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Honoring Our Volunteers
Patricia Miller of
Mary Tsukamoto Elementary School
Patricia Miller was recognized as an Education Partner at the January 3, 2012 meeting of the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education.
For the past two years, Miller has given hundreds of hours of support to the Mary Tsukamoto Elementary School community. She began volunteering at Tsukamoto at a PTO function and in her granddaughter's classroom. Since then, Miller can be seen on campus one or two full days a week, assisting teachers in their classrooms, copying and organizing materials, as well as helping out wherever she can in the front office. She has also been instrumental in keeping the Tsukamoto classroom library collections well stocked and up-to-date. Miller is also a frequent visitor to the multipurpose room during lunchtime, where she assists younger students when they need help opening food items as well as wiping tables after they leave.
Last year, Miller received the President's Volunteer Service Award from the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, a council established in 2003 to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers make in communities throughout the United States.
Miller is the proud grandmother of two granddaughters - Rachel, a former Tsukamoto student and current 8th grade student at T.R. Smedberg Middle School and Sarah, a 4th grade student at Tsukamoto.
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Sheldon High School teacher selected as
Bandworld Legion of Honor Laureate
James Mazzaferro, band director at Sheldon High School, has been selected as one of two band directors in the United States to become a Bandworld Legion of Honor Laureate.
"It's wonderful to see Jim recognized for the many years of hard work and dedication he has devoted to being an exceptional teacher and role model for students," said Paula Duncan, principal at Sheldon. "Thanks to Jim, the music program at Sheldon has flourished into one of the top and most respected music programs in the area. He continues to raise the bar for musical excellence in his students and our school is thrilled to see him recognized nationally for his tireless efforts."
Mazzaferro will be presented with this honor in 2012 at an annual Sousa Foundation awards ceremony during the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago.
Since 1989, the Bandworld Legion of Honor honors, over the course of a year, eight of the finest band directors from across North America. Recipients have taught for at least fifteen years, have maintained a very high quality concert band program, and have contributed significantly to the profession through dedication to bands and band music.
For the past 26 years, Bandworld Magazine has featured many useful articles for band directors across the country. The new online magazine format features articles, full band arrangements available for download and printing, teaching video segments and the top 100 compositions each year with audio samples.
Click here for more information about the Bandworld Legion of Honor.
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Siemens Corporation donates supplies to Florin High School teachers
Florin High School teachers were the recent recipients of $500 in supplies, thanks to a generous donation from the Siemens Corporation. During the fall of 2008, Siemens Corporation was looking for a school to "adopt" and selected Florin High School since the school is in close proximity to their plant on French Road. Over the years, Siemens employees have held bake sales, ice cream socials and participated in a recycling program to earn money to assist the staff and students at Florin. "We are so lucky to have this incredibly famous and worldwide company helping us," said Karen Best, career center technician at Florin. "It is like Christmas every time these kind people come to visit. They are an incredibly generous group and we are very grateful that they selected our school to assist." In addition to Siemens recent donation, the company has also provided backpacks with school supplies for students and cases of paper and other essential supplies for teachers and staff. During the 2009/2010 school year, Siemens started a scholarship fund for Florin students and has awarded 6 $1,000 scholarships each year over the past two years to Florin seniors. The scholarship winners are treated to a luncheon at the Siemens plant, as well as a guided tour and an opportunity to meet Siemens management staff.
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Sheldon High School athletic director to receive statewide award
Denise Aguilar, athletic director and human anatomy/physiology and criminalistics teacher at Sheldon High School, has been selected to receive the Norm MacKenzie "Rookie" Athletic Directors of the Year Award from the California State Athletic Directors Association (CSADA). Recipients of the Norm MacKenzie Award are new athletic directors (less than four years in the position) who show an outstanding work ethic and dedication to school, community and section. Aguilar received the award for the Sac-Joaquin section. She will be presented with the award at the 44th Annual CSADA State Conference in San Diego in April 2012. Click here for more information about CSADA. |
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Welcome to eguNews, an EGUSD email newsletter published every two weeks. If you have questions about eguNews, you can email [email protected] or call (916) 686-7732.
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Valley High School lauded for commitment
to raising graduation rates in West Ed study
Valley High School was the recipient of high praise in a report released by the California Comprehensive Center at West Ed in partnership with the American Institutes for Research and School Services of California. The report focused on successful transition strategies at California schools where graduation rates have significantly improved. Valley was one of nine high schools in California selected to take part in the study highlighting schools that are using successful approaches in easing the transition between middle school and high school and their accomplishments in raising the graduation rates at their schools. Of these nine schools, Valley was also one of four schools selected to host on-site visits consisting of West Ed representatives for a more in-depth study. In addition to the regional education model, Valley's highly-committed, team-oriented staff was given high marks in the report. Despite economic challenges, Valley's staff has received grants to help fund programs to help students who may be identified as "at-risk" for failing to graduate. Valley offers credit remediation programs after school and a Saturday academic support program, as well as summer programs for incoming 9th grade students that preview high school class content, graduation requirements, study skills and helps students become familiar with each other and high school culture. Valley also boasts a strong counseling staff that starts working with middle school students on developing six-year plans to help guide them through their high school courses and goals, as well as post-secondary options. The counseling department was described as going "above and beyond" in developing individualized relationships with students to help connect them with their classes and teachers. Samuel Jackman Middle School also received commendations in the report. Jackman's status as an AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) Demonstration School, as well as providing opportunities for students and parents to attend college and career nights, field trips to colleges and visits to Valley prior to enrolling, were cited as major factors in ensuring a smooth transition to high school and increasing the graduation rate at Valley. West Ed is a non-profit, public research and development agency. West Ed is also a Joint Powers agency, authorized through a California Joint Powers Agreement and governed by public entities in Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah. Across the country, WestEd works on evaluation and research-based projects, and in partnerships with schools, education agencies, policymakers and others in education and human development. Click here to view the report in its entirety. |
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Three EGUSD high school academy programs earn California Partnership Academy Clean Technology & Renewable Energy grants
Three Elk Grove Unified School District high school academy programs have each been awarded $465,000 California Partnership Academy Clean Technology & Renewable Energy grants from the California Department of Education.
