May 13, 2013
5:30 pm- 7:00 pm
Clark Center
487 Fair Oaks Ave
FREE
Join us for a community dialogue and free screening of Bullied, a documentary film that chronicle one student's ordeal at the hands of bullies and offers an inspiring message of hope to those fighting harassment today. Following the film, a panel of students will share their experiences with bullying in middle school and high school. There will also be a community resource fair.
Now is the time to register your child for kindergarten. Your child must be five years old on or before October 1, 2013 to register for kindergarten. If their birthdate falls between October 2 and December 2, 2013, you can register them for Transitional Kindergarten. Register at your local neighborhood school now. Be sure to bring your child’s birth certificate, immunization record and proof of residence.
Riley Nilsen, a Nipomo High School senior, was elected to the highest office of the California Association Future Farmers of America student organization Tuesday, April 23, at the 85th annual California State FFA Leadership Conference.
“When they called my name for president, I was in shock,” Nilsen said.
Nilsen will be the first female from the South Coast Region to fill the state presidency position, said Greg Beard, a regional FFA supervisor.
“It’s a significant individual accomplishment and school accomplishment. It’s indeed an honor.”
The Nipomo FFA chapter, a unit of more than 300 members, completes monthly community service projects, leadership development contests and individual agricultural projects such as horticulture, livestock, landscaping and floriculture projects.
Nilsen, the current chapter and South Coast Region president, has been a Nipomo FFA member since her freshman year.
In her state election effort, a nominating committee interviewed and selected her as a finalist to present a two-minute speech before her FFA peers at the four-day state leadership conference.
More than 5,000 FFA members attended.
“It was so incredible to just run through layers of people cheering for you,” Nilsen said.
Rosemary Cummings, the Nipomo FFA adviser, said a local student has not filled the state president position since Jimmy Pierce of Righetti High School in 2005-06.
“It was overwhelming,” Cummings said. “I always knew Riley had the ability and the talent to be a state officer, but to be put in the highest position ... I was very proud and very
honored to be her adviser.”
As state president, the 18-year-old Nilsen will defer acceptance for one year to Cal Poly where she plans to major in agriculture communications.
Cummings, also an agriculture instructor, said Nilsen’s year of service will include planning and conducting leadership conferences for 76,000 state members, visiting the 358 California FFA chapters and representing California on a national scope.
“It’s all about serving them,” Nilsen said.
The Nipomo student is one of six — including Valerie Canas of Santa Maria High School — selected to serve on the state FFA board.
Nilsen and Canas, who will serve as vice president, will join 49 FFA leaders and their supporting executive teams in a state presidents conference that the U.S. FFA president is scheduled to attend Monday through Friday, July 22 to 26, at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, D.C.
4/26/13
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Times Press Recorder: AGHS Students Bring Home Gold
Arroyo Grande High School seniors Jacobs Otto and Abbie Sandquist won a gold medal for 3D animation during the recent California Leadership and Skills competition earlier this month.
After a great finish during the recent California Leadership and Skills competition, Arroyo Grande High School seniors Jacobs Otto and Abbie Sandquist are heading to the next level of the contest.
Both students won gold medals in the 3D animation category of the statewide event that was held earlier this month in San Diego.
Their first-place win earned the pair a spot at the upcoming National Skills USA Competition, which will be held June 25 to 28 in Kansas City.
The win by Otto and Sandquist also helped to lead the AGHS SkillsUSA team to its sixth state championship in 3D computer animation since 2006, a spokeswoman said.
Also winning medals in 3D animation for the high school team were Josh Bergeon and Jordan Coburn, who walked away from the contest with the silver, and Ryan Odom and Tim Weadon, who took bronze in the category.
In the culinary competition, team member Steve Rogers won the bronze medal. Silver place finished with a score of 765.500 and Rogers had 765.250, the spokeswoman said.
Other AGHS SkillsUSA team winners included: Tristan Bewlwy, who finished seventh in intro to drafting, Anthony Ricker, who ended the technical drafting competition in 10th place, Casey Mack, who finished 13th in architectural design and Nathan Fuhriman, who received a 14th-place finish in technical drafting.
Each contest at the competition is a representation of various occupations, with members competing in occupational tasks while showcasing their knowledge of a particular occupational study, the spokeswoman said.
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry representative working together to ensure America has a skilled work force.
APRIL 20, 2013 12:35 AM • BY MIKE HODGSON/ASSOCIATE EDITOR/MHODGSON@SANTAMARIATIMES.COM
A new mural is brightening up the play area outside the Dana Elementary School kindergarten classroom — and drawing the attention of motorists with its bright colors and bold images.
Jennifer Marsh designed what she calls a “really kindergarten-friendly” mural — a red airplane towing a banner through a blue sky filled with puffy white clouds and a flowerlike sun above round green hills.
Then, in less than four days, she painted it on the south wall of the kindergarten wing facing West Tefft Street.
“My sister helped a little bit, and my dad held the ladder,” Marsh said as she showed the mural to school visitors last week.
“I was out here last night painting ‘kindergarten’ on the banner using the flashlight app on my cell phone for light,” she added. “I wanted to make sure it was done by today.”
But Marsh noted the mural still wasn’t really finished, even after the banner was done.
“My plan is to have the kindergartners come out, two or three at a time, and add to it,” she said. “They can paint whatever they want on it.
“That’s why I chose rolling hills, so they can add flowers or whatever they want,” she added. Marsh, 38, is an interior designer with a degree from Cal State, Fresno.
But she said she has always been involved in art and has painted a number of murals on walls and large canvases for friends.
When her son, Landon, attended the nearby Li’l Bits Preschool, she volunteered to help with art projects there once a week.
“I really enjoy kids doing art,” she said.
Now her son is in kindergarten at Dana, and when she saw a call for mural artists in the school newsletter, she was the only parent to respond.
“It boosts morale for the staff and everybody,” said Dana Principal Stacey Russell as a crowd of staff, students and visitors admired Marsh’s handiwork.
But her mural isn’t the first one to go up at Dana, nor will it be the last.
Marsh said the goal is to create a mural for every grade at the school, and she plans to paint another one on a wall overlooking a garden and outdoor teaching area near.
Even as she spoke, artist Ethel “Tink” Landers, who recently painted a mural inside the Dana cafeteria, was working on murals at the end of two other classroom wings.
“I want to encourage more seniors and volunteers to get out here and help,” Landers said. “You don’t have to be an artist to help. If you can use a (paint) roller or a blower or a shop vac, you can help. We need someone to clean up all the paint chips and stuff.
