Children's book:
Dreamers
by Yuyi Morales
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Caldecott Honor book and five time Pura Belpré Award winner Yuyi Morales tells her own immigration story in Dreamers, a picture book tribute to the transformative power of hope and reading.
About
Dreamers
Yuyi Morales's gorgeous new picture book Dreamers is about making a home in a new place. Yuyi and her son Kelly's passage was not easy, and Yuyi spoke no English whatsoever at the time. But together, they found an unexpected, unbelievable place: the public library. There, book by book, they untangled the language of this strange new land, and learned to make their home within it.
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Intermediate grades:
Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World
by Ashley Herring Blake
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In the wake of a destructive tornado, one girl develops feelings for another in this stunning, tender novel about emerging identity.
About
Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World
When a tornado rips through town, twelve-year-old Ivy Aberdeen's house is destroyed and her family of five is displaced. Ivy feels invisible and ignored in the aftermath of the storm--and what's worse, her notebook filled with secret drawings of girls holding hands has gone missing.
Mysteriously, Ivy's drawings begin to reappear in her locker with notes from someone telling her to open up about her identity. Ivy thinks--and hopes--that this someone might be her classmate, another girl for whom Ivy has begun to develop a crush. Will Ivy find the strength and courage to follow her true feelings?
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About
If I Ever Get Out of Here
Lewis "Shoe" Blake is used to the joys and difficulties of life on the Tuscarora Indian reservation in 1975: the joking, the Fireball games, the snow blowing through his roof. What he's not used to is white people being nice to him -- people like George Haddonfield, whose family recently moved to town with the Air Force. As the boys connect through their mutual passion for music, especially the Beatles, Lewis has to lie more and more to hide the reality of his family's poverty from George. He also has to deal with the vicious Evan Reininger, who makes Lewis the special target of his wrath. But when everyone else is on Evan's side, how can he be defeated? And if George finds out the truth about Lewis's home -- will he still be his friend?
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SUSD’s Second Recovery Day: A Focus on Recovery of Chronically Absent Students
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Stockton Unified Employees and Mayor Michael Tubbs huddled up bright and early in the Stockton Unified Board Room on Thursday, February 7th, to participate in the district's Student Recovery Day. The morning began with a team kickoff including a few words of wisdom from Superintendent Dr. Deasy, Director of Student Support Services/Child Welfare and Attendance Dr. Miller, Child Welfare and Attendance Administrator Jessica Martinez, Mayor Michael Tubbs, Board President Lange Luntao, STA Union President Erich Meyers and former SPPA Union President Catrina Parsons.
Each team was paired with one of our very own CWA Social Service Case Managers or Truancy Outreach Specialists for strategic home visits to some of our chronically absent students. The teams visited a total of 402 student’s homes and made contact with 146 families. The remaining 256 students and their families were not home but received a door hanger loaded with information and resources they may need to get back to school.
"I was beyond impressed that each family our team made contact with knew our Child Welfare and Attendance Social Services Case Worker by name. This was a powerful testament to the incredible outreach taking place in our district every day," said Superintendent Deasy. "Our case managers go above and beyond to support families in getting their children to school. Whether it be stopping by homes to ensure students are getting a hot meal, mapping out transportation plans, or simply connecting them to resources and services, our district is committed to ensuring all students have access to a high-quality education and that each Stockton Unified student graduates from our schools' college, career, and community ready."
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Thank You, Rotary Read In Participants
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On February 21, hundreds of members of our local Rotarys and the community (even a turkey!) participated in the 2019 Stockton Rotary Read In. Participants visited every single K-3 grade classroom in our district to share the joy of reading by reading.
The district appreciates all your support to help the students of Stockton succeed. Thanks also for the generous gifts of beautiful children’s books for our libraries and classrooms!
To compliment the Rotary's event, Stockton Unified School District has purchased one book for
every K-3 grade student
so that students and classrooms alike will have books.
