E-Newsletter from PH Education Commission
NEWSLETTER CONTENTS
  1. Navigating Middle School Forum for Parents
  2. Night of a 1,000 Inventions at PH Library
  3. Green Team Volunteers
  4. Community Service Day
  5. PHEI Reading Readiness Volunteers needed
  6. School Volunteer Fingerprinting
  7. New Superintendent Nellie Meyer
  8. Graduation Credits Increased
  9. PHEI Events
  10. MDUSD College Fair
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  • Greetings from the Pleasant Hill Education Commission! We serve as an advisory body to the Pleasant Hill City Council and act as a liaison between the City and the Mount Diablo Unified School District. Our role also involves communicating education-related news and information.
      
    Our next Education Commission meeting is this
    Wednesday, September 25 at 7 p.m. in the large community room at City Hall.
      
      
    Educaton Commission Members (with school assignment listed under each name)
      

    Kelly St. Germain, Chair

    Pleasant Hill Middle School

    Joann Jacobs, Vice-Chair

    College Park High School

    Linda Waters

    Gregory Gardens Elementary

    Jennifer Andersen

    Hidden Valley Elementary

    Mary Gray

    Pleasant Hill Elementary

    Leanne Hamaji

    Fair Oaks & Strandwood Elementary

    Emily Richards

    Horizon and Prospect Schools

    Tracy Ervin-Lowery

    Sequoia Middle School

    Jennifer Ortega

    Valley View Middle School

    Matt Rinn

    Valhalla Elementary

    Chris Winder

    Sequoia Elementary 

      

     

    Our meetings are open to the public and we welcome you to join us. 

      

    Pleasant Hill Education Commission
    100 Gregory Lane
    Pleasant Hill, California 94523
    (925) 671-5229
    __________________________
    Pleasant Hill Education Commission
    September 23, 2013

      

    Navigating Middle School

    Hear all the buzz about Middle School at our parent education night, "Navigating Middle School."  Ask questions at this moderated open-mic event or submit them online at www.pleasant-hill.net/nvm 

     

    Principals from each of our middle schools along with teachers, seasoned parents and other educators in our community will be available to share their knowledge and experience.  Parents of students in grades 4-8 are encouraged to attend, but all are welcome. Topics will include communication with teachers and staff, discipline, friendships, electives, lunchtime drama, transportation, standardized testing, Common Core implementation, Homelink and anything else parents want to know.

     

    Date: Wednesday, October 9

    Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

    Location: Pleasant Hill Middle School Multi-Use Room at One Santa Barbara Rd., Pleasant Hill

     

    This valuable Parent Education Night is organized by the Pleasant Hill Education Commission as part of the City's Pleasant Hill Education Initiative. 

     

    Night of a 1,000 Inventions

    The Night of 1,000 Inventions returns on Tuesday, September 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Pleasant Hill Library. This event kicks off the Pleasant Hill Education Initiative's fall activities with robots, mind-controlled helicopters, a tornado machine, smoke ring cannon, mechanical horse, and tons more hands-on innovations.  Children are also challenged to make prototypes of their own invention and fill out a patent card!  This event is in partnership with Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science and Neurosky, a leading developer of brainwave sensors.


    Green Team Volunteers needed

    The Green Team is seeking Salad Bar volunteers at Gregory Gardens, Valley View, Valhalla, Strandwood, and Pleasant Hill Middle. Help "green" the school cafeterias by serving as a role model and encouraging kids to eat their veggies. For more details, contact Anne Baker at (925) 671-5806 or ABaker@republicservices.com.

     

    Community Service Day

    The 9th Annual Community Service Day takes place this Saturday, September 28 beginning at 7:30 a.m. at Pleasant Hill Park. Sign up as a volunteer at www.pleasant-hill.net/volunteer

     

    Some of this year's 23 projects include:

    • Eight school clean up and painting projects
    • Crafts for the Community knitting project at St. Mark's Lutheran Church
    • Door-to-Door Food Drive for the Contra Costa Food Bank
    • Four Rec & Park District planting and clean up projects at Pleasant Hill Park, Dinosaur Hills Park, Las Juntas Park and the Twin Towers Memorial
    • Rodgers Ranch pruning, clean up and planting project
    • Bike Build-a-Thon (bring your rusty old bike to donate on the morning of the event to PH Park!)
    • Ellinwood Creek Clean up
    • Senior assistance projects at homes of elderly residents
    • YMCA Painting project, Pleasant Hill Library projects and much more!

