chance to win two Flip cameras for their schools through the EGUSD Internet Safety Challenge.
Entering the contest is simple - students simply have to complete a quick online quiz on Internet Safety in their computer class. EGUSD launched a new Internet Safety curriculum for all elementary schools (1st through 6th grade) in the 2010-2011 school year. This short test will offer students a chance to refresh their memory on what they learned last year and help computer teachers find out where their students are at or what they should focus on for the 2011-2012 school year. The deadline for the contest is November 30, 2011.
The top five elementary schools with the highest quiz participation and proficiency scores will be entered into a drawing for the two Flip cameras.
In addition to winning the two Flip cameras, any elementary school with over a 90 percent quiz participation rate will win a customized i-SAFE graphic, "We are an i-SAFE school" for their school website and school newsletter. Winners will also be featured as the EGUSD Internet Spotlight story in December 2011 and recognized at the Board of Education meeting on December 4, 2011.
The EGUSD Internet Safety Program is an on-going project and commitment. As new tools emerge, the district expands the curriculum and trainings accordingly. The district has an Internet Safety Task Force that meets regularly to address new issues and to assess program progress. Currently, the district provides Internet Safety workshops for teachers, administrators, and parents.
District staff also created the 2WebWatchers blog to invite the EGUSD community at large into an on-going, online discussion on pertinent topics. Information from the blog is also shared with parents in a printed format via school newsletters.
|
|
|
Stone Lake Elementary School 5K Fun Run raises money for diabetes research
On Saturday, September 24, nearly 200 students, staff and parents of Stone Lake Elementary School eagerly took to the school track and the streets of their surrounding neighborhood for their 8th Annual 5K Fun Run and Pancake Breakfast fundraiser, sponsored by the Stone Lake Parent Teacher Organization.
This year's fun run and pancake breakfast not only raised money for Stone Lake programs and supplies, but for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) as well. Approximately 90 percent of the pledges raised and profits from t-shirt sales will be donated to JDRF. The remaining ten percent will benefit Stone Lake.
"We chose to team up with JDRF to help raise awareness of Type 1 diabetes and what our students who have this disease have to go through," said Lourdes Lem, a chairperson for the event. "I think the event was a great success this year and we're thrilled to be able to help support JDRF in their search for a cure for this disease."
Participants could choose between a ½ mile fun run/walk on the school's track or a 5K run throughout the neighborhood around the school. The fun run/walk concluded with a raffle for prizes donated by local businesses. A free continental breakfast prepared by Stone Lake's teachers was also available for participants.
"This was an exciting event that benefited diabetes and encouraged healthy living all around," said Dr. Bindy Grewal, principal at Stone Lake. "We are so fortunate and grateful to have such a wonderful PTO that does so much for our school."
JDRF is a research foundation searching for a cure for type 1 diabetes. The foundation is a leader in the field of diabetes research and is the largest charitable funder and advocate of diabetes science worldwide. Parents of children with Type 1 diabetes founded the organization in 1970. Since then, JDRF has awarded more than $1.5 billion to diabetes research, including $107 million last year. Click here for more information about JDRF.
|
|
|
