February 28. 2018
The Gateway to Extraordinary Possibilities
Get to Know your School Board Members
Alicia Cruz , Trustee (Past President) resident of West Sacramento for 40+ years. She is a graduate of River City High School and has 2 children both attending/attended Washington Unified Schools. She currently works for Sacramento Superior Court, Juvenile Division. She is a Chef and graduated from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Sacramento.
 
Board Member Cruz was elected to the Board of Education in November, 2012. She is serving her second term. She has served on all sub-committees while on the Board i.e., the Curriculum Committee, 2x2 (partnership with City), YCSBA (Yolo County School Board Association).  She attends conferences and WUSD events as her time allows.

Shortly after being appointed as past President, it was apparent to her that the District needed to be brought up to the 21st century. Mrs. Cruz, along with fellow board members hired a new superintendent. She attends various school events and you may often see her at sporting events at the high school. She has been instrumental in increasing bus transportation, anti-bullying programs, VAPA programs and an advocate for school gardens at each site. She believes in aggressive efforts to increase equity throughout the District and school sites. Her focus on safety, a healthy environment and opportunities for all students keep her visible in the community and meeting with many community members.
 
Previously, Mrs. Cruz served on the River City High School Athletic Booster Club Board, PTSA President at Riverbank Elementary, Board Member of BBCAN (Bryte, Broderick Community Action Network) and has Chaired various community events.
 
Currently she is working on guaranteeing every student in the district has access to a college-preparatory curriculum and programs. She enjoys talking with community members about school ideas and issues. And looks forward to the District moving forward with endless possibilities for the students of West Sacramento.
Community Updates...
California School Dashboard—The State of California unveiled a new accountability and continuous improvement system providing information about how local educational agencies and schools are meeting the needs of California’s diverse student population based on a concise set of measures. Called the California School Dashboard, the site features easy-to-read reports on multiple measures of school success, including test scores, graduation rates, English learner progress and suspension rates. 

The Dashboard, based on 2013’s Local Control Funding Formula, is the next step in a series of major shifts in public education that have raised the bar for student learning, transformed testing and placed the focus on equity for all students. To learn more about California’s accountability and continuous improvement efforts, visit the California Department of Education website.

Resources:

  • Watch a video tutorial from the Association of CA School Administrators (ACSA)

  • Watch a video tutorial from the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE).
AVID Schoolwide Site of Distinction—Please join us in congratulating Elkhorn Village Elementary School who recently received official recognition as an AVID Schoolwide Site of Distinction for the 2017-2018 school year.

An AVID Schoolwide Site of Distinction represents the highest level of AVID implementation fidelity demonstrating excellence in instructional practice and the promotion of college readiness schoolwide. 

This is an amazing honor for the school and one that could not have been made possible without our amazing teacher leaders working hard to ensure all our students are on the right path for success. Thank you and congratulations to the entire Elkhorn Village Team. Go Tigers! 
K-8/9-12 Buddy Mentor Program—Buddy programs provide children with stimulating opportunities for learning and skill development. Our goal is to help each youth participant thrive and fulfill their full potential by helping develop and promote positive student interaction, mentorship, and self-esteem to all participants.

High school volunteers partner with elementary and middle school students participating in monthly 1:1 meetings during the school day for lunch, board games, outdoor play time, and bi-weekly written correspondence.

The first group of participating schools are River City High School, Westfield Village Elementary, Westmore Oaks Elementary, Riverbank Elementary, and Elkhorn Village Elementary.
RCHS Student Honors at SkillsUSA SkillsUSA empowers its members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens. This model improves the quality of our nation’s future skilled workforce through the development of Framework skills that include personal, workplace and technical skills grounded in academics.

