TUSD Weekly Update
Health Benefits Fair September 4, 2019
12:00-5:00 PM in District Office 102
Induction Update
Denise Duewell, Coordinator of Induction and PD
We are in this together! 29 First year induction candidates,18 second year induction candidates, and 31 mentors attended Induction Kick Off last week. This amazing group of people learned about induction expectations and asked questions both about induction and about their sites. It reminded me that as a district we are all on the same team supporting our teachers, novice and experienced, to do the best work for students they can possibly do. That’s a big job, so here are just a few ways for mentors, colleagues, and administrators to support the new teachers:

  • Welcome them.
  • Smile.
  • Introduce them to colleagues.
  • Provide time for new teachers to observe experienced teachers.
  • Allow them to be new and to learn without extra duties. Time management can be a shock to the system!
  • Explain expectations. Don’t assume they just know what you want.
  • Explain procedures; every site has a slightly different culture and manner of doing things, so help your new teachers to learn the procedures and the culture.
  • Celebrate successes; this is often forgotten, but we are all able to do more when we know our successes are appreciated and celebrated in some way. *This is important for those second year teachers who are showing growth. Are they perfect? Maybe not, but be sure they know that you see their growth. 
  • Remember, this is a new year!
  • Let the new teachers know how and when they can contact you.
  • Explain how you expect teachers to incorporate the district initiatives.
  • Share materials and resources with the new teachers.
  • Assist them in finding the professional development opportunities that will be most beneficial to them.
  • New teachers need materials for their rooms; help them find supplies.
  • Celebrate successes. (Yes, I said it twice.)
  • Honestly, the best gift we can give our new teachers is to remember why we started teaching and to share that enthusiasm.

A few tips for new teachers:
  • Take one day at a time! Believe in yourself! Take care of yourself!
  • Ask questions; everyone is on your side and wants you to succeed!
  • Utilize your mentor and your PLC for strategies, ideas, resources.
  • Be a proactive member of your PLC. Bring data to share and discuss.
  • If you don’t know, ask! Your mentor will help, but so will your colleagues.
  • Learn your standards and your curriculum.
  • Know there will be ups and downs during the year.
  • Ask your mentor to observe and give feedback.
  • Remember: The best management program is a strong instructional program.
  • Celebrate successes, yours and your students!
  • Not everything will be easy, and in fact, it may be quite difficult, but teaching is a career where you impact a student every single day. Hold tight to that. 
Brain Breaks in the Classroom
Robin Swartz, Health & Fitness Instructional Coach
Studies show that children who are more active exhibit better focus, faster cognitive processing, and more successful memory retention than kids who spend the day sitting still. Keeping the body active promotes mental clarity by increasing blood flow to the brain (Abdelbary, 2017).

Here are some ideas that will get your students up and moving for 2-3 minutes:
  • Cross Body Break Students can touch a hand to the opposite knee or lift a shoulder and the opposite foot. Remind them to engage their core muscles! When we cross our midline, we strengthen our physical intelligence and wake up our senses.
  • Six Spots Number 6 spots in your room from 1-6. Have students go to the spot of their choice. Roll the die. All the students at the number rolled must go back to their seats. Students that are left find a new spot and the die is rolled again. You can also roll two dice and students at 2 spots will go back to their seats. (Does that bring back any memories from playing the Dice Game at Roller King?) Keep those dice close by. Assign a number to a die to a simple exercise or stretch. (ex. 1=heel raise, 2=shoulder rolls, 3=jog in place, etc.) Roll one die. That number will represent the exercise/stretch that the students will perform. Roll two dice. That number will represent how many they will complete OR how many seconds they will hold the stretch. Ex. I roll a 1 with one die and a 9 with both dice. Students will hold their heel raise for 9 seconds OR lift and lower their heels 9 times.
  • Category Clap Something as simple as standing and clapping for a few seconds can help get the “wiggles” out. Call out a category and call on a student (or students) to stand up, say, and clap as many items in that category as they can for 10 or 15 seconds. (Category ideas: states/capitals, multiples of ____, elements in the periodic chart, characters in the novel/story you are reading in class, etc).
  • 5-4-3-2-1 Students stand up and do 5 different movements in descending order. For example, you might say, “Do 5 jumping jacks, spin around 4 times, hop on one foot 3 times, walk around the classroom 2 times, and give 1 neighbor 1 high-five.
  • Three-Minute Brain Breaks One way to be positive that movement is a part of your daily classroom routine is to write it into your lesson plans. Set a timer or alarm. CREATE INTENTIONAL MOVEMENT!

Brown School teachers have committed to (at least) two Brain Breaks a day. They are called Bell Ringers. When the bell rings at 10:00 and 2:00, teachers and students stand and move for two minutes!

