Education News & Comment
President Obama’s Address to Students Across America September 8, 2009
President Obama's Back-to-School Address to Students Across America LIVE BROADCAST: Tuesday, September 8, 2009 10:00 a.m. Pacific StandardTime http://www.whitehouse.gov/ A Back-to-School Message from Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education: In a recent interview with student reporter and for students in grades 7-12 . These are ideas developed by and for teachers to help engage students and stimulate discussion on the importance of education in their lives. We are also staging a student video contest on education. Details of the video contest will be available on our website http://www.ed.gov/ in the coming weeks. On behalf of all Americans, I want to thank our educators who do society's most important work by preparing our children for work and for life. No other task is more critical to our economic future and our social progress. I look forward to working with you in the months and years ahead to continue improving the quality of public education we provide all of our children.
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President Obama to Deliver Nationally Broadcast Address to Students Sept. 8
U.S. Department of Education Office of Communications & Outreach, Press Office 400 Maryland Ave., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20202 MEDIA ADVISORY EVENT DATE: 1 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009 Contact: Sandra Abrevaya (202) 401-1576 or sandra.abrevaya@ed.gov PRESIDENT OBAMA TO DELIVER NATIONALLY BROADCAST ADDRESS TO STUDENTS ON SEPT. 8 The President will deliver a speech about the importance of persisting and succeeding in school on Sept. 8, the first day of school for many children across America. The Department of Education is encouraging educators, students and parents to use this opportunity to help students get focused and begin the school year strong. The speech will be broadcast live on www.whitehouse.gov at 1 p.m. EDT. The Department of Education has also asked a group of U.S. Department of Education Teaching Ambassador Fellows to develop some suggested classroom activities around the speech to help engage students and stimulate discussion on the importance of education in their lives. The suggested classroom activities will be available on www.ed.gov. Here's how the President described the speech in a recent interview with 11 year-old reporter Damon Weaver yesterday: "On Sept. 8, when young people across the country will have just started or are about to go back to school, I'm going to be making a big speech to young people all across the country about the importance of education, the importance of staying in school, how we want to improve our education system, and why it's so important for the country. And so I hope everybody tunes in." WHO: President Obama WHAT: Presidential Address To Students WHEN: 1 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009 WHERE: Broadcast live at www.whitehouse.gov
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in the school year strong. I encourage you, your teachers, and students to join me in watching the President deliver this address on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. It will be broadcast live on the White House website www.whitehouse.gov and for students in grades 7-12 . These are ideas developed by and for teachers to help engage students and stimulate discussion on the importance of education in their lives. We are also
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Education News & Comment
staging a student video contest on education. Details of the video contest will be available on our website http://www.ed.gov/ in the coming weeks. On behalf of all Americans, I want to thank our educators who do society's most important work by preparing our children for work and for life. No other task is more critical to our economic future and our social progress. I look forward to working with you in the months and years ahead to continue improving the quality of public education we provide all of our children.
President Obama to Deliver Nationally Broadcast Address to Students Sept. 8
U.S. Department of Education Office of Communications & Outreach, Press Office 400 Maryland Ave., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20202 MEDIA ADVISORY EVENT DATE: 1 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009 Contact: Sandra Abrevaya (202) 401-1576 or sandra.abrevaya@ed.gov PRESIDENT OBAMA TO DELIVER NATIONALLY BROADCAST ADDRESS TO STUDENTS ON SEPT. 8 The President will deliver a speech about the importance of persisting and succeeding in school on Sept. 8, the first day of school for many children across America. The Department of Education is encouraging educators, students and parents to use this opportunity to help students get focused and begin the school year strong. The speech will be broadcast live on www.whitehouse.gov at 1 p.m. EDT. The Department of Education has also asked a group of U.S. Department of Education Teaching Ambassador Fellows to develop some suggested classroom activities around the speech to help engage students and stimulate discussion on the importance of education in their lives. The suggested classroom activities will be available on www.ed.gov. Here's how the President described the speech in a recent interview with 11 year-old reporter Damon Weaver yesterday: "On Sept. 8, when young people across the country will have just started or are about to go back to school, I'm going to be making a big speech to young people all across the country about the importance of education, the importance of staying in school, how we want to improve our education system, and why it's so important for the country. And so I hope everybody tunes in." WHO: President Obama WHAT: Presidential Address To Students WHEN: 1 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009
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Education News & Comment
WHERE: Broadcast live at www.whitehouse.gov
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Louis Yanez PTA VP of Thedore Judah Elementary Honored by SCUSD Board for Outstanding Service
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SCUSD Out of the Loop at John Morse
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SAC City DAC Calendar of Events
