News from EGUSD

Elk Grove Unified School District

Excellence by Design

EGUSD News and Notes

October 31, 2011

In This Issue

Governor's Fitness Challenge

Transitional Kindergarten

Red Ribbon Week @ McKee

National FFA Convention

Helpful Links

District Event Calendar

Budget Watch

Internet Safety Tips

Tip: There's no such thing as "private" on the Internet. Anything posted can be seen by or forwarded to strangers, college admission officers, and potential employers.

Honoring Our Volunteers

Vernon Jackson of William Daylor High School

Vernon Jackson was recognized as an Education Partner at the October 18, 2011, meeting of the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education.

For the past two years, Jackson has been a faithful and active volunteer at William Daylor High School. He recognizes the challenges that Daylor students face and is willing to take the steps necessary to support and guide them in their journeys to live up to the school's academic standards and ultimately graduate from high school. Jackson continues to work with Daylor's math program, assisting all who seek his help. He has become a great asset to Daylor and the staff and students are lucky to have him.

Jackson is a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. After a career in the federal criminal justice system, he has enjoyed the last 24 years in retirement. As a single father, Jackson successfully raised four daughters who went on to lead productive lives.

EGUSD asks students, staff, parents to participate in national Speak Up survey

The Elk Grove Unified School District is seeking input from students, staff and parents about technology use and education through the national "Speak Up" survey, administered by Project Tomorrow, a non-profit education organization.

EGUSD stakeholders are asked to take the survey online and select whether you fall under the category of parents, students, teachers or administrators. The website asks for the user to enter the state and name of the school. Survey takers will then need to enter the "secret word" elkgrove to access the survey.

Individual responses are anonymous. They are associated with a school but are not tied to the individual. The survey will close on December 23, 2011.

The survey results will inform EGUSD about how participants feel about their education and the use of technology. Survey results may be used for planning and community discussion.

Project Tomorrow releases national findings through a variety of venues, including: Congressional briefings in Washington, D.C., national and regional conferences, email distribution, the Project Tomorrow website and through Speak Up partners. According to Project Tomorrow, local, state and national stakeholders report using Speak Up data to inform their new programs and policies.

Click here to take the survey.

Toby Johnson Middle School redesignated

as a "School to Watch" by CDE

SchoolToWatch

Toby Johnson Middle School has been redesignated as a "School to Watch" through the California Schools to Watch^TM - Taking Center Stage program, sponsored by the California Department of Education (CDE), National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform and California Middle Grades Alliance. The school will maintain its redesignation classification through 2015.

To qualify as a "School to Watch," selected schools must have in place replicable practices in the areas of academic excellence, responsiveness to the developmental needs of young adolescents, fair and equitable education for all students and organizational processes and procedures that foster and sustain academic growth.

A Johnson Middle School team developed and submitted a narrative application which included a self-assessment of all identified practices as a part of the redesignation process. After the application was submitted, the school was visited by a team of educators.

Toby Johnson Middle School will be recognized for its redesignation at the California League of Middle Schools conference to be held in Sacramento in February 2012.

Schools selected as a "School to Watch" demonstrate exemplary middle school design. Schools are evaluated using criteria for high performance developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. The criteria and its scoring rubric used to determine a "School to Watch" are found in the School Self-Study and Rating Rubric (SSRR). The SSRR is fully aligned to CDE's 12 recommendations to ensure success and close the achievement gap for all of California's middle grades students. Click here for more information on the California Schools to Watch - Taking Center Stage program.

New prizes in November for EGUSD Attendance Campaign

It's nearly November - time for new prizes for the No Excuses - Go to School Attendance Campaign!

Students who attend all their classes - every day - in November will be eligible to win the following prizes:

Elementary Schools

Family 4-pack of tickets to an April or May 2012 Sacramento River Cats game
Free kids meal at Dos Coyotes

Middle Schools

Family 4-pack of tickets to an April or May 2012 Sacramento River Cats game
Free kids meal at Chick-fil-A

High/Alternative Schools

Family 4-pack of tickets to an April or May 2012 Sacramento River Cats game
Prize pack of bowling, lazer tag and arcade games to Country Club Lanes

The No Excuses - Go to School Attendance Campaign promotes the idea that students should not use excuses to miss school. The program is an outreach approach to parents and community members through school newsletter articles, press releases, letters home, posters, calendars and flyers.

Prize winners for perfect attendance in October will be announced next week so stay tuned to morning announcements at your school - the next winner could be you!

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.

