Elk Grove Unified School District
Excellence by Design
 EGUSD News and NotesSeptember 23, 2013 
In This Issue
Map Your Future
Constitution Day Forum
Attendance Campaign
Mental Health Performances
Digital Citizenship Safety Tips
 
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To help your child maintain online privacy, choose screen names carefully. Avoid screen names that give away a child's location (names of cities, neighborhoods and/or schools).

EGUSD holds Community Budget Meetings  

 

On Tuesday, September 17, 2013, over 400 parents, students, staff and community members attended seven Community Budget Meetings with EGUSD Board members at seven locations throughout the district.

 

The objectives of these meetings were to:

  • Seek input for the Board's funding priorities;
  • Engage the public in the budget development process; and
  • Introduce California's new Local Control Funding Formula and Accountability Plan.

To view the PowerPoint presented at each meeting, click on the link below:

2013 EGUSD Community Budget Meetings.


 

EGUSD Emergency Auto Dialer Test Call - October 3, 2013

 

On the morning of Thursday, October 3, 2013, the Elk Grove Unified School District will be conducting a test call of the district's emergency auto dialer system. The call will be made to the primary home telephone number and mobile phone number listed for each student's parent or guardian.

 

It is very important that you keep your emergency contact numbers current. In a major emergency, the student's home number as well as the mobile number of both parent/guardians will receive a telephone call from the emergency auto dialer system.   If your home or mobile telephone numbers have changed, please contact the school to update your information.

 

For the first time, parents also have the option of choosing to receive a text instead of a call on their mobile phone. In order to receive the text parents have to opt-in for text messaging. You will need to text the word ALERT to 22300 from the mobile phone(s) listed with the school for a student's parent/guardian.

 

Please note: you may be charged a fee for the text by your cellular phone company depending on your plan. If you have questions, related to cellular text charges, please contact your cellular phone provider.

 

The test call will be made in English only. Questions about the emergency auto dialer system can be directed to EGUSD's Communications Department at communication@egusd.net.


 

 

 

Upcoming Fall Plays
 

Looking to enjoy two excellent theater shows featuring up and coming talent?  Check out the productions presented this weekend by Laguna Creek and Monterey Trail high schools.  

 

Theater students at Laguna Creek High School will present "Mwhuh Ha Boom," a super-villain murder mystery with multiple butlers, on September 26-28 and October 4-5. Showtimes begin at 7 p.m. on all nights with a 2:30 p.m. matinee on September 28. Tickets are $5 per person.

 

Monterey Trail High School's drama department will present "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) (revised)" on September 27-28 and October 3-5. Join 18 brilliant student performers as they weave their wicked way though all of Shakespeare's work in the hilarious, interactive show that was West End London's longest-running comedy. Showtimes start at 7 p.m. on all nights, with a 4 p.m. matinee only on October 3. Tickets are $8 general admission and $6 for Monterey Trail students, children and senior citizens.   

 

 

EGUSD to hold 21st Annual College & Career Fair

 

 

The Elk Grove Unified School District will host its 21st Annual College & Career Fair from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, September 25, 2013 at Pleasant Grove High School.  

 

The College & Career Fair will feature representatives from California State University and University of California campuses, private universities, vocational and technical institutions, local businesses and branches of the military.

 

Click here to view a list of some of the colleges, businesses and military that will be attending this year's college fair.


 

ABCya! Digital Citizenship Resource for Primary Grades

A new resource from ABCya! offers students in primary grades an excellent overview of Internet safety/digital citizenship issues.  

 

In this short animation, characters Hippo and Hedgehog explain to young viewers the "Cyber 5": 

  • Never share personal information
  • Don't download alone
  • Don't respond to a bully
  • Copy & paste evidence of misuse of social media
  • Tell a trusted adult when something online makes you feel uncomfortable

Visit EGUSD's Digital Citizenship website for more resources. 

 

Welcome to eguNews, an EGUSD email newsletter published every two weeks.  To subscribe to eguNews, click here.  If you have questions about eguNews, you can email communication@egusd.net or call (916) 686-7732.

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EGUSD encourages students to  

"Map Your Future"

 

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Parents and students will have an opportunity to plan for the future at the Elk Grove Unified School District's first annual Map Your Future: K-12 Career Pathways Exposition from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 8 at Monterey Trail High School. The event is offered through a partnership between EGUSD, Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce and Elk Grove Economic Development Corporation.

"Research has shown that a key factor in a child's college and career success is his or her engagement in the K-12 learning process," said Steven M. Ladd, Ed.D., EGUSD superintendent. "Students - and our data - tell us a sense of belonging and an interest in what they are learning result in higher attendance and better academic  performance.  Participation in a career pathway is one way students can become involved in a rewarding, supportive, engaging learning community."

 

The event will feature 14 of California's industry sectors, which include agriculture and natural resources, energy environment and utilities, engineering and architecture, health science and medical technology, information and communication technologies, and manufacturing and product development.  These industries have been identified by Elk Grove and Sacramento leaders as having the greatest potential for growth.  

 

"Map Your Future gives students and their parents a chance to explore our District's many career academies and pathways and the corresponding employment opportunities and industries in our community," said Kathy Hamilton, director of college and career options for the District.

