Monthly Archives: August 2019

NorthBay tourney helps advance USTA’s ‘Net Gen’ program – Daily Republic

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By Matt Miller

Young tennis fans will get to learn about the game again this October when the NorthBay Healthcare Men’s Pro Championship returns to Solano Community College.

The professional tournament benefits the Chris Cammisa Tennis and Education Foundation, a nonprofit that not only helped establish the men’s and women’s tennis programs at SCC, but also provides tennis and a related educational program to underserved youth in Solano County.

One of the ways of reaching out to youth during the tournament is by using the U.S. Tennis Association’s Net Generation Program. The mission of “Net Gen” is to introduce children to tennis, a sport they might not normally be exposed to but could potentially play the rest of their lives. Racquets, balls and pop-up nets are all provided.

Source: NorthBay tourney helps advance USTA’s ‘Net Gen’ program – Daily Republic

Cambridge kindergarteners have fun-filled start of school – The Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

The bell rang. Students at Cambridge Elementary School made their way across campus, backpacks in tow, to begin the first day of Travis Unified School District’s 2019-20 academic year Wednesday.

Outside Dolores Smith’s kindergarten classroom parents waited with their kids, some of whom were nervous to start school and others who were excited to begin a new chapter in their young lives. Smith welcomed them in, students hung up their Pokemon, “Toy Story” and Disney princess backpacks and entered the classroom.

After the students settled down on the carpet, Smith had them wave goodbye to their parents before the kindergarteners began their day. She then held up individual name tags, and when students recognized their name they went up to claim their tags.

Source: Cambridge kindergarteners have fun-filled start of school – The Reporter

Niche Ranks Fairfield-Suisun Schools – Patch.com

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By Maggie Avants

Public Safety Academy is the top-ranked school in the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, according to new rankings released Monday by Niche. The company gave Public Safety Academy an overall grade of A- and ranked it the 362nd-best public high school in the state of California.

Here is how Niche graded other Fairfield-Suisun schools:

  • Armijo High School, B, 968th-best public high school in the state
  • Dan O. Root Elementary School, B-

Source: Niche Ranks Fairfield-Suisun Schools – Patch.com

Free Haircuts for Students at National Night Out – Daily Republic

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By C. Felton

On, Tuesday August 6th from 5:00PM to 8:00PM Living Waters Worship Center will hosting their annual National Night Out and Back to School Celebration at Laurel Creek Community Park.

This year Brian Walker owner and operator of Dubb Cutz. Dubb Cutz is a Mobile Barbering Salon that comes to the you, whether it be the comfort of your own home, office, hotel, or anywhere else you need them to perform their services.

Dubb Cutz brings all the equipment with them that is needed to perform your service and it’s always a professional clean cut with a smile and has generously agreed to offer FREE haircuts so that local deserving students can go back to school in style looking and feeling their best.

Source: Free Haircuts for Students at National Night Out – Daily Republic

School board asked to look into selling district property – Times Herald

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By John Glidden

As the Vallejo school district continues to stave off financial insolvency, the Board of Education will meet Wednesday to establish the process of selling off surplus district-owned property.

In June, the five-person board approved a resolution declaring the district needed to identify over $15 million — $7,750,000 during fiscal years 2020-21, and 2021-22 — in savings to prevent a second state takeover.

Trustees will consider a request from district staff to solicit an appraisal for the Rollingwood property. Located along Rollingwood Drive and Benicia Road, the nearly 18 acres of land is home to four unused little league baseball fields.

Source: School board asked to look into selling district property – Times Herald

Fairfield-Suisun USD 19-20 Media Release for Free and Reduced-Price Meals – Daily Republic

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By Tim Goree

Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District announces its policy to serve nutritious meals every school day under the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and/or Afterschool Snack Program. Effective July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020, children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals if the household income is less than or equal to the federal guidelines.

Households do not need to turn in an application when the household receives a notification letter saying that all children automatically qualify for free meals when any household member receives benefits from CalFresh, CalWORKs, or FDPIR. Children who meet the definition of foster, homeless, migrant, or runaway, and children enrolled in their school’s Head Start program are eligible for free meals. Contact school officials if any child in the household is not on the notification letter. The household must let school officials know if they do not want to receive free or reduced-price meals.

