|
Thursday, November 29, 2018 | Volume IX, Issue XV
|
|
|
|
|
News, Announcements, & Success Stories
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
State superintendent encourages schools closed due to hazardous air to apply for state waiver
|
Folsom Cordova Unified is among the Sacramento County school districts that will apply for a state waiver from the California Department of Education that - if approved - would mean they do not lose funding or have to make up missed days due to recent emergency closures.
It will be at least a few weeks before Folsom Cordova knows whether it will have to make up any missed days after it closed Nov. 15-16 due to hazardous air quality. The District must first take its waiver application to Folsom Cordova's Board of Education, whose next meeting is Dec. 13.
State law allows schools to continue to receive state funds if they have to close because of natural disaster such as floods, fires, earthquakes, or other extraordinary conditions, such as hazardous air quality.
"I want to thank school districts for acting to protect educators and students, and to let them know that the California Department of Education will assist them in any way that we can," Torlakson
said in a Nov. 16 news release
. "Safety must come first for students, teachers, and staff."
|
FCUSD part of local collaboration to help Butte County students and schools
|
We are all aware of the devastating trauma and loss caused by the recent Camp Fire. In Butte County, over 32,000 students, along with staff and families have been directly affected. Many have lost their home, their school, and in some cases, loved ones.
Sacramento County Office of Education, and local school districts
announced
the
Support Partner Schools
initiative with Butte County Office of Education.
Local media coverage
captured how Sacramento schools plan to help Butte County schools with recovery efforts.
Folsom Cordova USD, San Juan USD, Elk Grove USD and Center JUSD will match local students to Butte county students, to encourage and establish peer to peer friendships. "Students are more successful when they know that someone truly cares about them" said Dr. Sarah Koligian at the press conference. What will this look like? In addition to personal visits, students will have the opportunity to virtually connect through email and Skype. Any teacher needing technical guidance on how to achieve this, will be offered training and mentoring by Intel volunteers who quickly jumped in to offer help.
"This type of long-term support will make a big difference in the lives of our children," said Tim Taylor, Butte County Superintendent of Schools. "Our students are devastated and everyone in our county is traumatized. But when our kids return to school and are comforted by kids their age it will lift their hearts."
|
District Students Participate in 2018 El Dorado Forestry Challenge
|
Students from Cordova, Folsom, and Vista del Lago High Schools participated recently in the 2018 El Dorado Forestry Challenge, three groups of a total of 103 high school students from 11 schools from the Sacramento area and central California. The event was October 24 to 27 at Leoni Meadows Camp, near Grizzly Flats, California.
Students had the opportunity to assess available timber that could be harvested at Leoni Meadows and, using current information on lumber prices and logging/hauling costs, determine whether Leoni Meadows would meet its financial goals if they harvest in today's market. During the Challenge, teams of students also completed field training, followed by a field test, to assess their technical forestry knowledge and data collecting skills.
"This is the ultimate event for students to gain technical skills and network with professionals in the forestry industry," said Cordova High School teacher Bret Harnden. Adalyn McBee, a senior at Vista del Lago, summed it up as follows: "The Forestry Challenge was an amazing experience where I got to learn more about fields I might be interested in pursuing."
|
Gold Ridge Elementary Participates in School Circadian Lighting Study
|
SMUD partnered with the Folsom Cordova Unified School District to study the effects of tunable LED lighting systems in the classroom and at the homes of children with autism. After 16 months of study, technical experts found positive results and have released their findings and recommendations for further study. The full report can be found here.
"Studies have shown that lighting affects our circadian rhythms and may have impacts upon our health and behaviors. We wanted to test those theories in the classroom and thus provided funding and technical expertise," said SMUD's Lighting Expert Connie Samla.
The study included nearly 4,000 student surveys in three classrooms; interviews with the three participating teachers; 16 months of energy monitoring; eight weeks of monitoring classroom lighting settings; and illumination measurements before and after the classroom lighting systems were installed. The study also included baseline, and weekly surveys and interviews with the families who participated in the home study. You can see their story
|
PHOTOS: Natoma Station Elementary students honor veterans
|
Natoma Station Elementary held their sixth annual Veteran's Day Assembly on Friday Nov. 9, 2018, honoring local veterans in the Folsom community.
The event is organized each year by first grade teacher Kathy Mefford and P.E. teacher Donna Wilhelms. Students sang and danced to patriotic songs, while veterans were called on stage and thanked for their service.
