Internet Safety Tips
TIP:If children use chat or e-mail, talk to them about never meeting in person with anyone they first "met" online.
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Honoring Our Volunteers
Michele O'Donnell of Pleasant Grove High School 
Michele O'Donnell was recognized as an Education Partner at the September 4, 2012 meeting of the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education. O'Donnell is an incredibly generous volunteer at Pleasant Grove High School. She has been heavily involved in the band program for the past five years. O'Donnell served as band booster secretary for two years and has served as the band booster president for the past two years. During this time, O'Donnell has been involved in all band functions, from organizing the Holiday Bazaar to chaperoning the Disneyland trip. O'Donnell has also been involved with the PGHS wrestling program, having served as secretary and worked in the fireworks booth and snack bar at wrestling meets. O'Donnell is married to Jim O'Donnell, the advertising director for Herburger Publications, which produces the Elk Grove Citizen. They have three children: Brandon - a 2011 graduate of Pleasant Grove High School who currently attends Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Lindsey - a senior at Pleasant Grove and Emma - a freshman at Pleasant Grove. |
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7th Annual Family Fun Day and Health Fair to be held at Prairie Elementary School
The Valley Hi Youth and Adult Coalition (VHYAC) will host their 7th Annual Family Fun Day and Health Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 22, 2012 at Prairie Elementary School.
Valley Hi community members are invited to spend the day participating in fun, family-centered activities and receive valuable health information and resources. This free event will include vision screening, blood pressure and dental checks for children 0-5 years, as well as a variety of community-based informational booths. In addition to these activities, there will be entertainment, face painting, crafts and prizes. The first 300 visitors to the event will receive a free lunch.
"VHYAC is dedicated to supporting the Valley Hi community," said Tami Silvera, project implementor with Positive Youth Development Programs, Student Support and Health Services for Elk Grove Unified. "We know that many families are in need and under stress so we plan to provide not only valuable resources, but also a chance to have some fun with their kids. We encourage families with children of all ages to join us for the day."
The Family Fun Day and Health Fair is sponsored in part by the Elk Grove Unified School District, the Valley Hi Youth and Adult Coalition, Valley Hi Family Resource Center and Birth & Beyond Program, Sacramento City Council Member Darrell Fong, Kaiser Permanente, First 5 Sacramento Commission, People Reaching Out and the City of Sacramento.
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Harvest of the Month program at EGUSD  This month, grapes are the name of the game at elementary schools throughout Elk Grove Unified. Each month, Elk Grove Unified elementary school students learn about new fruits and vegetables and delicious ways to prepare them through the Harvest of the Month program. The Harvest of the Month program is offered at EGUSD's elementary schools by the district's Food and Nutrition Services Department in partnership with Network for a Healthy California and a Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) grant from Kaiser Permanente. Through the partnership, participating schools receive a box of locally grown, in-season, fresh California produce containing a different fruit or vegetable each month, giving students the chance to study and sample produce. Teachers receive a monthly educator newsletter that provides information, curricular ties and activities for incorporating the produce item of the month into their core curriculum. Students also receive a newsletter for their parents explaining the produce they sampled in class and a recipe to use the produce at home. Click here for more information about the Harvest of the Month program.
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No Excuses - Go to School Attendance Campaign in full swing at EGUSD
A new school year is underway and the No Excuses - Go to School Attendance Campaign is in full swing. Remember - each month that a student achieves perfect attendance, they are eligible for some pretty awesome prizes! September's perfect attendance prizes are as follows:
Elementary Schools: John's Incredible Pizza free tokens coupons, Sacramento River Cats tickets
Middle Schools: Office Depot gift cards, Sacramento River Cats tickets
High/Alternative Schools: Paul Mitchell haircut gift certificates, Sacramento River Cats tickets
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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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Budget Update
 Over the past four years, due to the lack of funding from the State of California and rising costs, the Elk Grove Unified School District has had to make over $110 million in cuts while using one-time funding sources to maintain programs and staff to support students. In addition to state budget cuts and one-time solutions, EGUSD continues to face rising costs - especially in the area of health care. EGUSD is now faced with a financial structural imbalance of over $25 million.
In November, there are two tax initiatives on the ballot that will impact the future of funding for public education in California. While there has been much debate about the pros and cons of each initiative, what we know is that if both fail in November, K-12 will face a level of cuts that will take years to recover from. With the failure of both initiatives, EGUSD's per student state funding would be slightly above the amount received in 2002-2003.
Should the tax initiatives fail, Governor Jerry Brown has stated that public education will be reduced by an additional $5.4 BILLION. This translates into a reduction of $441 from the state per student, the funds the district receives from the state to $4,775 per student, annually. In addition, the gap between what the law requires (Propostion 98) that public education receives from the state and what the state will actually provide (the deficit) will widen to an all time high of 28.9 percent or $1,940 per student.
The Governor's solution for managing these severe cuts is to reduce the school year by up to 20 days - four weeks of school. That means should this tax initiative fail students may incur the costs by losing one month of school or approximately 1/8 of their education.
After four years of state budget cuts, it is imperative that public education receives adequate funding to support the future of California - our children. Click here for more information on the history of budget cuts in EGUSD. |
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EGUSD and California GEAR UP celebrate National GEAR UP Week
On Monday, September 10, the Elk Grove Unified School District and California GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) kicked off National GEAR UP Week with a celebration featuring a visit from Greg Darnieder, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Education on College Access.
