SCUSD in the News

COMMUNITY UPDATE FROM THE DESK OF JONATHAN P RAYMOND

2010-11-20T16:44:28Z

Dear Colleagues:

Next week, families and friends across Sacramento will gather at dinner tables to celebrate Thanksgiving. And although I like turkey and mashed potatoes as much as the next person, I have to say that the best part of Thanksgiving is, in fact, “giving thanks” – acknowledging with gratitude things that go right in life.

There is something reassuring in affirming out loud that, despite our challenges, we have much to rejoice in. Come to think of it, this is a good message for all of us in education. Public schools have taken a thumping this year from movies like “Waiting for Superman” and from those justifiably worried about how well our educational system is preparing kids for the future. The truth is, we can and must do a better job.

Still, there is no other country in the world that tries to do as much in the arena of public education as ours. Our schools work to prepare ALL children for college and the workforce, regardless of where they live or how and regardless of ability level. This is not a standard idea around the globe, and deserves recognition.

With gratitude in mind, I would like to offer the following list of 10 things I am thankful for (in no particular order):

Principals: Imagine tossing a ball in the air. Now imagine juggling two. Now three. Now four. Now five. Now 20. Welcome to the world of K-12 principals. Great principals keep all the balls aloft: They direct and motivate faculty and staff, they encourage cooperative leadership, they welcome and engage parents, they nurture and inspire children and they take care of the hundreds of big and small decisions during the course of year that make or break a school. Thank you.

Teachers: The poet William Butler Yeats once wrote: "Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire." As we know from research, the No. 1 factor in how much students learn is the classroom teacher. Thanks for lighting the fire.

Staff: They bring our children to school. They feed them breakfast and lunch. They monitor their play time. They care for kids when they are sick. They clean the classrooms and repair our schools where children learn and play. They mow the grass. They answer the phones and fill in the forms and put up the flag and take down last week’s posters. Then they take our children back home again. We can’t “put children first” without them. Thank you.

Parents: They are our student’s first teachers. Their trust in us is astounding. And their support is absolutely vital to our success. Thank you, parents, for joining the PTA or PTO or School Site Council on your campus or for participating in a district advisory group. Thank you for forming one. Thank you for volunteering in our classrooms. Thank you for attending our on-campus events, working in our gardens and chaperoning our field trips. Thank you for reading with your children at night. Most of all, thank you for taking that one moment at the end of a long day to hug your child and ask “How was school?”

Community partners: At a time when the government’s underfunding of public schools has triggered the deepest cuts in decades, community partners have stepped in to help. From the Target-sponsored library makeover at Ethel I. Baker Elementary to the Boys and Girls Club to Reading Partners to the Parent Teacher Home Visit Project, and all those in between, thanks for the boost.

Gardens: Gardens are sprouting up everywhere in our district, turning brown, weedy patches into outdoor science laboratories. Many garden-gloved hands are at work on these projects, and I would like to thank a few, including parent organizations, the Sacramento Area Community Gardens Coalition, our Healthy Food Task Force and our own facilities department.

Libraries, art and music: I know from personal experience how much kids love their computers and video games and phones. But there is magic in libraries and creativity and imagination in art, music, dance and drama. This year, we kept our libraries open and are adding to our visual and performing arts programs. I’m proud that SCUSD bucked the growing trend among districts to shutter these valuable resources that engage kids and ignite a love of learning and school. This is truly a gift to the future.

And three just for me…

Baseball: Things change. Trends come and go. Children grow. Adults grow older. But baseball is a constant. Each Fall Classic (and this year’s was especially sweet for Giants fans) is followed by spring training and the renewal of hope (OK, my hope) that the Red Sox will win it all again.

Sacramento weather: It’s November and my overcoat remains in the closet. Perhaps native Californians miss the significance of this. Native New Englanders do not.

My family: The reason I do what I do. I love you guys. And thank you.

Have a wonderful holiday break.
Sincerely,
Jonathan P. Raymond
Superintendent

November 19, 2010

Teaching and Learning

The Glow of Art and Science: Tenth and eleventh graders at George Washington Carver School of Arts & Science are integrating art and science with projects this week. Students are sculpting solar powered outdoor lamps around the quad. The students have been learning about solar powered electrical circuits in physics. In art they have been designing and building “cobb” sculptures to house the solar lamps. Cobb is an adobe type material made from clay, sand, straw, water and earth.

Principal’s Big Moment: In a surprise announcement during a school assembly on Tuesday, Earl Warren Elementary School Principal Tu Moua received the prestigious Milken National Educator Award from Milken Family Foundation Chairman and Founder Lowell Milken. Dubbed “the Oscars of teaching” by Teacher Magazine, the Milken Educator Award carries with it a $25,000, no-strings-attached cash prize. Ms. Moua was recommended for the honor without her knowledge by a blue-ribbon panel appointed by the state Department of Education. Cut and paste this link into your browser to watch her stirring speech to students: http://www.mff.org/mea/mea.taf?page=videos&vid=1143

Achievement Recognized: Freeport Elementary School rewarded students for outstanding achievement on the California Standards Tests and on recent benchmark tests during the monthly Student Recognition Assembly held on November 19. Students were also recognized for good attendance and for showing improvement in both language arts and math.

“Educator of the Year”: Sam Brannan Middle School teacher Andrea Guijarno-Zarate is one of 11 educators who will be recognized as a California League of Middle Schools "Educator of the Year" at a ceremony next month. The award recognizes teachers “who exemplify educational excellence and have made significant efforts to implement elements of educational reform in the middle school.”

“Race to Nowhere”: Principals gathered at the Serna Center on Wednesday for a screening of the documentary “Race to Nowhere,” a film that questions the purpose of K-12 education and the pressures on children to perform rather than learn. A brief discussion followed.

Community Engagement

School, Family and Community Partnership Network Forum: More than 40 parent liaisons and other parent paraprofessionals participated in a School, Family and Community Partnerships Network Forum at the Serna Center on November 3. Participants discussed the new vision for family and community engagement outlined in the District’s Strategic Plan 2010-2014: Putting Children First and shared challenges and promising school practices for partnering with families. Organized by the Office of School, Family and Community Partnerships, Network Forums will be held once a month to provide participants with opportunities to receive training, hear from speakers in the field of parent engagement and to share best practices for planning and implementing high quality parent involvement programs that directly support their schools.

Kit Carson and the First Lady: A group of 100 eager Kit Carson Middle School students participated in First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” Campaign event – a “flash workout” to The Black Eyed Peas’ hit “I Gotta Feeling” -- on November 16. The “Let’s Move” campaign is Mrs. Obama’s effort to end childhood obesity in America. During this event, thousands of middle school kids across America simultaneously performed the same four-minute dance routine. Kit Carson represented SCUSD. Students practiced for three days under the instruction of the school’s Physical Education Department (Diana Hoffmann, Nicole Coronado and October Reyes). Way to go!

Community “Goal” Reached: The SCUSD Elementary Soccer Tournament was attended by over 700 community members. Ten local elementary schools competed in a five-week soccer league on Friday afternoons organized by principals and teachers. The weekly soccer games brought nearly 200 community members to the local schools for games. The championship tournament held at Ethel I. Baker involved four teams: Ethel I. Baker, Ethel Phillips, Pacific and Woodbine. Ethel Phillips won the tournament and first place in the soccer league. The same schools will be starting a basketball league in January.

The “Best” Assembly: Kaiser Permanente’s school performance group presented a “Best Me Assembly” at Freeport Elementary School on November 16. Students loved the singing, dancing, and performances while they learned about the importance of staying active and developing healthy eating habits. The following night, the school welcomed students and families to Family Art Night. The McClaskey Adult Ed Center provided a variety of art activities for students, parents and Freeport staff to work on together.

Math Fun, Pillar Two Work: For Pony Express Elementary School’s Harvest Fest Carnival, students designed games and booths based on statistics and probability. Money earned at the booths went back to classrooms for supplies and field trips. In three hours, that amounted to $4,200. Additionally, the school’s Dad’s Club spruced up the school’s garden and the PTA sponsored a successful Spaghetti Feed. Finally, the school held a Family Friday during which parents arrived at 9 a.m. and experienced learning in the classroom with their own children. “Our school certainly demonstrates that we implement Pillar 2: Family and Community Engagement,” says principal Amelia Williams.

