Vallejo schools win $50,000 grant to address trauma – Vallejo Times Herald

Times-Herald staff report Posted:

The Vallejo school district has secured a $50,000 grant to develop a youth trauma recovery program.

During a ceremony commemorating the grand opening of Kaiser Permanente Vacaville’s Level II Trauma Center Thursday, officials announced that the Vallejo City Unified School District’s Positive Youth Justice Initiative would benefit from the grant, along with two other programs in the county, according to an email from Kaiser officials.

via Vallejo schools win $50,000 grant to address trauma – Vallejo Times Herald.

Prop 39 Grantees Announced – Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

More than $106 million—the first round of funding under voter-approved Proposition 39—is going to school districts next week to help them begin planning new energy efficiency projects around the state, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today.

“Energy efficiency projects in our schools will help create jobs, protect our environment, save money, and create teachable moments for students all at the same time,” Torlakson said. “With Proposition 39, voters made it clear that they see support for education and the environment—and the intersection of the two—as a direct investment in the future of California.”

via Prop 39 Grantees Announced – Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education).

Gaming in Education – Minecraft in Schools? | The Edublogger

by Elliott Bristow

I recently returned from a holiday in Orlando, Florida, where I was privileged to be able to attend “Minecon”, a convention for the popular sandbox game “Minecraft”, developed by Mojang AB.

Personally I’m a big fan and long term player of the game, and I’m amazed at how this ‘phenomenon’ has swept across the world. It was great to see how the game is being used and where the game is heading in the future.

via Gaming in Education – Minecraft in Schools? | The Edublogger.

Sem Yeto High continues holiday tradition – Daily Republic

By Ryan McCarthy

Preparing a Thanksgiving meal for 400 people didn’t phase Maria Diaz.

“It really made me happy to be a part of doing this,” Diaz said.

The lead cafeteria worker at Sem Yeto High School undersells her importance in the quarter-century tradition that takes place at the school a week before Thanksgiving, said biology teacher Wes Lai. Diaz is more than a part, he said. Without her help, the meal for students and staff wouldn’t work, Lai said.

via Sem Yeto High continues holiday tradition Daily Republic.

Charter school plan gains new life – Daily Republic

By Mike Corpos

A charter school proposal has new life in Vacaville after school board members on Thursday struck down a staff recommendation to deny the project.

Proponents of the Kairos Public School Vacaville Academy, however, are not yet in the clear.

After a 5-2 vote to reject the resolution to deny the charter petition – Trustees Jerry Eaton and Whit Whitman were the dissenting votes – the board took up a second resolution to approve the petition with conditions.

via Charter school plan gains new life Daily Republic.

Common Core funding – Vallejo Times Herald

Published By Times Herald

Our students and teachers will soon be reaping the benefits of a new infusion of state funding dedicated to preparing students for rewarding careers in the 21st century economy, (“Vallejo to get $1.4 million for Common Core standards,” Nov. 13).

Last January, the original 2013-14 budget proposal submitted by the governor to the Legislature contained no money for schools to implement Common Core standards. As chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, I worked to change this and made securing state funds to provide teacher professional development and technology improvements my number one priority.

via Common Core funding – Vallejo Times Herald.

Vallejo school board votes to drop Apaches’ name – Vallejo Times Herald

By Lanz Christian Bañes

And then there were three.

The Vallejo City Unified School board voted unanimously Wednesday to abandon the decades old mascot of its namesake high school, which had been one in four in the state to use the Apache as its symbol.

After the vote, the board discussed the logistics of changing the mascot, which will be officially retired at the June graduation of the Class of 2014.

“It will not happen over night because there is an extreme cost involved,” Board President Hazel Wilson said, adding that as equipment and things wear down, they will be replaced without the Apache logo.

via Vallejo school board votes to drop Apaches’ name – Vallejo Times Herald.

Vacaville Unified School District trustees to consider charter – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

Will Vacaville Unified leaders embrace another charter school in the 12,500-student district?

When they meet tonight in open session, the governing board’s seven trustees, including one participating via teleconference from Hawaii, may or may not approve a charter school petition, for Kairos Public School Vacaville Academy, proposed by a group of educators with Vacaville roots.

Bob Hampton, superintendent of a Southern California charter school and formerly principal of Buckingham Charter School, and other co-organizers submitted the petition in September. By law, California school district governing boards have 60 days to approve or deny a petition for a charter school, a publicly funded independent

via Vacaville Unified School District trustees to consider charter – The Reporter.

Which States Are Most Vulnerable to K-12 Sequester Cuts? – Education Week

By Alyson Klein

Sequestration—those 5 percent across-the-board cuts that hit school districts this year and are slated to be in place for a decade—has affected some districts and states harder than others. Part of the reason? Some states are much more dependent on federal funding than others.

So which states are the most vulnerable to federal cuts? AASA, the School Superintendents Association, took a look at that in a report released Thursday.

In the past, federal funding has only made up 8 percent or 9 percent of K-12 spending nationally, but it was a bit higher in 2011-12, because states were still recovering from the recession, explained Noelle Ellerson, the associate executive director for policy and advocacy at AASA, who crafted the report.

via Which States Are Most Vulnerable to K-12 Sequester Cuts? – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

LAO projects huge Prop. 98 increase for K-12, community colleges next year | EdSource Today

By John Fensterwald

From gloom to boom, how quickly things change. A resurgent economy and recalculations of revenue from the past two years will leave the state budget with a multi-billion-dollar surplus next year and K-12 schools and community colleges with unexpected billions more to spend, according to a projection that the Legislative Analyst’s Office released on Wednesday.

