Stockton Unified 2019-2020 School Year Theme:
Small Acts, Big Change
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Children's book:
A Different Pond
by Bao Phi
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A Different Pond is an unforgettable story about a simple event - a long-ago fishing trip. Graphic novelist Thi Bui and acclaimed poet Bao Phi deliver a powerful, honest glimpse into a relationship between father and son - and between cultures, old and new. As a young boy, Bao and his father awoke early, hours before his father's long workday began, to fish on the shores of a small pond in Minneapolis. Unlike many other anglers, Bao and his father fished for food, not recreation. A successful catch meant a fed family. Between hope-filled casts, Bao's father told him about a different pond in their homeland of Vietnam.
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Intermediate grades:
The Boy at the Back of the Class
by Onjali Q. Rauf
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There used to be an empty chair at the back of Mrs. Khan's classroom, but on the third Tuesday of the school year a new kid fills it: nine-year-old Ahmet, a Syrian refugee.
The whole class is curious about this new boy--he doesn't seem to smile, and he doesn't talk much. But after learning that Ahmet fled a Very Real War and was separated from his family along the way, a determined group of his classmates bands together to concoct the Greatest Idea in the World-- a magnificent plan to reunite Ahmet with his loved ones.
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Middle/High School:
Color Me In
by Natasha Diaz
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Growing up in an affluent suburb of New York City, sixteen-year-old Nevaeh Levitz never thought much about her biracial roots. When her Black mom and Jewish dad split up, she relocates to her mom's family home in Harlem and is forced to confront her identity for the first time.
Nevaeh wants to get to know her extended family, but one of her cousins can't stand that Nevaeh, who inadvertently passes as white, is too privileged, pampered, and selfish to relate to the injustices they face on a daily basis as African Americans. In the midst of attempting to blend their families, Nevaeh's dad decides that she should have a belated bat mitzvah instead of a sweet sixteen, which guarantees social humiliation at her posh private school. Even with the push and pull of her two cultures, Nevaeh does what she's always done when life gets complicated: she stays silent.
It's only when Nevaeh stumbles upon a secret from her mom's past, finds herself falling in love, and sees firsthand the prejudice her family faces that she begins to realize she has a voice. And she has choices. Will she continue to let circumstances dictate her path? Or will she find power in herself and decide once and for all who and where she is meant to be?
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A Letter From the Superintendent
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August 1, 2019
Dear Stockton Unified Community,
Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year! I look forward to visiting all our schools in the coming weeks and hope to meet many of you. As we start, I want to be very clear on our mission: We lift students out of poverty, and we do this by preparing all of our students to graduate from high school college, career, and community ready. Our students, families, and community are counting on us. In order to succeed we must share an unshakeable belief that ALL youth can and will graduate college, career, and community ready.
My number one goal is to lead Stockton to be not just the place someone is from, but the place where someone returns to and thrives in. The place that marks you as having arrived in your life when you get to work and live in Stockton.
After completing a period of listening and learning over the past year, it is time to propose our way forward. A way to begin the process of dramatically improving the outcomes for all youth in academics, community participation and responsibility, and career preparation. We will work diligently on the following three goals.
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Families: Complete an Alternative Income Form to Help Your School Maximize Its Funding
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Dear Parents, Guardians, and Families,
Thank you for being a part of a successful start to the 2019-2020 school year!
We truly appreciate your support of our students and schools.
Under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), a portion of state funding will be determined based on the demographics of student population, with higher funding on a per student basis for districts like Stockton that have large concentrations of low income, English learners, and foster youth populations. Therefore, we are required to establish and confirm the number of students that represent these categories by having families complete the LCFF form; Alternative Income Form. By taking the time to fill out this form you are taking part in a process that provides thousands of dollars in funds to the school your student attends.
Our goal is to ensure that Stockton's students receive the maximum amount of funds that we are eligible to receive by encouraging our families to complete the LCFF form; Alternative Income Form. To receive the maximum amount, we must have 100% of eligible students/families complete the form.
By completing the form and turning it in as soon as possible, you will help our schools reach the goal of getting funds to support our students academic achievement, creating equitable learning environments, and building partnerships to develop leadership at all levels. Thank you for your time and support in ensuring that we graduate every single student college, career, and community ready.
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Free Public Transportation for SUSD 7th-12th Grade Students
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Dear Stockton Unified Families,
We are pleased to announce our partnership with San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD). Together we have launched a two-year pilot program to provide complimentary transit for all 7th – 12th grade SUSD students. Beginning Thursday, August 1, students will not only be able to take public transit to school, but they will also be able to use RTD to go to after-school programs, community centers, libraries, jobs, medical appointments, and more since transportation will be at no cost for them 365 days a year. Our 7th-12th grade students simply show their student ID to ride the bus. For more information please visit RTD at
http://sjrtd.com/susd/.
- SUSD Community Relations Department
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New SUSD Website & Features
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Stockton Unified is proud to have launched a new look to our website. In addition to making information easier to find, we've implemented the following new features:
- Feedback Button: Along the right-side of our website, you will see a black-and-white button labeled, “Feedback.” You can click this button to give us a suggestion, some kudos, or even ask how to find something that you are having trouble locating. You can leave us feedback on how we’re doing as a district, you can specify your feedback to a department, or even specify a school. Your opinions matter to us and we look forward to hearing from you!