Mentoring Boys at a Priority School: Jedediah Smith Elementary School is continuing its partnership with 100 Black Men of Sacramento to provide mentoring services for over a dozen boys in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. This is the second year of this collaborative effort and was kicked off on November 11 by an introductory presentation by 100 Black Men member Dennis Lomack.

Operations

Preventing Pertussis: Approximately 1,000 SCUSD students and family members have been vaccinated against season flu and pertussis – whooping cough – thanks to the efforts of Health Services. The district offered a total of 11 immunization clinics -- five during the summer and six clinics this fall -- at various school sites. The Hiram Johnson High School clinic remains open by appointment only until December 17.

Upcoming Events

Doing the Robot Saturday, November 20 – 8 a.m.

Five SCUSD middle school teams will be among 18 middle school teams from the area that will compete this Saturday in the FIRST Lego League (FLL) robotics competition at Sam Brannan Middle School. The SCUSD teams, sponsored by the Career Technical Preparation Department, have spent the last eight weeks building and programing robots tied to the FIRST competition’s theme of biomedical engineering.
Holiday Craft Faire Saturday, November 20 – 9 a.m.

James Marshall Elementary School is hosting its first-ever Community Holiday Craft Faire on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the school’s cafeteria. There will be many vendors from the community as well as some run by the children from the school. The Rosemont Community Association will also be in attendance.
Thanksgiving Break November 22 through November 26

The Central Office and all of our schools will be closed Monday through Friday next week. Have a safe and restful holiday!
Sequoia Garden Ground-Breaking Friday, December 3 – 8:30 a.m.

School staff, students, parents and volunteers will break ground on a new Community Garden at Sequoia Elementary School, 3333 Rosemont Drive. Made possible by a grant to the Lowe’s Toolbox for Education, the installation will provide the school with a butterfly garden, native plantings and edible produce. Plans also call for a worm farm and composting area.

COMMUNITY UPDATE FROM THE DESK OF "Superintendent Rock Star" JONATHAN P RAYMOND

2010-11-05T23:03:56Z

Dear Colleagues:

Recently, I attended a screening of a new documentary film that has sparked a conversation across the country about the challenges facing our public education system.

I know what you’re thinking, but, no. This isn’t about “Waiting for Superman.”

The movie is called “Race to Nowhere,” and it brings up some important issues about kids and schools. Made by a parent, the film examines what we’re teaching our kids, how we’re teaching them and, perhaps most importantly, why we’re teaching them.

It begs the question: What’s the goal of a K-12 education?

Is the point of our work simply to prepare our children to memorize facts for those stressful days in May when they take out No. 2 pencils to bubble in tests? Is the point of school to pass subjects you may or may not care about so you can get a job you may or may not like?

Or is the point to ignite in our young people a passion for learning, which is really a passion for living?

That’s where the first pillar of Strategic Plan 2010-14: Putting Children First comes in.

Pillar One makes the commitment that all of our students will graduate from us ready for college and 21st century careers because they have the knowledge, habits and skills that both universities and employers find most desirable. Pillar One promises our community that our students will be independent and critical thinkers, inquisitive and curious, great communicators, persistent problem solvers, excellent team players and responsible members of society.

It’s a tall order, I know, but the future of our community and of our country depends on gains we make in readying kids for a world where creativity and dynamism will be the keys to success. After all, these are traits that built our country.

There’s a great story to illustrate this point. In his autobiography, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak credited his Dad, a Lockheed engineer, with fueling his passion for electronics. He says in the book that his Dad was very patient in teaching him about circuit boards and other such complex systems. And Wozniak wrote that “these lessons would always start because I’d ask a question. I had a lot of questions.”

Because he asked good questions, and because his father never assumed that we was too young or lacking the ability to learn, Wozniak developed a college-level understanding of transistors at age 7.

Is it a reach to think that schools could also encourage questions, discussion, analysis, teamwork and communication? Of course not. This kind of learning takes place daily in many of our classrooms, where the joy of exploring a topic – whether a Shakespearean theme or the morality of the Vietnam War or the mysteries of negative numbers – comes across in curriculum and instruction.

Our goal now is to make that a universal truism for SCUSD. To provide equity, we must have a systemic focus on this work. This system-wide approach starts with staff at sites assessing their strengths and areas for improvement by digging deep into all available data – student writing, homework, classwork, group projects and tests – and uncovering what students are learning or not learning and how instruction is impacting this learning and then developing a plan for strengthening teaching and learning in their school.

Pillar One work is about boosting learning – and sparking a love of learning – for all of our students, so they can one day leave us to live fulfilling lives that meet their financial, intellectual and emotional needs however they choose to define that.

Sincerely,

Jonathan P. Raymond Superintendent

COMMUNITY UPDATE FROM THE DESK OF JONATHAN P RAYMOND

2010-10-30T21:14:41Z

COMMUNITY UPDATE FROM THE DESK OF JONATHAN P RAYMOND

Last week I had the opportunity to hear Hill Harper speak at an event. Mr. Harper (who attended our own John F. Kennedy High School) is a Brown University and Harvard University graduate, an actor on “CSI: NY” and founder of Manifest Your Destiny Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering kids.

Hill’s message was that all of us in education need to do a better job of encouraging children to dream big. His point was that we often tell kids they can be anything they dream of being but ignore the fact that many students lack the ability to imagine a different future – much less try to attain it – because their worldview is tragically limited by their circumstances.

So, if you’ve never heard of graphics design or software engineering or anesthesiology or architecture, it’s difficult to aspire to those career fields. If you’ve never traveled outside your neighborhood, it’s difficult to see yourself with a corner office in a skyscraper. If you’ve never stood at the edge of the ocean and mustered the courage to jump in the waves, you might not believe in your own inner-strength.

Further, Hill argued, public schools must do a better job teaching our students to be resilient – to bounce back from challenges – and to persevere. In his best-selling book, “Letters to a Young Brother,” Hill quoted Lance Armstrong, who said: “Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.”

These words from Armstrong were also the inspiration for a collection of moving, student-written essays published by De La Rosa & Co., a Los Angeles investment banking firm that gave $2,000 college scholarships to the young writers. Included in the book is an essay by one of our own.

Luther Burbank High School Student Jessica Leary connected with Armstrong’s quote by telling her mother’s story of triumph over gangs, drugs and despair.

“When I look at my mother now, I see a hard-working woman, not a criminal or party addict,” Jessica wrote. “When I look at her, I see myself – not because I look like her, but because I share her strength.” Jessica graduated in June and became the first in her family to attend college – UC Merced.

This idea that pain passes but quitting lasts a lifetime has come back to me several times in the last few days. It strikes me as especially true for all of us in education, where we labor in a cycle of beginnings and endings, and the next exciting beginning is always just around the corner.

Even in tough times, we are buoyed by successes. On Tuesday, we held our annual Fall Graduation ceremony for students who fell short of completing high school requirements last spring, preventing them from participating in June’s graduations. These 74 students kept going, however, and eventually earned diplomas. We celebrated their perseverance in traditional style, complete with “Pomp and Circumstances” and caps and gowns.

We also launched Red Ribbon Week with a rousing assembly at Woodbine Elementary School. Reflecting on Hill Harper’s work, I encouraged students to fight for their dreams. Later, I received this email from Principal Scott Oltmanns: “I had several students speak to me yesterday about your message. One student is dreaming about being a doctor, another is dreaming about being a teacher and yet another about being a banker. The students told me they are going to follow their dreams.”

That the students talked about their dreams is a reminder that there are victories in spite of the challenges we face. As daunting as those challenges can be, the victories are often much more impactful because they remind us of why we do the work we do. We inspire students to dream big and to hold on to dreams because all of us believe in the importance of building a better world. And because this mission is so important, we must look for ways to continuously improve our service to our community and to challenge ourselves to be better.

So we persevere, knowing pain is temporary and quitting is forever.