Darnieder, along with representatives from the EGUSD Board of Education, California Department of Education, California Student Aid Commission, California State University Office of the Chancellor, as well as Cassandra Jennings from Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson's office, Marilyn Erbes from U.S. Representative Dan Lungren's office and Kellie Longo-Albarran from U.S. Representative Doris Matsui's office, listened to presentations on an overview of EGUSD Common Core initiatives and GEAR UP partnership models and participated in an open discussion during the morning's activities.
These activities were followed by a National GEAR UP week kick-off with a performance from the Edward Harris, Jr. Middle School band, remarks about the benefits of participating in GEAR UP from Rosemarie Correa - a sophomore at Monterey Trail High School and special presentations on behalf of elected officials.
National GEAR UP Week was September 10-14, 2012. Across the nation and in California, school communities marked this occasion through activities, contests, college fairs and other events in celebration of college access for ALL students.
GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) was enacted as part of the 1998 Higher Education Act to give more low-income students the skills, encouragement, and preparation to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. GEAR UP grants have been awarded to 46 states and four territories. Program services are specifically designed to support the middle school reform effort in each state. GEAR UP is a program of the U.S. Department of Education, developed to provide school-based services to ensure that students and their families have multiple college and career choices after high school. Since 1999, California GEAR UP has effectively served over 300 schools across the state by providing local and efficient community based services. Click here for information about California GEAR UP.
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Constitution Day at EGUSD
Happy Birthday! To the United States Constitution!
Today, the U.S. Constitution turns 225 years old. Since 2004, September 17 has been recognized as "Constitution Day." On this day, schools across the country participate in educational programs highlighting the U.S. Constitution.
At Elk Grove Unified, Constitution Day was recognized in a variety of ways. At Toby Johnson Middle School, the history department created a PowerPoint "birthday card" highlighting the top 10 reasons they loved the Constitution. Students then had an opportunity to share with each other the reasons they love the Constitution.
At Franklin High School, during the week of Constitution Day, facts about the U.S. Constitution will be read as a part of the morning bulletin announcements. On Constitution Day, an 18 minute informational video entitled "You Rule" was played throughout the day. The video followed four students on their path to discovering how, in American democracy, citizens rule and young people have a voice. Franklin teachers also had access to lessons plans from a variety of online resources about the U.S. Constitution, including WE THE PEOPLE and the Center for Civic Education.
Students at Elizabeth Pinkerton Middle School participated in Constitution trivia for candy or cupcakes. During morning classes, students were given mini Bills of Rights. In Humanities classes, students received a commemorative Constitution Day sticker. Lunchtime activities featured U.S. Constitution trivia where students were asked to correctly answer three Constitution trivia questions to receive a "Constitutional" cupcake. After school, more trivia sessions were held, where students could earn candy for correct answers.
Various Elk Grove Unified school sites also commemorated the 225th celebration of the ratification of the Constitution by studying the Bill of Rights, learning about present-day Constitutional issues and examining a case study of Japanese Internment using materials from the Korematsu Institute.
"It is important to note, that while Constitution Day is recognized in Elk Grove Unified on September 17th, it is just one part of on-going study of the U.S. Constitution," said Don Azevada, program specialist for history and social science for the district. "California State History/Social Science Standards include teaching the U.S. Constitution in first through fifth grades, eighth grade, and tenth through twelfth grades. Content related to and specifically about the U.S. Constitution is valued in Elk Grove Unified throughout the school year."
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School garden takes root at
Roy Herburger Elementary School
After four long years of planning by teachers, students and parents, a school garden has finally become a reality at Roy Herburger Elementary School.
On September 15, Herburger students and staff, as well as community members and members of the Elk Grove and Rancho Murieta Rotary clubs spent the day building the garden. Thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Herburger Parent Faculty Organization (PFO) and Herburger Garden Committee, as well as donations from the Rotary clubs and a Rotary grant, nearly $6,000 was raised to create the garden. The Garden Committee also worked with Lowe's to purchase garden materials and brick pavers.
"The goal of the project is to establish a garden and incorporate an ongoing outdoor sustainable learning environment for the entire student body of both regular and special education students," said Lynne Mayer, principal at Herburger. "The garden will support the curricular needs of environmental education, reading/language arts, ecology, biology, horticulture and natural/earth science as stated in state academic standards and benchmarks for each subject."
In addition, garden literature and periodicals will be incorporated into the curriculum along with understanding the hands-on skills of the garden.
To prepare for the garden, students worked during recess and after school to level the ground and staff members added water lines after EGUSD maintenance workers added a dedicated water spigot. In the future, students will continually clear the grounds, shovel dirt and cut weeds for composting.
"The entire school and community are committed to helping with the garden to sustain the growth and appearance," said Rebecca Davis, former principal at Herburger and active community member in the garden. "Along with studying about plants, the curriculum will help to develop a deeper understanding of the current program of Network for a Healthy California with Harvest of the Month foods and events - a program provided through EGUSD's Food and Nutrition Services department."
Community members and Herburger parents plan to provide seedlings for each growing season. The teaching staff at Herburger is also working with a master gardener and the Sacramento Tree Society to assure the best growth and understanding of plants. Herburger students will also not only grow and eat the fruits and vegetables from their garden, but they will also share excess food produce with the Food Bank or Senior Living Center.
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