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Honoring Our Volunteers
Elizabeth Coleman of Prairie Elementary School
Elizabeth Coleman was recognized as an Education Partner at the November 1, 2011, meeting of the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education. Coleman is truly dedicated to her daughters' success. She volunteers her time every Wednesday and attends all field trips as a parent chaperone. This year, Coleman donated backpacks with school supplies to Prairie, Samuel Jackman Middle School and Valley High School. Coleman, along with seven other women in the community, formed an organization called Leather and Lace and facilitated a used book drive to benefit students at Prairie. Thanks to the book drive, Prairie students have received several boxes of gently used books to take home for their reading enjoyment. Coleman has four daughters who have all attended or are currently attending Prairie: Alani - a 7th grade student at Elizabeth Pinkerton Middle School, Kalaya - a 4th grade student at Prairie and Akila and Akira - twins who are 2nd grade students at Prairie.
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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.
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Kindergarten/
Transitional
Kindergarten
Registration
Kindergarten registration for the 2012-2013 school year at Elk Grove Unified School District's year-round schools is now open. For schools on a modified traditional or traditional calendar, registration will begin on January 3, 2012. In an effort to better prepare students to perform their best when they begin school, California schools are in the process of enacting the 2010 Kindergarten Readiness Act (Senate Bill 1381). This new law will change 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
For the first time this year, families will also register for Transitional Kindergarten (TK), a new grade level created through the passage of the 2010 Kindergarten Readiness Act. 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. For more information about kindergarten/TK registration, contact the PreK-6 Education Department at (916) 686-7702. |
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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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Farmer's markets debut at EGUSD elementary schools
 Elk Grove Unified School District's Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) Department has come up with yet another innovative way of getting students excited about fresh fruits and vegetables. Farmer's markets are popping up across the district at elementary schools. "The purpose of the farmer's markets is to provide parents access to fresh fruits and vegetables at affordable prices. We also wanted to create - for parents - an association between FNS, the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables served in the cafeteria and the nutrition education component," said Michelle Drake, Director of FNS. The farmer's markets were the result of a collaboration between Drake and Traci Ennis from General Produce. The first farmer's market was held at Anna Kirchgater Elementary School at the end of August 2011. Since then, farmer's markets have been held at Maeola Beitzel, Elitha Donner, Herman Leimbach, Charles Mack, Prairie, John Reith and Sunrise elementary schools with more in the works. The farmer's markets are key in linking the importance of healthy eating habits from school to home. For some students and families, fresh produce can be cost-prohibitive and/or access to fruits and vegetables can be limited. Therefore, providing the farmer's markets at a school event provides an opportunity for parents and students to have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. "We have received a lot of good feedback from students, parents and staff," Drake said. "Parents and staff enjoy having the access and low prices. However, I have been amazed by the response from the students. At the majority of the events, students have brought their own money to purchase produce to surprise their parents. I just think that is awesome." In the future, Drake would like to see farmer's markets available to parents at school carnivals, BBQ's and other school events. FNS staff is also looking at ways that students can become more involved in providing the service.
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CDE grant helps improve campus climates at Samuel Jackman Middle School and Valley High School
 In July 2007, the Elk Grove Unified School District received a five-year, $498,780 School Community Violence Prevention (SCVP) grant from the California Department of Education. The grant was used to develop programs to reduce violence and gang involvement at Samuel Jackman Middle School and Valley High School. The district partnered with the Valley Hi Youth and Adult Coalition (VHYAC) to implement the grant at both schools. "We have definitely seen a change in the behavior and attitudes of students since we began implementation of the SCVP grant," said Ron Richard, lead project implementor for the SCVP grant at Jackman. "We can actually see students putting the concepts taught in our programs into action. Peer pressure has taken on a whole new meaning. Instead of negative peer pressure, many students are using positive peer pressure to encourage their classmates to achieve academically and behaviorally." Through the SCVP grant, district staff provided a variety of new programs for students and their families. The Too Good for Violence (TGFV) program focuses on violence prevention and character education by working with groups of students. The Crossover Youth Basketball (CYB) after-school program not only allows students the chance to play basketball, but also provides a life skills education program that promotes violence prevention. Students meet twice a week with mentors in "huddle groups" to use the Life Skills Training curriculum. "The TGFV program has played a large role in improving attendance at both Jackman and Valley," said Richard. "TGFV is presented in advocacy classes at random so students have been attending school more consistently so they ensure their participation. Our CYB program is also quite popular. The basketball program was originally designed to serve 36 students but currently accommodates 87 students." The SCVP grant also provides opportunities for parents. The CYB program celebrates the success of the students twice a year through awards banquets. Parents can choose to join staff in recognizing students for displaying character traits highlighted through the program. Parents also have the ability to connect with community resources through the SCVP grant. Richard hopes to expand the program to include more students over the coming years. "Our feeder elementary schools have expressed interest in the Crossover Youth Basketball program," said Richard. "We would love to add them in the future." Click here for more information CDE's SCVP programs and grants. |
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Walking Club gets students moving
at Cosumnes River Elementary School
Each day at lunch recess, students at Cosumnes River Elementary can be found eagerly running or walking laps on the track as participants in the Cosumnes River Walking Club.