Sincerely,
Jonathan P. Raymond
Superintendent

Teaching and Learning

iTunes U: State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell held a press conference at C.K. McClatchy High School on Wednesday to launch the California Department of Education’s dedicated area on iTunes U, which is located within the iTunes store (follow the “Teaching and Education” link to “K-12 Providers”). Through this service, educators will have access to free professional development resources, including videos, audio recordings and PDF documents.

Common Core Standards: The district has assembled an advisory committee to guide adoption of the Common Core Standards, which were approved by the California Board of Education in August. The advisory committee is comprised of principals, teachers, community partners, higher education representatives, Central Office staff and students from Hiram Johnson High School’s Educational Leadership Academy. The Common Core Standards in English language arts and math are internationally benchmarked and designed to better prepare students for college and 21st century careers. The district’s goal is to implement the standards for use in classrooms next fall.

Achievement Recognized: Three schools held ceremonies last week to recognize student academic achievement. Edward Kemble Elementary School celebrated its California Standards Tests (CST) achievers with a medal ceremony last Friday. (Children were also recognized for completing the school’s summer reading challenge. One student read 68 books!) C. P. Huntington Elementary School held a similar ceremony for parents and students during which medals and certificates were awarded to those who scored proficient or advanced on the standardized tests. Cesar Chavez Intermediate School held its well-attended 2010 CST Awards Ceremony last Thursday, awarding medals for achievement in English language arts, math and science.

Kit Carson and CAPP: Kit Carson Middle School was recently awarded a five-year grant from the California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP) to support language arts instruction and build school-wide capacity. CAPP, established by the California State Legislature in 1984, is a program focused on improving the way schools prepare all students for college.

Community Engagement

Red Ribbon Kick Off: Superintendent Raymond helped kick off Red Ribbon Week at Woodbine Elementary School on Monday. The students’ assembly featured professional opera singers Ray Stevens and Annalisa Winberg. Superintendent Raymond spoke to children about dreaming big and not letting drugs, tobacco or alcohol spoil those dreams.

Helping the Homeless: Ethel I. Baker Elementary School students and parents collected over 25 boxes of canned food items for the school’s Red Ribbon Week theme, “Friends don’t let friends do drugs!”
Students partnered up with a buddy and brought non-perishable food items to school. Donated food was delivered to the Parker Family Resource Center and Homeless Services Office. Food will be given to SCUSD families in need. Way to go Baker Bears!

‘Ringing’ in Donations: On October 19, Sacramento Assistance League’s Operation School Bell gave 225 uniform bundles to John Bidwell Elementary School students. Each bundle contained two sets of uniforms, underwear, socks and a hygiene kit. Some families also received vouchers for new shoes. This is a great example of a partnership that ensures our children have what they need to boost self-confidence.

Tolerance Promoted: About 200 students and parents attended the second annual “Youth Against the Hate” hate crimes forum on Thursday at C.K. McClatchy High School. Sponsored by SCUSD, Asian Resources, OCA and YouthRISE, the forum featured activities, workshops and dynamic guest speakers – Basim Elkarra of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Board of Education President Ellyne Bell. “We brought to light an issue that often goes unmentioned, regardless of how prevalent it may be in our society,” says Youth Development Specialist Brit Irby, of the success of the event. “Hopefully, those students will have more conversations at home and with their peers about what they heard, saw and experienced last night.”

‘Project Fit’: With the support of Fleet Feet Sacramento,
John Sloat Elementary School has launched a free, after-
school running program that encourages youth fitness.
More than 100 second- to fifth-grade students have
signed up for running games, relays, challenge courses,
and stretching led by eight John Sloat teachers. Over the
course of eight weeks, students will log their daily activity
in quarter-mile increments, slowly accumulating 26.2
miles -- the distance of a marathon. A culminating event is
planned so friends and family can witness the students’
new levels of fitness. All participants are encouraged to
simply finish every day stronger than the day before.

See photo of kids in action, above:

Upcoming Events

Parkway Fall Festival Saturday, October 30 – 9 a.m.

Parkway Elementary is having a Fall Festival with a Pancake Breakfast. The day will also include a Halloween Costume Parade at 10:30 a.m. and a community yard sale. Proceeds from all events will go toward sending sixth graders to Sly Park science camp this year.
Maple Fall Festival Saturday, October 30 – 10 a.m.

Maple Elementary will hold its Fall Festival at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 30. The day’s events will include games and food provided by the school’s families. In addition, there will be a fund-raising raffle of gift baskets and two bicycles.
Summer Seminar Students Recognized Wednesday, November 3 – 6 p.m.

Students who participated in the Civil Rights/Vietnam War Summer Seminar last summer will be honored for completing the course with a ceremony at the Serna Center, 5735 47th Avenue. Former state Senator Gary Hart, who instructed the seminar, will attend.

Cal Middle Jog-a-Thon Wednesday, November 10 – 8 a.m.

The Fifth Annual California Middle School Jog-a-Thon, a school fundraiser and health awareness event for students, will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. PTA organizers have set a lofty goal – they hope to raise $10,000 to support the school. Every child who brings in $40 or more in pledges will get to attend Play Day on Friday, November 19.

Go to the SCUSD Web Site

Go to Big Education Ape Web Site

SCUSD Board Member Diana Rodriguez Reflects on the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for Hispanics

2010-10-24T18:20:45Z

My Dear Friend,

Just yesterday I was at the White House East Room with the President of the United States, Barack Obama, to witness him signing the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.

The initiative calls for the expansion of educational opportunities, improvement of education outcomes, and the need to deliver a complete and competitive education for all Hispanics, the Initiative shall, consistent with law, promote, encourage, and undertake efforts designed to meet the goals and objectives set forth in the document signed by President Obama on the 19th day of October in the year 2010.

The initiative also calls for us to work across communities in partnership with one another to help achieve President Obama's goal to ensure that all of our children, regardless of race, are provided a world-class education. As President Obama stated in his speech, just before signing the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for Hispanics, "Now, this is not just a Latino problem; this is an American problem. We've got to solve it because if we allow these trends to continue, it won't just be one community that falls behind -“we will all fall behind together."

This is why I have taken the commitment to our children in Sacramento to continue to learn as much as I can and to use my knowledge, skills, and abilities to ensure we provide results and positive outcomes in alignment with President Obama's 2020 goal. As you know, we are not only local or national, we are a globally competitive environment, and we can no longer afford to see things as just a local issue. We have a responsibility to ensure our work is being done in the manner in which it is prescribed in order to achieve the greatness that we know we are.

I have a simple request of you; that you continue to support me; and when I call upon you for assistance, please roll up your sleeves to help create a brighter and more prosperous future for our children; for not only our city, but also our great nation, and ultimately, our entire world.

After all, it's all about the kids. If we fail them, we fail ourselves and everyone else we share this planet with.

Have a great evening and enjoy your time with your families. When you look at the young children in your family, in their precious faces, know that there are people who are genuinely concerned about doing the right thing for them and their future.

Sincerely,

Diana Rodriguez
SCUSD Board Member
District 5
(916) 752-3686

Diana4scusd@yahoo.com

http://www.scusd.edu/BoardofEducation/Pages/BoardofEducationMembers.aspx

From the Desk of Superintendent Jonathan P Raymond

2010-10-24T17:25:18Z

Dear Colleagues:

―Great moments are born from great opportunities.‖

Some of you may recognize the words of Herb Brooks, who led the US hockey team to gold in the 1980 Winter Olympics.

His speech – immortalized in two movies – came just before his team of amateur and collegiate players faced the Soviet Union, which was then considered the best hockey team in the world. His point was that the seemingly overwhelming challenge the team faced was, in fact, a great opportunity to make history.

Today, those of us in education are faced with challenges that similarly seem insurmountable: Raising the bar on student learning, closing achievement gaps, engaging parents in our work, preparing students for college and readying graduates for a future job market that we cannot predict.

But, similarly, this moment is also rife with great opportunity. The question is: Will our collective response to this opportunity lead to lasting transformation of broken (or nonexistence) systems? Or will we look back at this time with regret at a lost chance to alter the course of lives?

Last week, I joined with six other public school superintendents in announcing the creation of CORE (California Office to Reform Education), a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving schools by supporting the work of teachers and principals.