- 'Ally' Accessibility Tool: You may notice an 'A' icon next to various links through our website- that's the Ally icon! Clicking on the icon will provide you with options to view that content in alternative formats for better quality, usability, and accessibility. The additional formatting options include:
- HTML (For viewing in the browser and on mobile devices)
- ePub (For reading as an e-book on an iPad and other e-book readers)
- Electronic braille (BRF version for consumption on electronic braille displays)
- Audio (MP3 version for listening)
- High-Contrast Toggle: To accommodate our site users who are visually impaired, we now provide a way to view our website in black-and-white. Simply switch the "High-contrast" button on. The button is located on top of all SUSD webpages above the district or school logo.
We hope this improves our website users' experience. Should you have feedback, we welcome you to use our feedback tool on the SUSD website or email our webmaster at
webmaster@stocktonusd.net
. Thank you.
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High School Students to Rece
ive College and Career Readiness Guide
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We are pleased to let you know that your child, along with thousands of their Stockton USD peers, will soon receive a personalized College and Career Readiness Guide. We call this the “CCRG”. We are providing you with this facilitation guide to ensure that you -- and more importantly, your child -- get as much as possible out of the CCRG.
The purpose of the CCRG is to help your child understand three things:
- Some likely post-graduation possibilities, such as specific colleges. These possibilities are based on their grades, test scores (PSAT/SAT) and other information.
- Some more ambitious post-graduation possibilities, such as more selective colleges, that might be within reach.
- The specific steps your child might take -- resources to access, courses to take, and programs to sign up for -- to reach that higher level of possibility.
The CCRG is entirely personalized. Some students will read about how they might aspire to a highly selective college; others will learn what it will take to graduate from high school. But all students should draw from the CCRG a sense of possibility and optimism: with your support, and by accessing the resources described in the CCRG, we know that your child is capable of great things.
We know you are busy, and that your time is tight! But you and your child will receive the CCRG just twice a year -- the next one won’t arrive for another six months or so -- so we suggest finding 30 minutes to review your CCRG, hopefully sitting side-by-side. Here is what we recommend you have with you as you review the CCRG:
- The CCRG itself, either on a screen, or on paper
- A pen, for writing notes, either directly onto your printed copy, or…
- A notebook or other piece of paper that you won’t lose (or a computer or phone -- for taking notes)
- A calendar -- again, either physical or digital
We suggest reading through the CCRG one page at a time, taking notes as you go. The next section of this facilitation guide will provide you with specific elements to look for, and to track for future use.
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Becoming a Volunteer in SUSD
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If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, you will need to visit the "Be A Mentor" website at
beamentor.org/stockton
. On the website, you will need to enter your personal information and select the school site(s) and/or program(s) you would like to volunteer with. Your information will then be forwarded to the selected school(s)/program(s).
The "Be A Mentor" coordinator from the site/program will review and approve your application to volunteer. Once you are approved by the site/program, you will be referred to the SUSD Police Department for a background check, ID badge, and possible fingerprinting (depending on the volunteer position).
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Support Our Stockton Unified Students and Families
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Your contribution to United Way of San Joaquin can support our Stockton Unified students and families via our 1852 Foundation or the Second Harvest Food Bank. Watch our video to learn more.
To contribute, please text "Contribute" to 40403 or follow this link!
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SUSD Opens the Family Engagement & Education Office
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SUSD is incredibly excited to open the new Family Engagement & Education Office, located at 1144 E. Channel St., Room 203.
Family Engagement & Education Office is
civically committed to strengthening family’s voices in preparing ALL SUSD students to graduate college, career, and community ready. As think-partners, our work is centered around our four tiers. Together we engage, empower, educate, and evaluate on-demand family services and supports. We encourage you to us for one of our upcoming family engagement and education opportunities.
According to leading Family Engagement expert, Karen Mapp, "Family engagement in education—often referred to imprecisely as 'parental involvement'—extends beyond incidental communication with schools or helping with homework. Effective family engagement is best achieved through a balanced and reciprocal partnership among schools, families, and the community".
Community Relations Family Engagement & Education Department
1144 E. Channel Street, Room #203
Stockton, CA 95205
(209)933-7470
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Click event for more information
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First Day of School
SUSD staff were excited to welcome more than 38,000 K-12 students back to school this month.
We
hope you and your students have a wonderful and successful year!
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African American / Black Parent Advisory Committee Mixer
Congratulations to our AA/BPAC for hosting an incredible mixer on August 14. This marked their first meeting of the year.
This committee gives African-American/Black students an equitable balance in education, opportunities, and safety, and empowers parents to support their student’s achievement. This committee offers guidance, assistance, structure, and support to African-American/Black families.
"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."
-Maya Angelou
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Senior Sunrise at Stagg High School
A successful senior sunrise at Stagg High School early this morning. The new class of 2020 was provided breakfast and games. Way to go Stagg!
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First Day of School Head Start
Our Head Start students had an incredible first day of school! We loved seeing their smiling faces learning in our classrooms.
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SUSD All-Staff Kickoff
We'd like to thank the thousands of SUSD employees who joined us for the 2019 All-Staff Kickoff at the Stockton Arena. We hope you enjoyed hearing from our incredible speakers!
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The Art Arc at Taft Elementary
The Art Ark is a mobile art education center and is now visiting Taft Elementary. It is designed to enhance art education and each classroom gets to take a one-hour guided tour. During this tour, students will discuss art in different mediums and explore interactive stations. All stations are designed to be self-directed for students.
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2019 Fall Student Recovery Day
SUSD employees gathered the morning of August 26 to participate in Student Recovery Day. This day allows administrators to reach out to students not yet come to school this year and get them back into our classrooms. We are committed to the youth of Stockton, their success, and graduating them college, career, and community ready!
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Submit your stories for the next SUSD Connects!
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SUSD Community Relations Department
701 N. Madison Street
Stockton, CA 95202
(209) 933-7025
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