     

    You can view full project details and sign up online at www.pleasant-hill.net/volunteer The PH Lions Club will serve breakfast at Pleasant Hill Park from 7:30 to 9 a.m. where volunteers will complete their registration and get a free T-Shirt and snacks. Email mnelis@ci.pleasant-hill.ca.us or call (925) 671-5229 for more information.

     

     

    Help K-2 Students Learn to Read  

    The Pleasant Hill Education Initiative has the following slots available for volunteers:

     

    Hidden Valley Elementary:

    The Intervention Specialist Teacher has an immediate need for volunteers in her classroom two days a week from 11 to 11:45 a.m. It would be great if the same person could work the two days, but she'd be equally happy having two people - one for each day.

     

    Fair Oaks Elementary:

    We are looking for a few volunteers to help kids read in an after-school program. Volunteers would be working with two students for one hour between 3 and 5 p.m. any day Monday through Thursday. The focus would be reading, but they can always work on math facts, too.

     

    Sequoia Elementary:

    We need one volunteer on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 to 11 a.m. If possible, it would be preferable to have the same person both days.

     

    This program is primarily designed for grades K through 2. Please sign up here. For more information, please contact Cindy Rubin, Volunteer Coordinator.

     

    Fingerprinting & TB Testing by PHEI

    The Pleasant Hill Education Initiative held a second round of fingerprinting and tuberculosis (TB) testing on September 17 and 19 for those wishing to volunteer in MDUSD schools in Pleasant Hill. 52 volunteers were fingerprinted and 59 were TB-tested at the YMCA and Police Department. The Initiative will be forwarding all of the completed tests to the MDUSD district offices for processing this week. Over the next year, the Initiative is hoping to use many of these volunteers in Reading Readiness programs in the elementary schools in Pleasant Hill. A third round of fingerprinting and testing may be scheduled at a later date to be determined.

     

     

    A Warm Welcome to Dr. Nellie Meyer

    The Pleasant Hill Education Commission would like to extend a warm welcome to our new MDUSD superintendent, Dr. Nellie Meyer. Over the next few weeks and months, we look forward to meeting and working with Dr. Meyer on issues of specific importance to Pleasant Hill.

     

    If you have an issue that you would like for the Pleasant Hill Education Commission to address with the new Superintendent, please contact one of the Education Commissioners listed on the left navigation panel. Better yet, please join the conversation and attend one of our upcoming monthly meetings - the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

     

    Read more about Dr. Meyer here.

     

    Graduation Credits Increased

    Last week (9/11/13), the School Board voted to raise our High School Graduation requirements from the current level of 200 to 220 credits. This will be a gradual rollout over the next three years. We are continuing to raise the bar for all of our students.

    The rollout will be as follows:

    Current Seniors: 200 credits

    Current Juniors: 210 credits; (10 extra math or elective credits)

    Current Sophomores and Freshmen: 220 credits; (10 extra elective credits and 10 math credits)

    For current Sophomores and Freshmen the math requirement for graduation will be raised from 20 credits to 30 credits.

    CLICK HERE for more details about the district Board Action Summary.

    This information was obtained from the College Park High School website

      

    Congratulations and Good Luck, Class of 2012

    As the first year of life after high school gets underway for the College Park Class of 2012, we wanted to take a moment to acknowledge their success and wish them the best of luck as they embark on exciting new adventures.

     

     

    Pleasant Hill Education Initiative Events

    September 24 - Night of 1000 inventions at the PH Library

    September 28 - Green Team on campus on Community Service Day

    October 9 - "Navigating Middle School" Parent Education Forum

    November 20 - Career night at College Park HS focused on Engineering, Manufacturing, Architecture and Construction

     

    For more information about the Education Initiative go to www.pleasant-hill.net/phei

     

    District-wide College Fair Planned

    Juniors and Seniors from throughout the school district are encouraged to attend the MDUSD College Fair on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at Ygnacio Valley High School in Concord from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The Fair is an opportunity for students to meet college reps and get information about colleges and universities in California and across the country. So far, nearly 70 college representatives have signed up to participate. College Fair Flyer.

     

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    School Websites

     

    http://cphs.mdusd.org/

    http://www.mdusd.org/Schools/Pages/FairOaks.aspx

    http://www.mdusd.k12.ca.us/gregorygardens/

    http://www.mdusd.k12.ca.us/pleasanthillelementary/

    http://hiddenvalley.mdusd.org/

    http://sequoiak5.schoolfusion.us/

    http://strandwood.mdusd.org/

    http://www.mdusd.k12.ca.us/valhalla/

    http://plhms-mdusd-ca.schoolloop.com/

    http://sequoiamiddle.mdusd.org/

    http://valleyview.mdusd.org/