The CORE team—Ramon Cortines (Los Angeles), Carlos Garcia (San Francisco), Chris Steinhauser (Long Beach), Michael Hanson (Fresno), David Cash (Clovis), Marcus Johnson (Sanger) and myself – also worked on California’s application for $700 million in federal Race to the Top funding. As many of you know, we lost that bid.

In the months since, this group has continued talking about creating a pathway to reform that isn’t directed by either Washington or by those in our Capitol building downtown but instead bubbles up from the men and women directly accountable to children and families.

The intention is to leverage collective resources and wisdom – both across our districts, which together serve more than a million students, and within each of our unique communities – to develop reforms that will support student learning.

CORE founders recognize that for this change to have any lasting impact it must be arrived at collaboratively. Teachers, administrators and collective bargaining unit leaders must work together to improve student learning. Challenges in our schools are not exclusive to California, but cannot be solved by national policies that do not engage allies at the local level.

CORE reforms, which will be developed by teams of partners, include implementation of the Common Core State Standards, which were approved by California’s Board of Education in August. These standards in math and English language arts are fewer and clearer and will move public education toward graduating college-ready students. CORE also supports development of common formative student assessments aligned with these standards. CORE will also work to develop better support tools and processes for teachers and principals. And once again, these tools must be developed collaboratively.

Reform doesn’t last when it is delivered in a one-size-fits-all package. Reform doesn’t last when it is pushed down from the lofty offices of policy wonks. All of you, I’m sure, have binders on your shelves of brave ―new‖ education ideas that came and went because there was no buy-in.

The alternative is to bring together teams of our talented teachers and administrators and seize this opportunity for a great moment.
During an interview, hockey coach Brooks was asked how he assembled such a ―miraculous‖ team as the one that defeated the Soviets. His answer: ―You’re looking for players whose name on the front of the sweater is more important than the one on the back.‖
Sincerely,

Jonathan P. Raymond
Superintendent

October 22, 2010

Teaching and Learning
Student Art Recognized: Leonardo da Vinci K-8 School seventh and eighth graders participated in a Harvest Fair art contest at the Sacramento Convention Center earlier this month. Several students won first- and second-place ribbons for art work. The students primarily competed against high school students in San Juan Unified School District.

The Votes Are In: The Sacramento County Registrar of Voters set up a mock election for C.K. McClatchy High School seniors on Wednesday, complete with voting booths and ballots very similar to what voters will find on November 2. This is the fifth year McClatchy has participated in this exercise on the workings of democracy and the thrill of performing your civic duty.

Community Engagement
Kit Carson Leadership Day: Kit Carson Middle School hosted a middle school student leadership conference on Thursday, October 14. The event drew a huge crowd: Twenty adult advisers along with 120 students from nine different middle schools. One adviser said that it was the best leadership training that she had ever attended. That evening, the school hosted a second leadership event for adults – the First Annual Business Leaders Reception for the local business owners. Kit Carson students, dressed in their finest attire, provided tours of the campus and greeted the guests as they arrived. “Our students were responsible, professional, articulate and charming,” reports Principal Charlie Watters.

Sam’s Club Supports Abraham Lincoln: A representative from Sam’s Club visited Abraham Lincoln Elementary School on Friday, October 15, and gave 10 teachers $100 gift cards to spend on school supplies for their classrooms. Sam’s Club wanted to “repay” teachers who spend money out of their pockets on school supplies.

Hats Off to Caring Kids: Also last Friday at Abraham Lincoln, students participated in the campus’ annual

Hat Day fundraiser for the Heavenly Hats Foundation, which provides hats for kids and adults who are battling cancer. Students who wanted to wear a hat all day donated $1. The school raised $157.
Tree Planting and Birthday Celebration: First grade students from Sherri Milton’s class at David Lubin Elementary School attended a tree dedication ceremony at the California Department of Education on Tuesday, October 12. Students received a tree book and an acorn from City Councilman and Sacramento Tree Foundation Executive Director Ray Tretheway. The students also helped plant a tree with state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, whose birthday was celebrated.
Science Night: The Leonardo da Vinci K-8 School PTC sponsored a Hands-On Science Family Night with the Explorit Science Center in Davis on Thursday. Students and parents rotated through interactive exhibits linked to key scientific concepts for a whole-family learning experience.

Red Ribbon Week Kick Off: Washington Elementary School begins its annual Red Ribbon Spirit Week on Monday with “Team Up Against Drugs” Sports Jersey Day. On Friday, students will parade around the Alkali Flat neighborhood promoting school safety and chanting “Drug Free is the Way to Be, Just Say No.”

Matsui Visits Priority Schools: Congresswoman Doris Matsui toured two Superintendent’s Priority Schools on Friday, October 15. At Oak Ridge Elementary, the congresswoman visited classrooms, met with staff and observed teacher demonstration lessons in Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning. At Fern Bacon Middle School, she toured GATE, grade-level and intensive intervention classes and was interviewed by student reporters from the “Bacon Times.” One student journalist called her time with Matsui “like meeting the President!” (See photo of Oak Ridge visit below.)

Upcoming Events
Make a Difference Day Saturday, October 23 – 8:30 a.m.

Volunteer construction crews will be digging post holes, shoveling dirt and stacking cement blocks to create a brand new school garden at Bret Harte Elementary in Curtis Park, on Saturday – national Make a Difference Day. The work day will be organized like an old-fashioned barn-raising: Volunteers who participate will then take their newfound knowledge of garden installation to Luther Burbank High School, where they will rehabilitate a school garden there. The garden installation is a joint effort of several partners, including Bret Harte teachers and PTA, the Healthy Food Task Force, Sacramento Area Community Garden Coalition, Sierra Health and AmeriCorps.
Elder Creek Community Meeting Monday, October 25 – 3 p.m.

Elder Creek Elementary School will be hosting a community meeting themed "Improving our Community." The meeting will concentrate on ways to keep youth involved in programs that teach critical thinking, communications and teamwork skills and focus on academic subjects. Guest speakers are Maureen Price of the Boys & Girls Club, Youth Violence Prevention Specialist Tracey Lopez and Will C. Wood Middle School SRO Brad Robison. The meeting will be held in the school’s multi-purpose room.

Fall Graduation Tuesday, October 26 – 6 p.m.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell will be at the district’s annual Fall Graduation ceremony for students who completed all the requirements to earn a diploma last summer. Fifty-four students from throughout the district have been invited to attend with their families. The event will be held at the Charles A. Jones Skills Center, 5451 Lemon Hill Ave.

Hate Crimes Forum Thursday, October 28 – 3:30 p.m.

The Second Annual “Youth Against the Hate” forum, sponsored by SCUSD, Asian Resources and YouthRISE, will be held from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria at McClatchy. The afternoon program will include comments by guest speaker Basim Elkarra, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, workshops for teens and their parents and spoken word poetry by members of Sacramento Youth Speaks.
Ethel I. Baker Target Library Makeover Friday, October 29 – 1 p.m.

More than 150 volunteers will put finishing touches on a new school library at Ethel I. Baker Elementary School before an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2:45 p.m. The library makeover – one of 32 nationwide – is being made possible by Target and The Heart of America Foundation. The new library will have thousands of new books, new furniture, paint, carpet and technology. Additionally each student and their siblings will receive seven new books to take home to their personal library.
Leonardo da Vinci Harvest Hoedown Friday, October 29 – 4 p.m.

The annual event, to be held from 4 to 7:30 p.m., will feature a two-story rock wall, barbecue sandwiches, hoedown music, jump houses and more. Community members are welcome to join. Proceeds are for the band and orchestra program.
Parkway Fall Festival Saturday, October 30 – 9 a.m.

Parkway Elementary is having a Fall Festival with a Pancake Breakfast. The day will also include a Halloween Costume Parade at 10:30 a.m. and a community yard sale. Proceeds from all events will go toward sending sixth graders to Sly Park science camp this year.
Summer Seminar Students Recognized Wednesday, November 3 – 6 p.m.