“You also don’t need to have one of these here,” she laughed, gesturing at a passing group of Dana students gazing at her mural art.
She noted volunteers are also needed to repaint the eaves of classrooms, adding, “We can get the paint if we can get someone to paint them.”
In addition to brightening up the campus, Landers and Marsh both hope to stimulate an interest in art among the students.
The murals seem to be doing just that.
“After I finished up most of the mural and was driving away, I looked back down at the mural,” Marsh said, pointing toward West Tefft Street.
“This little girl had put her hands up, like she was hugging it,” she said. “That’s all I needed, was one little kid.”
How to help
Volunteers are needed to help paint murals, clean up after the artists and scrape and paint eaves at Dana Elementary School.
No experience or special equipment is needed. Paint is supplied by Lucia Mar Unified School District and the Dana Elementary PTA.
Santa Maria Times: AGHS students unveil new mascot
AGHS students unveil new mascot
APRIL 20, 2013 12:45 AM • BY LAUREN FOREMAN/STAFF WRITER/LFOREMAN@SANTAMARIATIMES.COM
Arroyo Grande High School students showcased a new mascot costume Friday as a token of appreciation to law enforcement and city officials for installing a new crosswalk.
Students, school and Lucia Mar Unified School District administrators met city and law enforcement officials at Station Way and Fair Oaks Avenue on Friday.
A life-sized eagle, which students named Chester, led the group across Station Way at the Fair Oaks intersection Friday in a celebratory strut.
“This is kind of a new thing for me,” said Garrett Ball, the student engulfed in feathers.
Garrett, a junior at Arroyo Grande High School researched costume options and ordered the $1,000 eagle costume after students searched for a replacement for about two years.
“The old one was kind of gross in the inside,” Garrett said Kathleen Schwind, a student government spokeswoman, said the new costume, covered from head to talon with feathers, is lined with an interior fan and features a custom-selected blue color.
“We haven’t gotten a new mascot in over a decade,” she said.
Associated Student Body (ASB) members said the replacement costume was long overdue.
“I love it,” Kelsey Hitchen, the ASB treasurer, said. “It’s completely different than the ones we’ve had in the past.”
She said the former costume was navy, covered with fabric petals and stopped at about her calf.
“It’s really exciting to have something new,” Kelsey said.
Tom Butler, principal at Arroyo Grande High, said the new mascot would provide students an extra jolt of school pride.
“It’s part of high school, being able to rally around your school,” he said.
Arroyo Grande students organized the Friday unveiling to thank school and city officials for a new crosswalk complete with a crossing guard.
Steve Adams, Arroyo Grande city manager, said the $18,000 crosswalk was installed during spring break.
“This was a partnership between the school district and the city,” he said.
Jim Hogeboom, Lucia Mar superintendent, said the school district funded the crossing guard — about $3,000 for the remainder of the school year.
John Waco, a substitute teacher, said he has been serving as the temporary crossing guard until the district fills the position in about a week.
“It’s been really great,” Waco said. “I really enjoy it.”
“I enjoy it because of the interaction with the students,” he added.
Adams holds Arroyo Grande students in high regard.
“We have such great kids in Arroyo Grande,” he said. “And for them to take the initiative and show appreciation, it speaks a lot to the quality of our youth.”
LUCIA MAR UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Date: April 23, 2013
To: Jim Hogeboom, Superintendent
From: Andy Stenson, Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum and Instruction
Subject: Report, Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Pilot Results
Background:
A randomly selected sample of 99 fifteen year-old Arroyo Grande High School students participated in the PISA Pilot International Assessment (PISA) in 2012. Tom Butler, AGHS Principal, and I will provide a report outlining the results of the test. Mr. Butler will also detail how the results inform professional learning for the AGHS staff.
The full 160 page PISA report, entitled “How Your School Compares Internationally”, was prepared by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OELD), and is available online under the Curriculum Department at:
http://www.lmusd.org/education/dept/dept.php?sectiondetailid=252&
Students back trumpet player’s effort to fund clean water in Ethiopia
BY LAUREN FOREMAN/STAFF
WRITER/LFOREMAN@SANTAMARIATIMES.COM
Roy Wiegand, a trumpet player in Burbank, is crossing the midpoint in a 250-mile running campaign called “250 miles for 250 Lives,” to raise $10,000 for water sanitation in Ethiopia.
As of Wednesday, Wiegand had collected $8,204 - $400 of which came from Harloe Elementary School in the Lucia Mar Unified School District.
Another $1,116 donation came from Los Ranchos Elementary School in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District.
Harloe Elementary students supported Wiegand as part of a “hero theme” endorsed in several classrooms and incorporated into a performance in the school’s talent show.
The money raised in conjunction with nonprofit Lifewater International will provide clean water for 250 people in Ethiopia.
“Forty dollars can give one person a lifetime of clean water,” he said.
On Tuesday, a group of about 36 Harloe sixth-graders greeted Wiegand by performing what they called a hero dance.
“We would like to dedicate our performance to Roy, a true hero,” said Danielle Scudder, an 11-year-old Harloe student.
Students in first- through sixth-grade classrooms sprawled across a grass-covered field on the K-6th grade campus.
Levi Spriggs, 7, said he turned in pennies and raced ahead of other students as part of the first-grade classroom that raised the most money, and had the opportunity to run with Wiegand along the school’s outdoor track.
“It made me feel happy to give people new water,” Levi said.
Wiegand peddled a three-wheel buggy to both Harloe and Los Ranchos elementary schools Tuesday. He said a friend of his, Tim Borland, had pushed a similar stroller in 2007 to raise awareness for a rare childhood disease (ataxia-telangiectasia).
Borland ran 14,000 miles in more than two dozen states. He used the stroller to push children with ataxia-telangiectasia along the way. But Wiegand, 49, toted a 5-gallon jug of brown, contaminated water - drinking water in Ethiopia, he said.
Susannah Masur, a public relations manager with UNICEF, includes Ethiopia in a list of countries with little access to safe water.
“There are hundreds of countries where people don’t have access to clean drinking water,” Masur said in a phone interview.
She listed Somalia, Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“What a little bit of pocket change can do in a (developing) country can transform someone’s life with clean water,” Wiegand said.
Wiegand finished the first 20 miles of his 250-mile trek Sunday and is continuing to run daily in about 30 mile spans from Cambria to the Rose Bowl, where he plans to finish April 21.
He has participated in running and biking campaigns since 2011 and earned $12,669 for Lifewater International sanitation efforts. This year Wiegand chose to donate proceeds to Ethiopia in what he said would be his longest running endeavor.
