December 1, 2017
IN THIS ISSUE
UPCOMING EVENTS
Dec. 2
Father Engagement Activity
Dec. 8
Dec. 18 - Jan. 1
Winter Break - NO SCHOOL
Jan. 2
Return to school
Jan. 15
Martin Luther King Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL
PARENT  TIP
Word Walls Build
New Vocabulary
Make a "word wall" to help build your child's vocabulary. You'll need a pack of index cards, a marker and some tape.

Ask your child to help you choose new and interesting words from her favorite books and stories. Write one word on each card. Mount the cards in an easy-to-see place, such as the refrigerator or a wall in your child's room. She can color the cards, rewrite the words and say them out loud.

Help your child make sentences with the words. Start with 10 words. After she has learned these words, make a new set from another book. Save the "old" cards for later review.

- Tip provided by Parent Institute
CHAVEZ BAND EARNS TOP RESULTS AT BAND REVIEW

Congratulations to the Chavez High School Marching Band on a magnificent showing at the Lodi Grape Festival Band Review! The results were:

Jazz- 1st place with a score of 90.9 
Band- 1st place with a score of 85.85 
Drum Major (Michele Dominguez)- 1st place with a score of 66
Color Guard- 4th of 24 groups 
Drumline- 5th of 24 groups

Chavez Band Director Art Coleman credits many for the top results. "We have a great group of seniors that do outstanding work behind the scenes," Coleman said. "Our staff for these groups, Chris McCoy and I click. Mr. Won is my jazz mentor. Our new guard instructor Tammy is doing a great job and this is her first year in this game. Our parent boosters and help is amazing this year. We also want to thank the PE department for sharing the track, and the janitors for turning on the stadium lights for our Monday practices."

Great job, band!
PHOTO GALLERIES
PLA Raises Over $300 with Walk-a-Thon


Pacific Law Academy held a school-wide walk-a-thon on Friday, November 17 and raised over $300 for St. Joseph Hospital's Cancer Research Program!

Roosevelt Holds Fall Resource Fair for Families


Roosevelt Elementary had a wonderful Fall Resource Fair for their families! Students were entertained with the many activities while parents were able to visit the community resource booths for more information.  

SUSD Stages Special Olympics


Nearly 200 Stockton Unified students competed in the district's second annual Special Olympics Soccer Tournament on Tuesday, with elementary and high school students hitting goals from one side of the Edison High School football field to the other.

Adams Elementary Hosts "Pie with a Parent"

More than 143 families at Adams Elementary participated in the school's  first-ever "Pie with a Parent" event! The event, aimed at boosting parent participation, required 36 pies in order for everyone to have a slice- that's a LOT of pies!

The event was made possible through donations from Cash and Carry and Costco, and help from the Adams staff, who contributed the rest of the funds needed to make the event possible. Staff members also worked for hours straight to cut the slices of pie for families.

"In an effort to foster a sense of community while also trying to increase parent involvement, our Adams 'Family' is making an effort to increase activities in order to get parents on campus and be more involved in their child's education," said Adams Principal Sharon Womble.  "We believe it truly takes a village to raise a child and we would love for our parents to be part of those efforts here at school as well. "

In addition to the school's regularly scheduled parent engagement events, Adams Elementary has added 'Pie with a Parent,' a spaghetti feed, an egg hunt, a student showcase night, a talent show and more 'Lunch on the Lawn' picnics this school year.

Great work to the Adams Elementary staff and thank you to all parents who participated!

Thank You to Our Tree Partners
A big thank you to Puentes Urban Forestry, landscape architect Jeff Gamboni, Edison High School and Delta College students for the terrific tree planting projects at SUSD schools this year!

On Saturday the Puentes' staff, Gamboni, and dozens of parents, students and community members planted 14 trees, mostly evergreen Camphors, along the fence perimeter behind Hazelton Elementary. The idea is to provide shade and block the sounds of the Interstate 5 freeway which backs up to the school.

"This will help us improve air quality as well as reduce the noise from the freeway," said Hazelton Principal Victor Zamora. "I would like to thank everyone for making a very successful event today!"

Hazelton students got a hands-on lesson in planting the trees, which were later carefully staked to keep them growing straight. Come spring, they will start to canopy the back of the school fields!

Joining Puentes were SUSD Acting Superintendent Dan Wright, City Councilman Jesus Andrade (also a Hazelton parent), SUSD Board President Maria Mendez  and SUSD facilities staff. Saturday's plantings launches a series of tree plantings as a result of a Cal Fire Grant that helped purchase the trees.

Next up is Taft, El Dorado, and School for Adults. Over the next two years the Cal Fire Grant will fund trees at  Elmwood, Fremont, Montezuma, Nightingale, Van Buren and Stagg High School. The Puentes team planted trees from a ReLeaf grant at Washington Elementary earlier this month.

Again, SUSD is grateful for the tremendous community support Puentes continues to offer our schools. The trees will provide big benefits to our students in the years to come.

View photos >
Edison High Reasserts AVID Eminence


Edison High School students filled one of the school's multipurpose rooms this month to receive some amazing news- the school has been re-certified as an AVID Demonstration School! This distinguished honor, first received by the school 2 years ago, is only given to around 120 of the 5,500+ schools in the nation that offer AVID.

