Melanie Rodriguez & Jasmine Rojas of John Reith Elementary School   

Melanie Rodriguez and Jasmine Rojas were recognized as Education Partners at the February 19, 2013, meeting of the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education.

Rodriguez and Rojas were both students in the Early Childhood Education (ECE) 350 class at Cosumnes River College (CRC) in the fall of 2011. A partnership between John Reith Elementary School and CRC allows college students who are considering a career in education the opportunity for real life classroom experiences.

Both Rodriguez and Rojas spent their semester observing experienced teachers, assisting in classrooms and tutoring students. Following their completion of the course, they both continued to offer assistance and tutoring services at Reith. Rojas has been volunteering in Mrs. Ring and Mrs. Peinado's kindergarten class for the past 15 months. Rodriguez has continued her service in Mrs. Stanley's 3^rd grade classroom for the same amount of time.

Rojas has been volunteering on Fridays by assisting students that need extra help learning their letter sounds in kindergarten. She also helps these students with their emerging math skills. Rodriguez routinely works with small groups of students and extends their learning in science. The assistance Rodriguez provides gives Mrs. Stanley the undivided time she needs to assist students that require a re-teach of concepts from previous lessons. She also assists students with their reading fluency goals.

Both Rodriguez and Rojas volunteer their time at least one day per week. Since their completion of ECE 350, they have combined to provide nearly 300 volunteer hours at Reith. They have also assisted with special events and traveled on field trips with their respective classes.

Both Rodriguez and Rojas are continuing their quest to become teachers. Rojas will pursue her liberal studies degree at California State University, Bakersfield while Rodriguez will also pursue a liberal studies degree at California State University, Sacramento. Jasmine and Melanie will continue their education next fall.

Toby Johnson Middle School teacher participates in Global Education Symposium in Washington D.C.

Staci Wallace-Ussery, an enrichment teacher at Toby Johnson Middle School, was selected to participate in the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program's (TGC) Global Education Symposium in Washington DC on February 14-16.

The symposium, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, selected a group of 160 teachers, school principals and district administrators to participate in the event.

TGC is an exchange and professional development opportunity for secondary school teachers sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and IREX, an international non-profit organization that provides thought leadership and innovative programs to promote positive lasting change globally. Through the program, teachers from across the United States learn how to advance their schools' global education practices, internationalizing teaching and learning in their classrooms.

Wallace-Ussery participated in numerous sessions covering a variety of topics, including: The Need for Global Education, Principles for Globalizing Schools, Bringing Global Education to Your Zip Code and Working Effectively Across Cultures.

The Global Education Symposium prepares teachers for their upcoming two to three week field experiences over the summer where they will learn with - and from - their colleagues in other counties to develop international knowledge and skills. Wallace-Ussery will be visiting Brazil this summer through the program. Other teachers will be sent to Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Morocco or Ukraine. The teachers in the program will reconvene in October in Washington DC to share their experiences and share best practices for internationalizing U.S. schools.

Click here for more information about the TGC program.