In rural areas of Ethiopia, women and children walk miles to access water, usually carrying 40-pound containers back to their villages.
In 2010, the most recently available data year, 44 percent of the total population and 34 percent of the population in rural areas of Ethiopia had access to safe water, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
The Tribune: Arroyo Grande and SLO students pump funds into clean-water effort for Lifewater International
Roy Wiegand, who is running 250 miles to raise money and awareness for clean water wells in third-world countries, is greeted by Harloe Elementary students before the start of his day of running.
For a few moments Tuesday morning, 9-year-old Tessa Lewis balanced a 40-pound jug of dirty water in her arms and then tried to imagine carrying it for two miles or more.
“That would be hard,” said Lewis, a third-grade student at Harloe Elementary School in Arroyo Grande.
She and dozens of her peers gathered to meet a Southern California man who is running from San Luis Obispo to Pasadena — about 250 miles — to raise money and awareness for a local nonprofit that helps people in developing countries access clean water.
Fourteen classes at Harloe Elementary raised $400 to donate to Roy Wiegand of Burbank, who will pass the proceeds along to San Luis Obispo-based Lifewater International.
Wiegand, 49, hopes to raise $10,000 for Lifewater’s work in Ethiopia. On Monday, he visited Los Ranchos Elementary School in San Luis Obispo, where students had raised $1,116.
Wiegand arrived at Harloe Elementary to cheers, pushing a specially made stroller containing a clear jug full of dirty water to symbolize “the fact that 780 million people globally still don’t have access to safe water,” according to Lifewater International.
Some women and children have to walk several miles to find water that is often not potable, according to the nonprofit.
Wiegand also showed students a smaller bottle filled with dirty water that was brought back from Ethiopia, adding “this is what ends up in ponds or streams.”
Third-grader Elijah Carlson, 9, also had a chance to heave the jug into his arms.
“It’s heavy,” he said. “I’m surprised that kids can even carry it. Their arms must ache a lot.”
The money raised by Harloe students, Wiegand said, will give 10 people access to clean water for the rest of their lives.
“Guess how many lives you saved with that money,” he told students. “Ten lives.”
Then, Wiegand ran a lap with a group of eager first-graders from Sandee Sistek’s class, which had raised the most in donations.
Several students said the experience showed them how important it is to have clean water and why they should work to conserve it.
“I realized how lucky we are to have so much water,” said sixth-grader Danielle Scudder, 11. “I find myself taking shorter showers. If I don’t finish a bottle (of water), I don’t throw it away. I fill it up and save it for tomorrow.”
For more information about Wiegand’s run, go to www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/roy-wiegand/roys-run. He has raised money for Lifewater for several years; last year, he ran 110 miles in 24 hours, raising $7,000.
Cynthia Lambert and Gayle Cuddy write the South County Beat column on alternating Wednesdays. Reach Cynthia Lambert at 781-7929. Stay updated by following @SouthCountyBeat on Twitter.
4/15/13
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Skills USA Finds Great Success at State Competiton
April 12, 2013
After a great finish at the State SkillsUSA Competition, Jacobs Otto and Abbie Sandquist are heading to the National Leadership and Skills Conference.
Otto and Sandquist finished with a gold medal in the 3D Animation category at the California Leadership & Skills Conference. Gold medal winners at the state level advance to the National Leadership and Skills Conference held in Kansas City in June 25-28, 2013. The AGHS SkillsUSA team has now won six state championships in 3D computer animation since 2006.
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry representatives, working together to ensure America has a skilled work force.
Each contest is a representation of various occupations, with members competing in occupational tasks and knowledge of their particular occupational study.
Also winning medals in 3D animation were, Josh Bergeon and Jordan Coburn, who finished the competition with a silver medal as well as the team of Ryan Odom and Tim Weadon, who finished with the bronze.
In the Culinary competition, Steve Rogers won the bronze medal. Silver place finished with a score of 765.500 and Rogers had 765.250. It was a close competition.
Other winners included Tristan Bewlwy who finished seventh in Intro to Drafting. Anthony Ricker ended the Technical Drafting competition in 10th place. Casey Mack finished Architectural Design in 13th place. And Nathan Fuhriman received a 14th place in Technical Drafting.
A longtime South County teacher will be honored for her years of service to the community — particularly its children — at the Grover Beach City Council meeting Monday night, April 15.
The public is invited to see Theaola Lynn receive a Mayor’s Commendation at the meeting scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers of City Hall, 154 S. Eighth St.
Mayor Debbie Peterson instituted the award to recognize residents and citizens who have substantially contributed time and resources to Grover Beach.
“Theaola Lynn more than fits the criteria, having taught school locally for 70 years,” Peterson said.
“Mrs. Lynn had an uncanny ability to keep a whole room of 6-year-olds quietly engaged with their schoolwork,” Peterson said. “Not only was she always ready with a warm hug, a smile and words of encouragement for my son and me, she always cheered me on in community service.”
Lynn’s late husband, Woody, was one of the city’s longest-sitting council members, serving for almost 16 years, from 1970 to 1985.
The Lynns traveled from Oklahoma to California in the 1950s, and Theaola was immediately hired as a teacher.
She and Woody both earned teaching degrees at Fresno State College — now California State University, Fresno — and Woody eventually earned a master’s degree in general education at Cal Poly.
After their two daughters were born, the family made weekend visits to what was then Grover City and soon relocated to the South County.
They first settled in Pismo Beach, then in the late ’50s moved to a Grover City home just a few doors from where Theaola now lives.
She began teaching kindergarten, first- and second-grade students in Oceano when there were three separate school districts for Arroyo Grande, Oceano and Pismo Beach, which included Grover City.
The three eventually became part of Lucia Mar Unified School District.
In the meantime, as a councilman, Woody worked to get curbs and gutters constructed along what is now West Grand Avenue and initiate mandatory garbage collection, Theaola said.
The couple were married for 55 years until Woody’s death.
After she retired, Theaola was a regular substitute teacher at Grover Heights Elementary School.
But when the economy worsened and nearly 100 teachers were threatened with layoffs, she quit teaching after 70 years.
Theaola said she quit because she was doing it “for fun,” whereas others really needed the job financially.
4/09/13
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SM Times: AGHS outperforms similar US schools in pilot test
AGHS outperforms similar US schools in pilot test
Scores aim to show schools how to compete internationally
Students at Arroyo Grande High School outperformed those across the nation in a pilot test used for international comparison.