Latest Board Update from the desk of Superintendent Jonathan P Raymond

2010-10-19T15:10:40Z

Teaching and Learning

Priority School Professional Development: Staffs of the six Superintendent’s Priority Schools gathered at the Serna Center this week for training with Rochelle Herring-Peniston, president of Transformation By Design. Faculty learned the use of Data Wise inquiry protocols, which assist in analyzing student work, and learned how to identify learning goals and teacher learning needs. The sessions used the teachings of Harvard researchers such as Kathryn Boudette, Richard Elmore and Brent Stephens as well as the work of Nancy Love, Linda Darling-Hammond and Walter Doyle.

Every Day Counts: Charlotte Chadwick, principal at John Bidwell School, is throwing down the gauntlet —on October 7, her school had nearly 100 percent attendance for both staff and students. All staff members were present and only three students out of 381 were absent, which equated to 99.993 percent. Almost exactly the same occurred on October 13, she notes, with the exception of one staff illness. Chadwick’s announcement kicks off a competition – can any school achieve 100 percent attendance this year?

CORE Launch: Superintendent Raymond was in Los Angeles on Monday for the launch of CORE (California Office to Reform Education), a nonprofit organization founded by the seven superintendents (including Superintendent Raymond) who authored California’s Race to the Top application. The group’s intention is to leverage the collective energy of these seven districts – which together serve more than a million students – to continue moving forward with reforms developed for RTTT despite the federal government’s denial of California’s bid. CORE aims to engage public school communities at the grassroots level in changes that will improve teaching and learning. Those change initiatives include implementation of the Common Core State Standards in math and English (which were approved by the state Board of Education in August); development of formative student assessments aligned to the new standards; and developing tools and processes to better serve teachers and principals.

Standards Discussed: Cesar Chavez Intermediate School’s fourth- and sixth-grade teachers held a “Standards Night” for parents last week in which they shared the results of the first benchmark tests in English and math and explained the purpose of real-time learning assessment and discussed learning expectations for students.

Cougars Hit the Right Note: The John F. Kennedy High School Marching Band competed in the Oakmont High School Invitational Marching Band Tournament and came in second place within their class. Individual student Chris Chin won first place in the Drum Major category.

LEED-ing the Way: Fifty businesses/organizations from throughout the area participated in “Career GPS,” a LEED (Linking Education and Economic Development)-sponsored event held Thursday at Luther Burbank High School and attended by Rosa Parks Middle School students. The event featured interactive exhibits by regional employers and a talk-show format panel presentation with industry experts.

Operations

Grant Money Received: SCUSD’s Planning and Construction department received word last week that the State Allocation Board approved the district’s joint-use grant application of $572,374 for the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library at the School of Engineering and Sciences. The project is funded by Proposition 55.

Community Engagement

Community Meeting/Back-to-School Night at Hiram Johnson: Hiram Johnson High School held a community meeting on Thursday night prior to the school’s Back-to-School night. At the meeting, district staff presented an overview of plans to engage the school community in developing a shared vision for the school. A few parents in attendance expressed concerns about the changes at the school and the meeting format. The Back-to-School Night, which followed the community meeting, was very well attended by parents and staff.

Healthy Competition: Students from Pacific Elementary and Maple Elementary met on the soccer field on October 8, where they “kicked” up a lot of school spirit. The event (pictured below) was a joint effort between Pacific and Pacific Enrichment Program (PEP), the campus after-school program.

Safety Meeting: Maple Elementary School held a Community Meeting with staff from the district’s Safe Schools Office and representatives of the Sacramento Police Department on Wednesday, October 13. Community and parents learned how to be the eyes and ears of the neighborhood, the importance of reporting unusual activity and information on gang prevention. The officer in attendance also addressed issues of traffic around the school.

‘Target’-ing Literacy: Parkway Elementary School won a $2,000 grant from Target stores for an Early Literacy Program for grades K-3.

Upcoming Events

C.K. McClatchy Homecoming Saturday, October 16 – 10 a.m.

The school’s 74th annual homecoming parade, themed “Party at the Pyramids,” begins at 10 a.m. in the CKM parking lot, 3066 Freeport Blvd. From there, the floats, marching band and “royalty” cars head south as they wind through the Land Park neighborhood. The homecoming football games against the Hiram Johnson High School follow: JV at 11 a.m. and varsity at 1 p.m.

Author Dave Eggers at JFK Wednesday, October 20 – 1 p.m.

Dave Eggers, Pulitzer Prize finalist for his memoir “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,” will speak with 450 John F. Kennedy High School students about his latest book, “Zeitoun,” a Los Angeles Times Book Award winner. Eggers’ appearance is sponsored by One Book Sacramento, a Sacramento Public Library program.

Health Fair Thursday, October 21 – 5 p.m.

Families will get free dental and vision screenings and other medical services and get an opportunity to sign up for health insurance or connect with health care providers. City of Sacramento Parks and Recreation will be providing entertainment. The fair is jointly sponsored by the City of Sacramento, Kaiser Medical Foundation and The Effort, a mental health and social services organization. The fair will be held at McClatchy.

Make a Difference Day Saturday, October 23 – 8:30 a.m.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell will be at the district’s annual Fall Graduation ceremony for students who completed all the requirements to earn a diploma last summer. Forty-nine students from throughout the district have been invited to attend with their families. The event will be held at the Charles A. Jones Skills Center, 5451 Lemon Hill Ave.

Hate Crimes Forum Thursday, October 28 – 3:30 p.m.

The 2nd Annual “Youth Against the Hate” forum, sponsored by SCUSD, Asian Resources and YouthRISE, will be held from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria at McClatchy. The afternoon program will include a keynote address by Basim Elkarra, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, workshops for teens and their parents and spoken word poetry by members of Sacramento Youth Speaks.

Ethel I. Baker Library Makeover Friday, October 29 – 1 p.m.

SCUSD Web Site http://www.scusd.edu/Pages/default.aspx

SCUSD Board Update from the desk of Superintendent Jonathan P Raymond

2010-10-16T17:30:10Z

October 8, 2010

Teaching and Learning

• Collaborative Leadership: Professional development at the Serna Center this week focused on building effective teamwork and cultivating a culture of shared leadership focused on student learning. Led by Mike Mattos, author of The Collaborative Administrator: Working Together as a Professional Learning Community, sessions were held for school-based and central office leaders.

• College Fair: Hundreds of students and their parents –estimates put the number of attendants at 1,500 – learned about a vast array of post-secondary options at the district’s annual _ollege Fair, held last Sunday at C.K. McClatchy High School. Students waited in lines to ask questions of representatives of such institutions as Stanford, UCLA, CSU Sacramento, Sacramento City College, ITT Tech and Penn State.

• Common Planning Time: School-based leaders also attended a workshop on the productive use of Common Planning Time. Teachers this year will be meeting for a total of 20 hours, where they will work together to focus on three areas: What they want students to know and be able to learn; which student artifacts they will look at to analyze learning; and what next steps they will implement to increase mastery of standards.

• Achievement Recognized: Joseph Bonnheim Elementary School will hold its second annual Academic Celebration on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Students who achieved “proficient” and/or “advanced” on the STAR-CST in English Language Arts, Mathematics and Science during the 2009-10 school year will be recognized with a medallion and a certificate. Additionally, three girls will receive special recognition for achieving perfect scores on the mathematics portion of the CST. In September, students who made improvement were recognized with a wristband that read “_ST _andjumper.”

Operations
• Projects Approved: At its October 6 meeting, the State Allocation Board gave unfunded approval to five SCUSD projects totaling $676,690. The projects include shelving for Alice Birney Waldorf-Inspired K-8 School; repairs to ceilings at Fruit Ridge Elementary School; a new dishwasher at Fern Bacon Middle School; flooring at Rosa Parks Middle School; and asphalt repairs to Sacramento Charter High.

Community Engagement
• Family Reading: Ethel I. Baker Elementary School held its Annual Family Reading Night on Wednesday. The turnout was great: 197 participants enjoyed the interactive evening, engaging in Reader's Corner, Story Quilt Making, Word Bingo and other literacy related activities.