"It means a lot to me personally to get to see this kind of powerful work happening in Stockton and how fortunate [the students] are to learn in a place like this with edu cators who really authentically care about students," said AVID Curriculum Manager Timothy Bungo, who announced the news today.

The school will not need to be re-validated to continue as a national demonstration school for another 3 years, which is the longest certification period awarded.

Congratulations to the faculty, staff and students of Edison High for receiving this honor!

View photos >
SUSD School Psychologist Receives Distinguished Award from the California Association of School Psychologists (CASP)
SUSD is happy to announce that SUSD school psychologist Kim Robinson has received the Nadine M. Lambert Outstanding School Psychologist Award from the California Association of School Psychologists (CASP)!

Robinson has served as a mentor to many new psychologists in Stockton Unified. She has gone above and beyond to assist our families in need throughout her 25 years as a school psychologist, and has helped parents understand  the special education process and various services; coordinating with receiving school sites and attending meetings with them.

" It is quite humbling to be acknowledged by my peers," Robinson said.  The Nadine M. Lambert Outstanding School Psychologist Award recognizes the contributions school psychologists have made to the schools, students and profession, and is awarded on a regional basis. Robinson was recognized as the Outstanding School Psychologist for the Sacramento Valley region.

Congratulations to Kim Robinson on receiving this honor and thank you to all of our spectacular school psychologists for all of your much-appreciated work!


COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Parent Empowerment Upcoming Workshops

By: SUSD Parent/Community Empowerment Department
_______________________________



RAD Parent Academy for Parents of Elementary Students
In the RAD classes, parents learn how to ( For parents of elementary students ):
  • Make an Academic Success Plan to prepare your student for high school.
  • Become partners with your students' teachers and the school.
  • Motivate your student to do his or her best.
  • Encourage good homework and study skills.
  • Communicate effectively with your student.
  • Establish and maintain firm, fair and consistent discipline.
  • Make sure your student develops excellent reading skills ... and more!
Registration is required to attend/Space is limited! Please register by December 21, 2017 

Time: 8:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Date: Wednesdays, January 3, 10, 17, 24 & 31, 2018 
Register here or by phone at (209)933-7470 ext. 2228.




RAD Parent Academy for Parents of Secondary Students

In the R.A.D. classes, parents learn how to: (For parents of high school students) 
  • Help your teen with schoolwork at home.
  • Motivate your teen.
  • Build your teen's reading skills.
  • Work as partners with teachers, the principal and other school staff.
  • Make a plan to help your teen succeed academically.

Registration is required to attend/Space is limited! Please register by December 21, 2017 


 

Time: 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Date: Thursdays, January 4, 11, 18, 25 & February 1, 2018 
Register here or by phone at (209)933-7470 ext. 2228.
 
 
SUSD PD Participates in Safety Drill

By: David C. Rose, School Resource Officer in the SUSD Police Department
_______________________________

On November 15, 2017 the Stockton Unified School District Police Department took part in a multi-agency drill, focused on studying the relationship between police, fire department and emergency medical response personnel during an emergency situation, at Bear Creek High School, in Stockton, CA.  SUSD Police Sergeant Paul Tualla, who evaluated performance during the drill, said "This drill was aimed at strengthening the ability for all public safety agencies to work together, under a unified command, in order to provide support and rescue to victims in an active threat environment". These efforts are a small component in an ongoing effort to be the example in providing safety and security to SUSD's staff and students.

The SUSD Police Department coordinates and participates in several scenario based drills each year, and pairs this experience and training with efforts through the district's office of emergency services, to prepare staff to respond in the event of an emergency.  

SUSD Police Sergeant Rob Young, who is a certified Active Shooter Response Instructor, works with neighboring agencies to facilitate these large scale scenario training drills.  The Bear Creek High School scenario was his second since 2016, and his goal is to maintain an environment where agencies are prepared to respond to threats, and that coordination between agencies is seamless.  He added "This type of training hits close to home for me... I was a victim of the 1989 shooting at Cleveland School, here in Stockton, and I have dedicated a huge part of my career to training school staff and first responders in order to provide a safe environment for our students and staff".

Emergency Services Coordinator Marcus Omlin explained that schools are required to conduct drills several times per year under the California Education Code.  Principals are also required to work through tabletop scenarios, to practice and coordinate their responses to threats such as hostile visitors on campus, earthquake response, drive-by shootings, and active shooters.  Omlin organizes safety response training for police, school and district staff throughout the year and continually works to identify potential problems and threats.

The SUSD Police Department takes pride in providing a safe environment and swift response to dangers that may arise.  Through the implementation of social media monitoring, threat assessment plans, trained security and police staff, video surveillance and continuous training, the department will continue to remain at the forefront in providing a safe place for our school community to learn and grow. 
W ant your news in the next issue of SUSD Connects? Email your stories and events to the SUSD Connects team at  [email protected] ! Due to space limitations, we may not be able to share all of the news we receive, but we will do our best to share it with as many people as possible. Thank you!

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