The Fairfield Police Department offers the following tips for trick-or-treaters and drivers on Halloween.
• Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult.
• Plan a trick-or-treating route in familiar neighborhoods with well-lit streets.
• Only walk on sidewalks whenever possible, or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.• Walk younger children to the door to receive treats.
Source: Tips for trick-or-treaters, Halloween drivers | News | dailyrepublic.com
By Nick McConnell
The two candidates running for the Vacaville Unified School District Board of Trustees District 6 election participated in a forum Thursday evening, streamed on Facebook live by event host the Vacaville People’s Forum.
Amy Tran Russell, a senior assistant dean at UC Davis, and Tracee Stacy, a former board member and community educator for the Area Agency on Aging, answered questions for about an hour. Wendy Breckon, a former planning commissioner in Vacaville, and Jepsen student Jovanni Silva served as moderators, introducing questions submitted from the community on a number of issues, including the upcoming Local Control and Accountability Plan, the need to solve overcrowding, communication with parents, and more.
Source: VUSD district 6 candidates participate in forum – The Vacaville Reporter
By Susan Hiland
Candidates for the Vacaville Unified School District Area 6 special election answered questions at a live-streamed Facebook feed on Thursday night.
The two candidates looking to fill the open seat are Amy Tran Russell and Tracee Stacy.
Election Day will be on Dec. 19.
This is the second special election for the district with the last one being on Sept. 12, with three candidates running. That special election cost the district about $114,000. That race was won by Lindsay Kelly.
Source: VUSD Candidates forum talks future of district | Education | dailyrepublic.com
A candidate forum for the Vacaville Unified School District Trustee Area 6 special election has been scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday.
The two candidates seeking the post, Amy Russell and Tracee Stacy, are expected to participate, organizers said.
The event, hosted by the Vacaville People’s Forum, will be streamed live via the group’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/vvpeoplesforum. Video of the forum also will be posted on the site.
Source: Candidate forum set for Vaca Unified Trustee Area 6 election | News | dailyrepublic.com
By Thomas Gase
Former Vallejo Interim Police Chief Joseph Allio didn’t mince words Wednesday afternoon, saying things around Vallejo seem “goofy and upside down” at times — especially when it comes to crimes involving youth.
Allio hopes to help put an end to that as one of the main people responsible for a new tutoring center put together by the Leaven Kids organization at the Norman King Center in Vallejo.
The project is part of the CAL VIP (Violence and Prevention grant) and part of Vallejo Project Hope in conjunction with the Vallejo Police Department and city as well as other services. It has teamed up to provide resource fair and providing support for children from kindergarten to adulthood with many programs including Broken By Violence and SaneSart. The police department will also provide services.
Source: New tutoring center comes to Vallejo – Times Herald Online
By Thomas Gase
Much of the nation and Solano County were like Bill Haley and the Comets on Thursday morning — ready to shake, rattle and roll.
A day after an earthquake hit Northern California, schools across the nation and in Vallejo prepared to deal with “the big one” by participating in the ShakeOut earthquake drill at 10:19 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.
According to www.shakeout.org, there were more than 56 million people participating in the drill globally. Of those, most came came the United States, with 10 million participants coming from California alone for the drill that began taking place yearly in 2008. Of the 10 million in California, Solano County had 45,938 participants, including 40,188 in K-12 schools and districts as well as another 1,287 in college universities and 579 in childcare and preschools. Non-profit organizations in the county had 1,220 people do the drill.
Source: Solano students, teachers prepare for the ‘big one’ – Times Herald Online
By Richard Bammer
In the universe of Computer Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (C-STEM) education in California, the Solano County Superintendent of Schools is tops in 2023.
Lisette Estrella-Henderson on Friday received the University of California, Davis, C-STEM Superintendent of the Year Award at the 13th Annual UC Davis C-STEM gathering in the campus conference center.
Each year, the UCD Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education selects one superintendent in the Golden State to receive the prestigious honor. It recognizes superintendents for “their exemplary leadership in widespread implementation of C-STEM programs, providing students with opportunities to gain relevant knowledge and skills,” Jennifer Leonard, assistant superintendent of communications and community engagement for the Solano County Office of Education, noted in a press statement.
Source: County schools supe accorded major C-STEM award from UCD – The Vacaville Reporter
Two Family Literacy Nights were recently held, each featuring local children’s book author Leticia Ordaz.
“Ordaz enchanted the young audience with a reading of one of her children’s books, ‘The Carousel King,’” a statement released by the Solano County Office of Education said.
“This uplifting bilingual book features text in English and Spanish, together with vibrant and creative illustrations. Her animated bilingual storytelling brought the characters and adventures to life, captivating the hearts and imaginations of the young listeners. Each child attending the events received a signed copy of one of Ms. Ordaz’s books in hopes of encouraging reading and creating lasting memories for the young readers and their families.”
Source: Local author ‘enchants” youthful audiences at migrant centers | News | dailyrepublic.com
By Nick McConnell
The Vacaville Unified School District Board of Trustees met Thursday evening for a regularly sheculed meeting, where they heard updates from the district’s HR staff and Superintendent Ed Santopadre.
Santopadre said it was a busy couple of weeks across the district since the last meeting of the board — Tuesday evening saw VUSD hold its college and career fair for over 1000 high school students in the gym at Will C. Wood High School. Financial aid workshops were held, as well as one on NCAA eligibility for student athletes.
The event was equal parts college and career fair, Santopadre said, as many employers and universities attended the event to meet with students. Six University of California schools, five California state schools, 15 private in state institutions and two out of state institutions attended the fair.
