Elk Grove Unified School District
Excellence by Design
 EGUSD News and NotesJanuary 6, 2014 
In This Issue
Dr. Ladd - Man of the Year Award
CLMS/CLHS Educators of the Year
Xtreme Fitness @ Jackman
Beutler Contest Winners
Digital Citizenship Safety Tips
 
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Honoring our volunteers

   

Cassie Dowdle of Arnold Adreani Elementary School 
  

   

Cassie Dowdle was recognized as an Education Partner at the December 10, 2013 meeting of the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education.

 

Dowdle began her adventure at Arnold Adreani Elementary School as a parent volunteer. She has played an integral role is setting some of the long-lasting traditions at Adreani, including the annual spaghetti feed, sock hop, Jog-A-Thon, tri-tip dinner drive-thru, casino night and bunco night. Dowdle has also served as PTA president at Adreani. Through her leadership, she created multiple opportunities for parents to become involved at Adreani.

 

Dowdle's community partnership with the Lions Club has provided Adreani with generous donations for the school's PJ's and Pancakes Awards Program and for the spaghetti feed. Dowdle has also worked as Adreani's GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) teacher for the past seven years. She is currently serving as the school's library tech.

 

Dowdle is married to Gene Dowdle. They have two children: Ashley, a 7th grade student Katherine L. Albiani Middle School and Taylor, a 10th grade student at Pleasant Grove High School. Both children attended Adreani.


 

EGUSD receives $23,000 Thriving Schools grant from Kaiser Permanente

 

 

Students and teachers in the Elk Grove Unified School District will soon implement a new wellness program thanks to a Thriving Schools grant from Kaiser Permanente.

 

The district's grant of $23,000, which includes $1,000 grants to 21 elementary and middle schools, will be used to start Fire Up Your Feet, a program that will integrate with and augment Project AWARE Safe Routes to School program for the calendar year beginning January 1.

 

"Through our partnership with Kaiser Permanente, we continue to motivate staff, students and the community to take charge of their personal health. In this case, the grant encourages students to stay active and build lifelong healthy habits," said Superintendent Steven M. Ladd, Ed.D. "We are grateful for Kaiser Permanente's continued partnership with Elk Grove Unified."

The Community Benefit grants are just one part of Kaiser Permanente's new Thriving Schools initiative to build healthy, sustainable communities by creating a culture of health in schools. It provides prevention-focused, evidence-based wellness tools -- at no cost -- to any school. By helping students, staff, and teachers be more active and eat more healthfully, schools can have a positive impact on the health of the community and likely improve academic and professional performance at the same time.

The health care organization is awarding 15 Thriving Schools grants across Northern California this year to increase physical activity and improve healthy food offerings for students and teachers at their schools.

 

"The KP Thriving Schools initiative is focused on making healthy choices easy, accessible, and a part of everyday life in our schools," said Yvette Radford, vice president of External and Community Affairs in Northern California. "This initiative is one of the cornerstones of our organizational commitment to the total health of our members and the communities that we serve. It also builds on our many years of work with schools in our community."

 

The Thriving Schools grant is the latest award from Kaiser Permanente to help improve the health of students in the Elk Grove Unified School District. Since 2011, Kaiser Permanente has awarded the district more than $175,000 in Community Benefit grants for dental screening and immunization clinics, a teen parenting program, and wellness initiatives, including Thriving Schools.

Thriving Schools also features Fire Up Your Feet, a new online program developed by the Safe Routes to School National Partnership in collaboration with Kaiser Permanente and the National PTA. The program's goal is to improve the health of students, teachers, and families by encouraging safe walking, bicycling, and other physical activities with online tools free for anyone to use.  

For more information, visit www.kp.org/communitybenefit/ncal. To learn more about Thriving Schools, www.visitkp.org/thrivingschools.

 

 

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 superintendent selected as "Man of the Year" by Elk Grove Citizen

   

      

Dr. Steven M. Ladd, Elk Grove Unified's superintendent, has been selected to receive the "Man of the Year" award from the Elk Grove Citizen. Recipients of the Elk Grove Citizen's "Man of the Year" award must be both active in and contribute to the community.

 

Ladd has been superintendent of the Elk Grove Unified School District since December 1, 2004. The District has reached many milestones under Ladd's leadership. During Ladd's tenure, the District's Academic Performance Index grew by 62 points and enrollment in Advanced Placement classes has increased by 60 percent. The District has also been awarded over $61 million in grants, with the most notable being the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation Grant which supports the implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in math in the District.