Abdelbary, Marwa. “Learning in Motion: Bring Movement Back to the Classroom.” Education Week. 2017.
Student Rep to the School Board Reports
Aiden Cook, Turlock High School
  • August 1st and 2nd we had our Link Crew Leader Training and Freshmen Orientation. Freshmen were grouped with 11th and 12 grade mentors. This is the 3rd year of our Link Crew Program. We are excited to get our freshmen connected to something at THS from Day 1!
  • AP Parent information Night was held in Performing Arts Building and was well-attended.
  • We held our Back to School Spirit Assembly last Friday. Our new teachers danced, we had spirit competitions, and videos advertising upcoming Dress Up weeks and ASB officer introductions!
  • Club Rush will be August 29th and 30th. We have over 30 clubs for students with a couple of new clubs in the works.
  • We will be having our Back to School Dance Friday, September 6 in the Rally Court.
Chuck Luu, Pitman High School
  • The Welcome Back Rally was a success! Students kicked off the year with school spirit through rally games.
  • Fall sports have officially kicked off. We’re excited for our teams to represent the Pride. 
  • Back to School Night took place this past Monday, providing parents a chance to walk through their child’s schedule and meet their teachers.
  • Counseling Department: Continuing to partner with MJC and CSUS to offer college Dual Enrollment classes at PHS. Counselors and Career Center staff will be out in senior classrooms to provide guidance for their final year.
  • Pitman FFA chapter President Hector Flores was selected to be a National Delegate and will be 1 of 40 California FFA members who will represent California at our National FFA Convention, which is a big honor. Ag was excited to take 21 students to the Greenhand Leadership Conference on Thursday, August 22 to kick off a new year of opportunities for FFA members.
  • Club Rush took place on Friday, August 23, during Pride Time and lunch and gave students an opportunity to learn about all the exciting clubs on campus. Students will be able to sign up for personalized labs starting this week.
Athletic Director Sports Update
Mike Brown, Turlock High School AD
Well slow start to the new school year!
Football
Freshman football beat Freedom High 21-0. The JV football game was canceled. Varsity football beat Freedom 21-7. Freshman football play home on Thursday at 5 against Clayton Valley Charter JV. Varsity plays Friday at 4:30 and 7:00 at Clayton Valley in Concord.
Tennis
We had two tennis matches this week. Beat El Capitan 8-1 and Beat Merced 8-1.
Volleyball
We have our big foundation game in volleyball on Monday at 7pm with Oakdale varsity only. Hope to see everyone out there!
Dave Walls, Pitman High School AD
Football
Pitman football traveled down Highway 99 to face a stout Clovis North team. The Pride took it on the chin and fell to the Broncos. The Pride under the leadership of first year coach Lance Weckerle look to bounce back this Friday. The freshman and junior-varsity also dropped hard fought games to Clovis North.

Volleyball
Like football, volleyball also traveled down the 99 to take on Clovis East in a rematch from last year. The Lady Pride came away with a 3-1 victory over the Timberwolves. Great play from libero Maddy Hall and setter Halie Freeman lead the way to victory.

Pitman Athletics Upcoming Events 8/26-8/31
Mon. – Volleyball vs. Hilmar (Foundation Game @ 7:00PM), Girls Golf @ Merced Invitational – 9AM, B/G Water Polo vs Ceres Scrimmage 3:00PM PHS Pool
Tues. – Volleyball @ Buhach Colony - 7:00PM
Wed. – Cross Country @ Hughson Scrimmage 3:30
Thurs. – Volleyball vs. Hughson - 7:00PM PHS Gym
Fri. – Football vs. Lincoln-Stockton 5:00PM/7:00PM Joe Debely Stadium

The "US" in TUSD
Rebecca Hall, Elementary Music Educator
How long have you worked in TUSD?  This is my 8th year.
 
Where did you work prior to TUSD?  I taught music in Ceres right out of college for 7 years and then spent 7 years as a stay-at-home mom.
 
Any info you would like to share about your job? Average day? Seeing so many different kids every day is the best. Their joy in creativity is both awesome and energizing.

Things you are most proud of?  My family. John (also a TUSD music teacher) and I have been married for 24 years and we have three amazing daughters.

Challenges? Keeping track of schedules and names!

What are you reading? The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

Fave movies?  I love a good thriller, looking forward to It Chapter Two's release.

Anything about your personal life you’d like to share? There's nothing finer than running away to the North Coast with John to enjoy some good beer in the Redwoods.
TUSD Schools Rock
Osborn Two-Way Immersion Academy
We’re visiting Osborn Two-Way Immersion Academy today! Here are some facts about their school:

Est. 1954 
Principal: Ed Ewing
Assistant Principal: Vicki Kyte
Certificated Staff: 45
Classified Staff: 37
Students: 861
Mascot: Lion
Motto: Osborn Lions Roar with Respect

Have a great year, Lions!
Every Child Needs a Champion
Rita Pierson
August Character Trait
Seen on Social Media
From Superintendent Dana Salles Trevethan: This quote was shared at our TUSD All Staff Kick-Off. TUSD teachers embody the message within this quote and we are very fortunate to have so many incredible teachers, role models, & mentors working with our students in Turlock Unified. 
Pitman High School Culinary Arts instructor Mohini Singh and her students paid a visit to the TUSD Farm today to harvest tomatoes, peppers, herbs and more for their annual salsa-making lesson. Shout out to Farm Coordinator Laura Brem for all her hard work laying in a bountiful garden and managing several acres of orchard for students to enjoy year-round. We can’t wait for the pumpkins! 
Goodbye plastic water bottles! The Turlock High School Band is going green. Who’s joining them? 
The 411
Pitman Preview of Champions, Saturday, September 28, 2019
Pitman Marching Pride Boosters: Come line the streets and enjoy an exciting FREE parade as over 20 Northern and Central California high school and junior high school marching bands compete for top prizes in categories such as music, showmanship, and marching! 

Parade starts at 9:00am on N. Tegner Rd down the street from the high school. Drumline competition runs simultaneously near the intersection of Sandstone Ave and Persimmon Rd.
And after the parade join us in the Pitman Quad for our campus party! The BBQ will be fired up serving hamburgers and hot dogs, and other snacks will be available... ice cream from   Oak Barrel Creamery , Shaved Ice from  Kona Ice ! We'll have face painting, photo taking, tee shirt buying... and lots more...and stay for the Awards Ceremony which starts at approximately 1:00pm. Don't miss it!

  • Schedule · Saturday, September 28, 2019
  • 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM - Drum Line / Percussion Competition
  • 9:00 AM - 11:20 AM - Marching Band Competition
  • 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM - Campus Party with food and fun
  • 1:00 PM - Award Ceremony
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.