News from Folsom Cordova schools

Thursday, April 25, 2019 | Volume IX, Issue XXXV

News, Announcements, & Success Stories

Sandra J. Gallardo $10,000 Scholar Dollars Grant Winner!

Sandra J. Gallardo won a $10,000 Scholar Dollars Grant to cover the cost for a STEM lab on campus after entering a contest to win the grant.

"We are excited to receive the Scholar Dollars Grant! It was definitely a team effort between the staff, parents, students and community," said Principal Pat Graham. "As winners, the funds will support our STEM Lab while enriching and preparing our students with the foundational skills needed for the future. Our goal is to purchase 3D printers, robotic kits, coding curriculum and other technological materials to allow our students to unleash their creativity."

A total of 377 schools in California participated for a chance to win a Scholar Dollars grant, 20 schools in total were recipients of the grant including Sandra J. Gallardo Elementary, which received $10,000. Some $300,000 was awarded out to the 20 schools based on their size to help with the cost of enrichment programs in music, arts theater, sports and computer science. The grants are sponsored by ScholarShare 529. Over 285,000 votes were cast in the entire contest.

Congratulations to Sandra J. Gallardo on being a recipient!

Carl Sundahl Elementary renovation project wins construction award

The Carl Sundahl Elementary school renovation project has won a Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) Northern California Project Achievement Award in the building renovation category.

Kitchell CEM who did the construction on the renovation and Rainforth Grau Architects who designed the renovation project at Carl Sundahl Elementary are being honored at a Member Appreciation & Award Gala on April 25.

The project was paid for through Measure G the State School Building Funds. The project was finished in August 2018. For more information on the project click here.

We should also mention that the Oak Chan Elementary school renovation project earned second place in the same category!

Folsom High students receive certification in life saving measures

At Folsom High School students can choose to take a semester or year of Health Education. Enriched Health is a yearlong course that expands on all the units that the semester course covers with additional time for projects, peer discussions, self-evaluation, skill building, and more. The yearlong class also includes additional units of study, such as life-saving skills and disaster preparation.

The students in the enriched class receive a two-year certification in CPR ( Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ) and AED ( Automated External Defibrillator) and first aid for infants, children, and adults. Their certification can be used to help them qualify for jobs as well as act in an emergency, whether at home, on the road, or out in the community. The certification is free for students and is taught by certified district nurses and Folsom High Health teachers.

Students who are enrolled in the yearlong Enriched Health course were recently certified in these life saving measures in March.

High schoolers finish strong at the Academic Decathlon State Competition

Folsom High School sent its Academic Decathlon team to compete against high schools from throughout California at the annual Academic Decathlon State Competition and placed 4th for Division 2 against 20 other schools. Six individual awards were earned as well. Alice Gao won gold in both Art and Social Science, Lydia Juline got a bronze in Art, Ava Brown also won bronze in Art, and Phillip Krehbiel scored a bronze in both Lang/Lit and Social Science.

While they didn't make it to the state competition, the newly revived Vista del Lago team made their debut on the Acadeca scene this year, earning a 6th place spot at Regionals. Impressive for this young team.

Now both teams are already getting to work, studying and planning for next year's competition. The 2020 theme will be In Sickness and in Health: An Exploration of Illness and Wellness . We wish all the students well as they explore how this theme is manifested in Science, Literature, Art, Music, Social Science, Economics and Mathematics.

Engineering and art creations displayed at annual FHS Folsom-bration

Students at Folsom High School showcased their skill and knowledge at the 12th Annual Folsom-bration engineering and art event. Over 349 students making up over 140 teams built engineering marvels such as hovercrafts, parabolic solar steam electric power plants, Tesla coils, hydrogen fuel cells, wind turbines, and more!

Check out the clip from CBS morning news and see more pictures on our Facebook post!

Physics and engineering weren't the only subject areas highlighted that morning. Visual arts were celebrated, too, with student work displayed in gallery fashion for staff and students to enjoy.

This is a big effort for students and staff, but none of this would be possible without the generous donation of time and resources from our community partners. 100+ volunteer judges from several local business were on hand to judge team competitions and offer expert feedback on student projects. Some of the community partners represented that day included Intel, PowerSchool, Army Corp of Engineers, SMUD, Micron, Glumac, Aerojet Rocketdyne, NSG Systems Engineering, & Wells Fargo. Kudos also to Mr. Eric Wright who teaches physics and engineering at FHS and works countless hours each year organizing Folsom-bration.

Important volunteer update: Is your TB status current?

We've rolled out improvements to our volunteer process this year, and we are issuing an urgent reminder for all volunteers to ensure their current TB results are on file.

IMPORTANT: If a fingerprinted volunteer is found to have an expired TB, we will have to remove their status as a volunteer, including their fingerprint records. To reinstate as a volunteer, you will need to be fingerprinted again. This is a requirement of the Department of Justice.

Please don't leave us! We do not want to lose any of our wonderful volunteers, so we are asking you to make sure your TB status is current. Check with your school if you're not sure.

Deadline to update TB results is May 13.

You can bring the paperwork to the District Office or your school's front office.

Need a TB test done? You are welcome to come to our last free TB clinic of the year:

May 6 (test), May 8 (read)

3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m

District Office: 1965 Birkmont Drive, Rancho Cordova

Your primary care physician and many urgent care centers can also provide TB tests.

Thank you for your understanding and involvement with our schools, as we work to keep our students safe and healthy. If you have any questions, please contact your school site.

Baseball score boards installed at Folsom and Vista High Schools

Folsom High School's baseball team is enjoying the use of this brand new scoreboard thanks to the partnership of Teichert and Folsom Lake Ford-Kia, who both contributed funds to purchase the board. Coach Agnew and Ernie Hook solicited businesses and District support for this endeavor.

Vista Del Lago High School's baseball team was able to fund-raise for their new scoreboard, special thanks to the Loessberg and Sarabia families for major contributions. Coach Seffens was instrumental in providing leadership in this project.

Both projects took tremendous commitment and support from numerous stakeholders. The support of Director of Maintenance and Operations, Jim Bonovich, truly made these projects come to fruition. His crew was able to install to boards at a great savings to the schools and community. You can say these projects were truly a team effort!

Folsom's Hope Center Community Kick-Off

District partner Folsom's Hope serves the physical, educational, and relational needs of at risk children and their families. Join them for a free family event of fun, food and prizes for their annual Community Kick Off event.

Location: softball field adjacent to Theodore Judah Elementary

Date & time: April 26. 4-6 p.m.