Monthly Archives: July 2019

Youths in Vacaville commemorate Apollo 11 launch – The Reporter

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By Kimberly K. Fu

Fifty years ago Tuesday America celebrated the launch of Apollo 11 into space — and the first man traversing the moon four days later.

In present day, Vacaville youths enjoyed some cosmic adventures of their own — taking over the Nut Tree Plaza for a bit with their experiments.

Screams, giggles and fizzy explosions marked the celebration, a mix of history and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) activities.

Source: Youths in Vacaville commemorate Apollo 11 launch – The Reporter

Microcredential programs offer teachers more personalized PD opportunities – Education Dive

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By Shawna De La Rosa

The teacher-training microcredential trend allows educators to specialize and gain additional training in the areas most relevant to their interests and classroom style. Once they earn those credentials, they can share their knowledge with their peers through teacher-led PD.

This is another example of how the traditional sit-and-get model of professional development is being replaced by more relevant training teachers seek. To offer these programs, states and districts typically contract with companies like Digital Promise.

Source: Microcredential programs offer teachers more personalized PD opportunities – Education Dive

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Appoints Dr. Elisha Smith Arrillaga as Co-Chair for Closing the Achievement Gap Initiative – CDE

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State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today that he has appointed Dr. Elisha Smith Arrillaga as the final Co-Chair of his statewide Closing the Achievement Gap Initiative. She will partner with Co-Chairs Ryan Smith, Manufou Liaiga-Anoa’i, and Roseann Torres to lead work aligning with the initiative’s goals, which include addressing ways to close the achievement gap and improving educational outcomes for all California public education students.

“Elisha’s approach to education and research embodies community-first thinking,” said Thurmond. “I know her perspective and expertise will be a huge asset in our work to close gaps faster, and increasing student and parent involvement in this important work.”

Thurmond launched his Closing the Achievement Gap Initiative with a forum in February focusing on schools throughout the state that have shown success in closing the gap for African Americans and other students of color. He followed that up with a second forum in April to address recruitment and retention of teachers of color. Appointing Arrillaga, Torres, Liaiga-Anoa’i, and Smith as Co-Chairs of the initiative is the next step in assuring that these efforts continue with the highest priority and level of expertise.

Source: State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Appoints Dr. Elisha Smith Arrillaga as Co-Chair for Closing the Achievement Gap Initiative – CDE

Dodd bill to fight hunger among college students passes – Times Herald

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By Times Herald

Fewer college students will presumably go hungry with the Legislature’s passing of Sen. Bill Dodd’s College Student Food Insecurity Bill, his office announced.

A bill from the Napa Democrat that addresses the growing problem of college student food insecurity by ensuring low-income students have reliable access to nutritious food through the Cal Fresh program, was approved by the Legislature last week, according to the announcement.

“Students shouldn’t have to starve in order to get an education,” Dodd said in the announcement. “My bill will ensure students of modest means don’t go hungry by making it easier for them to receive public assistance. Food insecurity is a serious problem on California college campuses today and this is an important step to addressing it.”

Source: Dodd bill to fight hunger among college students passes – Times Herald

Vallejo High grad Damany Hendrix begins new job with Vanderbilt – Times Herald

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By Thomas Gase

It always helps to have a few good references on your resume. For Damany Hendrix, his top reference just happens to be a two-time all star in the NBA.

Damany Hendrix

After helping the Vallejo High 1998 graduate earn jobs in the NBA G League with the Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors organizations, Hendrix was once again called upon by Jerry Stackhouse to help with his coaching staff, this time at the Vanderbilt.

Hendrix’s new job is the new Director of Player Development and Quality Control for Vanderbilt, while Stackhouse is the new head coach.

Source: Vallejo High grad Damany Hendrix begins new job with Vanderbilt – Times Herald

2019-20 Budget Includes Balanced Investments – Cal Budget

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On June 27, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law the 2019-20 state budget, an agreement with state legislative leaders that makes a series of investments in creating economic security and opportunities for Californians, while also fostering the state’s fiscal health.

The budget includes revenues and transfers of $146 billion for 2019-20. This represents an increase of more than $4 billion over the enacted 2018-19 budget, driven largely by the state’s continued economic growth.

The budget package includes a mix of one-time and ongoing investments vital to low- and middle-income Californian’s economic prosperity, including: a significant expansion of the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC), additional investments in early childhood development, extending paid family leave, continuing to expand health coverage, boosting investments in the K-12 and state higher education systems, and promoting greater access to mental health services. The 2019-20 budget also provides funding for housing affordability and to address homelessness, recognizing that the high cost of housing continues to burden and destabilize many Californians. These proposals, individually and in combination, will significantly improve the health and well-being of millions of Californians, most notably low- and middle-income people of color, immigrants, and women and children.

