News from Folsom Cordova schools

Thursday, January 10, 2019 | Volume IX, Issue XIX

News, Announcements, & Success Stories

Cordova High on Top 10 for UC admissions in Sacramento region

Nearly three-quarters of Cordova High School students who apply to competitive University of California schools earn admission - one of the highest acceptance rates in the Sacramento region, according recent data from the UC system.

At a 72 percent admission rate, Cordova High ranks eighth out of 88 among the Sacramento-region high schools provided in the latest data.

Schools with International Baccalaureate Programmes, such as Cordova High's growing program, fared among the best in their admission rates, according to an analysis of the data in a recent Sacramento Bee article.

Folsom Cordova's other comprehensive high schools UC admission rates: Vista del Lago High (65 percent); Folsom High (58 percent).

As noted in the Sacramento Bee article, acceptance rates can be influenced by factors not always related to academics, including:

Some students may choose to attend community college before attending a UC campus.
Some schools may have greater share of students who apply to out-of-state or private universities.
Some schools may have a low number of applications to UC campuses but a greater percentage of those students admitted.

Folsom High students featured on ABC10's Teen Talk to discuss stress

ABC10's Monica Woods did a special report called Teen Talk in which she talked about stress with Folsom High juniors and seniors.

A group of driven FHS students met up with Woods before Winter Break to discuss the pressures to be successful in both academics and extracurricular activities.

Watch the video that gives an unfiltered perspective of our students' voices about how they seek to find balance and be successful according to what they believe are societal standards.

Finals week can be stressful, so before Winter Break 12/10-12/14, the student leadership class at Folsom High hosted a Wellness Week for students with different themes each day: Mindful Monday focusing on gratitude, Turn the Lights off Tuesday, encouraging the importance of sleep, Well Balanced Wednesday, sharing the importance of a healthy eating, Joyful Thursday, don't forget to decompress and have fun, with an ugly holiday sweater contest, and Fit Friday, discussing the importance of exercise and how it can reduce stress, increase energy and improve mood.

Natoma Station's Warm and Fuzzy Drive helps refugee students at Cordova Meadows

Here's a Warm and Fuzzy story for you! The student council at Natoma Station Elementary organized a Warm and Fuzzy drive with the non-profit organization Without a Roof, to help the refugee student community at Cordova Meadows Elementary.

Natoma Station Elementary collected hundreds of warm clothing items including coats, scarves, gloves, hats, pajamas, and socks to share with refugee students and their families at Cordova Meadows Elementary, which has a significant number of students who came from Afghanistan.

Just before Winter Break Natoma Station Principal Vickie Boudouris and members of her student council, drove to Rancho Cordova to deliver the items to Principal Marie Pawlek and her student council members at Cordova Meadows, who were thankful for the donations.

This was Natoma Station's third Warm and Fuzzy Drive.

Black Student Unions from across District, region meet and dialogue

Earlier this school year, dozens of students from Folsom Cordova and throughout the region had the opportunity to meet, dialogue, and share experiences as student leaders at a recent roundtable gathering organized by the United Black Student Unions of California (USBUC).

Each of Folsom Cordova Unified's three comprehensive high schools - Cordova, Folsom, and Vista del Lago - has a Black Student Union club, and this year's gathering was a unique opportunity for students to meet others from throughout FCUSD and elsewhere in the Sacramento region.

The event was coordinated by Naseer Muhair, a 1989 Cordova High School graduate who also serves as 2 nd Vice President of the Northern Region Board for USBUC. He has recently reached out to area high schools in an effort to support and connect Black Student Union clubs throughout the District and beyond.

Interested in learning more? Contact Naseer Muhair at [email protected] .

Community Partners in action: Holiday giving across the District

The holidays might be over, but the joy will last into the New Year. Students in need, all across our district, got gifts, necessities and opportunities to shop for fun, during the Holiday Season.

In Rancho Cordova the city and Police Department gave students backpacks, supplies and a $100 shopping spree at Walmart. In Folsom, a similar event took place with at Target. Folsom's Hope and the Folsom Teen Council

took over 50 students on a shopping trip.

In other parts of our district, members of the LDS church delivered gift baskets to newly arrived refugee families from Afghanistan. Intel, PowerSchool and Healthnet were just some of the businesses who gave gifts to students in need. Our own students at Cordova High, Folsom High and Vista del Lago got involved in many of these efforts, to help fellow students and participate in the spirit of giving.

In other news ...

FMS is Drug Free!

Pledge sheets were created by Club Live of Folsom Middle School for the students of each Advisory period on campus and for the staff and PTO.

More than 1,000 signatures were obtained. The pledge sheets were put together on a large banner. The banner is now proudly on display on a wall in the multi.

The activities, all student driven, included planning spirit wear, organizing a door decorating contest, creating and displaying various posters all over campus, planning and conducting lunchtime games and interacting positively with the Folsom Police Department's K9 and SWAT units during their visit on campus.

Videos promoting the harmful effects of drug, tobacco, alcohol and e-cigarettes shown during Advisory period sparked meaningful conversations among the students about the importance of staying away from them.