Monthly Archives: February 2017

Dance classes offered at Adult School – Daily Republic

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By Susan Hiland

Jasmine Hamilton, a math teacher at Crystal Middle School, will teach two new dance classes at the Fairfield-Suisun Adult School.

The recreational dance class includes international, folk, square, contra and ballroom dance. Students will learn specific dances from each of these styles and gain an understanding and appreciation of the role of dance in societies and cultures.

The dance fitness course includes an introduction to various dance styles such as ballet, jazz, contemporary and hip hop.

Source: Dance classes offered at Adult School

Falls Elementary site up for sale, $1.9M eyed – Daily Republic

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By Ryan McCarthy

The 10-acre site of the closed Falls Elementary School on Rockville Road may be sold for at least $1.9 million if Fairfield-Suisun School District trustees go along Thursday with a staff recommendation.

Sealed bids would have to be submitted by April 13, when the school district would open them and also call for oral bids, a school district staff report said.

Falls Elementary closed in 1998 when the school district opened Nelda Mundy Elementary.

A community advisory committee was selected in 2010 to evaluate the property and recommend its use or disposition, the staff report said.

Source: Falls Elementary site up for sale, $1.9M eyed

TUSD: State funding may not keep pace with inflation, mandated expenses – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus’ famous saying attributed to him still rings true 2,500 years later: “The only thing constant is change,” and it echoes down to the near and foreseeable future for the Travis Unified 2017-18 budget process.

In their first slide during a budget presentation Tuesday night in Fairfield, the director of fiscal services, Anna Pimentel, and the assistant director of fiscal services, Sara Smith, reminded the five-member governing board that the state’s and district’s budget process is ongoing “and one thing we know for sure is that most of the numbers” will change.

Speaking in the Travis Education Center, Pimentel, toward the end of an informative and highly detailed 20-minute update, said, “Depending on what happens with the May revision, we’ll have some work to do.” It was a reference to Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2017-18 proposed $123 billion budget, released in January and set for revision in May.

 

Source: Travis Unified officials: State funding may not keep pace with inflation, mandated expenses

Vacaville school district agenda: Buckingham High report, large Measure A contracts – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

The Buckingham Charter High School biannual report and several large Measure A contracts are on the agenda when Vacaville Unified leaders meet tonight.

Buckingham Principal Mike Boles will lead the presentation about the Bella Vista Road campus, covering topics that will range from the mission statement and enrollment to state standardized test results and college readiness to parent survey results and goals.

In a computer-aided slide presentation, Boles will note increasing enrollments over the years, from 442 in 2014-15 to a projected enrollment of 550 this academic year.

Of state standardized test results, specifically the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, he will report that last year 78 percent of Buckingham students met or exceeded state standards in English, compared to 48 percent statewide; and 46 percent of students met or exceeded state standards in math compared to 36 percent statewide.

Source: Vacaville school district agenda: Buckingham High report, large Measure A contracts

Travis continuation center earns model school recognition – Daily Republic

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By Daily Republic Staff

The Travis Education Center was among the 35 schools state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson recognized Wednesday as Model Continuation Schools for 2017.

“I applaud the dedicated administration and staff on their work to assist and motivate at-risk students and help them reach their full potential,” Torlakson said in a statement released by his office. “The positive and nurturing climate these schools have created inspires students to do well in their academic work and also to contribute to their communities.”

Continuation schools provide high school diploma programs for students ages 16 to 18 who are often at risk of not completing their graduation requirements due to a variety of reasons.

Source: Travis continuation center earns model school recognition

Vanden students mark Black History Month – Daily Republic

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By Ryan McCarthy

Students gathered during lunch Wednesday at Vanden High School in Fairfield to mark events that include Black History Month. Aniyah Gusseaux, 17, president of the Black Student Union at the school, said the event was also intended to recognize Black Lives Matter and the student union. “It’s going really well,” she said. Students wore black clothing for the event, attended by more than 75 people. Bill Sarty, principal of Vanden High, said one of the aims of the gathering was to “keep it positive.” Teacher Mary Centeno, co-adviser to the Black Student Union, described the event as “very low-key.” Travis School District Trustee Ivery Hood said, “The kids seem to be enjoying it.”