• Walk and Roll to School Week: To celebrate both healthy living and International Walk to School Week, Sutterville Elementary School students walked and rolled to school this week, culminating with 377 students participating on Thursday. For students who live too far from school to participate, teachers and Principal Lori !oun met students and parents at “park and walk” sites. Parent volunteers also led “walking school buses” or groups of students on bicycles. The event dramatically reduced traffic congestion around Sutterville, and benefitted the environment by decreasing pollution. See photos below:

• Snacks for Kids: Edward Kemble Elementary School has formed a partnership with Foodlink, a service of the Food Bank. Starting last Friday, Foodlink is providing weekend “snack packs” to every student at Kemble.

• Engagement Increased: About 300 people attended Fern Bacon Middle School’s _ack to School Night on Tuesday, a huge increase over last year’s turnout. The evening included hot dogs and chips, entertainment by the Phoenix Park _oncert _hoir, a principal’s welcome and classroom visits according to the bell schedule. On a related note, the Phoenix Park _oncert _hoir director will be directing the school’s newly formed chorus after school two days a week.

• Full House: Father Keith B. Kenny Elementary School had a full house at its Back to School/Community meeting Wednesday evening. The event opened with piano selections played by the school’s music specialist, the introduction of staff, and a presentation about the school in the multi-purpose room. Next, FKBK guests were treated to refreshments and a drawing for books before visiting classrooms. A librarian from the Sacramento Public Library also attended the event to give parents the opportunity to sign their children up for library cards.

• OfficeMax Honors Teacher: Golden Empire’s October Fire Drill was a little more celebratory this month. Office Max, the sponsor of the “Day Made _etter” program, honored sixth grade teacher, Kim Engstrom, with more than $1,000 worth of classroom supplies. Kim was acknowledged at the school-wide assembly following their monthly fire drill. Congratulations Kim!

• Generating Learning: The Physics Department and students at George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science are now the proud owners of a Van de Graaf Generator. The $700 generator was donated to the school through the Donors Choose program. The Van de Graaf is an electrostatic generator which uses a moving belt to accumulate very high electrostatically stable voltages on a hollow metal globe on the top of the stand. Donors Choose is an online nonprofit organization that allows teachers to post requests for supplies or other aid. For more information, watch this CNN report:
http://money.cnn.com/video/pf/2009/11/23/pf_charity_donors_choose.moneymag

Upcoming Events

• Rosemont Homecoming Tonight, October 8 – 5 p.m. The second annual homecoming parade, themed “Rhythms of the Word,” begins at 5 p.m. and goes from Kiefer Boulevard at South Port Drive to Rosemont High's administration building. The varsity football game against McClatchy is at 7 p.m. Participants in the parade include elementary and middle schools, various youth organizations, Rosemont Community Association, as well as student and teacher groups of Rosemont High School.

• Community Challenge Saturday, October 9 – 8 a.m. The Sacramento Valley Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators is sponsoring a Community Challenge Weekend beautification day at Camellia Basic Elementary School. The association is donating lumber, plants and volunteer labor to spruce up the campus and create shelving in a P.E. equipment storage area.

• Hmong Conference Saturday, October 9 – 9 a.m. The 11th Annual Hmong Educational Conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Genesis High School, 5601 47th Ave. Students from throughout SCUSD will gather to share ideas about ways to succeed in school and life. The event is free and will feature entertainment by two B-Boy groups and a keynote address by motivational speaker Tou Saiko Lee.

SCUSD Superintendent Jonathan P. Raymond Letter to Community October 7, 2010

2010-10-09T20:48:11Z

Dear Colleagues:

From magazine covers to movie screens to MSNBC’s Education Nation, public schools are a growing topic of national discourse. This interest is understandable. With economic recovery slow, unemployment high and a barrage of data about how American students stack up against their global counterparts, many across the country worry about the status of public education.
On Saturday, I attended a screening of the documentary “Waiting for Superman” and participated in a panel discussion that followed. The film tells the story of five families fed-up with low-performing schools in their neighborhoods and their attempts to enroll their children in higher-performing charters.

I came away from the movie with an overwhelming sense that we have to stop blaming teachers for problems that have multiple causes, ranging from poor administrative oversight and accountability to a lack of parent engagement. I know how hard teachers work to educate every child and challenge students at their ability level. We need to work equally hard to give our teachers the tools and supports they need to be successful. Let’s stop scapegoating and come together to find solutions that work.

The other takeaway, for me, in “Waiting for Superman,” is the idea that innovation is crucial to improving public schools. This is why charters can be an important part of a district portfolio: Charters have certain freedoms to innovate and those ideas can be borrowed and replicated.

But we have to remember that innovation isn’t exclusive to charter schools.

Last week, 80 educators from across Northern California gathered at Health Professions High School for a site visit and to observe a “salon” session, an innovative, teacher-organized, teacher-led approach to improving student learning. During a salon, teachers work together to find best practice strategies that all faculty can then apply in their classrooms. At last Monday’s session, teachers collaboratively hammered out what an effective collegiate-level research paper should look like – a desired outcome that creates a standard for the school.
The educators who observed the salon in a fishbowl activity assumed that Health Professions, with its other ground-breaking approaches to high school curriculum, was a charter. In fact, when Health Professions was proposed there was discussion about whether to make it a charter. It is not. Health Professions is a school at the edge of a federally funded housing project. It serves mostly low-income students (66 percent qualify for a free-or reduced-price lunch) and mostly underrepresented minorities (35 percent African American; 37 percent Latino). And it grew 24 points on the Academic Performance Index last year. Of its 2010 graduates, 100 percent are enrolled in college.

Additionally, about a third of those students received a “diploma of excellence,” meaning they put in 100 hours of community service or more during their four years in high school.

If we want to counter the notion that only charters hold the key to the future of public education, we must be willing to embrace successful innovations and push ourselves to do better.

Finally, while charters are an option for some, the overwhelming majority of children in this district attend traditional public schools. These are the schools that serve foster kids and homeless kids, kids whose parents are in jail, kids who themselves have been in jail.

That’s not an excuse for failure. But that’s reality. Those are the kids that come through our doors. To quote one of our teachers, “the real Superman – and Superwoman --is the teacher who educates these kids.”

“Waiting for Superman” gets its title from Geoffrey Canada, CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, a 97-block area in New York City that includes two respected charter schools. As a kid in the Bronx, Canada was crushed the day he learned that Superman is fictional. Canada says: “I was crying because no one was coming with enough power to save us.”

There is no magic bullet to our problems, no easy answers. But collectively and collaboratively, I believe we have enough power to change the lives of the children we serve. And for that, we all deserve a cape.

Sincerely,

Jonathan P. Raymond
Superintendent

Sacramento City Unified School District Web Site http://www.scusd.edu/

SCUSD Board Update by Superintendent Jonathan P. Raymond

2010-10-04T23:48:39Z

Teaching and Learning

New families welcomed: John Cabrillo Elementary School’s Back to School Night on September 29 was well attended and included an announcement of new Student Leadership Representatives for the year. Families new to the school were welcomed with a rose presented by the student leaders. Additionally, each classroom teacher gave a presentation to parents establishing the learning goals, student expectations and ways parents may help support student success at school this year.

Achievement celebrated: More than 95 percent of parents attended Hollywood Park Elementary School’s Back to School Night. During the event principal Hamed Razawi shared the school’s 13 percent increase in ELA proficiency and the 43-point gain on the Academic Performance Index to the roar and cheer of the audience. Hollywood Park’s API is 815. Primary grade teachers, parents and administration had a small town-hall like meeting to plan for the formation of a split class.

Parental input sought: Theodore Judah Elementary School held a meeting for parents of English learners on September 23 to gather input from the families on how best to support the academic success of their children. The group also discussed strengthening parent access to resources. Members from the PTA Board were also present to collaborate and establish support for all families. On the following night, Theodore Judah hosted its PTA-sponsored barbecue. Families and staff enjoyed hot dogs and hamburgers and had an opportunity to connect with each other while learning about other PTA-sponsored programs planned for the 2010-11 school year.

