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Your weekly recap of student success
FCUSD mobile app going dark for summer upgrades
Attention Folsom Cordova mobile app users: The District is preparing to upgrade the official FCUSD app for mobile devices, first launched in 2014, in an effort to expand functionality for our families, employees, and community members.
 
On Thursday, May 11 , FCUSD's existing mobile app will be terminated and no longer available for download in the Apple Store or Google Play. The District is currently pilot testing a newer version of the mobile app and anticipates launching the upgrades after Summer Break.
 
NOTE: These mobile app upgrades do not impact families' ability to access student grades in the PowerSchool Parent Portal or through the separate PowerSchool mobile app .

Questions? Contact Shannon Buck in Communication & Community Engagement: (916) 294-9000 ext. 104530 or [email protected] .

ICYMI: Dr. Sarah Koligian confirmed as superintendent
The Folsom Cordova Unified School District Board of Education has appointed the district's next superintendent: Dr. Sarah Koligian, superintendent of the Tulare Joint Union High School District and a veteran educator with 30 years of experience supporting student achievement.
 
The Board  approved a four-year contract with Dr. Koligian, who will take office July 1. Current superintendent Deborah Bettencourt, who announced her retirement earlier this year, will remain at the helm full-time until June 30.
 
Click here to learn more about Dr. Koligian's career in education. 
VIDEOS: 2017 FCUSD Employees of the Year 
Congratulations to this year's Folsom Cordova Employees of the Year, who were honored at the District's annual Employee Recognition Ceremony on Wednesday, May 3:
 
Classified Employee of the Year: Maria De La Torre, Cordova Meadows Elementary STARS after-school program leader:  De La Torre is a team player, communicative, reliable, caring - these are some of the attributes she has shown while working  with other staff members, students and parents. She has established positive relationships with the families she serves, encouraging them to participate in Parent Advisory Council and other volunteer opportunities.
 
Leadership Person of the Year: Mary Ann Delleney, Health Services & Programs Coordinator:  With consistent and professional support to all schools and departments, Delleney has gained the respect and appreciation of nurses and health assistants around Folsom Cordova. She is a recognized expert in the region and has worked with community partners like the Sacramento County Health Department and Kaiser Permanente for the well-being of students and staff. She  has passion, grit and loving spirit that everyone will miss when she retires. 
 
Teacher of the Year: Jessica Cisneros-Elliott, Walnutwood High School independent study teacher:  Cisneros-Elliott's choice to become an educator was based upon a desire to inspire, instruct, cultivate, enrich, give back and energize. She  was also ABC 10's Teacher of the Month in April and we can certainly understand why she was nominated. Cisneros-Elliott believes that children have always something interesting to say, and their unique perspective in our ever changing world challenges us to see the world through their eyes.

Congratulations to all three 2016-17 Folsom Cordova Employees of the Year!

If you'd like to watch the  videos that played during Employee Recognition Event on May 3, featuring testimonials from veteran employees, retirees, and school site employees of the year, click the links below:

Gallardo celebrates diversity at Multicultural Extravaganza
Sandra J. Gallardo Elementary held their first Multicultural Extravaganza to learn about and celebrate the rich diversity of Gallardo's families, faculty and staff.

The event was held on May 5 and was put on by the Gallardo PTA. The Multicultural Extravaganza featured food, crafts, and student dance performances from many different cultures and countries.

Many families came out to enjoy the festivities. 

The force is strong at Gold Ridge Elementary
The force is strong with Mr. English's 5th grade class at Gold Ridge Elementary. For Star Wars Day, May fourth students had fun with art, decorating pool noodle light sabers and then had duels.
English is a hardcore Star Wars fan, so much that his class is decked out in Star Wars decorations and he likes to incorporate Star Wars in his class lessons.
Students are engaged with his literacy program called "Reading Jedi." Students receive a reading packet on the first day of school they start out as a Jedi Padawan or trainee, then progress through ten reading levels to reach Jedi Grand Master. Students also have fun solving Star Wars related word problems, said English.
English has been a fan of Star Wars since he was an 8 year old boy, he has seen each film about 40 times over the years. His class slogan is "May the Force of Learning be With You." English's classroom number D-2, as in R2-D2. It only took 17 years for him to claim that classroom at Gold Ridge Elementary.  
Click here to watch: Gold Ridge Elementary: May the Fourth be with You video.
See our photo gallery and  like us on Facebook here

FHS students, teacher honored by Air Force Association
Congratulations to Folsom High junior , Ellie Cheng, and seniors, Brayden Faiola, Danny Iqbal, and Dylan McLeod.   They were honored on April 27, at the Air Force Association's Scholarships and Awards Banquet for their success in the AFA CyberPatriot Competition this year. 

