The Communications Department is responsible for media, community
relations and district-wide communications. The department also
produces many of Sacramento City Unified’s publications,
newsletters and internet content.
The Winter 2012 Very Special Arts Festival, a showcase of student
accomplishments in the visual and performing arts, was held last
Thursday at the Sam Pannell Community Center. About 600 students
– including members of Leonardo da Vinci K-8’s rock band –
participated either by displaying artwork, participating in
workshops or performing.
Luther Burbank High School’s Parent University is offering free
classes in Computers and Beginner ESL (5 to 8 p.m. Mondays),
Advanced Spanish Reading and Writing (5 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays),
Hmong Reading and Writing (5 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays) and
Intermediate ESL (5 to 7 p.m. Thursdays). Childcare and homework
support for children is offered free during the classes. Call
Elisa Gonzalez Hidalgo at (916) 433-5100 ext. 1050 for more
information.
Counselors and Principal Michael Salman at Capital City School
hosted a college day for interested students and families on
Wednesday. Dozens of students and approximately 25 families
attended the first-of-its-kind event. Parents were provided
materials and advice on applications, required courses, financial
aid and more. Students received assistance with their
applications, letter writing, college selection and financial
aid. Due to the success of the event, subsequent college days are
being planned to raise the career and college readiness of the
Cap City community.
SCUSD is committed to improving the health of our students and
community. Healthy students are less likely to miss school, which
results in higher academic performance. In addition, healthy
children and adults are happier, have more energy and maintain a
more positive outlook on life. To help you stay fit, SCUSD will
be offering “Fit for Life” video exercise tutorials. This week we
focus on abdominals.
The 2012-13 California Teacher of the Year Program is seeking
nominations of pre-kindergarten through grade 12 teachers who
have at least seven years of teaching experience. Learn more.
Ethel I. Baker Elementary School sponsored a “Keeping Our
Students Safe” night for the Fruitridge community on January 19.
Principal Olga Arellano and Sacramento County Sheriff Department
deputies from the National Latino Peace Officers Association made
presentations to the students regarding gang awareness and
prevention. More than 200 students and parents attended. Officers
presented information on staying safe, talked individually with
the parents and children and gave away “sticker badges” and
whistles, which the children loved. They also raffled off a new
bicycle, won by a lucky student.
Many SCUSD schools are located in densely populated urban areas
that experience heavy car traffic during morning and afternoon
commute times. Please take a few minutes to remind children of
basic safety tips for pedestrians and cyclists. These include:
Always cross the street at a cross walk, preferable at an
intersection controlled by a traffic light or stop sign.
Make eye contact with drivers as you are crossing to make
sure they see you.
Always look left, right and left again before crossing the
street.
For more tips on pedestrian, cyclist and driver safety, and for
information on the topic, click here.
Rosemont High School students have won $500 from local television
station FOX 40. Teens videotaped themselves singing and uploaded
the videos to the station’s website. Because Rosemont was
among the top five schools participating in the FOX 40 “Just Let
Me Sing” contest, it was awarded $500 and was featured on a
news segment. Congratulations Rosemont!
Starting February 1, SCUSD families will be able to pay for
student meals online, which will streamline lunchtime cafeteria
service, reduce long lines and eliminate risks associated with
the handling of cash. Through the mySchoolBucks.com online
payment system, parents can electronically deposit lunch money
directly into SCUSD’s cafeteria fund bank account. The service
uses a “super-secure” data center with a 128-bit encryption for
confidentiality. Families will be able to prepay for as many
meals as they wish using a credit or debit card. A $2 fee will
apply.
Five Community Budget Forums have been scheduled to provide
families, employees and others with information about SCUSD’s
2012-13 budget and to receive feedback on proposed cuts. The
schedule is:
All meetings will begin at 6 p.m. Visit the new budget page on
SCUSD’s website (www.scusd.edu/BudgetNews) for links to
media stories, updates from Board of Education meetings and a
suggestion box. Also, SCUSD will launch a community budget survey
on Thursday – check the website for more info.
The capacity of Luther Burbank High School’s International
Baccalaureate (IB) program will be expanded for the 2012-13
freshman class to allow a limited number of Open Enrollment
students from all areas of the SCUSD district to apply. IB
is a challenging program for learners that helps students develop
the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live,
learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world. Founded in 1968,
IB is in 3,325 schools in 141 countries.
Luther Burbank High School’s Black Student Union and its EMERGE
program – a seventh-period leadership class for African-American
girls — have assembled an ambitious calendar of events to
celebrate Black History Month next month. Plans call for a Black
History Gallery in the school cafeteria, a movie night, a “Big
Sister, Little Sister” “bonding” afternoon, a trivia contest and
a performance night. Go Titans!
SCUSD is committed to improving the health of our students and
community. Healthy students are less likely to miss school, which
results in higher academic performance. In addition, healthy
children and adults are happier, have more energy and maintain a
more positive outlook on life. To help you stay fit, SCUSD will
be offering “Fit for Life” video exercise tutorials. This week we
focus on upper body strength.
In response to community demand, Phoebe Hearst Elementary School,
a BASIC school, will offer kindergarten for the first time in
many years, beginning in the fall of 2012. In keeping with
tradition, Phoebe Hearst’s program will be focused and
academically rigorous. Interested families must apply through
SCUSD’s Open Enrollment process,
which begins Monday, January 30. Families will then be invited to
a screening and interview appointment. Students who meet Phoebe
Heart’s kindergarten readiness criteria will be contacted and
offered a slot. The district is using facilities bond funds to
physically expand the campus to accommodate kindergarteners.
The Open Enrollment process is an opportunity for each student
who resides permanently within the boundaries of the Sacramento
City Unified School District to apply for enrollment in
participating elementary, K-8, middle or high schools within the
district, based on space availability for the 2012-2013 school
year. Parents or guardians will need to complete an application
in order for their children to attend the “school of choice”
requested. The online Open Enrollment application will be
available at www.scusd.edu 24
hours a day beginning at 8 a.m. on Monday, January 30, through 5
p.m. on Friday, February 10. If you wish to apply in-person, you
may do so at the Enrollment Center, 5601 47th Ave. The in-person
application period will be held from Wednesday, February 8, to
Friday, February 10. District personnel will be available to
assist you from 9 am to 4 pm.
Twenty-five parent and community leaders will start their first
session of the School-Family Partnership Leadership Academy
tonight at the Serna Center. The Leadership Academy, now on its
third year, is offered by the district in collaboration with the
Parent Teachers Association (PTA). The program is designed
to provide parents and community members, who currently hold
leadership positions in their schools or organizations with
advanced training on collaborative leadership and educational
issues. The program is supported by the Teichert Foundation.
Mark Hopkins Elementary School could win a “dream” school garden,
but it needs your help! Third-grader Melissa Martinez’s drawing
of her dream garden is one of three top finalists in the Karden
Gardens Dream School Garden Competition, which is part of the
Northern California Home and Landscape Expo. Melissa can
win a garden for the school if she gets the most votes during the
Expo, which will be held at Cal Expo January 27-29.
