Your weekly recap of student success
PHOTOS: Vista del Lago student, family diversity celebrated at first International Night
Photos and story by Reijer den Dulk and Sydney Northcutt, FCUSD Communication Internship Program .
 
Earlier this month students and families of Vista Del Lago High School were given the opportunity to be submerged in a night of global food, cultural dances songs, and informational exhibits. This Inaugural International Night was put on by Vista's MSA (Muslim Student Association) with the hopes of showcasing all the different cultures and ethnicities represented at Vista in a creative way.
 
Taswar Kabir, Senior at Vista and President of Vista's MSA for the past two years explained that the club hoped people took away just how diverse Vista actually is. The club invited all clubs on campus to participate and even had some classes on campus perform including some Spanish and dance classes.
 
"Another really cool thing we have is the migrant exhibit," Taswar explained, "showcasing stores of different first generation immigrants that came to Folsom and their entire experience coming from a third world country or any where outside the US coming into America and their entire experience over all."

Many other clubs on campus also participated in the event through providing service in setting up or creating and presenting booths of international information. One club that was represented at International Night was Vista Red Cross, which had a both to explain the organization's global involvement. 

Stuti Rana, Junior and Co-president of Vista Red Cross commented,  "I really hope people take away that Vista is really tight knit, all the clubs and organizations and the students. Not only do we have clubs at this event we have classes of students of diverse ethnicities coming together."  
 
Click here for more photos from the event! 
Where are they now? Cordova grad designs career in engineering
Prior to entering Cordova High School, Evelyn Delgado's career blueprint was a work in progress.
 
"Ever since I was little, I loved drawing," Evelyn says. As a child, Evelyn stared at buildings, learning to sketch their architectural features. "I looked into becoming an architect, but I was always drawn to engineering."
 
At Cordova High School, Evelyn had the opportunity to explore engineering and, along the way, found a passion for a career and a muse in the Eiffel Tower. 
 
Now, as a 19-year-old in her third semester at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS), Evelyn attributes Cordova High School's Engineering Polytechnical Academy with starting her on a career path.

Exposed to a variety of engineering disciplines - construction management, digital electronics, and civil engineering - Evelyn discovered a passion for the latter during a class project to design a truss bridge.

"What I loved about that project, yeah, it was applied physics, but it was all hands-on," she says. "We got balsa wood, built the bridges, and used a stress test machine to see where the bridge broke when applying force."
 
A few science fair projects followed and Evelyn joined the school's ACE Mentor Program, where she led her team in designing their own version of the Golden 1 Center. 

PHOTOS: Family fun at Cordova Meadows STEM Night 
Cordova Meadows Family STEM Night brought students and their families back to school for an evening of engaging and thought provoking activities in the areas of Science, Technology,  Engineering and Mathematics.

Whether it was applying computer programing skills to motorized toys, or calculating structural load bearing thresholds to building structures, or experimenting with energy sources such as wind power, the students at Cordova Meadows had fun, learning about STEM and got a glimpse into what careers they might want to pursue when they grow up.

FCUSD lead STEM teacher Lari Miller Powell orchestrated the evening, and students in the teaching program at William Jessup University volunteered to lead activities. "It's so great when the community comes out to support student activities" said Powell. "We even had a few police officers come interact in the fun with the kids."

Principal Marie Pawlek remarked that "having Family STEM Night at Cordova Meadows was a great opportunity for parents, staff, community and students to come together and celebrate the joy of education."

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In other news ...

                                                                                                                                       
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Discover myriad STEM opportunities throughout FCUSD!

It's more important than ever for our students to gain skills necessary to solve tough problems, gather and evaluate evidence, and make sense of the information that surrounds them.

The subjects collectively known as STEM - science, technology, engineering and math - help prepare these young minds for success beyond school - whether they are future engineers, architects or artists.

Learn about our special STEM magnet programs in Rancho Cordova and Folsom at www.fcusd.org/STEM !
Students don't only have to attend a magnet program to get a rich STEM education! 
Folsom Cordova schools have created a STEM Lead Teacher, who works directly with schools and teachers to help bolster their STEM-related curriculum.
INFOGRAPHIC: Our spending plan for student success

The state of California directs a greater share of public education funding to high-need schools, and requires districts to plan for and show how these funds are spent in a document called a Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP).

Our new infographic is intended to provide an easy-to-use guide and quick reference for how Folsom Cordova Unified is using public money to improve student achievement.

Download a copy: 
Visit www.fcusd.org/LCAP to see English and Spanish versions of our spending plan and student achievement goals. Or, click the links below:
California's landmark reform of public school financing, called the Local Control Funding Formula, greatly simplifies how public schools are funded and provides school districts greater control and flexibility in the budgeting process.
Board of Education Update: Nov. 17, 2016  
 
The FCUSD Board of Education will hold its regular meeting on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 6 p.m. in the Education Services Center, 1965 Birkmont Drive in Rancho Cordova. 

Agenda items include:
  • Reception for outgoing Board Member Teresa Stanley 
  • Approval of the 2016-17 Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) for all district schools
Agendas are posted the Fridays before each regular meeting and can be found here.
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FCUSD Communication and Community Engagement Office
(916) 294-9000 ext. 104530