January 11, 2016
In This Issue
Upcoming Events
Pittman Charter School's Winter program was a darling success! Click here to view more photos.
Save the Date for SUSD Art
The annual McKee Student Art Contest and Exhibition will be held at the Haggin Museum March 17, 2016 - May 8, 2016. All of our schools have received invitations to submit work and directions for entering the competition. The deadline for entries is March 3-5 at the museum. Support your students, schools and the Haggin Museum, 1201 N. Pershing Ave., Stockton, and plan a visit to the exhibition this March!

Schools can get more information on submitting work from Lisa Cooperman at 940-6315 or Kylee Congrave at 940-6333 at the Haggin Museum.
It's Crab Season Again
deck-crabs-banner.jpg Your school is very likely doing a fundraiser this year and chances are, especially for the high schools, a crab feed in in your future. There are some changes in location this year, so check before you go. Franklin and Stagg high schools launch the 2016 events on Saturday January 30, with a crab feed put on by the Franklin Boosters at the Amblers Club and the Stagg Boosters at the Stockton Ballroom.

  • Franklin: Jan. 30, 2016 at the Stockton Amblers Club, 2000 Amblers Ln.
  • Stagg: Jan. 30., 2016 at the Stockton Ballroom, 9650 Thornton Rd.
  • Chavez: Feb. 27; Steak and Shrimp Fundraiser  at 5pm. Call Chavez High at (209)933-7480 for more info.
  • Edison: Feb. 27, 2016 at the Scottish Rite Temple, 33 W. Alpine Ave.
  • Kohl Open: March 12, 2016 at the Scottish Rite Temple, 33 W. Alpine Way, Stockton
  • Walton: March 19, 2016 at the Stockton Ballroom, 9650 Thornton Rd.

  • Some dates are still being set. Be sure to ask your school when the crab feed is this year and where. These events raise money for your schools and need your support! deck-crabs-banner.jpg
    Deadlines for Seniors
    Testing deadlines are fast-approaching for the ACT and SAT! Be sure your junior or senior students sign up for these tests to ensure they are prepared for college applications!

    Test Date
    Register By
    Late Fee Required
    Feb. 6, 2016 Jan. 8, 2016
    Jan. 9 - 15, 2016
    Apr. 9, 2016 Mar. 4, 2016 Mar. 5-18, 2016
    Jun. 11, 2016 May 6, 2016 May 7-20, 2016












    Test Date
    Register By
    Late Fee Required
    Jan. 23, 2016 Dec. 28, 2015 Jan. 12, 2016
    Mar. 5, 2016 Feb. 5, 2016 Feb. 23, 2016
    May 7, 2016 Apr. 8, 2016 Apr. 26, 2016
    Jun. 4, 2016 May 5, 2016 May 25, 2016

    Common Core Tip
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    Encourage Your Child to Read

    Good reading skills help in every school subject. But experts say that to build reading abilities, children must want to read. To encourage your child to develop a love of reading:
     
    1) Enjoy wordy games. From Scrabble® to Boggle®, there's no end to the "literary" games you can play. Even the game 20 Questions will boost your child's vocabulary skills by encouraging her to come up with creative questions.
    2) Make reading a part of everyday life. If you're cooking dinner, ask your child to read you a recipe. If you're folding laundry, suggest that she read you a magazine article.
    3) Tie reading into the things she loves. If your child is obsessed with dinosaurs, search out some titles on the Jurassic period. If she can't get enough of fashion, go to the library and ask the librarian to help you locate some books on fashion.
    4) Put books before movies. Lots of popular stories have leapt to the big screen. If your child wants to see one, encourage her to read the book first.
    5) Read together. All kids, even high schoolers, benefit from reading aloud with their parents. You can even take turns-you read a chapter to her, then she reads one to you.
    6) Give books as gifts. To make special occasions even more so, give books. Consider digging up one of your old favorites from the attic and giving it to your child.
    SUSD Specialty Schools Applications Due
    It is already time to consider where your child will attend school next year! SUSD has a number of elementary and secondary schools of choice -  smaller specialty schools open to students no matter where they live as long as it is in the SUSD attendance boundaries.

    Earlier this month the district held open house at the University of the Pacific for the small specialty schools and programs to give students and families a chance to learn about them.

    The showcase included programs for engineers, health care, art, journalism, technology, and the environment, science and more. Principals, teachers and students were on hand to discuss what their schools have to offer and hundreds of parents and students attended.

    These smaller schools include Kohl Open School, Commodore Skills, the Franklin International Baccalaureate school and the Primary Years Academy IB program. SECA, an academic powerhouse, HCA, a health careers academy, Merlo Institute, offering a tech/environment focus and Pacific Law Academy are popular, so it is important to get your applications in early.

    The district offers a number of well known programs at larger schools, such as career tech at Weber Institute, award winning journalism at Stagg, music at Chavez, art at Fremont and STEM at Edison.

    Next month families will be able to tour these schools and programs. Applications are due for priority placement on January 22, 2016 and are available online at  is.stockton.k12.ca.us/magnet/  or at the SUSD District Offices at 701 N. Madison St., Stockton, 95202.
    New Website Coming Soon
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    Next week, SUSD launches our new, modern and easy-to-navigate website! Our district and school websites will now boast a design that's unique to SUSD and introduce a feature called Passkeys, which simplifies access to district technology like Synergy and ParentLink . We hope that our students, families, faculty, staff and community will also enjoy the improved accessibility to information, as we have reorganized and updated websites to include current information and news that families need.