Results released last week served as a first look at a benchmarking mechanism that will — starting this fall — allow schools in the U.S. to compare themselves to high-performing schools abroad.
National PTA President Betsy Landers said in an April 3 news release that the comparison aligns with Common Core State Standards, a shift in curriculum that is said to promote critical thinking and deeper understanding.
She said international comparison would provide valuable information for families and schools.
“Armed with this information, parents and educators can advocate for more rigorous classwork benchmarked to the new common core state standards that will ultimately position our students to succeed in a competitive, global job market,” Landers said.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organization of 34 countries, coordinates the Program for International Student Assessment and in 2012 joined forces with the education nonprofit America Achieves to conduct the pilot test that was participated in by 105 U.S. schools, including Arroyo Grande.
Each of the schools received a report from the OECD identifying strengths, weaknesses and strategies for improvement. Results were based on math and science data disaggregated by economic and social advantage from the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).
Arroyo Grande High School is in the lowest quarter or most disadvantaged of the socioeconomic advantage categories. Thirty-nine percent of students receive free or reduced price lunch. The student population is represented as 32 percent Hispanic, 61 percent white and 7 percent other ethnicities.
Despite being significantly more disadvantaged than the U.S. average, Arroyo Grande student results are “much better than those of students from similar socioeconomic backgrounds in the U.S., especially in science,” according to OECD results.
Arroyo Grande High School Principal Tom Butler said a group of 100, 15-year-old students participated in the pilot test that measured their ability to apply reading, mathematics and science knowledge last spring.
“What was nice for us is this gives us a really big look at how we’re doing compared to other countries,” Butler said.
The OECD feedback highlights Arroyo Grande’s professional development model and a school-based Instructional Leadership Team comprised of teacher-leaders that teachers and administrators say promotes mutual observation, collaboration and reflective practice.
Butler said high-achieving schools in Shanghai, China, are focusing on teacher leadership. “And so are we at Arroyo Grande High School,” he said.
The OECD and America Achieves compiled local results into U.S. totals and compared schools internationally according to demographic breakdowns.
An analysis entitled Middle Class and Middle of the Pack concluded that in the U.S., while the need for educational improvement in low-income communities exists, the need also extends deeply into America’s middle class.
U.S. students in the second to top quarter of socio-economic advantage lag behind their international peers and were significantly outperformed by 24 countries and regions in math and 15 in science.
Arroyo Grande, Calif.- Mike Thomas, lead custodian at Arroyo Grande High School, has been named the Classified Employee of the Year by the Lucia Mar Chapter of the California School Employees Association (CSEA). Mike Thomas also serves as the Chapter President of the CSEA.
Members of the CSEA Bargaining Unit nominate fellow employees for the honor. Then a committee made up of three past recipients, the Chapter President and the Chapter Secretary narrow down the nominations. The employee’s supervisor and the district personnel office also provide input. And this morning Mike Thomas was surprised by the announcement.
Thomas was nominated by Deanna Teixeira who says, ”He always has a cheerful attitude and is eager to help in any way he can. As soon as someone calls him, he is on it! No matter where he is, he says he’ll take care of it, and he does. He has made himself available 24/7, does not know the word “no,” and never acts like it is an inconvenience to help.”
Michelle Ellis, the Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources, adds, “I have had the pleasure of working with Mike Thomas over the past four years. I appreciate the genuine care and concern he has for his bargaining unit members, and the work he does on their behalf. I have an excellent working relationship with Mike and because of that we have worked to creatively solve a variety of issues before they became “problems”. He is a man of honor, is dedicated to his family, and serves as an excellent role model for other district employees.”
Congratulations Mike Thomas and thanks for everything you do!
4/02/13
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Agriculture and Career Technical Education Ribbon Cutting
Arroyo Grande High School
495 Valley Road, Arroyo Grande
Thursday, May 9, 2013 ~ 4 to 6 p.m.
Student-led tours ~ Demonstrations ~ Culinary Arts Sampling
4/01/13
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SM Times: National Merit Finalist
APRIL 01, 2013 12:25 AM • BY LAUREN FOREMAN / STAFF WRITER / LFOREMAN@SANTAMARIATIMES.COM
Three Arroyo Grande High School students earned National Merit Finalist designations that could mean hundreds or thousands of dollars in scholarship funding.
Kyle Berlin, 17, Joanne Crandall, 17, and Joseph Simonian, 18, are the only local high school students honored as finalists in the National Merit Scholarship program this year.
Eileen Artemakis, director of public information with the National Merit program, said it had been more than 10 years since Arroyo Grande had three or more finalists, and National Merit finalists represent less than 1 percent of graduating seniors in the U.S.
But Thursday college acceptance notifications grabbed the attention of the three students, who were glued to cellphones.
"It's Ivy Day today," Joseph said.
He defined the occasion as the day when Ivy League colleges and universities extended acceptance notifications. Between the three honor students, good news from the premier schools trickled in, totaling more than 20 acceptances.
They celebrated and congratulated each other but agreed that the type of university a student attends is not indicative of character.
"It's all about the choices you make," Kyle said. "You are your choices."
Tom Butler, principal at Arroyo Grande High School attended an award ceremony for the National Merit finalists in the Georgie O'Connor Board Room on Thursday.
"We're just very proud of these students," he said the day before the event.
Laura Wade, an Advanced Placement coordinator at AGHS, said Kyle, Joanne and Joseph had taken 42 Advanced Placement (AP) exams between the three of them.
"I thought that was pretty impressive," she said.
Wade teaches a pre-AP English course, the first in a four-year vertically aligned program. She has instructed Kyle, Joanne and Joseph throughout their time at Arroyo Grande.
She said each of the students is special in his or her own right.
Joanne was a member of the Five Cities Diversity Coalition, formed after a cross was burned March 18 in a vacant lot adjacent to the home of a mixed-race family on South Elm Street.
Wade said Joanne circulated petitions to demonstrate community support for the family.
Kyle, involved in debate and speech activities, placed first in the 2013 California Destination Imagination improvisation competition. He and team member, Kelly Barrett, earned a trip to the international competition in Tennessee from May 22 to 26.
"Joseph, he is an incredible mathematician," Wade said. He earned a perfect 36 on the ACT and taught himself the content for a Physics C AP class, which is not a course offering at AGHS.
Grace Lalanne, 9, read the first words of a personal narrative titled “My Grandma” to a crowd of writing award winners Thursday in the Clark Center for the Performing Arts in Arroyo Grande.