Prairie Elementary School selected as regional winner in Governor's Challenge

Prairie Elementary School has been selected as the Gold Country Regional Winner for the 2011 Governor's Challenge. As a regional winner, Prairie received $6,000 in awards - a $5,000 check for physical activity equipment and a $1,000 CVS/pharmacy gift card. Prairie received these awards from Kenny Rogers, executive director for the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, at an assembly on Thursday, October 6.

"We are proud to have been selected as the Gold Country regional winner in the Governor's Challenge," said Fawzia Keval, principal at Prairie. "As a Title I school, we are in the heart of Sacramento's area for most at-risk students. Studies have shown the link between low socio-economic status and obesity. As a school, we have committed to promoting healthy eating as well as physical activity and fitness on campus in order to combat this epidemic. We plan on using our prizes to continue to build upon the healthy activities we already have in place for the future."

Prairie was selected as a regional award winner for their commitment to promoting healthy eating, physical activity and fitness on campus. The school participates in the Harvest of the Month program, Jr. Chef Central and maintains a school garden as a part of the healthy eating element. Prairie students also participated in a variety of district intramural sports programs - including basketball, volleyball and track, as well as the Runnin' For Rhett Youth Fitness program, a jog-a-thon and Spotlight - a fitness and self-esteem building group for young girls. The school also participated in the 2011 Governor's Fitness Challenge.

The Gold Country Region includes 14 surrounding counties: Sacramento, Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mono, Placer, San Joaquin, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tuolumme, Yolo and Yuba.

The Governor's Challenge Competition, presented by General Mills and the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, is an annual contest among K-12 schools that encourages students, teachers and parents to be physically active 30-60 minutes a day at least 3 days a week. The purpose of the competition is to establish early habits of physical activity in California's youngest citizens and to encourage all Californians to be physically active for their health and well-being. Top prizes for schools include three $100,000 fitness center grand prizes and eleven $5,000 regional awards.

Click here for more information about the Governor's Fitness Challenge.

New California law creates

Transitional Kindergarten

Kindergartener

In an effort to better prepare students to perform their best when they begin school, California schools are in the process of enacting the Kindergarten Readiness Act. This new law was signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on September 10, 2010. The law changes the birth date for kindergarten eligibility from December 2 to September 1 over the next three years. The new age eligibility requirement will be phased in over three years:

2012-2013 - Child must turn 5 by November 1 to enter kindergarten
2013-2014 - Child must turn 5 by October 1 to enter kindergarten
2014-2015 - Child must turn 5 by September 1 to enter kindergarten

The law also created a new program - Transitional Kindergarten (TK). This two-year program was created to build a bridge between early learning and kindergarten by using a modified kindergarten curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate. TK will follow the same school year calendar as a kindergarten class and will contain the same number of instructional minutes per day.

Beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, Elk Grove Unified will begin offering TK at select elementary school sites in the district. New eligibility requirements for TK will be phased in over three years:

2012-2013-Child must turn 5 between November 2-December 2
2013-2014-Child must turn 5 between October 2-December 2
2014-2015-Child must turn 5 between September 2-December 2

EGUSD's PreK-6 Education Department is working with other departments to develop curriculum and select locations for TK classes for the 2012-2013 school year. Schools will contact parents with students who are eligible for TK after April 1, 2012 with the locations of the TK classes so parents can decide on enrolling their child. EGUSD does not provide transportation for TK.

Click here for more information about transitional kindergarten and kindergarten registration.

James McKee Elementary School

celebrates Red Ribbon Week

with an assortment of activities

RRWMcKee

On Friday, October 28, James McKee Elementary School concluded an action-packed Red Ribbon Week celebration with an impressive presentation from the California Department of Justice (DOJ), California National Guard, U.S. Attorney's Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

"We were very excited to have our state and federal government agencies participating in our Red Ribbon Week activities this year," said Steve Looper, principal at McKee. "Red Ribbon Week presented a wonderful opportunity to educate our students about the importance of remaining drug, alcohol and tobacco free. This year, our students were very fortunate to not only hear this message from their teachers, but from law enforcement officers who deal with the problems that drugs and alcohol abuse can cause each day as well."

The McKee event was just one of numerous events held throughout the district in recognition of Red Ribbon Week. Each October, the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education passes a resolution recognizing Red Ribbon Week and many schools in the district participate in activities to commemorate the week by pledging to remain drug free.