Source: Vanden students mark Black History Month

Frazier bill would require schools to teach healthy teen dating – Daily Republic

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By Ryan McCarthy

State Assemblyman Jim Frazier has introduced legislation – suggested by a Vacaville resident – to require public schools to provide education for students to recognize abusive relationships.

Frazier, D-Discovery Bay, said the bill would teach students about healthy teen dating.

“Researchers have found that nearly a quarter of all girls and women who have ever been raped, attacked or stalked by an intimate partner – and 14 percent of men and boys in that situation – first experienced some form of dating violence between the ages of 11 and 17,” Frazier said in a statement. “If we can teach young people what healthy relationships are supposed to look like, we will give them the tools they need to avoid the unhealthy ones.”

Frazier credits Vacaville resident Sonia McClellin with the idea for the bill, the release said.

Source: Frazier bill would require schools to teach healthy teen dating

Can Micro-credentials Create More Meaningful Professional Development For Teachers? | MindShift

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By Katrina Schwartz

Learning science says people learn best when they apply new information to their own contexts. When learners can make mistakes, reflect on new strategies, get feedback, and try again they gain a deeper understanding of the topic. But these elements are rarely applied to professional development. School districts spend a lot of money on trainings for educators, but the returns on that investment are not always clear. Many teachers say that even when the professional development is interesting — not always a given — they often feel like it’s one more thing to do in an already jampacked academic schedule. While educators around the country are slowly adopting various approaches that allow them to better differentiate learning for students, the same is rarely true for the adult learners in the system.

Source: Can Micro-credentials Create More Meaningful Professional Development For Teachers? | MindShift | KQED News

Mardi Gras-themed elementary school fundraiser, auction event returns – Benicia Herald

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By Nick Sestanovich

Mardi Gras is Tuesday, Feb. 28, but you can celebrate three days earlier while also supporting Joe Henderson and Robert Semple Elementary School’s parent teacher groups.

The annual event— now in its fourth year— certainly puts the “fun” in “fundraising.” It is an adult-only event with the proceeds being split between the two schools to help raise money toward student enrichment programs. The evening will feature everything adults could want, including dancing, dining, a no-host bar, games and a live and silent auction.

The auctions are the focal point of the event. Among the goodies to be bid on include Friday and Saturday tickets to the BottleRock Napa Valley music festival— headlined by Maroon 5 and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, respectively—, tickets to the Golden State Warriors’ March 24 game against the Sacramento Kings, tickets to Disneyland, a signed photo of San Francisco Giants pitcher Sergio Romo, a cord-free Dyson V8 Absolute vacuum, a weekend stay at a three-bedroom home in Lake Tahoe, a tour of the Benicia Fire Department, various gift baskets put together by Robert Semple and Joe Henderson students and a whole lot more.

Source: Mardi Gras-themed elementary school fundraiser, auction event returns

Assemblyman introduces bill to close gun-free school zones loophole – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

A Sacramento assemblyman has introduced a bill that will further strengthen the state’s Gun-Free School Zone Act.

In a press release issued Monday, Kevin McCarty, a Democrat, said Assembly Bill 424 would close a loophole that allows a school district to authorize an armed civilian with a concealed weapon permit to enter a school campus.

A number of California school districts, including Folsom Cordova Unified, Kingsburg Joint Union, Anderson Union, and Kern school districts have begun to issue these authorizations, increasing the number of guns on K-12 school campuses and the risk of an on-campus shooting, according to wording in the prepared statement.

The proposed bill comes as school shootings appear to be on the rise. Since 2013, more than 200 school shootings have taken place in America — an average of nearly one per week, said Terry Schanz, a spokesperson for McCarty.

