We're so pleased to announce that the Alameda County Office of Education has named Glenda Machrus, who has worked as the office manager at Ruby Bridges Elementary School for 11 years, as a County Classified Employee of the Year. Many congratulations, Glenda! More information about this special honor is available here.

Ashley Chu, a senior at Alameda High School, who is one of just 100 students nationwide to win a $40,000 Amazon Future Engineer scholarship. She can use the scholarship to study computer science at the school of her choice and gets to intern at Amazon in her freshman year.

Ella Banchieri, an eighth grader at Lincoln Middle School, who won second place at the Alameda County Junior High Spelling Bee on March 16 and will represent the county at the California State Spelling Bee, Saturday, May 4. 

AUSD parent Olivia Higgins for publishing her first book, Stonewall: Our March Continues. The book, which was written for children ages 8-12, tells the story of the 1969 Stonewall Inn, in which a popular gathering place for LGBTQ people that was destroyed in New York City and how that launched a civil rights movement for LGBTQ people.

Mary Grace Basco, a preschool specialist with AUSD, who recently won a grant from the California Retired Teachers Association to buy "throwable microphones" for her students. These microphones will be used for playful circle time activities to promote listening skills, turn taking, using expressive & receptive language, and identifying voices.

AUSD's Human Resources Department,  which was recently awarded a $1.3 million Local Solutions Grant from the state Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Only 41 California school districts received this grant this year; the funds are meant to help districts recruit, prepare, support, and retain special education teachers. The money will also be used to support classified staff to become teachers.

The LGBTQ Round Table's 7th annual

poem and poster contest is still  open! The theme this year is "Every Pronoun Belongs Here," and the prompt is: "Through your original art or writing show that whether you use she, he, they, ze, or hir  pronouns, you are part of our community, a citizen, and we accept all citizens." The contest is open to all AUSD students in grades 4 through 12. More details are available on our LGBTQ Round Table web page. 

Please take our communications survey to help us learn which tools our stakeholders are using and which they would like us to adopt. The survey is open to students, employees, families, and community members, is entirely anonymous, and should only take a few minutes to complete.

Celebrate the inspiring work that goes on in Alameda public schools with food, fun, and friends! Advance tickets are just $30 through May 1 and include gourmet hors d'oeuvres from local restaurants.

Examples of highlighted programs include "Second Grade Activism," a newly formed "Student Center," a "Wellness Center," and "Lunch Bunch." Each school will be featured in a keepsake program and posters and will receive recognition on the stage at the event. Guests will have the opportunity to mingle and network in a relaxed, festive setting at Rhythmix Cultural Works.