Source: VUSD trustees discuss HR, college fair – The Vacaville Reporter
The Solano County Office of Education and The Faith & Education Collaborative are hosting The Winter Warmth and Wellness Drive.
Donations will be accepted between Nov. 1 and Dec. 1.
New coats, blankets, hats, gloves, socks and hygiene kits are needed.
The drop-off location is 2460 Clay Bank Road, Building 9.
Source: Coats, hats, socks and more sought for Winter Warmth and Wellness Drive | News | dailyrepublic.com
The California Department of Education (CDE) released assessment results today that indicate the impact of the state recovery effort from the COVID-19 pandemic. The results include data for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) and the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC). Additionally, the CDE released chronic absenteeism rates and “absence by reason” reports that reflect a promising trend of improved student attendance in school.
Given the ongoing drops in achievement appearing on many national tests and the relationship between student advantage and achievement, California’s statewide scores are particularly promising; the proportion of high-need students has also increased in California. Specifically, the proportion of students tested who are socioeconomically disadvantaged increased from 60 percent in 2022 to 63 percent in 2023, as shown in the chart below, and the number and share of students who are experiencing homelessness or who are part of the foster care system has also increased.
Source: 2022–23 California Statewide Assessment Results – Year 2023 (CA Dept of Education)
Savor the flavors of the season as Communicare+OLE offers free fruit and vegetables.
Free cat and dog food is also available thanks to Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch.
The giveaway begins at 2 p.m. Friday at Fairfield-Suisun Adult School, 900 Travis Blvd. Enter through the entrance on Fairfield Avenue.
Source: Free fruit, vegetables, pet food available Friday at adult school | News | dailyrepublic.com
“Farming at the Library,” a free interactive workshop designed for kindergarten through fifth grade, will run from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Suisun City Library, 601 Pintail Drive.
Jill Hendrix, from the Solano County Farm Bureau-Ag Education Foundation, is the guest instructor.
Activities include decorating pumpkins, tasting local produce from Solano County farms and a children’s activity.
Parents are requested to attend with their student(s).
Source: ‘Farming at the Library’ geared to kindergarten through fifth grade | Museums | dailyrepublic.com
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond celebrated the signing this week of several pieces of legislation he sponsored and supported, including measures that would help alleviate the teacher shortage, invest in bilingual teachers, and combat the youth opioid crisis.
“I’m pleased that these laws will secure a brighter future for our kids through increasing the teacher pipeline for bilingual teachers, making it easy for retired teachers to come back to classrooms, and providing a financial incentive for new prospective teachers,” said Superintendent Thurmond. “I’m also glad that California is taking another step forward to educate, prevent, and protect students from the opioid crisis, which has been a growing threat in recent years.”
Source: Teacher Shortage & Opioid Crisis Bills Become Law – Year 2023 (CA Dept of Education)
The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District will host the annual FSUSD District-Wide College Fair this month.
This highly-anticipated event provides an opportunity to connect with representatives from more than 45 colleges and universities, and includes workshops discussing the financial aid and student-athlete recruiting processes, according to the press release.
The fair is open to open to all FSUSD sixth- to 12th-grade students and their families.
Source: Fairfield district college fair set at end of October | Education | dailyrepublic.com
By Susan Hiland
Students got a close-up look at the options available in the job market at the second annual Vacaville Unified School District College and Career Fair.
Tyler Little, 17, Vacaville, is looking to get into the trades after graduation.
“I’m not sure what I want to do exactly,” he said. “But the trades offer a good future, with good money.”
His friend, Braydin Burns, 17, of Vacaville, is also looking into the trades for his career path.
Source: Vacaville students get taste of future after high school | Education | dailyrepublic.com
The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) Equity Multiplier (Equity Multiplier) provides additional funding to local educational agencies (LEAs) for allocation to schoolsites with prior year nonstability rates greater than 25 percent and prior year socioeconomically disadvantaged pupil rates greater than 70 percent. Pursuant to California Education Code (EC) 42238.024 External link opens in new window or tab. Equity Multiplier funding is required to be used to provide evidence-based services and supports for students at these schoolsites. LEAs are also required to document the efforts to improve outcomes for students at these schoolsites beginning with the 2024–25 Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP).
By Susan Hiland
Travis Unified school board approved the Facilities Master Plan at Tuesday night’s meeting.
The Kitchell Consulting group came to the meeting and gave a presentation on the assessed schools they looked at in the District for this report.
They went through the facilities from the roofs, through the multiple systems that run the schools.
Source: Travis school district approves Facilities Master Plan | Education | dailyrepublic.com
By Amy Maginnis-Honey
More than 100 high school students from Fairfield, Vacaville and Dixon swung golf clubs Friday morning as adaptive physical-education students took over the practice facility at Paradise Valley Golf Course.
It was the first time since Covid the event was held.
The teens moved from station to station working on different skills. Izick Torres, a Fairfield High sophomore, was one of the most determined.
On Monday, October 16, 2023, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, the California Department of Education (CDE), and partners will unveil plans to drive improvements in statewide student performance. Thurmond intends to detail plans regarding proposed legislation to fund training for educators that is expected to increase student proficiency in math and reading over time. Thurmond will also highlight a deeper alignment in how billions of dollars in state education investments will be implemented to promote and measure student success.
“I am excited and hopeful as we launch new efforts and realign existing efforts to help create a statewide campaign to improve student proficiency,” said Thurmond. “We will be adding to the many efforts underway and helping our 1,000 districts link their individual approaches into a collective approach that has the promise to help us do more, serve more, and create better outcomes for youth on a statewide basis.”
Source: SPI Plans Statewide Student Improvement – Year 2023 (CA Dept of Education)