“I can remember the day my grandma fell. It was when I was in preschool,” she said.
“Falling and breaking bones wasn’t the problem. It was after this,” Grace added later.
She is one of 188 finalists in the Lucia Mar Unified School District who were honored in the Dr. Becca Wachtmann writing awards ceremony Thursday.
Andy Stenson, Lucia Mar assistant superintendent for curriculum, gave the opening at the event.
“If you’re sitting in this room tonight, then you certainly without a doubt represent the best of the best,” he said.
Students — such as Gavin Marin, 6; Noleka Sandlin, 10; and Taylor Jones, 8 — created works in the categories of expository writing, poetry, imaginative narratives or personal experience narratives.
Grace had written a personal experience narrative about her grandmother, Arvie Lalanne, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease about five years ago.
She described in the narrative the initial incident that led to her diagnosis and later unraveled a series of both comical and serious incidents about the process of finding the right nursing home and worsening effects of the disease.
“By now I had gotten used to my grandma not knowing who I am,” Grace read.
She ended the piece with the family’s latest visit to see her grandmother in December. Her memory had worsened.
Marc Lalanne, Grace’s father and a math teacher at Arroyo Grande High School, said the experience was especially difficult for his oldest son, Evan.
“It was the first time that she had never recognized him, and he just lost it,” Marc Lalanne said.
“I was in tears and so was my brother,” Grace wrote. “My grandma is still there. Now I guess I’m going to have to fight through this slow, hard death of someone I love.”
3/29/13
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KSBY: Central Coast New Tech Awards
Central Coast New Tech High School in Nipomo rolled out the red carpet Friday for its own students.
Students showed off the movies they made as part of a "CSI" project.
Their assignment was to track down the culprit who stole "Rosy" the snake from science teacher Kurt Payne's classroom.
The students narrowed the suspects down to three or four possible thieves, then used DNA to identify the final suspect.
Some Arroyo Grande High School students are among the best in the nation.
Four were named National Merit Semi-Finalists and three are advancing to the finals.
The finalists are Kyle Berlin, Joanne Crandall and Joseph Simonian.
The semi-finalist is Janelle Dunn.
High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
"Yes, I've been studying hard," said AGHS senior Kyle Berlin. "In the future, I want to do something that hopefully I enjoy doing and hopefully will give back to the planet."
About 1.5 million students enter every year.
The group of finalists represents less than 1% of U.S. high school graduating seniors.
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif- School districts are in trouble across the state when it comes to their budgets. Four local school districts could be in even worse shape. The State Superintendent said those districts may not meet their financial obligations for the fiscal year.
The four San Luis Obispo County School Districts on a list sent out by the State Superintendent are considered qualified. Atascadero Unified, Paso Robles Joint Unified, San Miguel Joint Union and Shandon Joint Unified. The Lucia Mar School District was on that list for five years. It was a difficult five years according to the district, and it said it had to act fast in order to avoid even deeper cuts in the future.
"As a response to that we made pretty huge personnel cuts in terms of lay offs, and we were one of the few districts that did it right after receiving that bad news," said Assistant Superintendent Raynee Daly. Over the last 5 years the Lucia Mar Unified School District has worked to become fiscally conservative, and like many schools, it had to do more with less. "We had fewer teachers so that would result in an increase in class sizes, it would also result in a decrease in some kinds of services like counselors," said Daly.
Funding for schools has continually been slashed and the district tried to find a way to live with it. "For the last 3 years, we at the end of the year had not deficit spent, so we have lived within our means in this terrible time of the states budget," said Daly. School districts around SLO County that are on the list have tried various ways to become stable.
At Paso Robles Unified School District, it's agreed to cut district staff salaries by almost 5 percent. At San Miguel Joint Unified School District, it cut the school year by 5 days, all in hopes of becoming stable, like Lucia Mar. "Now that we are stable we can relax a little bit and say ok if there are classroom supplies or paper that you need for your classroom we don't have to watch it quite as carefully because we can give the principal the opportunity to be the leaders that they are and better serve our kids," said Daly.
KSBY Video: Central Coast New Tech High School Museum Night
KSBY: Central Coast New-Tech High School students took a step back in time.
Wednesday night they turned their campus into a World War One museum.
Students put what they're learning in class into action. It took them a few weeks to build.
They created different exhibits about the great war and they're acting as docents to visitors.
Freshman Abigail Pole worked on the project. She told KSBY News, "Now I am seeing all the people appreciating it, everyone is happy, we're all smiling. It makes me feel real good, just to know that all the work we put into this is really reaping rewards and I will remember this a lot better than I will memorizing facts for a test."
Their goal was to capture the causes and consequences of WWI. Projects ranged from digital components like photo essays, to literary ones like letters from soldier's perspectives.
Jim Gentilucci Ph. D. talks about Central Coast New Tech High School located in Nipomo, CA. The Central Coast New Tech High School model integrates high-tech teaching methods with project-based learning, similar to Cal Poly's "Learn by Doing" philosophy. Upon graduation, New Tech students will have completed college courses, given more than 200 multimedia presentations, completed internships, performed community service, worked on real-world projects, and have a digital resume portfolio. http://www.centralcoastnewtech.org http://www.facebook.com/LuciaMarUnified
5/09/12
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High-Tech Classroom Coming to Lucia Mar
Gen7 Classrooms Bring Technology of Tomorrow to Central Coast New Tech High Nipomo, CA, May 9, 2012 - Gen7 ultra-green classrooms will arrive at Central Coast New Tech High School on Thursday, bringing an innovative approach to sustainability and education to students in the Lucia Mar School District. Designed to pursue LEED Silver certification, the state-of-the-art classrooms will provide a new wing of permanent, high-performance learning space, plus an eco-friendly restroom building. Delivered 90% complete, the Gen7s will be installed onsite in just one day and ready for occupancy on August 16, 2012.
Gen7's adaptable modular design was a cost-effective solution for Central Coast New Tech High, one of 12 California schools in the New Tech Network. The oversized 40x40 classrooms are designed to support the school's project-based curriculum, as well as room for two classes to allow for interdisciplinary instruction with two classroom teachers.
"Gen7 classrooms give kids an innovative context for learning," said Jim Hogeboom, Superintendent, Lucia Mar Unified School District. "Students not only will learn in these high-tech classrooms, they will also learn from the building itself, helping them to apply sustainability practices to the real world and effectively use the resources around them to solve environmental challenges and succeed in the 21st century global economy."
