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 Sacramento Zoo offers a ZooMobile scholarship fund for low
income or Title 1 schools; this scholarship has been made
available through the Yoche Dehe Community Fund. Click here to
download the application. The zoo offers one scholarship per
school. All applications are taken into consideration for a full
scholarship to cover the cost for up to two back-to-back
programs. Information listed on the scholarship application is
strictly confidential.
Working with BloodSource, Health Professions High School students
donated 62 pints of blood during a day long drive on May 8.
Eighty-three students participated, including 28 new donors.
Great!
A video titled “Life of a Cyber-bullied Teenager” produced by a
team from Martin Luther King Jr. K-8 was featured during the
third annual Youth Media Forum for Social Change on May 11 held
at the offices of The Sacramento Press. Congratulations!
SCUSD is committed to improving the health of our students and community. Healthy student 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 planks to improve and strengthen your core.
For a second year in a row, SCUSD is partnering with the Magic
Johnson Foundation, the Phoenix Park Magic Johnson Community
Empowerment Center, Best Buy and the Geek Squad to offer a Geek
Squad Summer Academy. Geek Squad Summer Academy is a program
designed to inspire a younger generation to get involved with
technology. This is accomplished through fun, interactive classes
and activities that provide students an opportunity to get
hands-on experience with a wide variety of technology.
Sutter Middle School’s debate team took many of the top honors at
the Northern California Debate Championships on Saturday. Out of
the 50 teams (150 students) competing from throughout Northern
California, Sutter’s four teams all placed in the top 12. With
3-1 records the teams of Olivia Sison, Sam Adams and Trevor
Pearce and Elizabeth Fugit, Sydney Bagshaw and Della Mahoney
placed 12th and 11th, respectively. With a perfect 4-0 record,
the team of Evan Drukker-Schardl, Shaina Zuber and Chloe Craig
placed third overall.
Golden Empire Elementary School’s intermediate students became
poets in residence during the campus’ Second Annual Poetry Jam
Assembly, held recently. Developed and coordinated by
fourth grade teacher Robert Snider, the Poetry Jam showcased 31
students demonstrating their skills memorizing and then reciting
poems for students, families and staff. The poems included
original compositions, such as “Star Wars,” and classics, such as
“The Pearl.” There were even some humorous selections, such
as “I Bought a Pet Banana.” All agreed that the Poetry Jam
is a great way to ce
Fifty six Albert Einstein Middle School intermediate and advanced
band students performed on Saturday, May 5, at Diablo Valley
College in Pleasant Hill. The students received a “gold” rating
for their performance. A special shout-out to the trumpet
section, which received an Outstanding Section Award. Trumpet
students include: Nick Johnson, Adam Boles, Andrew Treadway,
Angelica Mejia, Tremaine Roots, Daniel Topete and Alyssa Jeska.
Students then spent the rest of the day at Six Flags Discovery
Kingdom. Congratulations!
Sequoia Elementary School held its annual Variety Show on Friday,
May 4, with a record-breaking 31 acts performing! There was
singing, dancing, a skit, lip-syncing, a piano recital and even a
mime. Students, ranging from kindergarteners to sixth graders,
showcased their talents. Parent Andrea Raymond spearheaded the
event, and Barbie Walker, Kimberly Castaneda and Jared Newland
helped with practice sessions. Raley’s and parents donated treats
and punch.
Eight middle and high school students of the Jinan (China) Peace
Messengers Delegation visited William Land Elementary School’s
Mandarin Language Dual Immersion Program on Monday, May 7. The
delegation and kindergarten students sang songs and recited poems
in both English and Mandarin and enjoyed an all-American school
lunch of chicken tenders and mashed potatoes. Although the
visit was short, it was a memorable and enriching experience.
C.B. Wire Elementary School joined with 2,000 other campuses
nationwide that participated in “Stand 4 Change” day on Friday,
May 4. All around the country, teachers and students took a
timeout from traditional classwork to make a stand for an
increasingly visible and important lesson in schools:
anti-bullying. The rally at C.B. Wire was planned by the sixth
grade classes as part of their “Taking a Stand” unit. It was
supported by C.B. Wire Youth and Family Resource Center staff.