On Saturday, February 3, 2018, SkillsUSA held a Regional Leadership and Skill Conference at Universal Technical Institute (UTI), Sacramento featuring students from River City High School take home some of the top honors in the following categories: 

Introductory Drafting B: Devin Head—Bronze; Electronics Technology: Kaleb Pascual—Gold, Nahefa Sayed—Silver, Carina Oleynichenko—Bronze; Computer Programming: Jessica Chan—Gold, Lauren Dela Rosa—Silver, Kelly Zeng—Bronze.
Students Experience Mondavi Center —made possible by generous donations, 151 Washington Unified School District students were able to attend the Circa Carnival of the Animals at the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. Students from several WUSD elementary schools were able to experience the magic of live performance first hand. We are thankful to our donors and to the School Outreach Committee at the Mondavi Center for coordinating such an amazing theater opportunity for so many of students.
Bryte Garden Café—looking for a new lunch option in West Sacramento? Swing by the Bryte Garden Café and see what they have to offer! The Café is managed and operated by our Washington Unified School District Restaurant Catering and Commercial Food Production students. All lunches are available for eat-in or take out service. Cash and checks accepted.

Take advance of this delicious opportunity and see our students in action. Check out the upcoming available dates and visit the Bryte Career and College Training Facebook Page for upcoming menu items. Contact the campus at (916) 375-7901 with additional questions. 
Westfield Visits Sutter’s Fort—On Monday, February 12th, fourth graders from Westfield Village Elementary School experienced a “Living History Museum” as they visited Sutter’s Fort in the heart of Midtown Sacramento. Set in 1846, Sutter's Fort preserves important California history and tells the story of the many cultures that inhabited Sutter’s Fort and the surrounding areas during the 1840’s including Mexican Citizens of Alta California, the emigrating Europeans and American pioneers, and Native Americans.

The entire fourth grade class was accompanied by teachers and parent volunteers convening in Old Sacramento and traveling via horse drawn carriage to Sutter’s Fort. Many thanks to everyone involved in making this a memorable day for our students! 
Dreaming of New Heights Watch the DREAM Team video spotlight and hear directly from our teachers about the amazing progress being made throughout our schools.

On June 16, 2017 the Washington Unified School District (WUSD) announced the formation and first official convening of the WUSD DREAM Team— Developing Resources for Engagement and taking Action to Make a difference.  Find out more...
ENROLL TODAY!—High school students who want to prepare for college and a bright future are encouraged to apply at  Washington Middle College High School—  An Innovative Dependent Charter School.

What makes the school unique is its strong partnership with  Sacramento City College—West Sacramento Center allowing students to be immersed in a blended program drawing on both high school and college-level curriculum. Find out more...
2018-19 TK & Kinder Enrollment—we kicked off the New Year with a new enrollment cycle for the kindergarten and transitional kindergarten programs throughout the WUSD on January 20th. 

It’s not too late to register! Read more about registration requirements and details. 

If you have additional questions please contact Student and Family Support Services at (916) 375-7600 ext. 1370. 
Preschool Needs Survey—the Washington Unified School District is seeking information from our community on the needs for preschool education. Please refer to the attached Family Monthly Fee Schedule to see if you financially qualify and if you have a child/children who will turn 3 years old by September 1, 2018.

Please take a moment to complete the survey. Thank you!
STU-CON 2018—join us for the 2nd annual "STU-CON," our Student-Powered Technology Fest!

Our WUSD students use technology in their classrooms every day. Our students are writing stories, coding, creating movies, building robots, making music, and so much more. This is a chance for the kids to share their knowledge and skills with our community! Come learn, explore, and play at STU-CON! #Great2bWUSD #WUSDStuCon18

Visit the Facebook event page for more information.
The mission of the Washington Unified School District, THE GATEWAY TO EXTRAORDINARY POSSIBILITIES , is to challenge and support each student to develop effective critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills as a life-long learner acting in an ethical manner to serve a broader community through a community of learners characterized by:
  • Engaging learning experiences in safe, positive environments;
  • Highly-qualified, reflective and adaptive educators;
  • A culture of innovation responsive to student needs and aspirations;
  • A community promoting family involvement, strong partnerships, and school pride.
916-375-7600