Gen7 mirrors New Tech's model for educational innovation and excellence, combining recycled materials with the latest smart technology to create a healthy, comfortable and energy-efficient place to learn. Each classroom features high-efficiency systems, large low-E view windows, skylights and a
dedicated outdoor ventilation system that circulates 100% fresh, filtered air. The improved air quality, whisper-quiet acoustics and abundant natural light have been shown to boost student productivity and performance, while reducing illness and absenteeism among students and teachers.
It all adds up to ongoing savings that help Gen7 recoup its costs over time, while serving as a hands-on teaching tool that gives students a valuable lesson in the benefits of environmental stewardship.
" A 21st Century environment enhances 21st Century learning," said Erin Inglish, Sustainability Coordinator for LMUSD. "Gen7's sustainable materials, superior air quality and optimized energy performance will allow LMUSD to do more than create a new kind of classroom; it offers a better, more cost-effective, more progressive educational space for our students."
The Gen7 installation will take place on Thursday, May 10, at the south end of the Nipomo High School campus, located at 525 N. Thompson Road. Representatives from LMUSD and Gen7/AMS will be onsite to answer questions from 8 AM until 2 PM.
5/09/12
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Superintendent Message: Day of the Teacher
Day of the Teacher
Everyone remembers their favorite teachers, even though for many of us that time in school was so very long ago! For me one of my most special teachers was Mrs. Neuman, my fifth grade teacher at Rancho Romero School. She was one of those gruff on the exterior but so kind and caring on the inside teachers, and she pushed me to excel and to reach my full potential. I remember my mom insisting that Mrs. Neuman come over for lunch one day, and even though my friends all called me a teacher's pet for weeks afterwards, I still was more than willing to withstand the teasing to be in the presence of such a supportive and loving teacher. I always did my best work for her, and never wanted to disappoint her. She was able to get us all excited about learning, and this passion led us to produce results that otherwise would not have been possible. I also sat next to a little curly haired girl named Gwen in that class, who is now my wife, so that could have something to do with that being a magical time in my life as well!
So the "Day of the Teacher" is really the year of the teacher, and the contributions you make and the impact you all have on your students can last a lifetime. Never underestimate the power you have to change the life of a student. One word, one look, one hug can make all the difference in the world to a child, and you never know when a kindness or a supportive thing you did and never even realized it had a dramatic effect on one of your students. You are all working so hard and very long hours, and have so many challenges and expectations to meet these days, but I hope you remember how important you are in the life of a child and that there is no other job that can have the same impact as yours does.
On behalf of all of the children who never had the opportunity to tell you, THANK YOU for all you do and for the positive influence you have on your students. You should be so proud to call yourself a teacher!!
-Jim
5/08/12
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AGHS ranked among best high schools by U.S. News and World Report
Lucia Mar Bright Futures Awarded LEGO® Education Showcase Grant
Students and community invited to build a city of the future
at the first-ever LEGO Education Showcase Event!
Students from 10 Bright Futures Schools in the Lucia Mar Unified School DIstrict will be building a city in the future on Saturday May 12th from 9am - 11am using LEGO creativity! Harloe Elementary will be hosting the LEGO Education Showcase Event at 901 Fair Oaks Ave. Arroyo Grande.
The Showcase Event is a customizable building activity that sparks creativity in participants by allowing them to use their imaginations to create LEGO models around a theme. The theme for this event is for teams to build a city of the future out of Legos. Students will work in teams to create their futuristic city. The event will begin with the Arroyo Grande Robotics team doing a presentation about their Robotics Club and demonstrating their robots.
The LEGO Education Showcase Grant was made available through Education Blueprints Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing learning resources and programs that deliver education solutions to individuals, teachers, and students. Only 100 LEGO Education Showcase Grants were available nation-wide.
4/19/12
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Alan November Visits Lucia Mar
The Lucia Mar Foundation for Innovation and Cal Poly sponsored an informative set of talks from Alan November, an international leader in educational technology on April 18, 2012 at the Lucia Mar Student Services building and the Clark Center. November engaged three different audiences with humor and practical insights into using technology to develop 21st century skills. The morning session consisted of an informal roundtable with teachers and principals from every school in the district. Alan demonstrated tools for professional development, discovering, evaluating, and organizing information. He also offered advice on participant's questions, a sample teacher lesson, and the district's 21st century skills effort. At Faculty Forum in the afternoon Alan gave simple, effective tips for web searching and showcased examples of students as contributors to their learning environment. Several educators from Cal Poly also attended the Forum. In the evening the Central Coast ED Tech 21 event provided parents, students, and community members with a Parent's Guide to 21st Century Learning and survival tips for using social media, search tips, internet research, and critical thinking. Everyone walked away with insights to think about and techniques to try. And thanks to the Lucia Mar Foundation for Innovation several random participants also walked away with gift cards to local stores.
This FREE event is being brought to you by Cal Poly and the Lucia Mar Foundation for Innovation. Central Coast ED Tech 21: Surviving and Getting Ahead in the Digital Ageis a great opportunity for parents, students, and educators to learn the latest and greatest in the field of education technology. November is a renowned leader in international education technology and innovation.
Topics that will be covered: Social media pros and cons, most effective internet research methods, critical thinking online, and where's technology going and how to prepare. Admission is free, but seating is limited and will be on a first come first serve basis. This event is open to the public, so please feel free to invite others and share the news!Thanks and we hope to see you there! You can email rforan@lmusd.orgwith questions.
Alan November is an international leader in education technology. He began his career as an oceanography teacher and dorm counselor at an island reform school for boys in Boston Harbor. While Alan was a computer science teacher in Lexington, MA, he was probably the first teacher in the world to have a student project on line in 1984, a database for the handicapped. He has been director of an alternative high school, computer coordinator, technology consultant and university lecturer. He has helped schools, governments and industry leaders improve the quality of education through technology.
Audiences enjoy Alan's humor and wit as he pushes the boundaries of how to improve teaching and learning. His areas of expertise include planning across curriculum, staff development, new school design, community building and leadership development. He has delivered keynotes and workshops in all fifty states, across Canada and throughout the UK, Europe, Asia and Central America.
Alan was named one of the nation's fifteen most influential thinkers of the decade by Technology and Learning Magazine. In 2001, he was listed one of eight educators to provide leadership into the future by the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse. In 2007 he was selected to speak at the Cisco Public Services Summit during the Nobel Prize Festivities in Stockholm, Sweden. His writing includes numerous articles and two best-selling books, Empowering Students with Technology and Web Literacy for Educators. Alan was co-founder of the Stanford Institute for Educational Leadership Through Technology and is most proud of being selected as one of the original five national Christa McAuliffe Educators.
