Tolenas Elementary adopts new virtual medical clinic – The Reporter

By Nick Sestanovich

Tolenas Elementary School in Fairfield is one of a growing number of schools to adopt new health care technology. The idea: When a student sees a nurse, the nurse can get additional assistance by calling Hazel.

Hazel is not a person — at least not just one person. “Hazel” is shorthand for Hazel Health, a San Francisco-based software company partnering with school districts and allowing school nurses to connect via tablet to a virtual medical clinic featuring live board-certified physicians, assistants and nurse practitioners– as well as Spanish translators — who can answer questions, recommend prescriptions or medication, coordinate with the family physician and provide advice for followup care. All of this is done live over video at no cost to families with the goal of reducing chronic absenteeism.

Source: The doctor is in: Tolenas Elementary adopts new virtual medical clinic – The Reporter

Hitesh Haria leaving Vallejo school district – Times-Herald

By John Glidden

Just 14 months after filling the position, the Vallejo school district is again in search of a new chief business officer.

Hitesh Haria confirmed this week he has taken a job with the Pittsburg Unified School District in Contra Costa County. Haria will serve as the Pittsburg’s associate superintendent of business services starting next month.

“In these days in California public school finances, CBO’s are highly sought after,” Haria wrote in an email to the Times-Herald about his decision to leave for Pittsburg. “Every district is searching for good quality people and it’s a very competitive field.”

Source: Hitesh Haria leaving Vallejo school district – Times-Herald

Solano residents among those honored as Garamendi’s 2018 Women of the Year – The Reporter

By Nick Sestanovich

With March being Women’s History Month, the time is right to look back at Rep. John Garamendi’s, D-Solano, recipients of the 2018 Women of the Year Awards.

The awards are put on annually by Garamendi’s Women’s Initiative Network.

Fifty women were honored from throughout Garamendi’s district, whose area stretches from Solano to Glenn County, for their roles of improving the lives of those within their communities.

Source: Solano residents among those honored as Garamendi’s 2018 Women of the Year – The Reporter

2nd annual Child Care and Early Education meeting set – Daily Republic

By Daily Republic Staff

The Solano County Child Care and Development Planning Council will host the second annual Community Meeting on Child Care and Early Education from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the John F. Kennedy Library, 505 Santa Clara St.

Guest speakers include Solano County Superintendent of Schools Lisette Estrella-Henderson and representatives of other elected officials that include Reps. John Garamendi and Mike Thompson. They will share information about the Child Care for Working Families Act and the Child Care Development Block Grant with those who attend the session.

Source: 2nd annual Child Care and Early Education meeting set

Thurmond Announces Exemplary Program Awards – Year 2019 (CA Dept of Education)

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today announced additional honors for 22 California Distinguished middle schools and high schools selected as having an Exemplary Program in Arts Education, Career Technical Education, or Physical Activity and Nutrition. Distinguished Schools applied separately for these honors. This year’s honorees include 10 schools for Arts Education, nine for Career Technical Education, and four schools for Physical Activity and Nutrition—with one school receiving honors in two categories.

“We know that closing the achievement gap includes world-class instruction, including access to STEAM, career technical education, physical education, and nutrition education.” said Thurmond. “Instruction outside of core academic subject areas—like job training, entrepreneurship, and STEAM—helps all students prepare for 21st century jobs and sparks creative and healthy minds. I congratulate these 22 Exemplary Program Award winners for their outstanding work.”

Source: Thurmond Announces Exemplary Program Awards – Year 2019 (CA Dept of Education)

Thurmond Swears in Linda Darling-Hammond to SB. – Year 2019 (CA Dept of Education)

Linda Darling-Hammond, Governor Gavin Newsom’s choice to lead the California State Board of Education, was sworn into office today by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who serves as the Board’s Executive Secretary.

“Linda Darling-Hammond is one of the most respected education leaders in the nation, and we are so fortunate that she calls California home. Her appointment to the State Board of Education shows the caliber of focus the Governor has on raising the stakes in public education in California. We have work to do, and with Linda Darling-Hammond at the helm, I am confident that we will move the needle forward to work toward improving the public education system in an equitable way for all of our six million students,” Thurmond said.

Darling-Hammond is one of the nation’s leading scholars on education policy and practice. Immediately following her swearing in, Darling-Hammond was elected Board President by fellow members. She succeeds former Board President Michael W. Kirst, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.’s longtime policy advisor, who declined to seek reappointment. Veteran educator Ilene Straus was re-elected vice president.