Check out the
photo gallery
from this year's Veteran's Day Assembly at Natoma Station Elementary.
|
Student Link Crew leaders collaborate to improve school culture and strengthen leadership skills
|
50 students from Vista del Lago High, Cordova High and Folsom High attended a Student Link Conference at Antelope High School on Nov. 8.
The conference was designed to help Link leaders connect with one another and provided them the space to increase their leadership skills. The conference was a great way for student leaders to see that they are a part of a larger community, that is focused on developing leaders and improving school cultures.
One of the main areas of focus was on the acronym: TIME.
- Teach
- Influence
- Mentor
- Encourage
Advisers were able to connect with other advisers from the area to exchange ideas for activities that successfully integrate freshmen into their high school cultures and best practices in fostering environments where all students feel like they belong.
|
|
Fun with physics: Cordova High participates in spirited pumpkin drop
|
Cordova High School physics students, led by their teacher Mark Reuter, came to school early one morning to watch a 300 pound pumpkin drop over 60 feet.
We all knew there would be a giant splat, but could you predict the how far the pumpkin pieces would spread? The velocity at which it fell or the amount of energy that was calculated
using the
Conservation of Energy Formula? These high school students did, and learned much more that morning.
While students predicted and then measured outcomes of the pumpkin drop, we all had fun watching the giant gourd plummet from the lift of a fire truck to the pavement. Our partners at Sac Metro Fire provided the equipment and our friends at Fox40 who not only gave us the pumpkin,
they aired the moment on the news!
Thanks to all for providing such a fun outdoor learning experience.
|
FMS students and History Teachers visit Anne Frank photo exhibit
|
Teachers Ms. Lyndie Aquila, Mrs. Megan Cox, and Ms. Chris Matassa (retired), took a group of sixteen students to experience the exhibit. " Anne's diary has touched millions of lives with her story, and acts as a primary source, giving a glimpse of what life was like during an atrocious time in our world's history," said Lyndie Aquila.
Hayden McGowen a student said, through this field trip, he learned the families suffered through this horrifying period of time, but at the same time are inspirational because of the courage the Franks showed during the Holocaust.
"The field trip was both emotional and educational," said student Hannah Steele. "I learned so much and got to connect with others during this experience."
Aquila said she is thankful to The Mills Station Arts & Culture Center for having The Anne Frank Exhibit: Her Photos. Her Story. It was an enriching learning experience for these students and the community as a whole.
|
PODCAST: Mills Middle students thank teachers for going the extra mile
|
So what are these young people thankful for? How their teachers go above and beyond to create meaningful connections with their students, helping them learn and achieve their goals.
|
Folsom High's Pam Goldman wins national engineering honor
|
Congratulations to Pam Goldman,
Project Lead the Way
(PLTW) engineering teacher at Folsom High School, for being named one of 40 outstanding educators in the nation!
Goldman received the honor at the
Project Lead the Way
national conference last month. PLTW empowers students to develop in-demand, transportable knowledge and skills through pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science.
PLTW Outstanding Teachers and PLTW Outstanding Educational Leaders are selected through a competitive nomination and selection process for their focus on empowering students to thrive in this evolving world. They have demonstrated a strong record of the following:
- Delivery of an inspiring and empowering student experience in the classroom; this includes success implementing high-quality PLTW programs and inspiring students to apply learning beyond the classroom.
- Expanded access to career learning for students in the school and community.
- Teacher leadership within the classroom, school, or district, using innovative methods to engage students in activity, project, problem-based learning, and active pursuit of professional and personal development.
|
|
|
|
|
|
California Healthy Kids Survey
Earlier this month Health Services sent out it's annual California Healthy Kids Survey to parents via email.
The information collected will help guide district and school efforts to promote safety, enhance learning supports, and improve student achievement.
Make sure to check your email for your access code to participate in the survey.
|
FCUSD is hiring: Find open positions here!
Here are some current employment openings with Folsom Cordova Unified School District:
Administrative Assistant II (SCC)
frequently for the most up-to-date postings throughout the year!
|
Board of Education: November 15, 2018
The FCUSD Board of Education held
its regular meeting on Thursday, Nov. 15.
Agendas are posted online the Friday before each regularly scheduled meeting.
Last week's agenda items included:
Special Presentation:
- Thank you to outgoing Board members: Zak Ford & Sarah Aquino
- Adopt California School Employees Association Chapter 528 Comprehensive and Transportation Units 2018-19 Proposed Contract Openers to the Board of Education
All agendas can be found
here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