Elk Grove Unified received three of the 21 grants available statewide. The grants will be dispersed to schools over the course of four years. The awards provide $15,000 in planning grants for each school during the 2011/2012 school year and $150,000 per year in implementation grants for three subsequent years. Funding will sustain academy programs for an additional three years and will enhance career/technical education to better prepare students for real world careers in clean technology and renewable energy.
The following academy programs were recipients of the grant: Elk Grove High School's Sustainable Agriculture and Green Education (SAGE) Academy, Laguna Creek High School's Green Energy Technology Academy (GETA), and Pleasant Grove High School's Green CADD Academy.
Formerly known as the Agriculture Sales and Service Academy, Elk Grove's SAGE Academy was revamped to include a green focus. The SAGE Academy educates students about career availability in the area of sustainable agriculture. Grant monies will be used to enhance industry awareness in students through the addition of a GPS weather station and a passive solar energy system to the school farm. Students will also begin to use sustainable practices, such as green waste recycling and composting. They will also install a manure separator to reduce the solids and waste feed going into the sewer system. The program will also use funds to enhance curriculum through field trips and guest speakers.
GETA at Laguna Creek prepares students for work in the energy and utilities sector. Students mainly focus on helping others through projects they create - such as solar cases, greenhouses and solar electric bicycles. The grant will be used to expand the scope of the academy, provide richer learning opportunities by bringing in professional mentors and bringing equipment up to date, as well as provide more incentive programs for students.
Pleasant Grove's Green CADD Academy, previously known as the CADD/COMM Academy, was reworked to focus on green issues pertaining to the exploration of career pathways related to the engineering sector. Academy staff plans to use the grant to increase enrollment, staff and course offerings. The grant will also fund release time for teachers and curriculum development.
The Clean Technology & Renewable Energy grants were made possible with the passage of Senate Bill X11 to support the development and operation of California Partnership Academies in this focus area. Any school district, county office of education or direct-funded charter school was eligible to apply for this grant.
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William Daylor High School captures
Sacramento County Academic Bowl crown
Students from William Daylor High School earned first place honors at the 4th Annual Academic Bowl, held on December 14 at Rosemont High School. Daylor defeated five other local community/continuation high schools on their way to capturing the crown. This year's theme was "Astronomy and Space Exploration."
"We are very proud of and excited for our students who represented Daylor admirably at the Academic Bowl this year," said Tom Martens, principal at Daylor. "It is wonderful to see them rewarded on a job well done after devoting many hours to prepare for this event. I would also like to thank the team's coaches, David Adams and Maria Sanchez, as well as guest lecturer David Dabaghian for their time and dedication to coaching the team to a tremendous first place finish."
Daylor's team won both the Super Quiz and presentation events. The team received the perpetual Champions Trophy which will remain at Daylor until the next competition in December 2012.
"Most of our students have gone through school without any resemblance of positive academic recognition," said David Adams, Academic Bowl coach and green construction technology/digital photography teacher at Daylor. "Taking part in and actually winning this competition really provided them with a spark that could carry them onto furthering their education. All the hard work and creativity our students put into this academic bowl was really impressive."
The following students represented Daylor at the competition: Sunny Abelia, Krissy Gamble, Gustavo Gonzalez, Alex Layva, Monica Lugo, Miguel Reyes, Hassani Simpson, Tim Smith and Daniela Villalobos.
Each year, the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) holds the Sacramento County Academic Bowl for students attending community and continuation schools. Teams of students from each school compete in two academic events - "Super Quiz" and a live presentation on the competition's theme. To prepare for the competition, students spend time both in class and after-school honing their skills.
Click here for more information about the Sacramento County Academic Bowl.
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WorkAbility & Transition Services Department assists students with disabilities along the road to employment
Students with disabilities have the opportunity to learn workplace skills through Elk Grove Unified School District's WorkAbility and Transition Services Department.
In November 1981, Elk Grove Unified was selected to pilot one of five WorkAbility I (WAI) programs in California. Currently, there are nearly 300 WAI programs throughout the state. The program provides comprehensive pre-employment skills training, employment placement and follow-up for high school students in special education who are making the transition from school to work, independent living and post-secondary education or training.
"WAI programs in California have been designated as one of the ten best transition programs of its type in the United States," said JoAnne Smith, program manager for WorkAbility at EGUSD. "The program has received national recognition of its success in matching young adults who have disabilities with employers who need workers."
Since the early days as a pilot program, enrollment in Elk Grove Unified's WAI program has steadily increased and the WorkAbility Department became a part of the district's regional model. The program is funded through state Special Education funding streams and a grant.
Currently, the EGUSD WAI program serves 1,039 high school students and 250 middle school students. Each year, over 250 students are placed in paid work exploration using grant funding. The WorkAbility Department also runs a summer program for 50 students each May to June.
Elk Grove Unified's WorkAbility Department is unique in the sense that the WAI program is designed as a full-service model, unlike most WAI programs. All transition specialists are certificated special education teachers and are fully integrated into each high school that they support.
"Since transition services are a critical part of a special education plan, it is important to have staff knowledgeable in all aspects of post-secondary education," Smith said. "The fact that we have staff who are well-informed about education, training, independent living skills, mobility and self-determination has made Elk Grove Unified's program a model among WAI programs throughout the state."
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