Source: Thurmond Swears in Linda Darling-Hammond to SB. – Year 2019 (CA Dept of Education)

Vallejo school board pleads for funds in Sacramento – Times-Herald

By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen

The entire Vallejo City Unified School District Board of Trustees headed to Sacramento Tuesday to plead for better funding, board vice president John Fox said Wednesday.

It may have been Prop. 13 or a combination of other factors, but somehow in the past 30 years, California’s school system went from one of the nation’s top to among its lowest in terms of funding. Consequently, it also is among the lowest performing, Trustee Tony Ubalde said.

“(Tuesday), the California School Board Association offered an opportunity for school boards to meet with legislators,” Fox said. “We went to try to get more funds, what with all the cuts we’re facing.”

Source: Vallejo school board pleads for funds in Sacramento – Times-Herald

Vacaville students make history at the Vallejo museum – Times-Herald

By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen

Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum Executive Director Jim Kern said that every time the Vacaville history students spend the day there, someone digs up something he didn’t know was there. This time, it was a poster.

“After 30 years, I never knew we had this,” he said of the 1939-era Mid-Summer Dance poster.

On Tuesday, some 55 Will C. Wood High School students – the largest group since the event started seven years ago – gathered at the Vallejo museum for the annual Classroom Curators Program, Kern said.

Source: Vacaville students make history at the Vallejo museum – Times-Herald

Kairos honored by state for civic learning – The Reporter

By Nick Sestanovich

For the third year in a row, Kairos Public School Vacaville Academy has been honored by the state for its civic engagement lessons.

It is one of 92 schools to receive a Civic Learning Award and the only one in Solano County to do so.

“It feels great,” Jared Austin, the executive director and co-founder of Kairos, said. “We have grown each year in our ability to offer students civic engagement and community service opportunities, and to have CDE and the California District Council acknowledge our efforts is great, and I think it also validates all the hard work our students are doing with community service and our teachers with the civic engagement lessons.”

Source: Kairos honored by state for civic learning – The Reporter

Will C. Wood students get hands-on with history – The Reporter

By Joel Rosenbaum

For seven years the students in Jared Ropelato’s Advanced Placement United States History class have been combing the archives and the vault of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum to get hands-on with history.

The program, called Classroom Curators, was started at Wood by Ropelato and Mike Turini, a retired Wood teacher who also volunteers at the museum.

“We were one of the only high school in the state of California that got to go into the archives of a museum,” Ropelato said Tuesday as he walked through an exhibit hall.

Source: Will C. Wood students get hands-on with history – The Reporter

First 5 Solano offers grants to celebrate children – Daily Republic

By Daily Republic Staff

Grants of up to $300 are available to help fund events and observances that celebrate and recognize children in the community.

First 5 Solano is awarding the grants in celebration of April as “Children’s Month.”

Events may include education about the health, development, safety and school readiness of children from birth to 5 years of age or may be recognizing “April Children’s Month” observances, such as Week of the Young Child, Children’s Memorial Flag Day, National Child Abuse Prevention Month, CASA Light of Hope Day, Month of the Military Child, Autism Awareness Month, Victims of Crime Week and El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros Day.

Source: First 5 Solano offers grants to celebrate children

Fairfield-Suisun school bond refinances successful – The Reporter

By Nick Sestanovich

The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District (FSUSD) announced that it had refinanced its 2011 General Obligation Bond Funds, which it said will save property owners in the district more than $1 million in taxes.

“FSUSD has a long history of being responsible stewards of the taxpayer’s dollars,” FSUSD Superintendent Kris Corey said in a statement. “Thanks to our exceptional credit rating and our fiscal responsibility, FSUSD was able to save our tax payers a little over one million dollars. We thank the community for their trust in us.”

FSUSD had previously completed its refinance in 2011. The original bonds were issued by the district in 2002 through the Measure C initiative to go toward providing adequate classrooms, fixing aging school sites and relieving overcrowding in the district through constructing and renovating locations. Measure C was approved by the voters that year. Among the projects completed through Measure C included a new library and quad at Armijo High School, the construction of a new Crystal Middle School site and the modernization of campuses throughout the district.

Source: Fairfield-Suisun school bond refinances successful – The Reporter

Armijo High graduate on mission to provide dental care to all – Daily Republic

By Amy Maginnis-Honey

It’s almost like pulling teeth to get Dr. James Sanderson to talk about himself.

Then again, he was overseeing an event that offered extractions, fillings and dentures, to name a few.

The 1978 Armijo High graduate spent many long hours Thursday through Saturday at the California Dental Association’s free clinic that served a few thousand people at the Solano County Fairgrounds.

This is the second time he’s organized the Solano County event. Taking care of his hometown and county is important, he said. He currently practices in Dixon.