Source: 2019-20 Budget Includes Balanced Investments – Cal Budget

Oh, what a relief … graduation! – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Nervous-looking, his eyes darting left and right, Kyle S. Peterson, clad in a royal blue cap-and-gown, stood just inside the Catwalk Theatre lobby at Will C. Wood High School in Vacaville.

Elgar’s familiar “Pomp and Circumstance” march would soon seep out of theater speakers to mark the start of the graduation ceremony for Peterson and 20 others in Vacaville Unified School District’s Senior Studies program, the 2 p.m. Thursday event marking the traditional step into adulthood.

Just before he walked into the theater, Peterson, 17 and a Country High student, said the end of his high school days was welcome.

Source: Oh, what a relief … graduation! – The Reporter

Questions Raised About California Proposal To Push Back School Start Times – CBS Sacramento

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California middle and high school students could get to sleep in a little later starting in the 2022-2023 school year.

Senate Bill 328 would prevent high schools from starting the school day before 8:30 am. Middle schools wouldn’t be allowed to start before 8 am. A previous version of the bill put the start times for both no earlier than 8:30 am but the time was changed for middle schools in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The bill passed the Assembly Education Committee Wednesday by a vote of 4-1.

Rural counties would be exempt from specified start times.

Source: Questions Raised About California Proposal To Push Back School Start Times – CBS Sacramento

Suisun summer day camps prove to be hits – Daily Republic

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By Ian Thompson

Two years ago, the number of kids at Suisun City’s Summer Day Camp could be counted on both hands.

Now, two years after its redesign, the week-long day camps that run from early June to late August, number between 60 and 70 elementary school-aged youths.

Part of the reason is the inclusion of an ambitious series of field trips that is seeing campers this summer going to places such as the Lawrence Hall of Science, the Sacramento Zoo and an upcoming Oakland A’s game.

Source: Suisun summer day camps prove to be hits – Daily Republic

Vallejo area schools among most diverse in U.S. – Times Herald

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By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen

Public schools in Solano County are the most ethnically diverse among mid-size metro areas in the United States, a new study finds. But, this is nothing new to those who work in the Vallejo City Unified School District, one official here said.

Danny Dockterman, the Chief Methodologist of The School Review (www.theschoolreview.com), described the agency as being “dedicated to providing parents with greater transparency into their child’s local schools through comprehensive data and equitable report cards.”

The group grades schools on academics, learning environment and school safety using data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the Civil Rights Data Collection and state departments of education, he said.

Source: Vallejo area schools among most diverse in U.S. – Times Herald

Business teaches acrylic pouring – The Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

Most people use summer as an opportunity to go to the beach, but visitors at Dirty Pour Designs created their own Tuesday out of acrylic paint.

The event was part of the art studio’s summer program to teach the technique of dirty pouring to individuals of all ages and abilities and give them an opportunity to get messy and walk away with a painting, all without using a brush.

Dirty Pour co-owner Tina Swift demonstrated how to use the technique, which she said she came across by accident as she was designing furniture as part of her other business, Deconstructed By Design.

Source: Business teaches acrylic pouring – The Reporter

What Does ‘Career Readiness’ Look Like in Middle School? – MindShift

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By Stephanie Strom

Juliet Basinger pressed a button on a remote control, and the drone she built did a somersault, first in one direction, then in another, before taking off around the room, cheekily snapping photos of the adults looking on. Juliet won’t finish high school before 2025, but the 11-year-old already has big plans: She wants to be a mechanical engineer.

This year alone, Juliet has used 3D printers, servo motors and microcontrollers to build the parts needed to construct a therapeutic robotic dog that she hopes will help those afraid of canines overcome their fears, a project she did as part of a lesson in her English class. She has learned to use technology-enabled woodcutting tools and is at work creating a virtual tour of her school, Laing Middle School in Charleston County, using another drone she built in the school’s Fab Lab.

A narrow room crammed with high-tech equipment including 3D printers and an electrophoresis chamber to separate molecules and study chromosomes, the Fab Lab gives students at Laing a chance to get hands-on experience with the sorts of tools they might find in the workplace. “I really have fun doing these things,” says the rising seventh grader, “but I also like that it’s preparing me to be an engineer.”

