(Third in a five-part series on key ways we serve students in partnership with families and stakeholders. In addition to "Technology, the segments are "Academics," "Careers," "Athletics" and "The Arts." All are featured on banners displayed on street poles and in our schools.)

Six years ago, NUSD had no district-wide wireless network and students shared a desktop computer with four monitors. Much has changed since then. All schools and classrooms have Internet wireless access now. Students have access to Chromebooks at all grade levels. Teachers are issued a MacBook Air laptop and an iPad.

There's a Digital Warehouse to identify needed academic improvements, and a portal where parents can get information about student grades, attendance and assignments. Technology has impacted Career Technical Education Pathways, and it has opened up new opportunities for learning - curriculum can be accessed instantly online, for example, from all over the world. For all those reasons, we're pleased to spotlight Technology in our "Celebrating Our Students" series. The future looks bright for NUSD.

For "Technology" highlights, click here.

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Remember the old adage, "Build it and they will come"?

This was the exact opposite: Because they came, someday they may build.

Dozens of NUSD students attended Trades Day at Cal Expo on Friday, Sept. 28, giving them a chance to talk with professional builders and construction trades workers before deciding whether to enroll in a Building & Construction Trades academic pathway set to launch next year at Natomas High.

The four-hour event included excavators, bricklayers, plumbers, pipefitters, general contractors, electricians, welders, steelworkers and others, 52 companies in all, discussing career options with 1,800 Sacramento-area students. It was sponsored by the Sacramento Regional Builders Exchange Education Foundation.

"For every five people that are retiring in (construction and building trades), we only have one in the pipeline right now," said Jordan Blair, executive director of the foundation. "So there's going to be a huge shortage." In the Sacramento region alone, officials hope to recruit 5,000 people annually for the next five years to help fill the gap, Blair said. Read more about 'Trades Day' here. For details of NUSD's pathway plans, click here.

One-stop shopping for seniors

-- college prep for all students

More than 650 students and parents turned out recently for NUSD's College Fair, held at Natomas High to give families an opportunity to speak directly to representatives of more than 50 colleges and universities.

Students said they appreciated and benefited from the Sept. 25 event, which enabled one-stop shopping by seniors and provided wide-ranging perspective to younger students.

Tyrone, 17, said it would be hard to call dozens of colleges individually. "If there's a central area for everything to be located, it's a lot easier to get information," he said.

Would you donate for student scholarships if it didn't cost you a penny?

The Natomas Schools Foundation, which has awarded $16,000 in college scholarships and 33 Chromebooks to deserving students over the past two years, is happy to announce a new way of contributing to this vital cause automatically and painlessly -- with no extra cost to you -- through your online Amazon purchases.

Here's more about this innovative program: 

AMAZON SMILE: This website operated by Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase price to a charitable organization. Simply start your shopping at smile.amazon.com and designate Natomas Schools Foundation as your charity of choice. Eligible merchandise you buy will not cost extra - and you will receive the same product choices and shopping features as on Amazon.com.

Thank you very much for helping NUSD students.

Session encourages empathy

Disability doesn't mean disabled. Fourth-graders at Paso Verde School learned that lesson by experiencing firsthand what it's like to be blind, unable to walk, or to face other bodily challenges.

"A Touch of Understanding," a local nonprofit group, spent several hours at Paso Verde urging students to hear, touch, hold, feel and experience what people with disabilities live with every day.

The students maneuvered wheelchairs. Walked with white canes. Traced letters in Braille. Listened to noises that tend to distract autistic kids. Asked questions of adults with disabilities. Saw prosthetic legs, hands, arms, and other assistive devices.

The program provided perspective: People with disabilities can do plenty, but they do some things a little differently than others do them. At its core was an anti-bullying message: we all deserve respect, we're all skillful, we're all capable, we're all valuable. "A Touch of Understanding," indeed. Read more here.

NUSD Spotlight 

Brought to you by NUSD communications team of Jim Sanders, Lauren Schnitzler and Jeff McPhee. If you have questions, comments or story tips, please call (916) 561-5267.