Source: Armijo High graduate on mission to provide dental care to all

Fairfield-Suisun students share findings at science fair – Daily Republic

By Susan Hiland

Students from all over the district came out Friday to Armijo High School for a friendly bit of competition.

This was the fourth year for the Fairfield-Suisun School District Science Fair.

“It has grown over the years,” said Vigdis Asmundson, who works for the Solano County Office of Education. “It’s getting better with better projects each year.”

She is a former science teacher for Grange Middle School and saw the Science Fair get off the ground.“This year we have six schools participating,” she said.

Source: Fairfield-Suisun students share findings at science fair

Solano County office of education hosting transition fair on March 20 – Times-Herald

By Vallejo Times Herald

Parents, guardians, and students are invited to attend the Solano County Office of Education’s Workforce Development Department’s 24 annual Transition Information Fair on March 20.

“If you have a student enrolled in a middle school, high school, or an adult/transition program who has a disability and/or is in a special education program, it is time to discover the possibilities for their future,” according to a press release from the county’s office of education.

Over 40 agencies from Solano County and surrounding areas will have representatives available to offer guidance and information about their services as attendees will receive valuable information about various programs and agencies in th community that can assist with higher education, training, employment, adult day programs, and independent living, officials said.

Source: Solano County office of education hosting transition fair on March 20 – Times-Herald

Vallejo, Fairfield youths Solano’s top spellers – The Reporter

By Kimberly K. Fu

It took nearly four hours Tuesday to crown Solano County’s top wordsmiths.

In the end, Ahimsa Stathis, a fifth grader from Mare Island Health and Fitness Academy in Vallejo and Makaiden Velando, a fourth grader from Cordelia Hills Elementary School in Fairfield, took the top spots in the Solano County 2019 Spelling Bee.

Words like “gourmet” and “maudlin” and “rodomontade” were thrown around, and spellers from around the county rose to the challenge. They asked clarifying questions and spelled words that would stump many an adult, all without breaking a sweat.

Source: Vallejo, Fairfield youths Solano’s top spellers – The Reporter

Solano County’s 2019 Spelling Bee Champions Announced | Suisun City, CA Patch

By Maggie Avants

Top student spellers from 48 Solano County elementary and middle schools competed this week for the title of Solano County Champion Speller. The annual spelling bee composed of fourth- through sixth-graders was held Tuesday, March 5 at the Nelson Community Center in Suisun City.

After a grueling three-and-a-half-hour competition during which more than three-dozen students were tasked with spelling words ranging from “daisy” to “rodomontade” and “panegyric,” the top two spellers emerged.

Source: Solano County’s 2019 Spelling Bee Champions Announced | Suisun City, CA Patch

2019 Civic Learning Award Recipients – Year 2019 (CA Dept of Education)

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced that 92 schools won this year’s Civic Learning Awards, which celebrate public schools’ efforts to engage students in civic learning. Now in its seventh year, the awards program is co-sponsored by Thurmond and Chief Justice of California Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye.

These schools engage students in civic learning through unique classes, clubs, and programs preparing students for participation in democracy. The awards are designed to both celebrate successful efforts to engage students in civic learning and to identify successful models that can be replicated in other schools.

“Having had the chance to teach a civics class, and from my time working with students in the Legislature, I’m a huge supporter of engaging students in civics early, which helps to engage them for life,” said Thurmond. “It was fulfilling to work with students in the State Legislature, where every year I had students help write a bill with me. I would like to continue that work by asking students to share their ideas on new bills, such as keeping college affordable, school nutrition, and student housing.”

Source: 2019 Civic Learning Award Recipients – Year 2019 (CA Dept of Education)

Travis Unified board meets Tuesday – Daily Republic

By Daily Republic Staff

The second interim budget report is one of the items to be considered by the Travis Unified School District trustees when they meet Tuesday.

A presentation by Travis Elementary students about their Coding Class with Linkbots and a report on the second interim budget also is scheduled.

The board meets at 6 p.m. in the Travis Education Center, 2775 De Ronde Road, in Fairfield. The open session follows a 5 p.m. closed session that includes a performance evaluation of Superintendent Pam Conklin.

Source: Travis Unified board meets Tuesday

Vallejo academy earns state Distinguished School honor – Daily Republic

By Daily Republic Staff

The Mare Island Technology Academy in Vallejo has been selected as a California Distinguished School.

“This is a tremendous honor and well-deserved recognition for MIT Academy. They are a shining example of the great work going on in our schools in Solano County,” Solano County Superintendent of Schools Lisette Estrella-Henderson said in a statement announcing the school’s selection.

There were 208 eligible schools in the state.Officials at the academy could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Source: Vallejo academy earns state Distinguished School honor