 

Ladd is also involved in other educational organizations both statewide and nationally. He was recently named chair-elect for 2014 for the Elk Grove Chamber. He is a member of the California School Boards Association's Superintendent's Advisory Council. He is also a member of the National Superintendent's Roundtable - a select group of 50 U.S. school superintendents supported by the College Board and Johnson & Kellogg foundations, and a board member of the Horace Mann League - a national organization that advocates for support of public education.

 

Click here to read more about Ladd's selection as the Elk Grove Citizen's "Man of the Year."

 

EGUSD teachers earn regional Educator of the Year awards
 

 

 

Two Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) teachers have been selected as Educators of the Year by the California League of Middle Schools (CLMS) and the California League of High Schools (CLHS).  Sherry Marchant, a history teacher at Katherine L. Albiani Middle School, was selected as the CLMS Region 3 Educator of the Year. Kent Pickering, the Technology and Digital Arts Academy coordinator at Elk Grove High School, was selected as the CLHS Region 3 Educator of the Year.

 

The CLMS/CLHS Educator of the Year awards are given annually to 11 educators, representing regions throughout California, who exemplify educational efforts to implement elements of educational reform in middle and high school.  Marchant and Pickering will now each compete against 10 educators from throughout the state for the CLMS and CLHS State Educator of the Year awards.

 

In addition to Marchant and Pickering, two more EGUSD middle school teachers and one EGUSD high school teacher were also selected as finalists for the Region 3 award.  These teachers are:

  • Susan Otani-Curtis - math teacher at Toby Johnson Middle School
  • Laura Poppers - English, leadership, newspaper and yearbook teacher; activities director at James Rutter Middle School
  • Lisa Bjorgum - math teacher at Pleasant Grove High School

CLMS is a non-profit membership association dedicated to improving the professional knowledge of middle level educators to help early adolescents experience academic success and personal well-being. The association offers conferences, workshops and development opportunities that are aligned to and address national and state standards.

 

Click here for more information about CLMS Educator of the Year.


Click here for more information about CLHS Educator of the Year.  

    

Fitness gets "Xtreme" at Samuel Jackman Middle School  

 

   

 

 

Just in time for the new year, students AND staff at Samuel Jackman Middle School are already working on improving their fitness levels through the new "Xtreme Fitness" program.

 

During their physical education class, students are challenged to run a mile - four laps around the school track. If students can run all four laps - without walking - they will receive a black Xtreme Band to wear in honor of their high level of achievement and will join the X Club. Teachers are also invited to earn Xtreme Bands by joining students on their mile run - with no walking.

 

The program, which began in mid-December 2013, will continue throughout the spring. Students and staff who can run/jog two miles - without stopping - will receive the coveted, elite silver Xtreme Band.

 

Jackman staff have a goal to have as many students and staff as possible with matching Xtreme Bands in the X Club. The program helped encourage student and staff unity as well as the idea of being healthier overall campus-wide.

 

 

EGUSD students win Beutler Air Conditioning and Plumbing "Think Green" energy conservation contest
  

 

Two Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) students have been selected as the winners of the Beutler Air Conditioning and Plumbing "Think Green" energy conservation contest.  Edmond Lee, a 12th grade student from Monterey Trail High School, won the high school $150 grand prize for his recycling-themed video game.  Brandon Cerezo, for his drawing and essay entitled "If you want to save bears that are polar, use panels that are solar!"

 

In addition to cash prizes for the winners, Beutler is matching the total prize earnings with $250 donations to Monterey Trail High School and Toby Johnson Middle School for highest student participation in the contest.

 

Beutler partnered with the Elk Grove Unified School District to hold the contest during October 2013, which was recognized as Energy Conservation Month in EGUSD.  The contest encouraged EGUSD students in grades 7-12 to expand their critical thinking skills by developing projects, models and essays focusing on energy conservation in their communities.  Winning projects were selected by Jim Anderberg, Beutler's general manager, based on their creativity, sustainability, topic-specificity, impact and functionality.

 

Three other EGUSD students were also selected as runners-up in the contest.  The following students also received awards in the energy conservation contest:

  • John Barragan of Sheldon High School placed second in the high school category for his drawing and essay on using white roofs and white buildings to reflect most heat absorbed into the building.  He received a $75 cash award.
  • Aubrey Lee of Toby Johnson Middle School placed second in the middle school category for her idea to use magnets instead of fuel to power cars and helicopters.  She also received a $75 cash award.
  • Christopher Specht of Toby Johnson Middle School placed third in the middle school category with his idea to invent pads that turn lights on and off when stepped on.  He received a $50 cash award.