Assistant US Attorney Daniel S. McConkie and DEA Special Agent Jerry Toms spoke to students during the morning assembly. California Department of Justice Public Information Officer Michelle Gregory coordinated five interactive stations for students to visit, including a Humvee with two California national guard soldiers, a helicopter with two California national guard pilots, a canine station with DOJ officer, a forensics station staffed by a DOJ officer and two agents who presented an undercover "crawl unit." Students also received free Red Ribbon Week items including stickers, wristbands and bracelets during the presentation.

McKee Elementary students and staff also participated in several other activities as a part of their Red Ribbon Week celebration. McKee held daily drawings for students and parents who sign the Red Ribbon Week family pledge, a poster contest sponsored by the Student Council and "Paw Pals" awarded for students wearing special Red Ribbon Week bracelets.

Red Ribbon Week began in 1985 as a tribute to Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, a U.S. DEA officer who was killed in the line of duty. Today, Red Ribbon Week is nationally recognized. It is known as the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the country. By wearing a red ribbon during this designated week in October, students from across the country demonstrate their opposition to drugs.

EGUSD students win awards

at 84^th National FFA Convention

FFALogo

Students from four Elk Grove Unified high schools brought home a host of awards from the 84^th Annual National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Convention, held October 19-22 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The National FFA Organization, formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, is 523,309 student members strong - all preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture. There are 7,487 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. In 1988, the National FFA Organization changed to its present name to recognize of the growth and diversity of agriculture and agricultural education. Click here for more information about FFA.

EGUSD students competed in a variety of events and earned the following national awards:

National FFA Star Chapter Award Recipients

Elk Grove High School (3 stars)

Sheldon High School (3 stars)

Florin High School (2 stars)

National Agriscience Student of the Year Finalist

Jake Carlson (Elk Grove High School)

National FFA Proficiency Awards

Jake Carlson (Elk Grove High School): National Finalist for Emerging Agricultural Technology - Entrepreneurship/Placement

Sylvia Bauer (Elk Grove High School): Silver Award Rating for Agricultural Education - Entrepreneurship/Placement

Christopher Utterback (Pleasant Grove High School): Participant in Turf Grass Management - Entrepreneurship/Placement

National Agriscience Fair Award Recipients

Anthony Arellano & Megan Feldman (Elk Grove High School): Gold Award in Botany Category, Division IV

Erik Dornback & Samuel Gatejen (Elk Grove High School); Gold Award in Engineering Category, Division IV

Sarah Mai & Xavia Jackson (Elk Grove High School): Gold Award in Zoology Category, Division IV

Abigail Carlson (Elk Grove High School): Silver Award in Biochemistry/Food Science/Microbiology Category, Division I

Kelsie Kennicutt (Pleasant Grove High School): Silver Award in Zoology Category, Division I

Christopher Hill & Ciara Williams (Sheldon High School): Silver Award in Botany Category, Division III

Samantha Clifford & Rachel Petersen (Elk Grove High School): Silver Award in Engineering Category, Division III

Trent Rose (Elk Grove High School): Bronze Award in Environmental Science Category, Division I

National Career Development Event (CDE) Award Recipients

Agricultural Sales Competition

Joey Clifford, Megan Feldman, Katrina Hill and Molly Swanberg (Elk Grove High School)

5^th Place Overall and Team Gold Emblem Winners

Individual Gold Emblem Winners: Joey Clifford, Katrina Hill, Molly Swanberg

Individual Silver Emblem Winner: Megan Feldman

Poultry Evaluation Competition

Sylvia Bauer, Kellie Christensen, Steven Khansefid and Dillion Strybing (Elk Grove High School) 8^th Place Overall and Team Gold Emblem Winners

Individual Gold Emblem Winners: Sylvia Bauer, Kellie Christensen, Dillion Strybing

Individual Silver Emblem Winner: Steven Khansefid

Farm Business Management Competition

Madison Albiani, Kendall Cahill and Madeleine Stone (Elk Grove High School)

Team Silver Emblem Winners

Individual Silver Emblem Winners: Madison Albiani, Kendall Cahill and Madeleine Stone

American FFA Degree Recipients

Jordan Albiani, Chelsea Molina and Lauren Moss (Elk Grove High School)

Hugo Cruz and Nikolas Moran (Florin High School)

John Kyle Quinn (Pleasant Grove High School)

2011 FFA Scholarship Recipients

Mitchell Harry (Elk Grove High School): $5,000 from BNSF Railway Company

Josh Donnelly (Elk Grove High School): $3,000 from Bank of the West

Jake Carlson (Elk Grove High School): $1,000 Cargill Community Scholarship Program

Tom Hardesty (Elk Grove High School): $1,000 Cargill Community Scholarship Program