The district would like to thank the Rotary Read In Committee members who organized this wonderful literacy event:
- Peter Amendola, Central Stockton Rotary
- Lisa Douglass, University of the Pacific
- Jim Dugoni, North Stockton Rotary
- Eric Duran, Stockton Rotary
- Colleen Foster, Stockton Rotary
- Gary Frush, Stockton Rotary
- Kendra Hall, Stockton Pacific Rotary
- Mike Klocke, University of the Pacific Beyond Our Gates
- Monie Ky, Stockton Rotary
- Mary Laughlin, Stockton Sunrise Rotary
- Amanda Luna, Stockton Library
- Veronica Lynch, Stockton Unified
- Tiffany Manning, North Stockton Rotary
- Scott McElhinnie, Stockton Rotary
- Jeff Prag, Stockton Pacific Rotary
- Rebecca Ray, Barnes & Noble
- Sharon Tweedy, Stockton Rotary
- Dan Wright, Stockton Rotary
- Gerald Young, Stockton Sunrise Rotary
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LCAP Survey Now Open: Parents/Guardians, Students, Employees and Community Encouraged to Participate
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Using survey feedback, the district will design the 2019-2020 school year LCAP to fund programs and services that our community believes will best help
improve achievement for our low income, English learner and foster students. Your participation is essential in this decision-making process, and we appreciate your time and assistance in completing our anonymous LCAP survey at
www.stocktonusd.net/lcapsurvey; the survey is available in Spanish.
The district is hosting one more LCAP Parent and Community Engagement events to receive more input; f
ood, beverages, child care, and language interpretation services will be provided at the event
:
- 3/2: 9:00am-11:00am in the Edison High Professional Development Room
Thank you for participating in the 2019 LCAP. Your voice matters and will be heard.
For more information or questions, please contact Dr. Connor Sloan, LCAP Coordinator, at (209)933-7040.
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Kindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten Registration for 2019-2020 School Year Has Begun
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Kindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten registration for the 2019-2020 school year has begun in SUSD schools. The following documents will be required to complete registration for both kindergarten and transitional kindergarten students:
- Your child’s original immunization record: The school will make a copy of the record and return it to you.
- Your child’s physical examination record: The examination must be conducted no sooner than six months prior to the start of school(January 30, 2019 or later).
- Your child’s oral health examination record: Your child must have received an oral health examination 12 months prior to entering school (July 30, 2018 or later).
- Your child’s proof of birth: The school will make a copy of the official birth certificate, other documents such as baptismal records and hospital records may be acceptable.
- Proof of residence: The school will need proof that you reside within its attendance area. We prefer a utility bill with your home address listed (e.g. PG&E bill).
Under California law, all Kindergarten students registering for the 2019-20 school year must be age 5 by September 1st, 2019. Students born between September 2 and December 2 of 2014 are eligible to attend Transitional Kindergarten at designated transitional kindergarten sites.
Start your child’s education off right by enrolling them for Kindergarten or Transitional Kindergarten in SUSD.
For more information, contact the school nearest you or call (209) 933-7040.
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District to Host
FAFSA, DREAM Act, and Tax Support for Families Event
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SUSD is hosting a
free
FAFSA and Tax Support Event in the Cafeteria at Edison High School from 11am to 3pm to support students and families in completing their FAFSA and DREAM Act applications. Please come and enjoy free food, and support from counselors, AARP and H&R Block. Students will work to complete financial aid forms while families can receive tax counseling and can file their 2018 taxes for FREE! Please see our website for more information, and ensure that students bring required documents, including 2017 tax returns.
For more information, please contact Mr. Josh Pollack, SUSD Director of Special Projects, at 209-933-6416 or
jpollack@stocktonusd.net
.
REMINDER: The final day to submit your FAFSA and California Dream Act applications for priority is March 2! If you need support, we encourage you to reach out to your child’s counselor or principal. We are here to support you and are determined to ensure that every Stockton Unified student graduates career-, college-, and community- ready. You may also call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).
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12 Books in 12 Weeks Challenge
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Stockton Unified currently has 7,327 students and adults participating in the 12 Books in 12 Weeks Challenge! Our hope is that all students preschool-12th grade will create a personal goal of reading 12 books in 12 weeks.
Click here to sign up here!
Only students who complete the challenge will earn:
- A certificate & goodie book bag
- Their name displayed on our website and our wall of fame
- An entry into a drawing for additional prizes
- The top 10 classes with the highest percentage of completing will earn a classroom library collection and a pizza party.
Don't forget to use the hashtag
#SUSDStories
to document your journey and download the reading log at
www.stocktonusd.net/12in12
.
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Stockton Unified Celebrates Black History Month
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In recognition of Black History Month, many of our schools offered a different take on the significant events and eras of the African-American experience. Schools extended their learning in a variety of ways. Cesar Chavez’s Jazz Band presented Black History Music Assemblies at a handful of our elementary schools. Students at El Dorado Elementary school hosted a Black History Cultural Event, whereby students explored kindness, freedom, change, acceptance, respect, love, hope, justice, compassion, celebrations, and a variety of other themes. Students at Madison Elementary and Pulliam held a door decorating contest honoring significant African American Leaders and their contributions to society. Franklin High School hosted an "African American Royalty" event, featuring performances by
African dance and drummers from Delta College, Franklin High's BSU, choir and staff.
