Each year the American Library Association honors books, videos, and other outstanding materials for children and teens. Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, the ALA Youth Media Awards, including the prestigious Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Book Awards, guide parents, educators, librarians, and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Selected by committees composed of librarians and other literature and media experts, the awards encourage original and creative work in the field of children’s and young adult literature and media. (ALA, 2020)
The 2020 Youth Media Award announcements took place on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, in Philadelphia.
This month’s recommendations are from these winners.
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Children's Book:
Bowwow Powwow
by
Brenad Child
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Description
Windy Girl is blessed with a vivid imagination. From Uncle, she gathers stories of long-ago traditions, about dances, sharing, and gratitude. Windy can tell such stories herself—about her dog, Itchy Boy, and the way he dances to request a treat and how he wriggles with joy in response to, well, just about everything.
When Uncle and Windy Girl and Itchy Boy attend a powwow, Windy watches the dancers and listens to the singers. She eats tasty food and joins family and friends around the campfire. Later, Windy falls asleep under the stars.
Now Uncle’s stories inspire other visions in her head: a bowwow powwow, where all the dancers are dogs. In these magical scenes, Windy sees veterans in a Grand Entry, and a visiting drum group, and traditional dancers, grass dancers, and jingle-dress dancers—all with telltale ears and paws and tails. All celebrating in song and dance. All attesting to the wonder of the powwow.
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Intermediate:
Other Words from Home
by Jasmine Warga
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Description
A gorgeously written, hopeful middle grade novel in verse about a young girl who must leave Syria to move to the United States, perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Aisha Saeed. Jude never thought she’d be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives.
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Young Adult:
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
by Ben Philippe
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Description
Norris Kaplan is clever, cynical, and quite possibly too smart for his own good. A Black French Canadian, he knows from watching American sitcoms that those three things don’t bode well when you are moving to Austin, Texas.
Plunked into a new high school and sweating a ridiculous amount from the oppressive Texas heat, Norris finds himself cataloging everyone he meets: the Cheerleaders, the Jocks, the Loners, and even the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Making a ton of friends has never been a priority for him, and this way he can at least amuse himself until it’s time to go back to Canada, where he belongs.
Yet against all odds, those labels soon become actual people to Norris…like loner Liam, who makes it his mission to befriend Norris, or Madison the beta cheerleader, who is so nice that it has to be a trap. Not to mention Aarti the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, who might, in fact, be a real love interest in the making.
But the night of the prom, Norris screws everything up royally. As he tries to pick up the pieces, he realizes it might be time to stop hiding behind his snarky opinions and start living his life—along with the people who have found their way into his heart.
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Kindergarten Roundup Begins February 11
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Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten Enrollment for the 2020-2021 School Year begins Tuesday, February 11, 2020.
Under California law, all Kindergarten students registering for the 2020-2021 school year must be age 5 by September 1st, 2020. Students born between September 2 through December 2 of 2020 are eligible to attend Transitional Kindergarten at designated transitional kindergarten sites.
To register, visit the SUSD Central Enrollment Center at 1800 South Sutter Street, Stockton, CA 95206. Hours of operation are as follows:
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:00am-3:30pm
- Thursdays from 11:00am-5:00 pm
The following documents will be required to complete registration for both Kindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten students:
- Valid Parent or Legal Guardian Photo ID: State ID or Driver's License, Passport, Employee ID
- Proof of Child's Age: Birth Certification, Passport, Baptism Certificate, Other Birth Record or Proof of Age Affidavit Valid
- Current Proof of Address: PG&E, City of Stockton Water, Rental Property Lease contact, Voter Registration, Pay Stub w/ name and address, or Government Correspondence: CalFresh, Medi-Cal, Medi-Care, CashAid
- Your child’s original immunization record
Recommended Documents:
- Your child’s physical examination record
- Your child’s oral health examination record
Start your child’s education off right by enrolling them for Kindergarten or Transitional Kindergarten. For more information, contact the Centralized Enrollment Center at (209) 933-7028.
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Parent Advisory Committee Mixer
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Our SUSD families kicked up their heels at Friday night’s PAC Mixer. With the support from the Family Engagement & Education staff, the whole event was organized by the committee’s officers, Selena Johnson, Lorena Casillas, Monique Guerrero and Angelina Aranda. From the moment you walked into the tree lit, silver and blue sparkled table linen multipurpose room, you knew you were in for a treat; courtesy of Yolanda XXXX, parent from PYA. While students and children had an opportunity to enjoy a separate activity on their own, most of them joined their parents on the dance floor as they showed off their best dance moves to an array of tunes. Families also had an opportunity to partake in a catered dinner from DeVinci’s and dessert from Safeway’s bakery. HCA student volunteers pampered our guests as they ushered, greeted and served our families.
The highlight of the evening came from the inspirational words delivered from our key note speaker, Dr. Shelley Spessard, Director of Marketing, Communication, Family Engagement & Education. Her message was pivotal to young and seasoned parents, especially mothers. “If I can do it, so can you.” Dr. Spessard shared her own personal narrative as a parent who despite the challenges she and her husband faced as a young couple, they were determined to put education on the forefront of their relationship. Dr. Spessard encouraged SUSD families to become PAC members and to complete the LCAP survey.