Linked Learning: Eighty Linked Learning educators from across Northern California gathered at Health Professions High School on Monday for a site visit in which they observed faculty participate in a campus “salon,” a meeting of teachers in which they collectively dig into a subject related to student learning. At Monday’s salon, teachers delineated desired student outcomes for a collegiate-level research paper.
Bidwell scores grant: John Bidwell Elementary School is one of 60 recipients nationwide of the ING Run for Something Better School Awards Program grant of $2,000. The money will be used to introduce fourth through sixth grade students to the benefits of exercise with an eight-week running program. Curriculum for the program includes lessons on healthy lifestyle choices. Congratulations Bidwell!

Operations

Vaccination clinics are a big hit: More than 400 students, family members and community members came to Golden Empire Elementary School on Friday, September 24, for the district’s free inoculation clinic. Health Services staff injected more than 300 influenza and/or pertussis (whooping cough) vaccines. At Hiram Johnson’s School Based Health Clinic, nearly 50 vaccines have been given to students and parents.

Community Engagement

Beautification completed: Volunteers from Milgard Windows, along with several Pacific Elementary School parents, students, staff and district Maintenance and Operations staff, participated in a campus beautification day on Saturday. Workers planted and pruned the front bushes, spread bark in the planting beds, striped the parking areas, repainted the map/hopscotch areas on the playground and kindergarten yard, and began priming the outside walls and trim. Milgard also donated school and art supplies to Pacific teachers. The day ended with a celebratory lunch provided by Milgard Windows.

Open wide: With the help of area dentists and dental assistants who volunteered their time, Edward Kemble Elementary held a free dental screening for every student. The event was pulled together by the school’s Healthy Start Coordinator. Each student received a small bag of dental goodies to keep up good teeth cleaning at home.

Fall Carnival celebrates Mexican Independence Day: Bowling Green Chacon Academy hosted a Fall Carnival on September 24 featuring food, face painting, balloons, games and more. Rincones de Mi Tierra, a community partner, performed several traditional Mexican dances in honor of Mexican Independence Day. Several Chacon students performed traditional dances as well. Wells Fargo and Jamba Juice, two additional community partners, participated in the event. Student volunteers from John F. Kennedy High School’s ROTC program and Luther Burbank High School’s Key Club helped make the event a great success.

Dads on the grill: Thirty Earl Warren Elementary School fathers worked in shifts at the campus’ Back to School Night on September 23, barbecuing 1,500 hot dogs for the 800 parents, students, neighbors and siblings that attended the event. Through community partnerships and donations, the entire event was funded (dinner and entertainment). Partners who participated include: Latino 97.9 Radio Station; Moriyita Taiko Group and Fremont Presbyterian Church. See photos above:

Parkway Back to School Night: Parkway Elementary School held its Back to School Night on September 29. The event included a hot dog dinner fundraiser for the sixth grade Sly Park trip. Parents visited classrooms and were eligible for two “Goodie Bag” prize baskets for each class. Volunteers from Phoenix Park and Parkway Estates neighborhood associations prepared the dinner and hosted information booths.
Cougars catering: Tonight, 15 of John F. Kennedy High School’s culinary arts students will cater an event for 300 people at McGeorge School of Law in Oak Park. The students will be supervised by JFK’s culinary arts teacher Jim Morgan. The event is sponsored by the Women’s Caucus of the McGeorge School of Law and benefits local homeless shelters.

Pony Express delivers: Pony Express Elementary School held its Back to School Night on September 23. Refreshments were provided by the South Land Park Association, which also provided information about the association. The night included presentations from the school’s PTA and Dad’s Club.

Upcoming Events

Students on TV Monday, October 4 – 5:45 a.m.
Caroline Wenzel Elementary School third graders will be featured on the CBS13 morning show “Good Day Sacramento” this week interacting with morning meteorologist Laura Skirde. Video of the students will air at 5:45 a.m. and again at 6:45 a.m. Monday through Friday. Skirde will also answer a weather question from a student each morning as well. The questions students asked will be posted on the Weather School page at http://cbs13.com/weatherschool throughout the week.

Bowling Green Science Night Wednesday, October 6 – 6 p.m. Bowling Green Charter Complex will host a Family Explorit Science Night on October 6 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Families will explore hands-on inquiry based science. The event is an opportunity for families and staff to interact and enjoy science learning.

Zombie Zoom Friday, October 15 – 1:30 p.m.
Mark your calendars for the first-ever fitness celebration at C.B. Wire Elementary School. Families, students and staff will be running/walking 20 minutes to see how many laps/miles they can put in. Participants may wear a fall theme costume during the fitness run. This run is part of C.B. Wire’s Fall Festival Initiative to get more parents involved in childhood education and with their family’s fitness level.

Fashion Show Saturday, October 23 – 2 p.m.

Golden Empire Elementary School teacher Carla Randazza has been selected to participate in the Jones New York Teacher Fashion Show, part of the Jones New York in the Classroom program. The event will be on October 23 at the Downtown Macy’s. She gets to keep all of the clothes she models!

Can a simple strawberry be a catalyst for change?

2010-05-03T18:36:18Z

Can a simple strawberry be a catalyst for change?

This week, as our students take the California Standards Test, I want to once again thank our dedicated employees for all you do to put children first. These tests are a crucial component in the federal and state accountability models by which we are judged as a district. Test scores are used to track student achievement, and therefore are vital to assessing our services. But we cannot forget that the tests are just one measurement of our work with children. We should also be assessing ourselves on our much larger goal: To take a holistic approach to education.

Which brings me to the strawberry.

Starting May 10, our nutrition services staff will begin giving fresh, locally grown strawberries to elementary school children at lunch, courtesy of a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant. While that may seem minor, it represents an important step toward thinking about children in terms of serving their needs on many fronts so they can grow as learners.

Research shows that healthy kids perform better academically. Eating nutritious food is essential to staying healthy, one reason we are excited to offer our children – especially those who rely on our lunch program every day -- fresh strawberries. In addition, the district has launched a Healthy Food Task Force, co-chaired by Board of Education member Patrick Kennedy, my wife, Julie Raymond as parent liaison, and George Washington Carver High School Principal Allegra Alessandri, to find creative ways we can provide healthier, locally produced food for the children in our district. The district has an obligation to teach our children about food, nutrition and the environment. It’s the right thing to do as we work to put kids on a college- and careerbound trajectory, which is one of the foundational pillars of our overall approach to educating our kids. If eating better helps them learn, we must improve the meals they get from us.

Exercise can also improve a child’s academic performance, as well as teach life-long lessons about self-discipline and perseverance. Competitive sports, too, give children a sense of identity and purpose. Sometimes, being on a team is the hook that keeps an otherwise wayward teen in school. Perhaps most importantly in these times of financial crisis is this: Healthy kids spend fewer days at home sick. At a time when every dollar counts, improving the health of our students will impact the bottom line.

With that in mind, I am proud that our district is one of only seven in California to win the 2010 Governor’s Fitness Challenge, a contest among the state’s K-12 schools that encourages students, parents and staff to get active, healthy and fit. Participants register with the program then record their “active days” – days spent exercising for at least 30minutes – on a spreadsheet. As the weather warms, now is the perfect time to begin or step up a regimen of regular exercise. I urge every employee to be a health-conscious role model for our children by staying fit and healthy. In our district, 40,402 students are signed up for the Governor’s Fitness Challenge. Each school has a designated Fitness Challenge coordinator who works with students to help them keep track of their activity levels. These timesheets and calendars are being filled out now and will be turned into the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports at the end of May. By winning this competition, we will receive a Live Positively Fitness Center with a retail value of more than $100,000. The school to receive this fitness center will be announced later in the year.

No matter which campus gets the equipment, everyone inspired by this program to exercise more regularly wins the gift of health and soaring self-esteem. Can a strawberry change the way we do business? Maybe not. But seeing each child as a whole human being – not just a mind for testing – will get us closer to the transformation we seek.

Sincerely,

Jonathan P. Raymond

Superintendent

David Lubin and Matsuyama Elementary Schools Named 2010 California Distinguished Schools

2010-04-20T15:11:24Z

Sacramento, Calif. – Two Sacramento City Unified School District elementary schools – Matsuyama and David Lubin – were named 2010 California Distinguished Schools by the California Department of Education on Monday.