    It has been a significant undertaking to move information from the old site to our new one, so please be patient as we continue working to make our website as helpful for you as possible. The website is now under direction of the Community Relations Office. For questions, please contact Dianne Barth or Veronica Lynch at (209)933-7025.
    Congratulations Cortopassi Award Winners!
    Congratulations to three Franklin High School and two School for Adults graduates who are 2015 recipients of the Cortopassi Family Foundational Vocational Scholarship awards!

    Franklin students Eduardo Ceja, Julissa Ruby Hernandez, and Adriana Ozornio each received $2,500 grants for their pursuit of vocational training.

    Matthew Michael Gallegos and Juan Solorio-Lopez each received grants of $2,500, again, to help them afford vocational training. These grants are renewable for four semesters for a $10,000 per-student maximum.

    Thank you to the Cortopassi Family Foundation, which created the Vocational Certificate Program in 2014 in partnership with the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, of which Dino Cortopassi is a member. The VCP has focused on providing career opportunities for high school graduates wishing to pursue vocational training and facing financial hardship to do so.

    In addition to the grants, recipients receive access to mentors and internship guidance. As long as the students remain in good standing and progress toward earning their vocational certificates, the financial grants are automatically renewed.
    Special Thanks from SUSD
    Stockton Unified School District would like to thank the very generous support our schools and students received from our community this holiday season. From the Walmart contribution to the teachers at Kennedy to Pearl Crop's donation of food to families at Monroe to the California Correctional Peace Officers Association gift of toys for Hazelton's first and second graders and special needs students, SUSD felt the true spirit of giving. Thank you.

    The season launched with a special presentation of gift cards for school supplies to every teacher at Kennedy from the Hammer Lane Walmart. Pearl Crop collected and then donated groceries for families at Monroe. And just before the December break members of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association along with Associate Warden Jennifer Barretto presented Hazelton students with a wrapped gift during a very special event in the multi-purpose room.

    The organization first collected the names of every child and the exact toy he or she wanted, and then handed each child the gift they'd asked for. "This was the doll I wanted most of all," exclaimed one happy first grader, clutching a "Frozen" doll. Also popular this year: Star Wars. Corrections did not miss a beat. The association also provided warm socks and jackets to Van Buren students and gifts for four HCA families.

    Again, our great thanks for your generosity this holiday season!



     

    LCAP 2016-2017
    Stockton Unified is preparing its recommendation for the district's Local Control Accountability Plan and accompanying funding proposal for next year. Remember, this is a state funded program aimed at improving academic achievement for low income, English language learner and foster students. As always we want to hear from our community.

    The Parent Advisory Committee will be meeting on the proposal along with the District English Learners Parent Advisory Committee and their schedules are posted on our LCAP web page. In addition, the proposal will be going through review and comment by our school site councils.

    This year we will have LCAP presentations during the high school registration events. These are scheduled for January 20 at Chavez and Stagg High schools from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the following evening, January 21, at Franklin and Edison, also 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Parents are urged to attend.

    Finally we will be asking you to go to "Let's Talk" on our new website at the end of January to give your input on the spending program. For more information, including the upcoming schedule, last year's LCAP, and program data to help you decide what is working in our district, go to the LCAP website or call Education Services at (209)933-7115.
    Parent/Community Empowerment
    Families Read Together Event
    SUSD is partnering with the Cesar Chavez Central Library to host "Families Read Together" on Monday, February 22nd, from 5 - 6:30pm at the Stockton Cesar Chavez Central Library, located at 605 N. El Dorado Street.  Families will enjoy s pecial guest readers, a f amily book exchange, and  Splash, the Stockton Ports Mascot! F amilies Read Together will be an exciting event for all Stockton Unified School District families!

    Helping Children Succeed Parent Academy
    December was a great month for Parent/Community Empowerment. SUSD parents were invited to Marshall and Peyton elementary schools for the "Helping Children Succeed" Parent Academy. Parents in attendance learned numerous ways to become involved in their child's education. During the first week, parents were informed on the twelve ways to help children succeed on standardized test and assessments.  The second week, the parents were provided strategies to make reading fun and a daily habit. In the final week, parents were taught ways to integrate studying at home, while having a busy schedule. Parents were very excited about the strategies learned and wanted another academy that focused on the continuation of topics discussed. The "Helping Children Succeed" Parent Academy was a huge success with great parent involvement from our SUSD parents!
     
    Realizing the Academic Dream (R.A.D.) 
    Parent Academy
    On December 15, parents completed a 6-week RAD Parent Academy.  This academy empowered parents to create an Academic Road Map for student success.  Parents learned the important and vital role they play in their child's education. During the six-week workshop, parents discovered their power to support and build relationships with school staff and administrators.  Parents expanded their knowledge of educational concepts, terms, and policies for student achievement. Upon completion of the workshop, parents left with a wealth of tools and strategies to support and encourage good homework and study skills while being on the road college and career readiness.

    For more information about these events, please contact Parent/Community Empowerment at (209)933-7470 ext. 2228.
    W ant your news in the next issue of SUSD Connects? Email your stories and events to the SUSD Connects team at  susdconnect@stocktonusd.net ! 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!