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Honoring Our Volunteers
Abdul Hameed of
Sunrise Elementary School
Abdul Hameed was recognized as an Education Partner at the February 21, 2012 meeting of the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education. Thanks to Hameed's efforts, Sunrise Elementary School has been able to partner with Intel Corporation in their PC Pals program for the past two and a half years. The PC Pals program is an extension of Intel's company culture and vision to be active participants in the local community. Hameed serves as Intel Coordinator of the PC Pals volunteers. Each Intel volunteer is matched with a Sunrise sixth grade student. Over the course of the school year, the Intel Pal and their student correspond via email. As a result of this email communication, students learn the use of email in a professional setting, practice their writing skills and receive encouragement on their academic goals. Hameed also coordinates the beginning and end of the year school social, where the Intel Pals come to Sunrise and join their students for lunch and some friendly competition on computer games in the computer lab. Based on the on-going email correspondence, Intel contributes funds to Sunrise. Through this partnership, Sunrise has been the recipient of close to $36,000. These funds have enabled Sunrise to continue to provide the services of a school librarian, as well as fund a portion of the school's newest project - the acquisition and installation of LCD projectors and document cameras in every classroom. Hameed is married to Sohaila Hammed. They have two children, Afraz - a third grade student at Sunrise and Saba - a Sunrise graduate and current seventh grade student at Katherine L. Albiani Middle School. |
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Helen Carr Castello Elementary School donates toiletries to Elk Grove Food Bank
Leadership students at Helen Carr Castello Elementary School recently organized a fundraiser to collect toiletries to donate to the Elk Grove Food Bank.
Through the "Cups of Love" fundraiser, students were given a cup to take home and fill with travel-sized toiletries, such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrushes, mouthwash and floss. The fundraiser ran from January 30 to February 10.
In the end, Castello students collected approximately 6,500 items to donate to the Elk Grove Food Bank to help the homeless community in Elk Grove. The items were delivered to the Elk Grove Food Bank on February 14.
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EGUSD Virtual Academy to offer Information Sessions for prospective students
and parents
The Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) Virtual Academy will hold five information sessions for new parents and students to provide an overview of the district's K-8 virtual education program, meet staff and ask questions. Enrollment for students for the 2012-2013 school year will open on Thursday, March 1.
Information sessions will be held at the following locations on these dates:
March 20, April 17 & May 29
9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Ellen Feickert Elementary School
Computer Lab
9351 Feickert Drive
Elk Grove, CA 95624
June 5 & July 10
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Edward Harris, Jr. Middle School
Computer Lab
8691 Power Inn Road
Elk Grove, CA 95624
The EGUSD Virtual Academy offers an innovative learning experience for the 21st century student. This accredited online academy allows students in kindergarten through 8th 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.
Each EGUSD Virtual Academy student has an individualized plan for his or her course of study. 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.
The EGUSD Virtual Academy is open to students living in Sacramento, Amador, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Placer, San Joaquin, Solano, Sutter and Yolo counties.
For more information about the EGUSD Virtual Academy, contact (916) 399-9890, email egvirtual@egusd.net or visit http://blogs.egusd.net/egva/.
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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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Laguna Creek High School hosts press conference highlighting clean energy academies
On February 27, the Green Energy Technology Academy (GETA) at Laguna Creek High School hosted a press conference with California State Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, California Energy Commission Chairman Dr. Robert Weisenmiller and Elk Grove Unified School District Superintendent Steven M. Ladd, Ed.D. highlighting the importance of preparing today's high school students for careers in clean technology and renewable energy.
Steinberg, Torlakson, Weisenmiller and Ladd, along with GETA coordinator Eric Johnson and GETA student Rubina Sethi spoke about the importance of ensuring California's high school students are prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century workforce.
Thanks to the passage of SBx1 1, Steinberg, Torlakson and the California Energy Commission launched a $3.2 million program that invests in clean energy and technology academies throughout the state. Schools can apply for up to $150,000 per year in funding through the California Partnership Academies, a three-year program for grades 10-12 structured as a school-within-a-school. Academies incorporate integrated academic and career technical education, business partnerships, mentoring and internships.
GETA is one of 21 recently funded "green" California Partnership Academies in the state. In addition to GETA, Elk Grove Unified has two more "green" California Partnership Academies at comprehensive high schools: the Sustainable Agriculture and Green Education (SAGE) Academy at Elk Grove High School and the Green Computer-Aided Drafting and Design (CADD) Academy at Pleasant Grove High School.
GETA students at Laguna Creek study the technology of renewable energy. Students explore the concepts of energy extraction, conversion and transmission processes through complex, hands-on, project-based work. Depending on their post-secondary plans, students who graduate from GETA will be prepared to enter two-year or four-year institutions of study, enter a technical training program or go directly to work in the Energy Sector.
SAGE at Elk Grove High School prepares students for the 21st-century agricultural industry. SAGE students learn the fundamental concepts of agriculture and the technologies of sustainable farming practices to prepare them for various agriscience careers, such as animal, plant and soil science, energy management, bio-fuel research and water management.
