TUSD Weekly Update

CSUS Nursing Program Partnership

Robin Swartz, Health & Fitness Instructional Coach 4th grade students at Brown Elementary School are the beneficiaries of a great collaboration with the CSU, Stanislaus nursing program. A chance discussion between Professor of Nursing Dr. Diana Katsma and TUSD Health & Fitness Instructional Coach Robin Swartz led to a a partnership between CSUS nursing students, enrolled in Community Health, and Brown Elementary. This semester nine CSUS nursing students (3 are already RNs) have been working with 4th graders at Brown as part of their clinical rotation on most Thursdays this school year helping them improve their skills on various fitness activities. Last week, CSUS nursing students set up four stations with 8 minute rotations. Two of the CSUS students, former volleyball players, taught passing skills at two stations. Another student played basketball so she ran a ball-handling skills station. The last station was for practicing planks and measuring flexibility. CSUS students shared with Robin the following observations about their experiences working with the Bobcats:  “Getting to know the kids is a great experience and to be involved in their fitness and health is truly a good experience.” -Lindsay Merseth “Seeing the kids grow in their skills and abilities was the ultimate reward.” –Kathryn Torralva “The highlight of my weeks are always getting to work with the kids on their physical skills.” Minh Oanh Tran “Seeing the kids get excited about the day was the best part of the day.”-Yasmeen “Watching the kids progress and learning more about them every week was a true blessing. This experience has been amazing.”-Elizabeth Rios “Thursday is the best day of the week. Getting to be with the kids and teach them or have them improve on their skills puts the biggest smile on my face and theirs!”-Emily Garabino With the health and wellness focus at Brown this partnership is an ideal match!

Induction Update

Denise Duewell, Coordinator of Professional Development and Induction In September, our new teachers learned about the Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) they will be completing each year during their time in induction. This is where they set goals for their professional practice during the year. They then choose a question to research in their classroom and conduct an inquiry cycle where they implement particular strategies, best practices, etc. in order to reflect and become the very best they can be. This provides new teachers the opportunity to analyze their practice, to implement strategies, and to reflect upon the impact on student learning.  Currently they are working on their first inquiry cycle, which means they have examined their classrooms, chosen a practice they wish to study or something on which they wish to improve. Like a true researcher, they are collecting data in their classrooms, making decisions about what they may try in order to make a change, and then instituting that change and collecting data to analyze the success. It is an amazing opportunity for teachers to reflect upon their work and to see how it is impacting students. They are able to make more changes based on this data. The topics they research and study can be related to curriculum, particular students, or strategies. While this is a great deal of work, it is also the work teachers do every single day in their classrooms. We are simply helping to make it completely visible. While the new teachers are doing this in their classrooms, their mentors are supporting them through weekly meetings, introductions to others who can be of assistance, reviewing procedures that may be foreign, and they are making sure their candidates are being mindful of themselves with a work-life balance (or semi-balance). In other words, mentors are supporting them by helping to provide that sense of belonging and that shoulder for the tougher times all while guiding the teachers through problem solving and growth.  In like fashion, the TUSD Induction Program is reflecting upon its successes and making changes in order to continue building the strongest program possible. Besides self-analysis, the program must address preconditions and common standards, provide evidence that we are doing what we say we are doing in our program summary, and arrange for interviews with a team from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC). The Commission’s team needs to interview 90% of the following groups of people: program completers, year 1 candidates, year 2 candidates, mentors, site administrators, and district administrators. This is a chance to share with the Commission what worked well for people and to indicate where improvements can be made. Of course, it is also a chance to show support for TUSD as well as for a program that assists new teachers in this career that is often more challenging than they thought.

Biscoitos Elementary School Embraces Turlock High School, CA

Joseph Sousa, Portuguese Teacher, Turlock HIgh School Translation from Terceira News Article Between the 8 th and 11 th of June, 31 people from Turlock High School, CA/USA visited Terceira Island in an atmosphere of exchange with students from the 3 rd cycle of elementary school (Jr High equivalent) at Biscoitos Elementary School (EBIB). Beyond just participating in school activities and touring the island, all involved had the opportunity to attend the commemorative ceremonies on June 10, particularly by invitation of the Representative of the Portuguese government at the Palace of Madre de Deus in Angra do Heroismo. Our students established friendships with the members of their group, as well as with students from the Portuguese speaking classes of our partner school, Turlock High School, in California. Globally, the visit contributed to the enrichment of the visiting students’ knowledge of Azorean culture and geography, but it was also beneficial to their personal value and independence, widening their perspective of future professions. It should be noted that the collaboration between the community of Biscoitos, students, parents, functionaries, teachers, and the Angra do Heroismo City Hall is what made everything possible.