 

At the event, current and former EGUSD career academy and pathway students will be available to speak with and answer questions from students and parents.  Teachers, counselors and school and district administrators also will be on hand to answer questions and offer guidance on applying for an EGUSD academy or pathway.  Representatives from post-secondary educational institutions also will be available to provide information about how EGUSD's career academies and pathways connect with college and business partners will be on hand to offer insight into the local labor market.

 

Click here to view a video highlighting our career academies and pathways with an invite to Map Your Future. 

 

Elk Grove, Laguna Creek high school students participate in Constitution Forum  

   
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Government students from Elk Grove and Laguna Creek high schools attended a Constitution Forum in recognition of Constitution Day on Tuesday, September 17 in the Performing Arts Center at Cosumnes Oaks High School. The Elk Grove Unified School District has partnered with the Sacramento Chapter of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge and the John Adams Academy to present the Forum.

 

"The goal of this Forum was to inspire students to become informed citizens, aware of the responsibilities of citizenship and engaged as leaders in their schools, communities and families," said Don Azevada, program specialist for history/social science, physical education and service learning for the District. "Student participants were challenged to articulate their views and perceptions about their constitutional rights while participating in committee meetings and a mock Congress."

 

The Forum aimed to help build the basic civic knowledge of students, promote civic engagement, provide actual practice in democratic deliberation and strengthen student voices.

 

The Sacramento Chapter of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, founded in 1949, is the first of its kind in Northern California. The Foundation is a national, non-profit, non-partisan educational organization that provides low-cost and scholarship-based educational programs for students and teachers on civics, U.S. history, responsible citizenship, volunteerism and youth leadership.  Click here for more information about the Freedoms Foundation.


 

No Excuses - Go to School Attendance Campaign returns for 8th year
 

No Excuses Logo  

  

 

Every hour of every school day counts in your child's education. When students miss school, they must make up lessons and homework. Typically, for every day missed, it takes two days for a student to catch up. This places a burden on the student, the parent, the teacher and your students' classmates.

 

School attendance isn't just about an education - it's about learning the skills necessary to be a successful adult. Regular, consistent attendance and punctuality are skills necessary for being successful in the workplace as well as at school.

 

Attendance is also important for your child's school. All student absences reduce the State's funding to our school district. About half of school funding comes from the state and is based on "average daily attendance." The State of California pays the Elk Grove Unified for each day a student attends school. The district does not receive money when a student is absent - excused or not.

 

In order to raise awareness about attendance, the Elk Grove Unified School District offers a No Excuses - Go to School Attendance Campaign. Now in its 8th year for the 2013-2014, the campaign is centered on the theme of "responsibility." Please help your student(s) understand that being in class means being a responsible person.

 

One way we get students talking about attendance is through our monthly attendance incentive prizes. Local businesses have donated prizes to be given away each month at every Elk Grove Unified school. Students must have perfect attendance for a month in order to eligible for a random drawing to receive the prize. The monthly incentive program is possible thanks to businesses such as: Chick-fil-A, Leatherby's, McDonald's, Office Depot, Raging Waters and Surf Xtreme.

 

But that's not all! To further raise awareness, grand prizes are offered too. At elementary schools, students can earn a chance each month for a drawing for a new bicycle and helmet at the end of the school year based on monthly perfect attendance. For students in grade 7-11, the Great Gift Card Giveaway is new this year. Twice a year, students with perfect attendance for four straight months have two chances to win a $25 gift card. Graduating seniors have a chance to win $20,000 to use towards the purchase of a vehicle from any dealership at the Elk Grove Auto Mall through the Senior Attendance Drive. To be eligible, graduating seniors must have at least five months of perfect attendance and at least a 2.0 GPA.

 

A brand new website dedicated to the Attendance Campaign will launch soon, so stay tuned to learn more about the Attendance Campaign in the coming weeks!

 

EGUSD elementary school students learn about mental wellness through B Street Theatre performance

 

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Students at Arnold Adreani, Raymond Case, Foulks Ranch, Roy Herburger and Anna Kirchgater elementary schools had the chance to learn more about the importance of mental health and wellness through a special performance of "Walk in Our Shoes" by B Street Theatre, sponsored by the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA).

 

"The main point of the play is to acknowledge that most people have someone in their lives who deals with these issues and there is help for them," said Wendy Cioni, a school psychologist for the District. "The play also stressed that it is not OK to make fun of anyone who is different and use words like 'crazy' because that can hurt someone's feelings. The actors modeled reaching out and helping each other."

 

The 35 minute play followed the lives of four high school students and introduced their various experiences with both mental health challenges and stigma. The interaction between each character, whether diagnosed with a mental illness or not, helped illustrate the harmful effects of stigma and provided children with the knowledge and tools to battle misconceptions about mental illness. Following the play, students participated in a 15 minute facilitated discussion about mental illness.

 

CalMHSA is working to reduce stigma associated with mental illnesses by debunking myths and educating 9-13 year old students about mental wellness. The Walk in Our Shoes campaign utilizes real stories from teens and young adults to teach youth about mental health challenges and mental wellness. Click here for more information about the Walk in Our Shoes campaign.