Students marched through the school chanting “Let’s all cheer!
Judy Lee, who teaches second grade at Matsuyama Elementary
School, began her career in education 23 years ago and today
holds many leadership positions at the Pocket neighborhood
campus. She is a member of the School Quality Review committee,
the site leadership team and is a grade-level leader. She
encourages literacy with a classroom Writers Workshop, during
which kids write and illustrate their own books. Mrs. Lee
encourages positive behavior with “Lee Bucks” rewards. Her
students and parents, many of whom wrote letters to the
eConnection about Mrs.
Cesar Chavez Intermediate School held a fifth grade Family
Science Night on May 3. Students and their families had hands-on
opportunities to complete simple electricity circuits, conduct
sound tests on various items and learn about magnets and
polarity. They also made – and enjoyed – their own ice cream.
Nicholas Elementary School hosted a basketball clinic with the
Sacramento Kings. Students were taught basic fundamentals such as
shooting, dribbling, passing and teamwork. Nicholas’ star
player sixth-grader Aquira Decosta (pictured here) went
one-on-one with the Kings’ Francisco Garcia, making the
shot. Students had a great time learning new skills and
technique from their favorite team. They also won autographed
shirts, got autographs and pictures with players.
C.K. McClatchy High School’s Lion’s Pride Players closed out an
eight-performance run of the classic musical “Guys and Dolls” on
Saturday. The musical is based on Damon Runyon’s stories of
gamblers and petty criminals in New York City in the 1940s. Here,
junior Will Block, playing Nicely-Nicely Johnson, belts out the
Frank Loesser tune “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.”
April 20 officially marked the successful completion of Parents
As Partners in Schools (PAPS) first cohort! The second cohort is
currently in full swing and will be completed in the next few
weeks! PAPS provides parents and community members the
opportunity to learn more about being involved in their child’s
education, becoming an effective advocate for their child’s
needs, gaining leadership skills and improving communication to
have effective parent-teacher relationships.
After their most prolific year ever in the Capitol Region Debate
League (including sweeping top honors at the league finals), the
Sutter Debate Team placed very well at the National Middle School
Debate Finals at Claremont McKenna College in Los Angeles on
April 21. The team took top honors as Best in League for their
performance as a school team. From the 90 teams and 270
competitors at the tournament, the team of Sarah Whipple, Inga
Manticas and Nate Fleming placed fifth overall with a 4-1 record.
The team of Evan Drukker-Schardl, Chloe Craig and Shaina Zuber
also medaled at 28th place.
John Bidwell Elementary School hosted a free family concert
featuring the Camellia Symphony Orchestra on Sunday, April 22.
The symphony’s Free Family Concert Series is designed to
introduce people of all ages to classical music in a fun,
informative and casual format. The event included an “instrument
petting zoo” and Funshop art stations provided by I Can Do That!
Isador Cohen Elementary School Special Day Class teacher Lucas
Machado uses assistive technology devices in his classroom to
help students optimize their learning. This technology includes a
SMART Board, iPad and the computers in the school’s computer lab.
He also maintains a class website that includes fun learning
activities for students. Parents report that Mr. Machado’s calm
and collected demeanor makes for a safe, fun learning
environment. For all these reasons, he is the eConnection
Hero of the Week
SCUSD’s Child Development Department offers quality support
services for expectant teens and their soon to be babies.
Early Head Start, a federally funded program, provides both
expectant and new parents weekly 90-minute home visits and twice
monthly socialization experiences with a highly trained home
visitor. Services provided include pre- and post-natal health
screenings and follow-up, parenting education, social services
referrals and expert support staff.
Caroline Wenzel Elementary School had two big events last Friday.
To kick off STAR testing, Kenny Lee Lewis, lead singer and bass
player for The Steve Miller Band, performed for students at a
spirit assembly, fittingly themed “Rock the STAR.” Mr. Lewis is
an alumnus of Sutterville Elementary School, Sam Brannan Middle
School and C.K. McClatchy High School (Class of ‘72). He is
pictured here with Wenzel’s Principal Judy Montgomery.