Source: Fairfield-Suisun USD 19-20 Media Release for Free and Reduced-Price Meals – Daily Republic

‘Paperless First Day’ attendance recording boosts efficiency – Education Dive

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Districts considering major paperless transitions should heed Jones’ advice about providing ample training ahead of time. Videos work well for new processes in many cases because they can be viewed independently and rewatched for further clarity.

The long-term benefits of going paper-free also pay off on the initial investment. Printing, copying and distributing paper documents is a waste of time, money and resources, with schools spending an average of $50,000 a year on paper and ink. Today’s students also often prefer to work on screens rather than paper.

Source: ‘Paperless First Day’ attendance recording boosts efficiency – Education Dive

Noted children’s author inspires Solano’s youths – The Reporter

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By Kimberly K. Fu

Explosive laughter erupted from the Fairfield Civic Center Library Saturday, a sure sign that something super fun was going on.

Turns out, it was something and someone, the later being noted children’s author and artist Todd Parr.

The Berkeley writer penned some 50 books over the years that’s printed in 18 languages. The gist — be unique, be you, and that’s more than enough.

Source: Noted children’s author inspires Solano’s youths – The Reporter

California Teachers Association loses thousands of members – The Reporter

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By Louis Freedberg

Ending a decades-long connection, the association representing California State University faculty has severed its ties with the California Teachers Association, resulting in a significant loss in membership for the state’s largest teachers union.

In a little noticed move, the board of the California Faculty Association voted in late May to “disaffiliate” from the CTA. The association, whose members include faculty, part-time lecturers, librarians, counselors and coaches on the 23 CSU campuses, is an affiliate of the CTA, which means that its members can be CTA members as well.

The CTA wields considerable clout educationally and politically the state. Defying predictions that the Janus ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court a year ago would eviscerate public employee unions by limiting the fees they could collect, the CTA says it has added new members, as have many other unions across the country. The CTA anticipates that some 22,000 new members it says it has recruited over the past year will offset the approximately 19,000 CSU staff the CTA says belonged to both the faculty association and the CTA.  The CTA says  its overall membership will remain around 325,000.

Source: California Teachers Association loses thousands of members – The Reporter

Solano residents build a bright future, graduate from pre-apprenticeship program – Times Herald

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By Thomas Gase

Each year, Solano County employee ability specialist Nel Sweet Davis likes to give members of a pre-apprenticeship construction training program a memento before they start their five-week training course. Quite simply, the memento is just piece of a random lost jigsaw puzzle.

On Friday morning nine members of this program were able to start seeing the entire board.

A graduation ceremony was held by the Workforce Development Board of Solano County, the Northern California Laborers’ Training Center and Benicia Unified School district to honor participants who completed a five-week training course. The course was designed for residents of Solano aged 18 to 24 and interested in the construction trade.

Source: Solano residents build a bright future, graduate from pre-apprenticeship program – Times Herald

Vallejo school board approves new contract with state trustee – Times Herald

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By John Glidden

The Vallejo school board unanimously approved a new contract at its July 24 meeting with a state trustee tasked with ensuring the school district remains solvent.

Melvin Iizuka will receive up to $56,000 annually to attend Vallejo City Unified School District Board of Education meetings each month and monitor the district’s financial condition.

The school district is required by the state of California to have the trustee while the district continues to pay off a $60 million bailout loan it received from the state in 2004.

Source: Vallejo school board approves new contract with state trustee – Times Herald

Dixon school board to vote on student achievement plans for 3 schools – The Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

The Governing Board of the Dixon Unified School District will vote on the Single Plans for Student Achievement (SPSAs) for three of the district’s schools at Thursday’s meeting.

Per California’s Education Code, each Site Council of a school receiving Title 1 Funds is required to develop an SPSA with input from stakeholders and site committees. SPSAs outline schools’ goals to support the academic performance of all students.

According to a staff report by Nick Girimonte, DUSD’s assistant superintendent of educational services, the district is using a new state template to complete SPSAs for the 2019-20 school year. The template would more closely align the site plans with DUSD’s Local Control Accountability Plan, which Girimonte wrote would “allow for more effective monitoring of strategies, a more cohesive approach to services for students and a more manageable document for parents and other stakeholders to understand.”

Source: Dixon school board to vote on student achievement plans for 3 schools – The Reporter