The award recognizes academic excellence and efforts to narrow achievement gaps. Schools are identified for eligibility on the basis of state and federal accountability program test scores. Applicants are then required to describe two “signature practices” that have led to an increase in student achievement and a reduction in test score disparity between ethnic, racial and socio-economic groups.

At David Lubin, Principal Lynne Soto and her team have raised the test scores of African American and Latino students by implementing a teacher-led, school-wide writing program and by carefully assessing the language arts needs and skills of students to place them in appropriate classes.

Matsuyama was honored for its focus on differentiated instruction and student intervention. Principal David Huscher says these programs have aided in raising test scores among African American, Latino and socio-economically disadvantaged students.

“Creating educational success stories for our students – especially those who have struggled in the past – is an extraordinary accomplishment,” said Superintendent Jonathan Raymond on learning of the district’s Distinguished Schools honorees. “We are very proud of the hard work put in by students and staffs at David Lubin and Matsuyama.”

The Distinguished School program is in its 24th year. Elementary and secondary schools are recognized on alternate years. The awards will be handed out during a ceremony at Disneyland on June 2.

Gabe Ross (916) 643-9145 gabe-ross@sac-city.k12.ca.us

SCUSD to create ‘Superintendent’s Priority Schools’ for six most academically troubled schools

2010-03-18T23:29:29Z

SCUSD to create ‘Superintendent’s Priority Schools’ for six most academically troubled schools

Bold leadership, effective teachers, additional resources for more than 4,600 students

By Gabe Ross

March 16, 2010 – Sacramento’s six most academically troubled schools will be put into a special grouping of schools—the Superintendent’s Priority Schools—with innovative principals, additional assistance and resources Superintendent Jonathan P. Raymond announced today.

In a first-of-its-kind effort in Sacramento to intensely focus on improving underperforming schools, the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) will create the Priority Schools to help more than 4,600 students in six schools—Oak Ridge Elementary, Father Keith B. Kenny Elementary, Jedediah Smith Elementary, Fern Bacon Basic Middle, Will C. Wood Middle and Hiram W. Johnson High. Oak Ridge was identified by the California Department of Education last Monday as among the state’s “persistently low-achieving” schools, but Superintendent Raymond said the five other SCUSD schools also have not served children adequately.

“We must take strong, decisive action and include our school communities to help these schools vastly improve how they educate our children,” Raymond said. “Tinkering around the edges of the problems at these schools won’t work. We need bold leadership, more effective teaching and a plan to provide the support our teachers and principals desperately need. We also need more resources to help students learn. We cannot afford to wait another few years and let another generation of students be lost because we didn’t do something to improve their educational opportunity.”

Raymond said the first steps will include meeting with staff, parents and partners involved with each of the six campuses. “We want to move with deliberate speed in this process. That means taking time to meet with staff, parents, students and partners. It means making sure we avoid unintended consequences. It means moving quickly but also taking the necessary steps to learn what is working at each school and what needs to be improved for the students,” Raymond said.

“We have already met with staff at each school and will begin scheduling meetings with parents, students and partners immediately.”

The school district will recruit principals and teachers for the Priority Schools who have a proven record of successful leadership and teaching. Raymond said the six schools will go to “the front of the line” for new computers and other resources, and squads of new volunteers, tutors and mentors will be recruited to help bring additional support to the schools.

Raymond said the six schools will report to one director who will report directly to the superintendent. “That director’s main job will be to support those six schools,” Raymond said. “The days of business as usual are gone. We’re going to take big, bold, dramatic steps to help these schools.”

Academic performance data for these six schools show they have consistently failed to adequately educate children for as long as seven years. Four of the six schools have failed to meet federal proficiency standards in English Language Arts and math for seven years, two have failed to meet the standards for four years. Any gains have been minimal and, in some cases, performance has declined.

All six schools serve primarily economically disadvantaged, minority populations. At all but Johnson, more than 90 percent of the students live at or near poverty.

“We are failing the students we most need to help – those who live in poverty and don’t have the same advantages at home that other students have to help them be prepared to succeed in school,” Raymond said. “We have let failure be acceptable at these schools for too long. But next school year, that culture of failure stops, and a new culture of success and achievement must begin.”

The Oak Ridge school will receive up to $2 million in additional support as a result of the state’s designation of it as a persistently underachieving school. SCUSD will use federal Title 1 money and leverage other private and public resources to pump up the funding for the other five schools, Raymond said.

At Johnson, which has nearly 2,100 students, the district will provide additional resources to support the existing 9th Grade Academy Program to give extra, focused attention to freshmen as part of the Priority Schools initiative. Johnson also will have a special arts school within the main high school.

“The waiting is over,” Raymond said. “Urgent action to improve these six schools begins now. We don’t have a child or a moment to lose.”

Go to the Sacramento City Unified District Web Site

Board of Education Meeting Tonight March 18, 2010

4:30 p.m. Closed Session
6:30 p.m. Open Session

Serna Center
5735 47th Avenue
Sacramento, Ca 95824
Community Room

Students help harvest fruit from neighbors to supply area food banks

2010-02-20T05:36:15Z

Students help harvest fruit from neighbors to supply area food banks
Gleaning effort facing possible shut down

By Maria L. Lopez & Randy Stannard
Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010 at 9:30 a.m.

More than 50 students from Theodore Judah Elementary School and community volunteers will walk from their McKinley Park area campus to harvest fruit from their neighbors’ yards for local food banks on Saturday, Feb.20. Volunteers will receive an orientation at 9 a.m. and expect to begin walking to residences by 9:30. Judah is located at 3919 McKinley Blvd.

Last weekend, volunteers walked to neighbors’ homes to ask for permission to gather the fruit. Randy Stannard of Harvest Sacramento, and a coordinator for the project, said the young harvesters will gather the fresh fruit, mostly citrus, from 70 homes. Stannard said the effort will slow down in March as the citrus season ends, but future efforts could be jeopardy due to funding.

Stannard said the project has been a victim of its own success in that the overwhelming response from volunteers and residents with fruit has diverted time from other responsibilities. “We are trying to raise money so we can hire a staff person to help continue this effort,” Stannard said. “We want to keep this going, but we need some help.”

Harvest Sacramento is a collaborative effort of Soil Born Farms, Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services, area residents, community groups and businesses. It organizes volunteers to harvest fruits and vegetables from backyards and small orchards that might go unused. The harvests are then donated to local food agencies.

Weather permitting, the students and adults will work until 1 p.m.
Reporters may call Randy Stannard at (530) 204-8082 if they want to report or film the gleaners after the 9:30 a.m. start time.

Visit the Sacramento City Unified School District Web Site.

Visit the Theodore Judah Elementary School Web Site.

Four city schools among state honorees for rigorous academic achievement Closing achievement gap among recognition criteria

2010-02-11T23:57:00Z

By Maria L. Lopez

Four Sacramento City Unified School District campuses are among 238 California schools announced today as recipients of the 2009-10 Title 1 Academic Achievement Award. The SCUSD sites are David Lubin, Earl Warren, Isador Cohen and Theodore Judah elementary schools. Aspire Capitol Heights Academy and St. HOPE Public School 7, both independent charter schools located in the district, are also among the award winners.

“This recognition is a testament to the great work of students, teachers and parents occurring at these schools,” SCUSD Superintendent Jonathan P. Raymond said. “The recognition is especially appreciated because progress towards closing the achievement gap is one of the measures used to single out these campuses,” Raymond stated.

The Title 1 Academic Achievement Award is given only to schools receiving federal Title 1 funds, federal funding that assists schools in meeting the educational needs of students living near or at the poverty level. More than 6,000 of California’s 9,000 campuses participate in the Title I program.

Schools must demonstrate that all students are making significant progress toward proficiency on California’s academic content standards and the schools’ low-income students must have doubled the achievement targets set for them over two consecutive years.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell called principals of each of the schools to convey the good news and express congratulations and appreciation for the successful student and staff efforts. “These award recipients prove that with hard work and high expectation, students can overcome challenges and achieve academic success,” O’Connell said.

The 2009-10 awardees will be honored at a reception and banquet at the Disneyland Hotel on April 21, 2010.

Go to the Sacramento City Unified School District Web site.