Each summer Alan leads the Building Learning Communities summer conference with world-class presenters and international participants. Visit http://novemberlearning.com/blcfor more details.
CentralCoast New Tech High School is now accepting registration from students outside of the Lucia Mar Unified School District for the 2012-2013 school year. Central Coast New Tech High School, located in Nipomo, is centered around project-based learning which encourages engagement, teamwork, and creativity for its students who work on real-world projects and issues.
"Some people have described Central Coast New Tech High School as a private education that's completely free," said Lucia Mar Unified School District Superintendent Jim Hogeboom. "This new high school will give students who want to be more engaged and involved with their learning an opportunity to do that in a small school setting. Parents are very excited, and so are we."
LuciaMar Unified School Districtgave priority registration status to its own students first, but with limited spots available the school is now accepting applications from students outside of the district who will be entering the ninth grade next year. The inaugural class for Central Coast New Tech High School is projected to have 150 students. Each subsequent year the school will add another class with approximately 125 students.
The Central Coast New Tech High School model integrates high-tech teaching methods with project-based learning, similar to Cal Poly's "Learn by Doing" philosophy. Upon graduation, New Tech students will have completed college courses, given more than 200 multimedia presentations, completed internships, performed community service, completed a senior project, worked on real-world projects, and have a digital resume portfolio. There are currently 87 New Tech High Schools in 16 states.
For more information you can call (805) 474-3000 or email ccnth@lmusd.org
3/16/12
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Green Schools Committee Invite
I am writing you today to invite LMUSDstaff, teachers, parents, PTA/PTO, students, and community to become a part of the landmark green schools movement taking place in our county. Please allow me to introduce myself - I am the Sustainability Coordinator for the Lucia Mar Unified School District. For the past 18 months, I have been working in the Facilities, Maintenance Operations Department within LMSUD to develop sustainability strategies for the district that span from energy conservation, waste management, and ITS measures that have saved our district hundreds of thousands of dollars, to interest-free financing for energy-efficiency related facilities upgrades, to obtaining sustainability-related grants that go directly to the classrooms, to environmental education in the classroom, to innovative curriculum opportunities, and more. "Green Schools" efforts are taking place or at least being talked about at every school in our county - and I believe that we all could greatly benefit by sharing our stories, resources, ideas, successes - especially with local folks! We need all possible stakeholders (including staff, PTA's, PTO's, parents and community members) to be involved.
Locally in San Luis Obispo County, there is an organization dedicated to the health, well-being, and sustainability of buildings and building occupants - the USGBC (United States Green Building Council) Central Coast of California Chapter (C4), and the USGBC C4 committee focused on schools - the Green Schools Committee - is currently seeking additional members. This is a very active committee that brings together leaders in the green schools movement around the county, and as one of many professionals who are part of this movement, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have representation and participation from all of our school districts. This committee fosters collaboration between school districts and other stakeholders, sleuths out opportunities for grants, partnerships, information sharing and more, and is a platform for truly making an impact in the schools of our county.
As an employee of LMSUDwho is very active in sustainability initiatives, I really believe all stakeholders in our districtwould both benefit from being part of this committee as well as be able to provide essential input regarding our efforts as a group. The other members of this committee include professionals from other school districts, the County Office of Education, the Integrated Waste Management Authority, the Air Pollution Control District, Cal Poly, SLO Green Build, Cuesta College, and many renewable energy and architectural firms.
With this said, I would like to invite you to attend our 2012 launch meeting:
DATE: March 20th, 2012
TIME: 4:00 PM
PLACE: RRM Design Group, 3765 S. Higuera St. Ste. 102
If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact me. I hope that you can make it, and please do feel free invite anyone else from your school district (teachers, facilities staff, administrators, etc.). If you are not able to make it, I will gladly keep you posted on future meetings. Thank you for your time.
Kind Regards, Erin
Erin Inglish LEED® AP BD+C, BPI Certified Professional
Sustainability Coordinator, Lucia Mar Unified School District einglish@lmusd.org
Judkins Middle School Receives $5,000 TAP School of Promise Award
JUDKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL RECEIVES $5,000 TAP SCHOOL OF PROMISE AWARD
Lucia Mar school earns surprise honor, $5,000 for efforts
in early stages of TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement
Los Angeles, CA-Leaders from Judkins Middle School in Pismo Beach, California, were surprised with the TAP School of Promise Award, which comes with a financial prize of $5,000. The award honors a school for demonstrated efforts while in the early stages of implementing TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement. The award was one of four in the nation presented before more than 1,000 educators and policy leaders attending a Saturday luncheon at the 12thNational TAP Conference, Building a System of Teacher Leaders. Judkins Middle School Principal Ian Penton accepted the award on the school's behalf.
TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement is a revolutionary education reform that offers teachers opportunities for career advancement, ongoing job-embedded professional growth, educator evaluation and performance-based compensation. The implementation of TAP's comprehensive elements is proven to strengthen teacher effectiveness and student achievement.
"Judkins Middle School's careful preparation for TAP and collaboration with stakeholders helped pave the way for rigorous implementation in the first full year," said Dr. Gary Stark, president and CEO of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET), the non-profit public charity that manages and supports the TAP system and presents the TAP School of Promise Award. "Principal Ian Penton, master teachers Ed Alarcio and Alyssa LaBrado and all members of the leadership team hit the ground running on their work to develop the strengths of all teachers, rooted in the TAP Teaching Standards and quality instructional feedback."
Judkins Middle School is one of seven schools in the Lucia Mar Unified School District that began TAP implementation in the 2011-2012 school year. TAP is supported by grants from the federal Teacher Incentive Fund and the Stuart Foundation awarded to the district in 2010.
Judkins Middle prepared for TAP during the 2010-2011 year to lay the groundwork for TAP's comprehensive system of teacher leadership, professional development, support and accountability. Attendance at the National TAP Conference and TAP's CORE training helped Judkins Middle leaders delve into TAP's core processes and shape their goals.
The Judkins Middle TAP Leadership Team quickly embraced the tenets of the TAP system. The administrators, master and mentor teachers bring together their diverse skill sets to create a cohesive team to maximize the potential of the faculty and students. Ed Alarcio and Alyssa LaBrado established a sense of trust and credibility vital to teachers' support of TAP, and along with Principal Penton, continually work to transform the school climate into a nurturing environment for all to thrive.