The club was started during the 2010-2011 school year as an idea to actively involve the full-inclusion students with special needs with the general student population during lunch recess. The Cosumnes River Special Education staff partnered students as "walking buddies" to walk around the school's track.
After each lap, students can receive a yellow or blue bead to add to a lanyard to keep track of their mileage. In addition to the beads, incentives are offered for each 10-mile increment, as well as including certificates that are hung in the multipurpose room for everyone to see and Otter Pops. Four laps on the school's track equal one mile.
The Walking Club is the result of a collaborative effort between Cosumnes River principal Michael Gulden, learning center teacher Sharon Dodson and paraeducators Marianna San Filippo and Patti Dias.
"The Walking Club has produced numerous positive outcomes for our school," Gulden said. "We have noticed increased physical activity during recess for many of our students, as well as serving as a positive outlet for many students who need additional social and emotional support. We have also observed a decrease in undesirable behaviors, such as teasing, bullying and drama. The club has also been beneficial on the staff side in developing a sense amongst the entire student body that our special education staff are integral to the campus as a whole."
Approximately 200 students participate in the Walking Club. More than 50 club participants are members of the "High Mileage Club," which means these students have walked more than 10 miles. Several students have made it to the "Marathon Club" - 25 miles - and one student has amassed over 40 miles.
"Our students love the Walking Club," Dias said. "Many of them enjoy sharing their mileage accomplishments with their friends, parents, teachers and other staff members at school. We would love to see our Walking Club continue to grow in both the number of students participating and also in expanding our incentive/prize levels to keep our students motivated."
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eSCI program helps improve fifth grade science test scores throughout EGUSD
Science scores on the California Standards Tests (CST) for fifth grade students in the Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) have risen dramatically over the past three years. Much of this increase can be attributed to the district's participation in the Excellence in Science Instruction (eSCI) program.
A collaboration between EGUSD and the Sacramento Area Science Project, the eSCI program provided professional development training designed to improve science instruction in grades 3-5 from 2008 to 2011.
Prior to beginning the eSCI program in 2008, 49 percent of EGUSD's fifth grade students scored proficient and advanced on the Science California Standards Tests (CST). This number began to climb as a result of the eSCI program. Students in classrooms where their teachers were eSCI trained saw their Science CST test scores rise from 59 percent scoring proficient and advanced in 2009 to 72 percent reaching this achievement in 2011. This was well above the 2011 state average of 58 percent of students reaching this milestone.
"The eSCI program has proven to be very beneficial in helping to raise our fifth grade students' science CST test scores," said Tammy Null, eSCI project director for the district. "This program is a valuable asset in improving the already high quality of science instruction in our district by enhancing our teachers' knowledge of science content and educational range. In addition, the excellent elementary school teachers in our district played an integral role in demonstrating how useful this program could be for increasing science test scores. Because of these promising results, we are researching ways to bring eSCI training to all teachers in grades 3-5."
Funded through a California Mathematics and Science Partnership grant, 100 EGUSD teachers in grade 3-5 received professional development information and training from 2008-2011. Since 2008, the Sacramento Area Science Project provided 60 hours of professional development through summer and winter institutes and 24 hours of facilitated lesson study during the school year to eSCI teachers. Training these teachers helped the program reach almost 6,900 students.
Click here for more information about the eSCI program.
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