 

Source: Assemblyman introduces bill to close gun-free school zones loophole

Vaca High robotics team prepares for regional competitions – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

A robot is a human-like mechanical device built to do routine manual work for human beings and is usually operated by remote control.

OK, so much for definitions, and there was certainly no time for them Friday in Phil Jenschke’s industrial shop-classroom at Vacaville High, where members of the school’s robotics team, the RoboDogs, busied themselves tweaking a robot they will enter in a pair of pending competitions.

Well into an annual six-week “build season,” the students, freshmen to seasoned seniors, must literally wrap up (in shrink wrap) their competition ’bot — made of aluminum, Plexiglas, nuts and bolts, gears, a “micro controller” with a computer chip inside, sensors, rubberized wheels, among other things — by a Feb. 21 deadline.

Source: Vaca High robotics team prepares for regional competitions

Barbershop quartet delivers gift of song on Valentine’s Day – The Reporter

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By Jessica Rogness

Singing greetings were heard around Solano County for Valentine’s Day.

Marion Graff, who volunteers at David Weir K-8 Preparatory Academy, booked the “Sounds About Right” barbershop quartet to visit the fourth grade classroom of Eileen Witt-Albedi Tuesday.

“I’ve done this before for teachers and the kids just love it,” Graff said.

Her late husband was a “barbershopper” in San Jose, and she has been involved with the Barbershop Harmony Society for 30 years.

Source: Barbershop quartet delivers gift of song on Valentine’s Day

Afterschool running program looking for volunteers – Benicia Herald

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By Editor

Girls on the Run, an after-school life-skills and running program in Benicia is looking for two to three positive, energetic women to volunteer at Matthew Turner Elementary School.The life-coach volunteers will use a pre-written curriculum to facilitate discussions, activities and running or walking to a small group of third-to-fifth-grade girls, to bring about a greater sense of self-confidence, health and joy. Topics include the true meaning of beauty from the inside, kindness, eating healthy and stopping gossip, celebrating your uniqueness and how to stand up to bullies.

The season culminates with a non-competitive 5k fun run & a community impact project.Girls on the Run will meet at Matthew Turner Elementary twice a week for 10 weeks after school from March through mid-May, and can only host the program if volunteers jump in to be trained and supported by our fun, healthy organization.

Source: Afterschool running program looking for volunteers

Safety plans on slate for Thursday’s school board meeting – Benicia Herald

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By Nick Sestanovich

The Governing Board of the Benicia Unified School District will be considering the approval of safety plans for the district and its seven schools at a shortened meeting this Thursday, which will start at 6 p.m. so the trustees can attend Benicia High School’s open house that evening.

Recent tragedies at schools across the nation have reinforced the need to update school safety plans, especially since Benicia High experienced a scare of its own last September when the school was placed on precautionary lockdown after a student had made threats online. Each school will be reviewing and updating its Comprehensive Safety Plan which have to be submitted to their respective School Safety Committee by March 1. The plans include procedures to follow in the event of an emergency and strategies to use to create healthy, safe environments for the schools. The plans are approved by each school’s site council and then submitted to the school board for approval. Dr. Leslie Beatson, the assistant superintendent of educational services, will be delivering an overview of the plans for the schools and district.

Benicia High School’s safety plan, for example, designates crisis response plans in the event of fire alarms, earthquakes, precautionary lockdowns, bomb threats, air contamination and severe windstorms or tornados.

Source: Safety plans on slate for Thursday’s school board meeting

SCOE taps employees of the year – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Several people who work for the Solano County Office of Education have been named employees of the year, it has been announced.

Superintendent Lisette Estrella-Henderson tapped Judith Waelbrock as Teacher of the Year, writing in a prepared statement that “Judy creates positive relationships with staff, parents, and students. She is supportive of new teachers, volunteers at the Rush Ranch Preservation/Nature Center, and has secured grants for a middle school garden project.”