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Back to School 101: The 7 step short-cut to school volunteering
August 2, 12:39 PM · Gina Carroll - Houston Parenting Teens Examiner Don't Stress!! Just know when to say 'no' and how to say 'yes'! There is a way to volunteer that transforms a smaller
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You are a working mom with a full-time job or a stay-athome mom with a full-time job. However you spend your day, you feel like you cannot fit another thing in. Then your child's school asks you to volunteer. Research shows that children benefit from their parent’s involvement in school. Children perform better when they know that their parents take part in school activities and are a part of things on-campus. Children of parents who volunteer feel safer and more connected to school. They have a greater sense of belonging. Parents benefit too! When you spend time volunteering at your child’s school, not only are you kept in the loop regarding the school’s goings on, but you also can meet and connect with other parents; keep abreast of the social climate; and let your child see how important his or her education is to you. We parents know intuitively about the value of spending time helping out, but we are sooo busy…and that volunteer request list is sooo long!! It’s hard to fit one more thing in when you feel you are barely able to coordinate getting your child to school in the first place!! There is a way to volunteer that optimizes your time—that is, allows maximum exposure and face time with your child for a minimum time commitment. Here is a seven-point plan for time effective volunteering... SEVEN STEPS TO EASY AND EFFICIENT SCHOOL VOLUNTEERING FOR PARENTS: 1. 3 is the Magic Number. Decide you are going to sign up for three jobs: 1 on-going commitment per year (or The Weekly); 1 one-time big event per year (or The Biggie); and 1 interactive event (with your child) per session (i.e. per quarter, semester, or however your school year is divided) (or The Priority). 2. Stick to These Criteria. When considering where to volunteer, ask these 3 questions: Does the job or task have a quantifiable time commitment? (In other words—can I rely on set hours?); Is it something I already know how to do? (I want to minimize learning and research time, etc, which is often not quantifiable time); and Is it maximum face time with my child or “kudo” worthy ( I am not seeking glory. However, I do want as much interaction with my child as possible or as an alternative, I want a high-profile task by which my child might hear great things about me.)
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CREDO Charter Report
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The Discussion is at DAC!
Less Clock...More Talk!
Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail.
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Education News & Comment
What you gain at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a dog on his own tail. It won't fatten the dog. ~Mark Twain
3. Choose your Niche. An on-going commitment , or the Weekly, is an activity that requires a weekly or monthly time commitment. This can be your biggest time-stealer, so choose an activity in your area of expertise. For all of your choices, you should focus on what you know. But especially the Weekly. Good Choices: Nurse’s Substitute—if you are a RN, LVN or doctor, this is a good choice ONLY if you can choose your time and the duration is set (i.e. one hour per week). Library Assistant. I love to volunteer as a library assistant. As a writer and a bibliophile, I love the library. The library is a central part of the school, lots of student traffic, so I often see my children, their friends and teachers while there. And my child knows where to find me each week while on campus. I choose to work the shift right before carpool because that is an open time for me and it allows me to arrive early and park strategically for carpool. Thus this job meets all of my criteria. Morning carpool duty. This may be a good choice for a working parent, if you can do it once or twice per week. The early hours allow you to get it done before going to the office. It’s good face time with the school community. The early hour commitment makes you a hero. And your child gets to school early.
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Potentially BAD Choices: Mailing Coordinator. This job is usually stuffing envelopes. If this job requires you to be hidden in a back room stuffing envelopes--No way!! However, if it is a one-to-two hour group effort where you stuff-envelopes-while-drinkingmargaritas, then it may be a great one to sign-up for! Any ‘coordinator’ job gets a thumb down unless it is in your area of expertise, or you are an organizational Expert AND a wiz at delegating. 4. Avoid the “Big Event” Traps. When you are choosing your big event, or The Biggie, you still want to choose the part of it that enlists your special skills. Do not agree to be the Chairperson of a Biggie until: (1) you know lots of reliable friends you can call on and (2) the event has been successfully staged for many years prior to your taking it on. Beware of the solicitation phone call. If the PTA president is calling you personally to convince you to take on a chairmanship…RUN!!! If you have the time to “live and breath” a volunteer effort, you probably would not be reading this cheat sheet!! Good Choices: Any isolated part of a Biggie that enlists your special skills.(even if that skill is just blowing up balloons on the day of the event!) Probably Bad Choices: Any chairmanship, unless you have : LOTS of RELIABLE friends; a personal assistant or a secretary ;AND you are on sabbatical! 5. Ask Your Child. When you choose the activities that you will do with your child, or The Priority, do these very important steps: Ask a teacher or another parent in the grade what the key events are for that grade. There is almost always one or two ‘not-to-miss’ events. You MUST find out which events all the parents attend or are expected to attend. I almost missed my son’s kindergarten “Meet Me” project where each child had to make a life-sized cut out portrait of him or herself. Since the children had to have their bodies traced onto a big piece of paper and
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Welcome to the Closing the Achievement Gap Web Site
