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Wednesday, December 14, 2016 | Volume VII, Issue XVIII
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Your weekly recap of student success
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VIDEO: New and experienced Cordova readers benefit from unique partnership
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Video and story by Sydney Northcutt, FCUSD Communications Internship Program
The unlikeliest of friendships are blossoming in Room 13. Every Friday Cordova High School teacher Suzanne Borth walks across the street with her second period English intervention class to Cordova Gardens Elementary School. For about half an hour, her students get the opportunity to read to elementary students.
The benefit for both parties is mutual. Ninth and tenth grade students enrolled in Borth's intervention classes are working to improve their reading, so the opportunity to practice their reading skills in a fun and relaxed environment is valuable.
"The biggest thing I've seen is their increase in confidence," says Borth. "I also have noticed that they are teaching reading when they read now. I see them pointing out sight words and having kids sound them out and having kids use visual literacy to predict what's happening in the story."
Ninth grader Keith Ferrell agrees that he has noticed positive differences in his reading because of the program. "I just like reading to people. . . It gets your boost of confidence up," said Ferrell.
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PHOTOS: Hour of Code event at Peter J. Shields shows students the science behind the fun
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Three primary classrooms at Peter J. Shields participated in the Hour of Code event last Monday December 5.
During Hour of code, students were encouraged to explore computer science in the form of coding activities. They learned that there is a whole career field related to this topic and those professionals are actually behind all the apps and games they love to play.
They worked as partners to navigate and problem solve their way through coding challenges.
Special guest speaker Yurii Sekretar, CEO and Co-founder of Quiks Inc. brought his laptop, wireless router and a small, very basic computer called Raspberry. He coded a simple reaction time game for two players. He explained and showed the children how he coded the LED light to light up at random intervals of time, inputted player names and then, get the children to play the game.
During the game, students had to press their button first when the light flashed on. Then, the kids asked if the light could just flash on and off, so Sekretar changed his code to accomplish that.
This enabled kids to see that a person is behind each and every function we perform on our technology devices.
In January, the school will be starting the Crusader Coding Club open to 3-5 graders. They will be using the computer science curriculum for beginning coding skills from Hour of Code.org.
Students will begin coding using a block format which progresses from basic commands and advances towards more complex commands such as loops and events. The club will run for eight weeks depending on student interest.
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PROVIDE YOUR INPUT: 2017-18 school calendar options
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FCUSD values your input, and the District would like to invite you, as a parent, student, staff and community member, to participate in this 2017-18 Instructional Calendar start date survey.
These calendars address the need for high schools to end their semester prior to winter break, and ensure that trimesters and quarters/semesters are roughly equal in length.
Secondary schools prefer to end before June, allowing our students the opportunity to work or attend college summer classes.
- Option 1 - Start date Monday Aug 14, End date May 31
- No School Oct 9
- Winter break Thursday Dec 21 - Wednesday Jan 3
- Travel Day at the end of Spring Break
- Option 2 - Start date Monday Aug 14, End date May 31
- No school Oct 9
- Winter break Friday Dec 22 - Friday Jan 5
- No Travel Day at end of Spring Break
- Option 3 - Start date Thursday Aug 10, End date May 31
- No school Oct 9
- Winter break Thursday Dec 21 - Friday Jan 5
- Travel Day at end of Spring Break
The FCUSD Board of Education will take public input before making a decision at a January Board meeting. Please respond to the on-line survey before Friday Dec. 16 to indicate your preference.
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New, returning school board members take office
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One new face and one familiar face were sworn in as trustees on the Folsom Cordova Board of Education on Thursday, Dec. 8.
JoAnne Reinking
, of Folsom, begins her third four-year term on the Board (she was first elected in 2008). Reinking is the past president of
the Vista del Lago PTSO
. Both Clark and Reinking ran unopposed.
As part of the Board's annual organizational meeting, elected leaders chose trustee Zak Ford to serve as Board president, and Reinking as vice president, in 2017.
Click here
to read an article in the Folsom Telegraph to learn more about our Board members
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IN THE NEWS: Oak Chan teachers - one a former student - warm hearts
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Did you catch
our video story last month
about Oak Chan teacher Kira Montinola's decision - after her positive experience as a student - to return and teach next door to her mentor, Mary Heth?
In case you missed it, local news outlets have been sharing this story of teacher impact, too!
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Great opportunity to support Natoma Station during
Book Fair at
Barnes & Noble
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n Saturday, Dec. 17, Natoma Station will hold an onsite bookfair at the new Barnes & Noble Palladio, sponsored by the school PTO, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
There will be 12 hours of reading activities, free gift wrapping by staff and parents, student performances at the Student Readers' Theater, face painting and pajama story time!
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To all our students and families: Enjoy your Winter Break!
Winter break will be from Dec. 19, 2016 through January 2, 2017.
School resumes Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Have a safe, relaxing break and we will see you back and re-energized to learn in 2017!
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Board of Education Update: January 19, 2017
The FCUSD Board of Education will hold its next regular meeting on Thursday, January 19, 2017 at 6 p.m. in the Education Services Center, 1965 Birkmont Drive in Rancho Cordova.
Board meeting dates for the remaining of 2016-2017 school year:
- January 19
- February 2
- March 9
- March 23
- April 6
- May 18
Agendas are posted the Fridays before each regular meeting and can be found here.
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