Tech in TUSD: Aeries Access for Students

Sitara Ali, Ed Tech Coach What is it? Did you know that students in TUSD can access Aeries themselves, without using their parent’s email? This allows students in TUSD to take control of their ability to track their grades, stay on track, and be self-aware. Self-efficacy has a 0.92 effect size (Hattie 2017), which means that students who are cognizant of their grades and keep track of their learning have a higher growth per year than those who don’t. Hattie's definition of self-efficacy is, "The confidence or strength of belief that we have in ourselves that we can make our learning happen." This is needed in education and for our students to help them succeed. Now What? All students need to get started is their ID number, phone number, and the verification pass code number found on Aeries! Navigate students to the Aeries App on their phones, or to the Family Aeries Link (found under Student & Staff Links on our TUSD District Page . Have students click create new account. When they create a new account, students will have to click that they are a student, and then they now have their own access!

How Teachers Can Get the Verification Pass Code To Give to Students - Log into Aeries - Click Student Data on left menu - Click Demographics on left menu - Click Student Data 2 tab within the window - Hover over the Verification Pass Code, click, and the passcode will appear - Click Quick Print at the bottom of the page, and give to students for them to create their account.

Marshall Beyer, Coordinator of Educational Technology Our teachers and students in TUSD are rockin' it in their Clever usage! Clever is a single sign-on portal used to access digital curriculum and digital tools. Here's a quick rundown of some stats: ▪️81% of students have access learning programs through Clever Portal. (This is above average usage when compared with other schools of the same size nationwide.) ▪️67% of teachers have logged into Clever Portal this year. Keep up the awesome work TUSD!

Student Rep to the School Board Reports

Aiden Cooke, Turlock High School October 15, 2019 Board of Trustees Meeting Activities We recently celebrated homecoming. The theme was Back to the Future. FFA won the club float competition and juniors won the class float competition. We had spirit assemblies, a parade, and announcement of the queen and float competition at the game. Our homecoming queen was voted on by the student body and the winner wss Jazmyn Tubbs. The first Hall of Fame dinner was held on October 12. 7 individuals and 1 team were inducted. It was a great event for THS and the community. We have unfortunately lost another student, Thaily Gutierrez. She was a senior. There was a candlelight vigil for her and also memorial during lunch. Another student was seriously injured in the accident too. We are coping and supporting each other through this tragedy.   Clubs Our new club, We Dine Together is providing outreach on campus and the President and founder of the club Taylor Ward has been an awesome example. He can be seen chatting with students all over campus and leading by example. We are really proud of Taylor and this new outreach on campus. The Interact Club painted faces at the Homecoming game for a $1 each in support of Polio Plus, aimed at the worldwide eradication of Polio. We painted over 40 faces and will donate that money through the Rotary to Polio Plus.  Turlock FFA was busy working on the Homecoming Float with over 50 students helping per night. The theme was Flintstones, FFA is very proud of their 1st place win. The Cotton Judging team has been traveling to different contests, the B team placed 1st in the El Diamante contest. FFA also had 25 students participating as Tour Guides at the AG Edventure at the Stanislaus County Fair.   THS Speech and Debate had a great 2nd tournament at Mountain House High! 21 students placed in the top 3 of their events. Their next tournament is November 9th at Buhach! Auditions for the onstage band for the Drama Department's spring musical School of Rock were held last week. Our new club the "Earthlings" acted as cleanup crew at the homecoming parade. They walked at the end of the parade collecting trash along the way.

