Monthly Archives: June 2020

Rodriguez Music Boosters’ Scholarship Recipients – Daily Republic

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The Rodriguez High School Music Boosters offers Scholarships to senior students who have participated in the REU Marching Band and Advanced Choir programs based on available funds which dictates how many are scholarships are offered.This year the Rodriguez High School Music Boosters were able to offer 6 scholarships valued at $500 each.There are specific criteria for the applying student to meet and paperwork for them to complete; including a personal essay. The packet is then prepared by removing the name of the student from all paperwork to create a blind scoring. A rubric is used to score the packet by two board readers and two independent readers, and finally the Band Director also has a rubric for scoring each of the packets.

Source: Good News: RHSEU: Rodriguez Music Boosters’ Scholarship Recipients

Fairfield Suisun Rotary Club Awards Assist-a-Grad Scholarships – Daily Republic

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The Fairfield Suisun Rotary Club today announced its selections for their 2020 Assist-A-Grad scholarships.Six students received the awards: Sidney Binns (Vanden High School), Eric Cortez (Rodriguez High School), Adamari Delgado Reynaga (Armijo High School), Yenessa Huckom (Fairfield High School), Sierra Lewis (Fairfield High School) and Aurora Markham (Armijo High School).The students were chosen based upon their written applications and oral interviews with members from the Rotary Club.“Our Club has always believed in helping our community’s youth. We believe that they should dream big and continue to even in the middle of a pandemic,” said President Kelly Rhoads Poston.

Source: Press Release: Fairfield Suisun Rotary Club Awards Assist-a-Grad Scholarships

Rodriguez grad, elementary school principal team up for weekly Black Lives Matter rally – Daily Republic

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By Amy Maginnis-Honey

A group gathered Tuesday at Green Valley Road and Business Center Drive to protest the death of George Floyd and issue a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement.

The protest – the second on consecutive Tuesdays – was organized by Cordelia Hills Elementary School Principal Steve Trotter and 2019 Rodriguez High School graduate Bryce Smith, who just wrapped up his first year at the University of California, Berkeley.

About 40 people remained on the sidewalk, chanting Floyd’s name, as well as “I can’t breathe” and calls for justice.

Source: Rodriguez grad, elementary school principal team up for weekly Black Lives Matter rally

Country High School students pick up diplomas – The Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

Every year, in addition to the schoolwide graduation ceremony, Country High School hosts an individualized ceremony for each student as they finish up their credits. That tradition continued this year, although with so many students graduating during a period when personalized graduations could not be held because of campus being closed due to the coronavirus, the school got to catch up Monday with a diploma presentation event.

With social distancing rules still in effect, it was still an opportunity for students to return to campus for their own mini-ceremonies before they return for a larger graduation, tentatively scheduled for this summer.

“Our graduates are lucky because technically they get to graduate twice,” Principal Ami Blackstone said.

Source: Country High School students pick up diplomas – The Reporter

SSPI Thurmond Releases School Guidance Document – Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

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State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today that the California Department of Education (CDE) has released comprehensive guidance that will support public school leaders across the state as they work with their local health officers to plan for the safe reopening of campuses and classrooms this fall.

Titled “Stronger Together: A Guidebook for the Safer Opening of California’s Public Schools,” the guidance offers considerations and examples of solutions for schools as they work to implement public health recommendations in an educational environment. The CDE’s guidebook—which was developed using the most current information known at the time and may be updated as new data becomes relevant—covers health and safety practices; instructional programs and models, including for special education and English learners; professional relationships and learning; mental health and well-being for staff and students; community engagement and parental support; early learning and care; and school services such as transportation and meals.

Source: SSPI Thurmond Releases School Guidance Document – Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

CA Schools Reopening: Masks For Students, Staff; Smaller Classes | CA Patch

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By Nick Garber

State education officials on Monday unveiled a new set of guidelines for public schools that reopen in the fall amid the coronavirus pandemic, with recommendations including face coverings for all students and teachers, social distancing inside classrooms and the continued presence of distance learning.

The guidelines do not include any required changes, nor do they have any suggestions for when school districts should reopen. That will be up to each of the state’s nearly 1,000 districts to decide for themselves, state schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond said during a Monday morning news conference.

