Press Releases
School named for Dr. King plans march for kindness, justice
Event will kick off Kindness Week at Martin Luther King Jr. K-8 School
January 13, 2015 (Sacramento): A school named for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will hold a march for kindness and justice on Thursday (January 15) – the late civil rights activist’s birthday.
The march around the Martin Luther King Jr. K-8 School campus in Sacramento’s Pocket neighborhood will kick off a Kindness Week in which students will be challenged to perform acts of kindness to honor Dr. King’s legacy, said Principal Denise Lee.
Famed polar explorer to visit Sacramento school
Robert Swan was the first to walk unsupported to both poles
January 7, 2015 (Sacramento): Famed polar explorer and motivational speaker Robert Swan will make a presentation about Antarctica and environmentalism to students at Leonardo da Vinci K-8 School from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday (January 9).
Swan holds the distinction of being the first person ever to walk unsupported – meaning without GPS, food drops or radio communications – to both the North and South Poles. His observations of the environment during these treks led him to found 2041, an organization dedicated to educating future leaders about environmental issues.
SCUSD Superintendent José Banda Expresses Support for Worldwide ‘Hour of Code’ Initiative
Event focused on bridging digital divide, promoting computer sciences
Superintendent Jose Banda called on all teachers in the Sacramento Unified School District to be leaders in teaching computer science to their students by joining the worldwide “Hour of Code” movement.
Tens of millions of students of all ages and backgrounds have already tried an Hour of Code, a one-hour introduction designed to demystify computer science and show that anybody can learn the basics. This year, Banda, along with other leaders in the education and tech fields such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, are hoping to reach 100 million students.
SCUSD teens picked for color guard duty at 49ers-Raiders game
Hiram Johnson JROTC will serve at ‘Battle of the Bay’ on Saturday
December 2, 2014 (Sacramento): Teens from Hiram Johnson High School’s Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) will serve color guard duty before thousands of football fans at the December 7 “Battle of the Bay” between the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers.
Sunday is also on the 73rd anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which brought America into World War II. Pearl Harbor survivors will participate with JROTC cadets in a commemorative ceremony before the playing of the National Anthem.
Next week is Thanksgiving break: Help keep schools safe
Metal thieves, vandals prey on schools during the holidays
November 20, 2014 (Sacramento): The holidays are a busy time of year – especially for vandals, thieves and arsonists looking to take advantage of empty school campuses.
SCUSD is asking the community to help keep our schools safe and secure over the Thanksgiving Break (November 24-28) by reporting suspicious activity on any of our 75 campuses.
“Most of our schools are surrounded by homes, and we need those neighbors to join us in protecting these valuable and sometimes vulnerable community centers,” said Sacramento Safe School Office Manager Nina Delgadillo.
Artists create bust of Cesar Chavez for school named in his honor
Work to be unveiled at ceremony on November 18
November 13, 2014 (Sacramento): A bust of the late labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez will be unveiled on Tuesday, November 18, at the SCUSD school named in his honor.
Farm to school: 4-H to bring animals to SCUSD campus
November 4, 2014 (Sacramento): John Sloat Elementary School students will get a glimpse of rural life when farm animals visit the campus on Wednesday for Farm Day, an annual event sponsored by Sacramento County 4-H Clubs.
Club members will exhibit their animals – which may include cows, pigs, goats, sheep or chickens – and demonstrate how they care for their livestock.
The 4-H Farm Day has been a tradition in SCUSD since 1987.
WHAT: 4-H Farm Day
Kids to get free eye exams, glasses from Vision To Learn
October 23, 2014 (Sacramento): Students at John Cabrillo Elementary School who have been identified with possible vision problems will be given a free eye examination and fitted for free glasses on Friday from the Los Angeles-based nonprofit Vision To Learn.
Vision To Learn’s mobile clinic will be at the school (1141 Seamas Ave., Sacramento, CA 95822) beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Friday (October 24).
Approximately 32 Cabrillo students are eligible for the service.
SCUSD celebrates Walk to School Day on October 8
International event promotes wellness, pedestrian safety
October 6, 2014 (Sacramento): Sacramento City Unified School District schools will observe International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 8, with a celebration at Hubert H. Bancroft Elementary School.
The event is aimed at raising awareness of healthy lifestyle choices and pedestrian safety on busy city streets. Staff from SCUSD’s Safe Schools Office will be on hand to discuss safe routes to school and other tips. Superintendent José L. Banda will be among those greeting parents and students at Bancroft.
JFK High’s new $5.9 million stadium opens this Friday
State-of-the-art sports complex funded by Measure R bonds
September 3, 2014 (Sacramento): SCUSD will cut the ribbon on a new $5.9 million athletic stadium at John F. Kennedy High School with a ceremony and pre-football game pep rally at 3:30 p.m. on Friday (September 5).