Chuc Luu, Pitman High School Recent Events Pink Out: Students dressed up all week to support Breast Cancer Awareness. Homecoming October 14-18. Theme: Pitman’s Trending.   Department Updates Drama: Angelini’s Dinner Theater (“Holmes on the Range”) was held on October 7. Attendees were able to enjoy dinner with a great show. Orchestra: String Fling with Pitman High, Turlock High, Dutcher Middle School, Turlock Junior High, and assorted elementary schools performed on October 9. Choir: Pride Café was held on October 10 and 11 and featured smaller groups, contemporary pieces, and spoken word performances. Counseling/Career Center: Tuesday, October 8 a recruiter from the United States Marine Corps shared the great opportunities within their branch of the military. A representative from UC San Diego discussed their amazing campus and programs on October 11.    Clubs Assyrian-American Club: On Sunday, October 20 from 2:00 to 6:00 pm, the Pitman High Assyrian-American Club, in partnership with the Assyrian American Civic Club of Turlock (AACCT), is hosting a Fall Pumpkin Harvest Festival that is open to the community. The entrance and activities are all FREE and open to all. Some of the activities include: pumpkin carving, musical chairs, face painting, hay rides, a bubbles’ station, a coloring station, freeze dance, and costume prizes.  FFA: We had around 100 students attend our October FFA meeting which was held at R.A.M. Farm. Members had a good time with pumpkin painting, navigating the maze, and getting ready for the fall holidays! We are excited about our first contest of the year, the Opening & Closing contest held at Orestimba High School in Newman on October 16! Pitman took 42 students to compete in the contest. Our annual Can Food Drive will be kicking off on October 22. We hope to collect several items to help support our community for the upcoming holiday season. We then will participate in our FFA Chapter & FFA Section Day of Service to count, sort, and deliver the cans. Hector Flores was selected to be 1 of 40 California Delegates for the National FFA Conference. Hector will represent the interest of more than 80,000 FFA members at the convention and vote on changes to our National Association. We are proud of his accomplishments and selection for this honor.    Upcoming Events: Hispanic Heritage Day Trunk or Treat will take place on October 31 during lunch. All clubs will be able to submit a decorated car if they so choose.

Athletic Director Sports Update

Mike Brown, Turlock High School AD Girl’s Golf:  Final tournament of the year. Volleyball:  We played Modesto on Monday and had a good game with them. Varsity won 3- 0 , JV won  , freshman won. We played Downey on Wednesday night and Varsity won 3- 0, JV won 2-0 and Turlock Freshman won 2-0. Football: We played Enochs high this week. Freshman won 55 -16, JV beat Enochs 35 - 6 ,  Varsity also beat Enochs 31–14 . Great night for football. Tennis: Tennis went to Modesto to battle it out and won 6- 3. Then traveled over to Downey and beat them 8–1. We have a league record of 4-5.  Water Polo: Water polo battled it out with Gregori and got a clean Sweep. JV girls won 14 - 5 JV boys 18 -5, Varsity Girls won 8-5 Varsity Boys 14– 0, Wednesday we took on Enochs and got another clean sweep. JV girls 18-6, JV boys , Varsity Girls 13–1 and Varsity boys finished the night off with a 15–4 victory. Great job Aquatics!                                     Coming Up Next Week for the Bulldogs: Mon: Volleyball will be home against Pitman @ 4:00, Water polo is at Modesto @ 3:00. Golf is in the first round of CIF playoffs. Tues: Tennis is in the CCAL singles.  Wed: Cross country is at Legion Park for the last CCAL center meet.  This will decide all the championships.  Thurs: Freshman football is playing Gregori @ 6:00 at Joe Debley stadium. Fri: Varsity/JV football is against @ Gregori @ 5:00/7:00.

Dave Walls, Pitman High School AD Cross Country: Cross Country ran in the annual Mudder at Hughson High School over the weekend and ran away with top honors for the day. Varsity Boys and Frosh-Soph Girls took first place and the Pride also received strong performances from the Frosh-Soph Boys and Varsity Girls allowing the Pride to take home the Sweepstakes trophy for combined overall scores from all four teams. Football: Varsity Football hosted Modesto on Friday night in the 2019 Homecoming game. The Pride came away with the 21-0 victory over the Panthers in a game the Pride controlled from start to finish. The Pride improved to 1-2 in league play and host Downey next Friday on Senior Night.   Girls Golf: Girls Golf participated in the CCAL Championship on Monday. The Lady Pride finished 4th and are sending Isabelle Rodriguez and Monet Sayadian to the SJS DII Divisional Tournament on Monday at Elkhorn Golf Club.   Girls Tennis: The Lady Pride went 1-1 on the week after an exciting 7-2 victory over the Modesto Panthers. The Pride received great play from #1 single - Kat Hawley who scored a 6-8, 7-5, 6-3 victory and sisters Anna and Chuc Luu who won #2 and #3 singles to set the tone for the day. The Lady Pride also received victories from the #1, #2 and #3 doubles. The Pride traveled to league leading Gregori on Thursday and fell to the Jags 9-0. The Pride are 4-3 in CCAL play and host Downey on Tuesday.   Volleyball: The Lady Pride went 1-1 on the week. On Tuesday the Pride hosted Thomas Downey on Senior Night and defeated the Knights 3-0. The Pride received outstanding play from senior Breonna Sims on the night. On Thursday night the Lady Pride traveled to league Enochs for a crucial contest with the Eagles. The Pride fell in 3-2 in 5. The Pride are 1 game up Enochs for 3rd place in league with one game remaining. The Lady Pride are 5-4 and travel to league leading Turlock on Monday.   Water Polo: The Pride hosted Modesto on Monday and traveled to Gregori on Wednesday. Varsity Boys defeated Modesto 9-8 and the Varsity Girls won 10-3 as all four levels brought home victory over the Panthers. On Thursday the Pride traveled to Gregori where the Jags got the best of the Pride winning all four levels. Over the weekend the Pitman Boys played in the DeLong Invitational. The Pride ended the weekend 2-2 with victories over Golden West and Del Oro and losses to rival Oakdale and Rodriguez of Fairfield. The Lady Pride dropped to 5-2 / 2nd place and the boys improved to 4-3 in league / 3rd place in CCAL play. The Pride host Downey on Monday and Enochs on Wednesday.   Coming Up Next Week for the Pride: Mon. GG @ D2 Divisional Championships - Elkhorn Golf Culb TBA Volleyball @ Turlock (4:00, 5:00, 6:00) B-G WP vs Downey (3:00, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 Pitman Pool)   Tues. Girls Tennis @ Turlock HS (3:15 PM - Turlock)   Wed. B-G WP vs Enochs (3:00, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 Pitman Pool - Senior Night)   Thurs. Frosh Football @ Downey HS (5:00 PM)   Fri.  FSB-WP @ Oakdale Water Polo Tournament - TBD JV Football vs. Downey (Joe Debely Stadium - 5:00PM) Varsity Football vs. Downey / Senior Night (Joe Debely Stadium - 7:00PM)   Sat.  FSB-WP @ Oakdale Water Polo Tournament - TBD

