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Building Successful Futures
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| LEEF Hosts Another Successful Event |
The Lakeport Enhanced Education Foundation (LEEF) "Party with a Purpose" was held on March 14th at the Lake County Fairgrounds. Over 180 people attended the event and a great time was had by all. The festivities included delicious food, live & silent auctions and dance music provided by Kay Irvine's band, Soul Alliance.
In addition to the dedicated LEEF Board members, many individuals contributed to the event's success. The room was decorated with hundreds of kites created by K-7th grade students and their teachers. Several school organizations donated items for the auctions with proceeds going back to the contributing organizations.
For its first funded project since the event, LEEF recently awarded $2000 to the new Terrace School Garden Project. Grant applications are available from principals at each site and may be submitted until the end of the school year. Thank you to LEEF Board members Jill Falconer, Amy Wind, Lynn Andre, Bonnie Tringali, Chris Frediani, Colleen Rentsch, Beth Ackermann, and Nanette Dutcher for their hard work and continued support of our schools!
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| "Party with a Purpose" attendees were surrounded by hundreds of beautiful kites created by elementary and middle school students
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Update on Measure T School Improvement Project
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 On April 8th, LUSD successfully priced the first series of General Obligation Bonds from the November 2014 Authorization. The financing process started in January with the creation of legal documents, followed by a credit rating meeting with Standard and Poor's in San Francisco attended by the superintendent and business manager. The district was issued an A+ stable rating and then worked with Stifel Nicholaus & Company to have our bonds sold into the municipal market on April 8th. The District issued $6 million of our $17 million authorization as traditional current interest bonds (with principal and/or interest payments every year). The true interest cost "TIC" (the overall weighted average cost of borrowing) for the 30-year financing was 3.726222%. We will now begin work on the district's master facilities plan so that we can prioritize and coordinate the development of projects using the first series of funds. Interviews were also held recently to select an architectural firm to work with us as we upgrade our school facilities over the new few years. An agreement with TLCD Architects will be recommended to the Board for approval at the May 14th meeting. |
 New Staff Members and Staff in New Positions:
- Cheryl Thomas is the assistant cook for the After School program.
- Melissa Ponce is a campus supervisor on an afternoon bus route.
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| Preschoolers Visit Woodshop Class |
The Clear Lake High School woodshop had two groups of young students from Lakeport Early Connections Preschool visit their program last month. The woodshop students demonstrated some of the tools by driving nails, screws, and by sawing  a board. The preschool students then took a tour of the shop and the larger tools. Clear Lake High School students built nearly a dozen toy trucks to take back to the preschool for their play area. The toys were made with locally harvested lumber and finished with beeswax. In past years, woodshop students have built simple puzzles and building block sets for classroom play toys. We hope that the visitation will spark an interest in the woodshop program when the preschoolers become high school students.
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New Lighting Installation Begins
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California voters passed Proposition 39, the "California Clean Energy Jobs Act", in the November 2012 election. Under the initiative, $550 million is now available annually for eligible projects to improve energy efficiency and expand clean energy generation in our state. Of that amount, $279 million has been awarded to school districts.
MOT Director Dave Norris worked with Green Energy Solutions to submit an application for the funds, so LUSD has already been awarded $214,700 for fiscal years 2013-14 and 2014-15. Our district will receive a total of $500,000 over the five years of the grant.
The first phase of the project is the installation of new LED light fixtures at the elementary school, high school and district office because the lights in many of those buildings are 40 years old and are the least energy efficient. The 1,350 new bulbs are projected to save the district $28,900 on our annual energy bill and reduce 219,300 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. The next phase of the project will include installation of an additional 894 fixtures in the middle school, student programs office and the bus barn. Teachers and staff have already shared how impressed they are with the improved quality of light in their classrooms.
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School Garden Project in the Works
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Seventh grade teacher Lisa Prather has been the force behind establishing a school garden at Terrace Middle School. The mission of the Terrace Garden Project is to foster improved nutritional practices through cultivation of organically grown produce. The goal is to grow edibles that can be harvested and used in the school cafeteria as well as provide an outdoor classroom to teach 4th-8th grade students about ecology through lessons on composting, pollination, and ecosystems.
The Junior Interact Club will maintain the garden and the club will also be using it as a sustainable business model to track expenses and income through plant sales and fundraisers. Lisa has been actively seeking community donations to establish the garden and has already received funds from the Lakeport Enhanced Education Foundation, the Terrace School PTO, the Terrace School Student Council, and the Public Health SNAP grant. Community member Jennifer Strong has also committed to donating all of the soil needed for the project. Lisa has been working closely with MOT Director Dave Norris to plan the irrigation system and fencing, and Eagle Scout Chris Lasher will be installing planter boxes. If you have suggestions for community volunteers or would like to donate your time to the Terrace Garden Project, please contact Lisa at 262-3007, ext 7071 or 972-0341.
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Employee of the Year Nominations Due Soon
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 Nominations for Teacher and Classified Employee of the Year will be accepted until the end of the day on Friday, April 17th. Employees may submit nominations electronically, in person or through the interdistrict mail. Thank you for taking time to recognize your talented and dedicated co-workers.
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| LUSD Retirees To Be Honored |
 As the end of the year draws near, seven of our outstanding staff members will be soon retiring. All district employees are invited to join the LUSD Board of Trustees at the May 14th meeting to recognize those individuals for their dedicated years of service to our students. Jackie Akins, Dave Hagberg, Pam Klier, Jim Rogers, Suzanne Terry, Steve Gentry and Chris Frediani will be honored at the meeting at 6:00 p.m. We hope that you will join us!
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Lakeport Unified School District is grateful for the support of our community and parent organizations!
The Lakeport Enhanced Education Foundation (LEEF) contributed $3,200 to purchase a computer cart for iPads that are used by Terrace Middle School Students.
The "Power of an Hour" program sponsored by Umpqua Bank donated $250 to Lakeport Elementary School to purchase classroom supplies.
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Schools of Hope Volunteers Receive Recognition
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| | Schools of Hope volunteer tutors received recognition at the April board meeting. The thirteen volunteers spend time twice a week helping 1st graders improve their reading skills. The program is a partnership between LUSD and United Way. |
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LUSD Now Has A Facebook Page!
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Click this link to visit our Facebook page
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