Source: What Does ‘Career Readiness’ Look Like in Middle School? – MindShift

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces Launch of Mobile App for California School Dashboard – CDE

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State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has announced the release of the California Department of Education’s (CDE) first-ever mobile app for the California School Dashboard, the new accountability system that helps identify strengths and improvement areas for every public school district and school statewide.

Everyone can use this mobile app to access information based on the Dashboard, providing parents and educators the critical information that empowers them in decisions to improve student learning. Through the Dashboard, California reports how districts, schools (including alternative schools serving high-risk students), and student groups are performing across state and local measures.

“Parents need to know what’s going on at their children’s school, and educators need an evaluation of their respective schools to serve our students better. This app is an excellent tool for both,” said Thurmond. “It not only evaluates academic performance and progress, but engagement and school climate, among other things—all critical factors to student well-being and success.”

Source: State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces Launch of Mobile App for California School Dashboard – CDE

Rotary scholars sign contracts to help in college journey – Daily Republic

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Nine students from the Fairfield Police Activities League on Tuesday were promised financial and mentoring support as they launch their college educations at Solano Community College.

The students signed contracts as part of the fifth annual Rotary Success Scholars program during a ceremony held at The Salvation Army Kroc Center in Suisun City.

“These are nine students who would absolutely not be able to go to college otherwise,” Tara Dacus, a member of the Fairfield-Suisun Rotary Club and one of the three founders of the scholars program, said in an interview.

Source: Rotary scholars sign contracts to help in college journey – Daily Republic

Son of immigrants, 2015 DHS grad graduates from UCLA – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

A son of Latino immigrants, Alejandro Sanchez, a 2015 Dixon High graduate and scholarship recipient, more or less defied the odds once as a teenager and has done it again as a new college graduate in his early 20s.

In June, Sanchez, the first DHS student to earn the David Robben Memorial Scholarship, received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating summa cum laude, Latin for “with the greatest honor.”

Sanchez, a first-generation college graduate, plans to attend medical school in 2020 and has applied to about 20 institutions for admission — Harvard, Yale, and Stanford, among them — Samantha Fordyce, a development associate with the Solano Community Foundation, said in a press release.

Source: Son of immigrants, 2015 DHS grad graduates from UCLA – The Reporter

 

State Superintendent Thurmond Praises New State Budget with Increases to Education Funding – CDE

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State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond thanked Governor Newsom for signing a 2019–20 state budget that increases funding for public education, education data systems, and teacher and administrator development.

“This budget helps to lift all of our students by improving our education system and increasing the resources that go to our schools,” said Thurmond. “The Governor and Legislature have adopted a budget that reflects their commitment to education as a priority for California.

“I look forward to working with the Governor, the Legislature, and stakeholders in the months ahead to make sure that we make the most of this unprecedented opportunity—building a comprehensive education system that serves all children and families, meeting them in the communities where they live, and preparing our students for higher education and the 21st century workforce.”

Source: State Superintendent Thurmond Praises New State Budget with Increases to Education Funding – CDE

Robots invade Solano County Fair – Times Herald

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By John Glidden

While families meandered around enjoying the sights and sounds of the Solano County Fair, a group of girls were making robots dance on Saturday.

With just a few clicks on the laptop, mini robots, best described as over sized lint rollers attached to two giant wheels, move about a table, “dancing” front and back, side to side.

Representing the Girls in Robotics Leadership (GIRL) Camp, the middle and high school students showed off their coding skills while Lilibeth Pinpin looked on like a proud mother.

Pinpin is the director of innovative programs & student success for the Solano County Office of Education. The county office of education in partnership with UC Davis C-STEM (Computing-Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) hosted the five-day camp in the month of June.

Source: Robots invade Solano County Fair – Times Herald

Fairies, wood nymphs and unicorns inhabit Solano County Fair – Times Herald

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By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen

If you look closely, in a green, shady corner of the Solano County Fair, you might catch a glimpse of Mother Nature, seated on her earthy throne near an inflatable unicorn; a forest nymph at her right hand, and winged unicorn fairies at her beck and call.

Also known as Jewel Fink, former prevention program coordinator for the Vallejo City Unified School District, Mother Nature and granddaughter Krista (the forest nymph) Fink both of Dixon, are part of the 2019 Solano County Fair’s Unicorn Garden Party area, located near where First Five Solano operates a giant sandbox, hair and makeup artists and other activities.

At the fair, the Finks are responsible for handing out magic pebbles, pennies for the wishing fountain, and directing people to where fairies read stories to interested children.

Source: Fairies, wood nymphs and unicorns inhabit Solano County Fair – Times Herald