The stadium features an artificial turf field, recycled rubber track, new bleachers, a new concession stand building with restrooms and new landscaping. It replaces a weedy grass field that was peppered with gopher holes, difficult to play on and hard to maintain.
REMINDER: SCUSD, local law enforcement to stage mock school bus crash
Multi-agency training exercise at McClellan aimed at training school bus drivers and emergency responders on actions in the event of a crisis
RELEASE DATE: August 26, 2014 (Sacramento): Sacramento City Unified School District is joining forces with local law enforcement and other agencies to stage a mock school bus accident at McClellan Park on Thursday, August 28.
WHAT: Multi-Agency Mock School Bus Accident Training Exercise
WHERE: Northern California Regional Public Safety Training
Authority, 2409 Dean St., McClellan Park
WHEN: 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 28
SCUSD, local law enforcement to stage mock school bus crash
Multi-agency training exercise at McClellan aimed at training school bus drivers and emergency responders on actions in the event of a crisis
RELEASE DATE: August 21, 2014 (Sacramento): Sacramento City Unified School District is joining forces with local law enforcement and other agencies to stage a mock school bus accident at McClellan Park on August 28.
WHAT: Multi-Agency Mock School Bus Accident Training Exercise
WHERE: Northern California Regional Public Safety Training
Authority, 2409 Dean St., McClellan Park
WHEN: 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 28
Board appoints Seattle superintendent to lead SCUSD
(Sacramento): The Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education voted tonight to appoint Seattle Public Schools Superintendent José L. Banda to the top post in Sacramento.
Mr. Banda’s first press conference in Sacramento is scheduled for 10 a.m. tomorrow (Friday, July 18) at the Serna Center, 5735 47th Ave., in the upstairs rotunda.
SCUSD Board expected to vote on next superintendent on Thursday
July 16, 2014 (Sacramento): The Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education is expected to vote on SCUSD’s next superintendent at its meeting on Thursday (July 17).
The finalist candidate is not expected to attend the meeting on Thursday. A press conference with the new superintendent and SCUSD Board President Patrick Kennedy has been scheduled for 10 a.m. on Friday, July 18, at the Serna Center (5735 47th Ave.)
Trustees to visit Seattle in final phase of superintendent search
The Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education will visit Seattle next week in the final phase of the process for appointing a permanent superintendent.
Group celebrates campaign for arson-damaged playgrounds
May 19, 2014 (Sacramento): Sacramento Unified Education Foundation – SCUSD’s official nonprofit organization – will celebrate the success of its fund-raising campaign for two arson-damaged playgrounds on Wednesday at John Sloat Elementary School.
Last summer, playground structures at John Sloat and Caroline Wenzel elementary schools were set ablaze. Damage was extensive and both structures were removed for safety reasons. Although SCUSD moved swiftly to replace the structures, the schools opened in the fall without them.
Ribbon-cutting for Rosemont’s new track and field on Wednesday
High-tech, $1.97 million project funded by Measure R bonds
May 12, 2014 (Sacramento): SCUSD will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday to open Rosemont High School’s new $1.97 million track and field, a project funded by Measure R.
Made in the USA with recycled rubber, the sandwich-style track surface is free of harmful heavy metals and durable enough for world-class performance training and competition. The equivalent of 7,000 passenger tires was kept from landfills through the recycling process.
SCUSD gears up to fight summer learning loss
Summer Matters @SCUSD helps kids stay focused, engaged
May 6, 2014 (Sacramento): Sacramento City Unified School District is continuing its work as a leader in the fight against summer learning loss with its free Summer Matters @SCUSD programs for children and teens.
“We are absolutely committed to preventing the kind of summer learning loss that puts urban kids behind their peers when school starts again in September,” says Interim Superintendent Dr. Sara Noguchi. “Our students deserve every academic advantage we can give them.”
City, SCUSD to celebrate new Fruitridge traffic signal
May 6, 2014 (Sacramento): SCUSD and the City of Sacramento will celebrate the operation of a new traffic signal on Fruitridge Road on Friday, May 9, at a West Campus High School press conference.
The installation of the new light at Fruitridge and 58th Street culminates a joint effort by the two agencies launched after West Campus student Michelle Murigi, 16, was fatally hit by a car in the intersection. Subsequent to her death, five of Michelle’s friends and classmates started a petition to demand a traffic signal (www.facebook.com/58thAndFruitridge).
Students vie for $1 million at SCUSD Project Green event
Blue-ribbon panel of local experts will judge student proposals for making campuses more sustainable
April 15, 2014 (Sacramento): Twenty-five SCUSD student-led green teams will compete for $1 million in Measure Q money on Tuesday, April 22, at the 2014 Project Green Event, held this year at Isador Cohen Elementary School.