After several mixers celebrated during the 2019-20 school year, San Joaquin Elementary graciously opened their doors to the first annual PAC Mixer. The F.E.E.O. and PAC members want to thank Mr. Valente Aguilar, principal, and Veronica Moreno, CSA, for their hospitality and for dancing alongside our families. Our Pre School department provided childcare, and many of us had the opportunity to learn more about the Census 2020. Many thanks to our Board Trustees Cecilia Mendez and AngelAnn Flores and to Illesha Graham, Director of Ed Services who also attended.
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SECA Takes Second in County Academic Decathlon Competition
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Our outstanding Stockton Early College Academy (SECA) students competed in the San Joaquin County Academic Decathlon competition, themed "In Sickness and In Health: An Exploration of Illness and Wellness." SECA's Division 1 team placed 2nd overall, in addition to taking 3rd place for Super Quiz, 2nd place for Class Level, and several individual medals. Congratulations and great work to the team!
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Division I
Art:
Michelle Lin – Honors 2nd Place
Francisco Valdez – Varsity 2nd Place
Economics:
Aleksei Macatuno – Scholastic 3rd Place
Language/Literature:
Michelle Lin – Honors 3rd Place
Mikaela Bongcaron – Scholastic 2nd Place
Math:
Aleksei Macatuno – Scholastic 2nd Place
Music:
Kaila Donato – Honors 3rd Place
Aleksei Macatuno – Scholastic 2nd Place
Francisco Valdez – Varsity 1st Place
Science:
Kaila Donato – Honors 2nd Place
Francisco Valdez – Varsity 3rd Place
Social Studies:
Aleksei Macatuno – Scholastic 3rd Place
Zaraar Khan – Varsity 3rd Place
Essay:
Mikaela Bongcaron – Scholastic 3rd Place
Interview:
Mikaela Bongcaron – Scholastic 1st Place
Top Overall Students:
Aleksei Macatuno – Scholastic 2nd Place
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Division II
Art:
Eliza Coleto – Honors 1st Place
Economics:
Antonio Rodriguez – Varsity 1st Place
Language/Literature:
Dave Soliven – Honors 1st Place
Math:
Xavier Villa – Varsity 1st Place
Music:
Victor Jaramillo – Honors 1st Place
Science:
Xavier Villa – Varsity 1st Place
Social Science:
Antonio Rodriguez – Varsity 1st Place
Speech:
Mikaela Bosch
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Alternates
Art:
Mamoona Faryal – 1st Place
Language/Literature:
Larissa Yang – 1st Place
Science:
Mamoona Faryal – 1st Place
Larissa Yang – 1st Place
Social Studies:
Mamoona Faryal – 2nd Place
Prantik Bharadwaj – 3rd Place
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Financial Aid Workshops This Spring
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Stockton Unified School District is committed to helping every SUSD senior complete their FAFSA or California Dream Act application so that students can succeed in their post-secondary endeavors.
Though the Cash for College Workshops have ended, there will be additional opportunities this spring to learn about financial aid, FAFSA, and the CA Dream Act.
All SUSD seniors and their families are encouraged to attend at least one of the events. Dates and locations will be announced in the next SUSD Connects e-newsletter.
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Stockton Unified announces a partnership with California Complete Count-Census 2020 Office and the use of California Census Schools-Based Outreach tool Count Me In, Students Count to help students Kindergarten through twelfth grade learn about the importance of census participation. Participating schools will use the occasion of the decennial census to encourage students to share information about participating in the census with their parents or guardians.
"We are excited to bring the program to Stockton Unified students," stated John E. Deasy, Superintendent. "Educators are vital to ensuring an accurate count, and therefore a successful 2020 Census. There are more than $675 billion allocated in federal funding and awarded based on census counts. These funds affect not only education, but where new businesses are developed, school locations, and housing for the elderly. California schools receive over $7 billion to support programs such as after school, school nutrition, and special education.
“California is determined to achieve a complete census count, where every Californian is counted. We’ve started early and are committing more resources than any other state to a robust outreach and engagement effort to reach all Californians,” said Ditas Katague, Director California Complete Count – Census 2020.
The state has worked with California’s teachers to develop curriculum made for and by California teachers. "The Count Me In program offers an easy way to share census information with kids and parents," said Shelley Spessard, Director of Marketing Communications, Family Engagement, and Education.
"We are thrilled students in Stockton Unified School District are learning the importance of the census and playing an active role in their community.”
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ARCHITECHNICA Visits Fremont Elementary
Community Partner Article Submission
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ARCHITECHNICA teamed with the Visual Arts Department at Fremont Elementary School within Stockton Unified School District to present our professional insight as to the “who.how.what.why” of being and becoming an Architect. The slideshow presentation above illustrates the talking points that we shared and discussed as a group. The group of eager 4th grade students were currently completing an architecture unit in which they were designing a dream home of their own. We had the opportunity to present our insights, field questions across the board, and showcase a live 3d software demonstration utilizing some of the student floor plans they created. The ooh’s and aah’s from students were rewarding to hear and hopefully they were left feeling informed and inspired to become creators of their own. Special thanks to Ms. Humphries, Visual Arts Specialist, for reaching out and connecting us with her students and the fun atmosphere we all shared. Go Bulldogs and dream on!
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Click event for more information
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Head Start San Joaquin Visits Seifert Center to Educate Our Students on the Importance of Oral Health
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Primary Years Academy Celebrates 100 Days of School
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Martin Luther King Jr Assembly at Madison Elementary
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ERG Special Olympics Rowing Championship
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Family Engagement & Education Parent Liaison Professional Development
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RHYMOSAURUS Father Engagement Event
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SUSD Specialty & Charter Schools Fair
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Stockton Kings Assembly at El Dorado
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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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