Source: CA Schools Reopening: Masks For Students, Staff; Smaller Classes | Across California, CA Patch

Vaca High students feted in first-ever virtual graduation – The Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

As many speakers noted at Vacaville High School’s virtual graduation ceremony Saturday, it may not have been the kind of graduation that students had been anticipating even four months ago, but they still got to achieve a very important milestone in their lives. They just happened to do so in a way no previous class had.

Because the global coronavirus pandemic closed campuses throughout California in March and large public gatherings have now become temporarily prohibited, Vaca High and Vacaville Unified School District administrators had to find another way to send off seniors. Like many other schools, they settled on a virtual format which was posted to the district’s YouTube channel, which still retained the same general schedule as a typical ceremony.

Source: Vaca High students feted in first-ever virtual graduation – The Reporter

Stronger Together – Guidebook for reopening Schools (CA Dept of Education)

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This guidance was created through the statewide reopening schools task force that fostered a collaborative process for our educators and stakeholders to lend their important voices. Also informed by the technical assistance and advice of many health and safety organizations including the Centers for Disease Control, California Department of Public Health, California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, the intent of this document is to be a guide for the local discussion on safely reopening schools.

Source: Stronger Together – Health Services & School Nursing (CA Dept of Education)

Dixon seniors parade through town before graduating – The Reporter

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By Kimberly K. Fu

Call it a mobile party with about 300 guests of honor.

So it was Saturday morning as Dixon High School celebrated the Class of 2020 with a parade through the city followed by a final stop at the school, where they received their received their diplomas before heading off into the next big chapter of their lives.

The event kicked off at 7:30 a.m. at Hall Park, where the graduating class queued up in vehicles festooned with streamers, balloons, photo likenesses and more. It would be an hour and a half before the parade would begin, giving the seniors time to reconnect with friends they haven’t seen since March, when school shut down due to COVID-19 concerns.

Source: Dixon seniors parade through town before graduating – The Reporter

Travis school trustees to consider budget, new construction impact fees – Daily Republic

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By Todd R. Hansen

A public hearing on facility needs for the Travis School District and a proposed Level 2 fee on new residential construction will be conducted Tuesday when the Board of Trustees meet during a virtual session.

Board members also will take public comment on the proposed 2020-21 budget, and will later in the meeting consider adoption of the budget, which also includes financial projections for 2021-22 and 2022-23.

“The Proposed Adopted Budget for 2020-21 demonstrates that the district will be able to meet its financial obligations for (2020-21) with the use of ending fund balance reserves. However, the district will not be able to meet its obligations in the subsequent years without substantial reductions to expenditures,” the budget document states.

Source: Travis school trustees to consider budget, new construction impact fees

SCOE holding robotics camp virtually this week – The Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

A stay-at-home order won’t stop Solano County middle school girls from learning about robotics, as the Solano County Office of Education will be virtually offering its annual Girls in Robotics Leadership (GIRL) Camp this week.

During the five-day camp, which runs Monday to Friday, students will learn teamwork, communication and leadership skills through robotics, principles in engineering, and computer programming activities. They will use RoboBlockly and programming code in a mock RoboPlay Challenge Competition and learn film production and the creative process that goes into making short videos — all through robotics.

Students will also present videos and celebrate with parents and community members over Zoom at the end of the camp.

Source: Coronavirus: SCOE holding robotics camp virtually this week – The Reporter

Solano Youth Coalition seeking members to address race, equity in coming school year – The Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

Solano County Office of Education is accepting applications for members to serve on its Solano Youth Commission, an organization aimed at raising community awareness of social and health issues facing teens.

In past years, SYC members have focused their efforts around issues related to alcohol, tobacco and drug prevention as well as mental health awareness, violence elimination and healthy relationships. This year, the focus will be something very topical: addressing racism and unconscious bias.

In the past week, the issue of race has been on the forefront of many people’s minds. The deaths of individuals like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police officers have prompted widespread protests in all 50 states calling for widespread changes in the criminal justice system, and Vacaville High School publicly condemned videos that surfaced this week of students using racial slurs.

Source: Solano Youth Coalition seeking members to address race, equity in coming school year – The Reporter

Virtual girls robotics camp starts Monday in Solano – Daily Republic

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A free virtual Girls in Robotics Leadership Camp is being offered to middle school girls starting Monday.

The camp is being put on by the Solano County Office of Education in partnership with the Vacaville School District and the University of California, Davis, Computing-Science, Technology, Engineering and Math division.

It runs through Friday.