Closing the Achievement Gap Web Site California Department of Education
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Education News & Comment
then cut it out, they needed help. Every single mother was present and I just happened to overhear another mother talk about it the day before! Thank goodness. There is NOTHING more dramatic than kindergarten disappointment!! Ask your child what events are important to them. Young kids may not have a clue. But older kids can be very specific. Ask them general questions about the kinds of parent volunteer events or times that they value. DO NOT SHOW THEM THE VOLUNTEER LIST, unless you want to have to explain why you will not be attending all of those activities!! Remember, if you are being effectively strategic, your child will feel your presence. Click HERE for Strategic Ways to Say 'Yes' and Great Ways to Say 'No"
Closing the Achievement Gap: Achieving Success for All Students - Get more Business Documents
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6. Use the New Tools. Whether you choose to chair a committee or take on other leadership roles, or you just need to organize your own volunteer commitments, there are fun and free tools on line to help. Check out Volunteerspot.com. Whoohoo! This site makes life so much easier. Volunteer Spot helps you organize and structure you volunteer efforts. It is the go-to place to organize, sign-up, remind and invite volunteers to your effort. This is a chairperson’s secret weapon. It’s a stress-reliever and time-saver. It almost replaces the need for a secretary!! Did I mention, the software is free?!? 7. Be Proactive and Patient. Sign up early. Be proactive, if you can. For example, call the PTA even before the volunteer list is published and ask what is available in your area of expertise. Or if that’s too over-zealous for you, show up early for sign-up day. The point is to get to the lists when the choices of time slot are wide open. Also, be patient with your plan. These suggestions allow you to start out slowly and methodically. Don’t succumb to pressure. You serve best when you feel good about your choices and not over-whelmed by them. Also, If your school does not offer volunteer activity times that allow you to participate, let your PTA or Parent Guild know. It’s hard to give input to these groups unless you are plugged in and have put in some time. But it’s worth the effort. If you find that you are having difficulty, you are likely not alone. As an alternative, you can express your concerns with a teacher and possibly work out some separate volunteer arrangements directly with him or her. Don’t suffer in silence and miss the opportunity to serve your child’s need for you at school. It may appear that I am dismissing the social value of volunteer activities. Sometimes parents volunteer as a way to be socially involved with the school community. Also, some parents find that volunteer tasks allow them to learn and cultivate their own leadership and social skills. Make no mistake-- volunteering is very important and valuable for these purposes. I do not mean to diminish these benefits with my advice. I believe that if you are strategic about your school volunteer work, you can reap all of these benefits. I also believe that the social pressure to participate and over-commit can obscure the top priority of school volunteering, which must always be to serve the interest of your child and student. Happy Back-to-School and Best of Luck!! Copyright 2009 Examiner.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. AuthorGina Carroll is an Examiner from Houston. You can see Gina's articles at: "http://www.Examiner.com/x-4700-Houston-Parenting-Teens-Examiner"
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SAC City DAC #1 Favorite Google Search Parent Rights under NCLB
2009 10% Back to School - escript -
DonorsChoose.org is open to every public school in America
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DonorsChoose.org: An online charity connecting you to classrooms in needSource: www.donorschoose.org -
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From the California Progress Report
Today's California Progress Report August 30 & 31, 2009
CA Prison Agency Takes Step Towards Reform While Assembly Runs Scared The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has been called a lot of things, but never a leader in criminal justice reform. - Natasha Minsker, ACLU of Northern California Are The Tea Party Protest Fading? Are the tea party protest fading? Health Access staffers and allies have been to many Congressional town halls in the last few weeks. - Anthony Wright, Health Access California Costly Inaction on Corrections Reform
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Education News & Comment
Anyone not prepared to support corrections reform legislation must justify that position against the inevitable cost of inaction: K-12 education, higher education, human services, and health care will pay the price if we don’t control corrections costs. - Assemblymember Noreen Evans To This Partisan Irish Catholic, More Change We Can Believe In Watching the pageantry accompanying the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy was striking, touching something way deeper in my heart than I expected. - Mary Lyon Taking An Ax To Forest Protection: Legislature Poised To Weaken Timber Harvest Plans Over the last several months, the environmental community has defeated many legislative attempts to weaken California's environmental protections. - Traci Sheehan, Planning and Conservation League Want more? Dive into the archives.
From the California Progress Report
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PARENTS, TEACHERS, PRINCIPALS AND OUR LEARNING COMMUNITY COMING TOGETHER TO PLAN FOR THE
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To watch the Board of Education meeting live, click HERE Next SCUSD Board of Education Meeting August 20, 2009, 6:30 p.m. Open Session
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Board Meeting Tonight To watch the Board of Education meeting live, click HERE Next Board Meeting
Thursday, Sep 3, 2009 6:30 p.m. Open Session Please Note: All Video of SCUSD Board Meetings are provided to the Public by the Excellent Work of the SCUSD Web Team Click Here to go to the SCUSD Video Page
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