“The state’s budgetary condition is stronger than at any time in the past decade,” the LAO concluded in its 2014-15 Fiscal Outlook. “The state’s structural deficit – in which ongoing spending commitments were greater than projected revenues – is no more.”

via LAO projects huge Prop. 98 increase for K-12, community colleges next year | EdSource Today.

Public vs. Private – Should Student Work Be Public On the Web? | The Edublogger

by Ronnie Burt

10+ years ago, filters and blocking tools were banning access to most blogs and web publishing services in schools around the world.

In fact, this is exactly why The Edublog Awards were started – to showcase the excellent work being done with blogging in schools – hoping it would begin to break down these barriers and change the minds of nervous administrators and teachers.

Perhaps it worked! We’ve made significant progress since, as services like Edublogs are hardly ever blocked in schools now. And the use of blogs in education for many is integral to lessons and student learning.

via Public vs. Private – Should Student Work Be Public On the Web? | The Edublogger.

Vacaville school board set to address Kairos charter plan- Daily Republic

By Mike Corpos

The Vacaville school board is set to take action on a charter school petition from Kairos Public School Vacaville Academy in its regular meeting Thursday at the Educational Services Center, 401 Nut Tree Road.

After receiving the petition at its Sept. 16 meeting, the board had 60 days to take action. Thursday’s 7 p.m. meeting is the nearest to the 60-day mark.

via Vacaville school board set to address Kairos charter plan Daily Republic.

High school-college program moves toward fall start date – Daily Republic

By Susan Winlow

A partnership to benefit students is on the road to reality after the approval Wednesday of an agreement between Solano Community College and the Fairfield-Suisun School District.

With the approval from the college’s governing board, the memorandum of understanding for an Early College High School program could be presented to the school district at its meeting Dec. 12.

via High school-college program moves toward fall start date Daily Republic.

First Satellite Developed By High Schoolers Sent Into Space : The Two-Way : NPR

By Greg Henderson

The first satellite ever developed by high school students to make it to space is believed to be orbiting Earth after getting a ride aboard a U.S. military rocket Tuesday night from Wallops Island, Va.

Fittingly, perhaps, you can send it a text message.

The satellite, using a voice synthesizer, is built to transform that text into an audio message that can be heard over certain radio frequencies around the globe, and in different languages.

via First Satellite Developed By High Schoolers Sent Into Space : The Two-Way : NPR.

Ed. Dept. Names 31 Finalists for Race to the Top District Contest – Education Week

By Michele McNeil

The U.S. Department of Education today named 31 finalists for the second Race to the Top district competition, worth $120 million.

The winners include large urban districts such as Baltimore, Denver, and Houston, a handful of rural districts (such as a group from the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative), and at least one group of charter schools via Rocketship Education in California. Also, the TEAM Academy Charter School in New Jersey is a finalist.

via Ed. Dept. Names 31 Finalists for Race to the Top District Contest – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

Parents’ Guide to Student Success – Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

SACRAMENTO—State education officials are working with the California State PTA to get information on the Common Core State Standards into the hands of parents across California, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today.

As part of this effort, the organizations are distributing the Parents’ Guide to Student Success—a series of resources designed to help parents understand what their children will be learning at each grade level in English-language arts and mathematics.

via Parents’ Guide to Student Success – Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education).

Dixon High & partners prepare teens for higher education – The Dixon Tribune | Facebook

By Brianna Boyd, Editor

All of the 264 seniors at Dixon High School have their own plans for the future. Many with go on to either a four-year or two-year college or university, while others will pursue a vocational program or a career in the military. No matter what their plans are, it is safe to say most will be filling out more than a few applications for secondary education.

Dixon High gave all these seniors a huge jumpstart on that task Monday when Dixon Unified and its partners from University of California Davis, California State University, Sacramento, UC Berkeley, and Solano Community College all came together to bring an American College Application Campaign to the high school.

via Timeline Photos – The Dixon Tribune | Facebook.

Cultural event to relocate to Solano College campus- Daily Republic

By Susan Winlow

Solano Community College and the Intertribal Council of Solano County are uniting to bring a Native American Pow Wow to the college campus in July.

The event, which celebrates Native American culture, began in the mid-1990s and took place at the Solano County fairgrounds in Vallejo and then moved to the waterfront park outside the ferry building, also in Vallejo. The event usually drew thousands of people, said Midge Wagner, the secretary of the Intertribal Council.

via Cultural event to relocate to Solano College campus Daily Republic.

Council OKs safe routes to school plan – Daily Republic

By Ryan McCarthy

An updated safe routes to school plan won council approval Tuesday.

The Solano Transportation Authority had updated the plan and asked the City Council to approve recommended projects.

Crosswalk work is recommended for East Tabor at Falcon Drive, Blossom Avenue and Manor Place.

via Council OKs safe routes to school plan Daily Republic.

Common Core comes before school board | The Benicia Herald

By Keri Luiz, Assistant Editor

Assistant Superintendent Marie Morgan will ask Benicia trustees to approve a plan Thursday to implement Common Core Standards in Benicia’s schools.

The Common Core State Standards Implementation Fund Expenditure plan will have a public hearing during the regular Benicia Unified School District board meeting.

Assembly Bill 86 appropriated $1.25 billion statewide, or about $200 per student based on last year’s enrollment, to support the implementation of Common Core this school year, Morgan wrote in a report to the board. In Benicia, based on the 2012-13 enrollment of 4,890 students, that amounts to approximately $978,800.

via Common Core comes before school board | The Benicia Herald.