In honor of Black History Month, check out these six inspiring quotes from civil rights icons:
- “Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.” —Dr. Mae Jemison, first African-American female astronaut
- “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality…. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression.” — W.E.B. Du Bois
- “In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.” —Thurgood Marshall, first African American U.S. Supreme Court member
- “Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.” —Coretta Scott King
- “Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away.” —Maya Angelou, historian, songwriter, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer and singer
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Parent Tip:
Online Resources for Busy Parents
Provided by the SUSD Parent/Community Empowerment Department
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The Internet can be a valuable study tool for your child—and it also contains a wealth of information to help you get more involved in your child’s education! Here are some free online resources that may help you get started:
Wolfram-Alpha
: Wolfram-Alpha is a computational search engine. WA can solve algebraic equations, graph, simplify expressions and in many cases show the steps to a solution. Appropriate for all ages and grades.
www.wolframalpha.com
XL Learning
: Comprehensive list of math skills and topics that students need to master at every grade level. Includes interactive practice problems with explanations if the problem is solved incorrectly. Targeted towards students from pre-kindergarten through high school geometry.
www.ixl.com
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Click event for more information
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Special Olympics Hockey Tournament
We would like to extend a special thank you to Lincoln High School for hosting 5 of our schools for the Winter Special Olympics Hockey Tournament! Our students had an incredible time.
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Adams Parent Showcase
John Adam's Elementary School had a fabulous turnout for their After School Program Parent Showcase. Families enjoyed viewing student work, earning prizes, enjoying sweet treats, and dancing on the dance floor.
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"Lizard Lady" Visits
Madison Elementary
In preparation for a unit on animal research, Madison Elementary 2nd graders received a visit from Teressa Killeen, also known as the "Lizard Lady!" Students met snakes and lizards today, including the endangered Prehensile-tailed Skink.
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No One Eats Alone Day in SUSD
PLUS students across Stockton Unified are leading their peers through activities centered around inclusion to celebrate No One Eats Alone Day. The program, sponsored by Health Net, teaches students how to make friends at lunch as a way to focus on student engagement and prevent isolation in schools.
The Van Buren Elementary School PLUS Team was chosen by Health Net to receive a special middle school assembly, which included an opportunity for students to reflect on times they've observed isolation on campus and how they can work to prevent it.
Thank you to HealthNet and our PLUS teams for making this important work possible!
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"I Am" App Launch at
Stagg High School
We are proud to support and host the launch event for the San Joaquin Pride Center's new "I Am" mobile app at Stagg High School today! The app allows for LGBT+ youth in San Joaquin County to connect with each other, locate safe spaces on campuses and in the community, receive support services, and more. Download the app today!
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Students Compete in Regional SkillsUSA Event During
CTE Month
SUSD students from a variety of our K-12 schools gathered at the SkillsUSA Regional Competition and demonstrate their workforce skills. The event was very special to all because it was held in February, which is also National
SkillsUSA empowers its members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens. SkillsUSA improves the quality of our nation’s future skilled workforce through the development of Framework skills that include personal, workplace and technical skills grounded in academics.
February is National Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month.
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Spanos Holds Purple Pinkie Day
On Thursday, February 21st, and Friday, February 22nd, the Spanos Elementary School Interact Club raised money with a "Purple Pinkie Day" to help end polio. The fundraiser, held in conjunction with the Stockton Rotary, allowed students to donate 25 cents for a raffle ticket. The prize? A giant, stuffed teddy bear! We're proud of our students for coming together for such a great cause!
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High-Altitude Balloon Launch
at Hoover Elementary
Hoover Elementary launched a high-altitude balloon into the stratosphere! Attached to the balloon is a digital camera, a CanSat satellite, and a box containing some VERY interesting items.
- Lettuce and green bean seeds. Students will plant them when they are retrieved to see if space did anything interesting to them. They will have a control group of seeds to compare.
- Student artwork will also make the journey into space. A class picture with the thumbprint of each student in the class.
- A raw egg (to see what happens to it).
- Some written letters!
The balloon will be returned to the school so students can analyze the data. A big THANK YOU to Ted Tagami and Tony So from Magnitude.Io for putting on this wonderfully educational event!
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Peyton Students Raise Money for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Great work to our Peyton Pumas, who raised $5,495 during their "Pennies for Patients" Fundraiser to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! We are proud of you all.
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SUSD Communications Department
(209) 933-7025
Submit your stories for the next SUSD Connects!
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