Source: Virtual girls robotics camp starts Monday in Solano

Golden Hills sends students on to new journey in life – Daily Republic

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By Amy Maginnis-Honey

Strong winds could not put a damper on Golden Hills School certificate ceremony Friday afternoon.

The sounds of a cowbell, cheers, honking horns and noisemakers filled the parking lot as about two dozen young adults finished their school experience.

Among them was Zachary Hermon, 21, who wore the same graduation cap his mother did when she earned her high school degree after having two children.

He wants to study abroad and plans to attend film school run by Joey Travolta, brother of actor John Travolta.

Source: Golden Hills sends students on to new journey in life

Solano adult school graduates touted with parade – The Reporter

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BY Kimberly K. Fu

The blare of horns and clang of cowbells mixed seamlessly Friday in Fairfield as joyful teachers and staff celebrated graduates during the Solano County Office of Education Adult Completion Car Parade.

Energy was high as balloons and streamers were strung, signs hung and goody bags readied amid gale force-like winds. Clinging to handmade posters, educators waited anxiously to see their students for a final time.

“Some of them have been with us since they were babies, in preschool, said Clarissa Tuttle, a program administrator with the SCOE. “So to see them now, it’s great.”

Source: Solano adult school graduates touted with parade – The Reporter

Update On Planning For 2020-21 School Reopening | Dixon, CA Patch

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In order to keep you informed regarding the planning for the 2020-21 school year and the details on how we will reopen, we will publish an update every Friday throughout the summer. Additional updates will be provided as developments occur and decisions are made.

Our General Approach to Reopening:

  • We want to be able to reopen with campuses operating with all students and staff present.
  • We know that conditions may not allow for this, so we are planning for the possibility of distance learning continuing for all students.

Source: Dixon Weekly Update On Planning For 2020-21 School Reopening | Dixon, CA Patch

Title IX regulations impose new requirements on K-12 districts | Education Dive

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By Maggie Hickey

On May 6, the U.S. Department of Education released new Title IX regulations that establish how education programs that receive federal funding must respond to sex discrimination, including sexual harassment. A lot has been written about how the new rules apply in college classrooms, parties and dormitories, but the new regulations also apply to elementary school playgrounds and high school sports programs. In fact, the regulations detail specific minimum responsibilities and requirements that apply to kindergarten through 12th grade.

Source: Title IX regulations impose new requirements on K-12 districts | Education Dive

Maine Prairie hosts drive-thru graduation ceremony – The Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

As is typical at Maine Prairie High School’s graduation, students donned their caps and gowns Wednesday, received cheers from a crowd and picked up a bag of memorabilia to the strains of “Pomp and Circumstance.”

What was not typical was everything else: no speeches, no graduates seated in rows and — most notably — students did not walk to pick up their diplomas but rather drove.

It may not have been like your usual graduation, but this was not a usual year for Dixon Unified School District’s continuation high school.

Source: Maine Prairie hosts drive-thru graduation ceremony – The Reporter

FS Kids Art Online Gallery is excited to announce a new online art contest for all Solano County kids! – Daily Republic

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By Kelly Pidgeon James

A new kids art contest begins on May 25th for all kids 17 and under living in Solano County. Each contestant can submit one drawing or painting depicting how their city is standing up against Covid-19. The entries will be sorted into online galleries for each of Solano’s seven cities as well as a gallery for kids living in unincorporated Solano. At the end of the contest, the mayors of each of the seven cities will select the winning entry from their city’s gallery to represent the city on a poster which will be hung in various public buildings throughout Solano County.

Source: Good News: FS Kids Art Online Gallery is excited to announce a new online art contest for all Solano County kids!

Fairfield Suisun Rotary Club Awards Assist-a-Grad Scholarships – Daily Republic

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The Fairfield Suisun Rotary Club today announced its selections for their 2020 Assist-A-Grad scholarships.Six students received the awards: Sidney Binns (Vanden High School), Eric Cortez (Rodriguez High School), Adamari Delgado Reynaga (Armijo High School), Yenessa Huckom (Fairfield High School), Sierra Lewis (Fairfield High School) and Aurora Markham (Armijo High School).The students were chosen based upon their written applications and oral interviews with members from the Rotary Club.“Our Club has always believed in helping our community’s youth. We believe that they should dream big and continue to even in the middle of a pandemic,” said President Kelly Rhoads Poston.

Source: Press Release: Fairfield Suisun Rotary Club Awards Assist-a-Grad Scholarships