The "US" in TUSD

Meet Kyle Nicolson How long have you worked in TUSD? This is my 7th year working as a teacher in TUSD. I have spent my first 7 years of my career at Wakefield Elementary.   What is your job title? During the 7 years I have been a teacher for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. Where did you work prior to TUSD?  Prior to teaching in Turlock, I worked for Enterprise Rental Car Company in the rental and car sales division.  Any info you would like to share about your job? I am fortunate to all the people I have encountered through my time with TUSD. Starting out as a substitute at Dennis Earl, I learned early what TUSD was all about. I immediately felt like I belonged and continued to learn from a welcoming staff. It eventually led to a position at Wakefield where I was welcomed in the same manner. To all the staff I have worked alongside with, thank you. Things you are most proud of? I am most proud of the students. This year a former student brought a portfolio of her accomplishments over the years. To see or hear former students being successful is the reminder to push harder so ALL students can partake in that kind of success. Challenges? Within education there are always challenges, and I am glad to be a part of a team that can face challenges and come up with solutions. My 6th grade colleagues are great leaders, and their veteran status has served as a mentor to me. The only other challenges I can think of consist of where to go fishing/camping and finding the time between busy weekends. Favorite memory/story? Some of my favorite memories in TUSD are those things we do together as a community and school site. I enjoy the work we do to represent our families and students. With Christmas being one of my favorite times, I look forward to the City of Turlock Christmas Parade and helping with our Wakefield Float. What are you reading? I am currently reading a book that I read when I was a student. The title is The Wave by Todd Strasser. Any favorite shows you’re watching on TV? Currently, I am waiting for season 4 of the Netflix series, Stranger Things to begin.  Fave movies? Saving Private Ryan , Only The Brave , and Good Will Hunting .  Anything surprising we may not know about you? From 2002-2006 I played soccer for CSU, Stanislaus. After graduation I enrolled in the Fire Science Program through Modesto Junior College to pursue an Associate’s Degree in Fire Science. Shortly after a surgery procedure, I was led down a different path that would eventually lead to education.  Anything about your personal life you’d like to share? Outside of teaching I enjoy spending time with my 6 year old daughter, family, and friends. Traveling and getting outdoors as much as possible is something I strive to achieve on a monthly basis. My daughter and I enjoy cheering on our favorite sports teams, the Arkansas Razorbacks, and St. Louis Cardinals.

TUSD Schools Rock

Pitman High School We’re visiting Pitman High School today! Here are some facts about their school: Est. 2002 Principal: Angela Freeman Assistant Principals: Luis Jacinto, Scott Young, John Acha Dean: Tanya Wright 100 Teachers 6 Counselors 84 Classified Staff 2111 Students Mascot: Lion Hashtag:  #NeverSettleNeverQuit   #RollPride

October Character Trait

Seen on Social Media

The 411

Share Your Awesome! Marie Russell Chief Communication Coordinator mrussell@turlock.k12.ca.us 209.648.0968 @tusd_mrussell

We would love to have ALL staff help share our TUSD story to the world, but if that is not really your thing, just email Marie Russell for an opt-out form.

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