Pleasant Grove High School's Green CADD Academy prepares students for careers in clean technology and renewable energy through computer-aided drafting and design. Students will cover various areas of study, including energy, water and natural resource conservation, clean vehicle technology, construction and maintenance of energy-efficient technologies and energy-efficient buildings. They also learn about maintenance of geothermal, biomass, fuel cell, solar, wind and biodiesel power.
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EGUSD middle school students attend
11th Annual Middle School Leadership Conference
On Thursday, February 23, middle school leadership students from all nine Elk Grove Unified School District middle schools attended the 11th Annual Middle School Leadership Conference at the Antioch Progressive Church.
The district-wide conference is designed for middle school students involved in student leadership, peer counseling, conflict management, Students Reaching Out, WEB (Where Everybody Belongs), Club Live and Teens for Tolerance. This year's theme was "Take A Stand...Even If You Stand Alone!"
One of the hallmarks of the conference is the concept of peers teaching peers. High school students from Elk Grove, Laguna Creek, Pleasant Grove and Sheldon high schools served as facilitators of the conference.
"The conference presents a unique opportunity for high school leadership students in the district as they are the ones who are doing the bulk of the planning and will serve as leaders in the workshops," said Shirley Arroyo, Positive Youth Development Coordinator for the district. "This event gives students in helping and leadership roles at schools throughout our district an opportunity to network and gain skills and information related to teen issues."
The conference also included a keynote presentation from Jill Esplin - a nationally-recognized speaker, as well as breakout sessions covering anti-bullying strategies, icebreakers, team building, self-image, the power of positivity, how to solve peer conflicts and peer pressure.
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Florin High School student selected to attend national NJROTC aerospace seminar
Deja Conger-Emerson, a junior at Florin High School, has been selected to attend the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) 2012 Aerospace STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Seminar at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida in June. Conger-Emerson was one of 200 NJROTC cadets selected from over 84,000 candidates to receive an invitation to attend the seminar.
"Deja is an outstanding Navy Cadet and student-athlete," said Commander Tom Jones, senior naval science instructor at Florin. "It's wonderful to see her selection to the ERAU STEM program as it is a national recognition of her academic prowess and future potential. There is no doubt in my mind that Deja will excel in her education and her life."
To be selected to attend the STEM Seminar, cadets must be current juniors, have high grades and leadership skills, and possess a desire to attend college. The week-long seminar will introduce cadets to the collegiate world of science, engineering, math and technology and will give them the chance to learn more about civilian and military career opportunities within these academic fields. The seminar will also include leadership training and team building exercises, as well as physical training activities. This year marks the fourth year Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has hosted a STEM Seminar.
NJROTC is a citizenship-development program that instills service to the United States, personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment in students in secondary schools across the country. Click here for more information about NJROTC.
The Florin High School NJROTC program curriculum is divided into four levels of Naval Science. Each level corresponds to the number of years a student has participated in a JROTC program. Florin's NJROTC program engages students in a myriad of activities to expand their capabilities academically, physically and socially in leadership intensive group dynamic situations. Click here for more information about the Florin NJROTC program.
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Open Enrollment at EGUSD
On February 21, 2012, the Elk Grove Unified School District's Board of Education approved a 5 percent cap on the number of students allowed to transfer from a school attendance area through the 2011-2012 open enrollment process. The cap is 5 percent of the school's projected 2012-2013 student enrollment.
For the 2011-2012 school year, the Elk Grove Unified School District offered open enrollment at seven middle schools: Harriet Eddy, Samuel Jackman, Joseph Kerr, Elizabeth Pinkerton, James Rutter and T.R. Smedberg; and at seven high schools: Cosumnes Oaks, Elk Grove, Florin, Laguna Creek, Monterey Trail, Sheldon and Valley. Applications were due by February 9, 2012.
This year the district received 1,176 requests for open enrollment. Four middle schools had transfer requests exceeding 5 percent of their projected 2012-2013 enrollment: Harriet Eddy, Samuel Jackman, Toby Johnson and James Rutter. Valley High School also had transfer requests exceeding its 5 percent of its projected 2012-2013 enrollment The board approved a 5 percent cap on transfer requests from Harriet Eddy, Samuel Jackman and James Rutter middle schools and Valley High School. Since Toby Johnson Middle School is overcrowded, the school was exempted from the 5 percent cap for transfer requests.
The district will conduct a random computer-generated lottery for all three schools at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, February 28, 2012, at Cosumnes Oaks High School in the Multipurpose Room. A computer will randomly assign numbers and rank order students. Students will be offered open enrollment slots based on this rank order.
Students not selected for open enrollment will maintain their rank on a waiting list. Should students selected to attend their school of choice decline to transfer, the slot will be offered to the next student on the ranked list. The waiting list will be maintained until the end of the 2011-2012 school year.
Following the lottery process, parents and students will be notified of lottery results through a letter. Students wishing to move forward with the Open Enrollment Process must fill out an open enrollment agreement, which will be included with the letter. The agreement must be returned to the student's school of choice by March 22, 2012.
Once enrolled in the school, students do not have to reapply each year. However, should middle school students wish to attend the feeder high school, they must apply through the open enrollment process at that time.
Questions about open enrollment or the lottery process may be directed to Secondary Education at 916-686-7706.
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