Ninety people attended a graduation reception held on Monday,
April 23, at the Serna Center in honor of 20 participants who
successfully completed the School, Family and Community
Leadership Academy’s nine-week leadership training, a partnership
program with the Sacramento Council of PTAs.
This year, Hiram Johnson High School was selected to be the
recipient of the Mormon Helping Hands project. Each year,
the charity drive chooses a school to beautify with a volunteer
labor force. On Saturday, more than 700 people from Hiram
Johnson, SCUSD, the local community and the LDS Church came
together from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to scrape gum, paint curbs,
dig up weeds, replant flowers and shrubs, trim and beautify
hedges and wash and clean the halls and windows in the classroom
areas. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the school and
community!
Three SCUSD administrators and Mark Hopkins Elementary School
will be honored by the Association of California School
Administrators, Region III, at an awards gala on May 16 at the
Hilton Hotel. Mao Vang, director of Assessment, Research and
Evaluation, will receive a “Silver Star.” Susan B. Anthony
Elementary School Principal Candas Colen (pictured) and Cancy
McArn, a director in Human Resources, will both be named
“Administrators of the Year.” Mark Hopkins Elementary will
receive the Partners in Educational Excellence award for its
“Real Men Read Program” in conjunction with 100 Black Men of
Sacramento. Congratulations all!
SCUSD’s Adult Education Department partnered with the Rancho
Cordova Historical Society and Edward Kelley School alumni on a
tree planting ceremony Friday that honored award-winning author
Kiyo Sato, 88 (pictured). Ms. Sato attended Edward Kelley, then a
one-room K-8 school, until 1942, when her family, a target of
prejudice, was forced to move to an internment camp in Arizona.
Despite these struggles, Ms. Sato eventually returned to
Sacramento, joined the U.S. Air Force, finished her education and
became a successful SCUSD school nurse. At age 80, wrote a memoir
of her childhood, “Dandelion through the Crack/Kiyo’s Story,”
with the help of Adult Education classes. Ms. Sato also worked to
preserve a rare pink-blossoming almond tree on Folsom Boulevard
near the Rancho Cordova library. At Friday’s ceremony, a
white-blossoming almond tree was planted at the school, which now
houses an Adult Education Parent Participation Preschool program.
The goal is to eventually graft the rare pink tree onto this one
to create a lasting legacy to Ms. Sato.
A team of debaters from California Middle School placed
eighth in the Middle School Public Debate Program 2012
Championship Tournament held Saturday at Claremont McKenna
College in Los Angeles. Ninety teams from across the country
competed – 270 students in all. Cal’s winning team of eighth
graders are: John Gutierrez, Jake Brugger and Tony Hackett, who
also came in 25th out of 270 in Individual Speaker Award points.
Congratulations to the team and coach Shonna Franzella!
Alicia Chan, a senior at C.K. McClatchy High School in the
rigorous Humanities and International Studies Program, was
honored by the Board of Education on Thursday as a “Stellar
Student.” Working with teacher Barbara Hansen this year, Alicia
entered artwork in two highly competitive student contests: Mercy
Cancer Center’s “Meaning of Hope” contest and the “I Voted”
sticker design contest sponsored by the Sacramento County Voter
Registration Office. Despite heavy competition, Alicia won first
place in both contests. Congratulations!
C.K. McClatchy High School seniors Tiffany Chan and Lark Trumbly
are among the finalists in the Sacramento Chapter of Physicians
for Social Responsibility 2012 High School Scholarship Essay
Contest. The writing prompt for the contest was a quote from
former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis: “We can have
democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth
concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.”
Students will present their essays at a dinner on Sunday and
winners will be selected. First-place prize is $3,000.
Students at Kit Carson Middle School celebrated the campus’ rich
diversity last month with a Multicultural Unity Day Celebration.
Activities included performances by the Fenix Drum and Dance
Company, LeAnthony Castillo Dance Company, the Leonardo da Vinci
Very Special ARTS Blues Band and local martial arts master Franco
Parchamento. Students will also perform original spoken word
poetry. Sponsors of Unity Day included the Sacramento Police
Department, El Patron Restaurant, Espanol Italian Restaurant,
SaveMart, Los Jarritos Restaurant and Giovanni’s Old World New
York Pizzeria.