Folsom High was a Platinum Division Top Team, having five
teams all successfully compete and one, was ranked 1st in the region and 214th out of 1,548 teams nationally.The students received an engraved plaque for their success in the competition.

FHS Computer Science teacher Jean Cavanaugh received a Coach of the Year Award. She motivated her team to achieve the highest score among local teams in all 3 categories of the AFA National Cyber Competition. 
Student author featured in The Sacramento Bee
A Folsom Cordova student is a published author and was recently featured in an article in the Sacramento Bee. 

Emma Sumner, a third grader at Gold Ridge Elementary in Folsom, spoke with the newspaper about her book, "The Fairies of Waterfall Island." To read the article click here  or to order Emma's book click here
Negotiations update: Talks continue after District offer
 
Bargaining teams from the District and the Folsom Cordova Education Association (FCEA), which represents the District's teachers and other certificated employees, continued negotiations for a new contract on Thursday, May 4. During their session, the District made a compensation counter offer.
 
Here's a brief summary of the offer (and the full language can be found here):
 
The District's contract offer states that if the 2017/18 adopted state budget increases projected funding to schoolsbeyond what was projected at Second Interim report in March 2017, the first $3.8 million increase shall be used towards balancing the District' projected structural deficit.  Any funding increase beyond $3.8 million shall be allocated for an additional increase to the salary schedule for the 2016/2017 school year in the following manner:
 
  1. 1.      Salary schedules shall be increased by 1% for each $1.45 million of available increased funding as described in the contract language.
  2. 2.      Salary increases shall only occur in full increments of 0.5% and will be retroactive to July 1, 2016.
  3. 3.      In lieu of a salary increase, the Association may elect to use its fair share of the increased funding towards improving the District's contribution for medical benefits (cap).
 
According to the District's proposal, within 45 calendar days after adoption of the State Budget, the District will determine if the contingency requirements have been met and will notify FCEA of its conclusion in writing.
 
FCEA and the District bargaining teams agreed to continue negotiations after Gov. Jerry Brown releases his revised state budget proposal later this month. The next negotiation session will be May 19. 

 
 
In other news ...
                              
School Readiness Program announces: Summer KinderCamp 
 
KinderCamp will be available to children with little or no preschool experience  from June 5 to June 30, 2017 at Cordova Lane Center, Cordova Villa and Williamson Elementary  Schools
 
The program will run Monday through Friday from 8:30 am -12:30 pm.

Participating kids will be engaged on lots of fun learning activities and receive free nutritious lunch.

Some specific criteria  to qualify for  Kinder Camp will include:
  • Child has limited English speaking proficiency
  • Child will be 5 years old by 9/1/2017 or  4 years old by 12/2/2017 and being enrolled for Kindergarten or Transitional Kindergarten for the 2017-18 school year.
Call Cordova Lane Center at 916-294-9090 ext. 610117 for additional information.
 
Visual and Performing Arts Summer Enrichment Camp 
 
FCUSD Elementary Music & PE department offers for the first time, a parent donation based Visual & Performing Arts Summer Enrichment Camp.

The camp is open to    FCUSD   enrolled
students who are currently attending 3rd, 4th, 5th grades in elementary or 6th grade in the 2016-2017 school year. 

The camp will run Monday June 5 to Friday June 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. The program will be located at Gold Ridge Elementary School in Folsom.  

All students will engage in a highly creative and comprehensive two week session. Daily lessons will include instruction in music, visual arts, dance and theater. 
 
The deadline to register is May 12 by 4 p.m. For questions contact [email protected]

Click here for the registration form
Here is a link to their website.
 
 
 
 
 
Board of Education Update: May 4, 2017

 
The FCUSD Board of Education held its regular meeting on Thursday, May 4.
 
Agenda items included: 
  • Approved Employment Agreement for District Superintendent  
  • Approved 2017-2018 Renewal Agreement with City of Folsom Police Department: School Resource Officer (SRO) 
  • Discussion and Public Input on the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP)  
  • Authorization to Proceed with Two-Story, Single Building Elementary School Concept 
    
The full agenda can be found here. 
Stay Connected
FCUSD Communication and Community Engagement Office
(916) 294-9000 ext. 104530