Tammie Knott, senior payroll and retirement services analyst, is SCOE’s Classified Employee of the Year in the office/technical category. She was nominated for “her strong work ethic, attention to detail, and high standards of performance,” noted Estrella-Henderson. “She had an integral role in the conversion of SCOE’s new financial system.”

Source: SCOE taps employees of the year

Kindness video contest, ‘sunshining’ a new wage pact, 2017-18 budget on TUSD agenda – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

A Kindness Video Contest presentation, the sunshining of a new teacher contract proposal, and a 2017-18 state budget update are on the agenda when Travis Unified leaders meet tonight in Fairfield.

Staff from the offices of Supervisor John Vasquez and District Attorney Krishna Abrams will present information about a contest the two have devised: The Power of Kindness.

In a recent presentation to the Vacaville Unified governing board, Vasquez and Tonya Covington, representing Abrams, told trustees that their families had been affected by bullying.

The contest asks students, through video, to illustrate positive behavior and show others the power that kindness can have on their school and community.

The genesis of the contest was a casual conversation between the supervisor and the district attorney. They hope it will lead to a greater discussion and awareness about the power of simple acts of kindness.

 

Source: Kindness video contest, ‘sunshining’ a new wage pact, 2017-18 budget on TUSD agenda

Gov. Brown agrees to issue first school bonds this fall | EdSource

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By John Fensterwald

Officials with the California Department of Finance reassured lawmakers Wednesday that the state would issue the first batch of bonds this fall for K-12 school construction, funding that voters approved in passing Proposition 51 in November.

Chris Ferguson and Jeff Bell, who oversee education policy for the department, confirmed an autumn timeline in response to lawmakers’ questions during a hearing of the Assembly Education Committee. The news will relieve school districts worried that Gov. Jerry Brown, who opposed Prop. 51, might drag out the bond sale to exact more stringent oversight and other changes in the bond process.

But Ferguson said that Brown’s two preconditions for moving forward – the creation of new grant agreements laying out districts’ commitments in receiving state funding and imposition of tighter audits – should be in place by summer. The auditing requirement will be in the “trailer bill,” statutory language accompanying the state budget.

Source: Gov. Brown agrees to issue first school bonds this fall | EdSource

BUSD board meetings will now be streamed online – Benicia Herald

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By Nick Sestanovich

Following the adjournment of Benicia Unified School District governing board meetings, video of the meetings will be posted on the district’s website.

Previously, the meetings were broadcast on TV on Comcast Channel 27 or AT&T U-Verse Channel 99. However, the district has opted to phase this out in favor of having footage of the meetings posted online. In a manner similar to the City Council meetings, Benicians will be able to view the meetings from their computers or smartphones. The videos will be uploaded to the district website after the meetings are over.

Source: BUSD board meetings will now be streamed online

Fairfield-Suisun district trustees approve ‘safe haven’ resolution – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

It was “recognition night” Thursday at the Fairfield-Suisun Unified governing board meeting, with more than a dozen teachers and one in particular named as their respective schools’ Teachers of the Year and district Teacher of the Year.

But item 14A on the trustee agenda, a resolution to designate the K-12 district as a “safe haven” for all of its 21,700 students, was a recognition, too, as several speakers testified before the trustee vote: that each child — regardless of their immigration status, race or ethnicity, sex or gender identity, rich or poor, religious or ideological beliefs — deserves a safe and welcoming environment when they attend school.

Source: Fairfield-Suisun district trustees approve ‘safe haven’ resolution

Fairfield-Suisun School District selects Lederer as teacher of year – Daily Republic

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By Ryan McCarthy

Cindy Lederer, who has worked for 28 years in the Fairfield-Suisun School District, was named teacher of the year at the Thursday school board meeting.

Lederer thanked people including her younger brothers, who she said had no choice when as children they played school and she was the teacher.

“They went to kindergarten able to write their name,” Lederer said.

Source: Fairfield-Suisun School District selects Lederer as teacher of year