Other School of Promise Award recipients include West Goshen Elementary School in Goshen (Goshen Community Schools), Indiana; Carter Middle School in Strawberry Plains (Knox County Schools), Tennessee; and Aikin Elementary School in New Caney (New Caney Independent School District), Texas.
Introduced in 1999, TAP impacts more than 20,000 teachers and 200,000 students.
For more information on TAP or the 12thNational TAP Conference at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, visit http://www.tapsystem.org. You can also follow the TAP system's live updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/tapsystem.
Hi everyone! I hope everyone is doing well and the New Year is treating you well. We have so many great things going on at our schools right now which makes it very exciting. A BIG thanks to our teachers and staff who continue to work so hard for our students and community so we can achieve and advance our goals for the district. On that note, I wanted to share with you what I presented to the Lucia Mar Board of Education last night in respect to our progress toward our goals for this year. See below and have a great day!
Jim Hogeboom
"Change isn't an event, it's a process,"
--from SWITCH:How to change things when change is hard
by Chip and Dan Heath
In January, we held a retreat for all of our principals to check in on our vision and goals and to reflect on how we were doing.The theme of the retreat was "managing change," and we looked at principles from the book Switch for clues to help us navigate a rapidly changing world.If there is one criticism of education that seems valid, it is that our education system is not flexible and adaptable enough to meet the changing demands of the 21st Century. Of course we are working on this, but change is definitely hard for all of us! As I reflect on our progress, both at the district and school levels, I believe we are making great strides toward our district vision of becoming the model school district for 21st Century learning in the nation, and I encourage you to take risks, make mistakes and try new things!Below is a brief assessment of our priorities and goals to date:
District Priority #1:21st Century Learning
21st Century Skills Group:Our team of teachers from every school, along with a few administrators, continues to meet to further explore the 7 skills of collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, communication, self-direction, technology and global awareness.They have prioritized collaboration and critical thinking, and have drafted rubrics and definitions, and are working on a framework and sharing effective teaching practices.They have also helped us to prepare a 21st Century Skills Road Map and action plan, which will be presented to the school board this evening. We are also looking at piloting new assessments, and AGHS was recently selected as one of 100 schools nationwide to pilot the PISA exam for 15 year olds so we can see how our students measure up against international students.
Central Coast New Tech High:We recently held a groundbreaking and building dedication for Central Coast New Tech High, which included the presentation of a $250,000 check from PG&E to our Lucia Mar Foundation for Innovation.This was an amazing donation, and will really help us to pay for a large portion of costs such as New Tech Network fees, curriculum development, and technology.We also recently hired three new teachers for Central Coast New Tech High:Eric Dunham for math; Kurt Payne for science, and Jennifer Isbell for social studies. Raquel Lujano was recently selected as the school secretary. The remaining positions will be filled in the coming weeks.Planning and training are under way, and our enrollment remains steady at 150 students.Work has begun on the facilities, which includes a remodel, new Gen7 classrooms, and remodel of portables.
International Baccalaureate Program at Grover Beach Elementary School:We were recently accepted as a Candidate School by the International Baccalaureate Organization, and so we will spend the next few years on staff development, training and curriculum development to ensure the inquiry-based learning is being done effectively. Later this spring, all staff will be trained on the first phase of IB, and work continues each Monday through a late start to align the curriculum to the IB focus.
District Priority #2:Implement TAP Effectively
TIF: Release from Planning Year: We are one of a small handful of TIF 3 grantees to be officially released from the planning year and funded for three full years.This is great news and points to how well our administrators, master and mentor teaches are doing to implement TAP well.
Evaluations:We recently moved from having to complete 4 full evaluations to 3, which has been helpful for everyone!Learning a new evaluation system, with the 19 point rubric and all the detailed scripting of lessons, has been a challenge.Evaluators are working in teams to make sure we are scoring accurately and providing effective feedback and coaching.While this is a complete change in how we do our evaluations, so far most of the input we have received is that the feedback and coaching are proving to be incredibly helpful.
TAP Budget: Andy recently reported on the status of the TIF grant to the board, including a detailed look at the budget.It shows that by using TIF to hire our master teachers, and using the general fund to pay for the cost of the less expensive temporary teachers, we will save the general fund over $1 million.
District Priority #3:Career Pathways
Graduation Requirement:The board will soon consider a proposal for all students to select a focus area as a graduation requirement for next year's freshmen class.We will ask them to choose a career, college, individual or special program focus, beginning in their sophomore year.This will give us time to make sure we have a robust career pathway program at our comprehensive high schools.
Review of Pathways:We will also ask the board to approve the process for adopting new pathways, as well as to review our existing and proposed pathways at each school.
Middle School/Skills for Success:An oversight committee is currently looking at our Skills for Success curriculum to more closely align it to our goals and priorities.In addition, Paulding is piloting career exploration ideas this spring.
Student Success
District Benchmarks:Middle and elementary schools have reviewed the first semester benchmark results to learn how our students are doing.TAP cluster meetings as well as grade level PLC's are looking closely at our data so we can learn what is working and where students need to improve.
Common Core:District TOSAs are currently working to explain the changes coming in the new Common Core, and to make sure our own assessments and instructional strategies are aligned.The new assessments will begin in 2013-14, and seem to be an improvement over the current standardized tests.
Staff Success
Staff Development:Training continues throughout the district during the spring in the following areas;21st Century Skills group rubrics and instructional strategies; Project Based Learning workshops; piloting authentic assessments; TAP rubric training and field testing of strategies; and Common Core curriculum and assessment changes (focused on math and language arts).
Stewardship of Resources
Budget Study Sessions:Two budget study sessions have been held so far for the board and public. Our third and final budget study session with the board is being planned. The purpose of these meetings is to make sure we continue to work toward aligning our budget to our district mission, vision and goals.
Attendance:We work with schools to find creative ways to increase attendance, and will continue to offer a few more Saturday schools to try and boost our numbers. As a result of our January 21 Saturday school offering, we made up 294 absences.
Energy Savings:District Sustainability Coordinator Erin Inglish continues to work with schools to decrease our energy use, and we are now currently working with Chevron to determine if we can develop a solar energy plan that will help our district to save money in the future.
KCOY Video: Central Coast New Tech High School Breaks Ground
The Lucia Mar Unified School District will be the beneficiary of a $250,000 donation from Pacific Gas and Electric Company. The donation was presented to the Lucia Mar Foundation for Innovation today at a groundbreaking and building dedication ceremony. The $250,000 donation will be used to support Lucia Mar's newest school, Central Coast New Tech High School, and to further Lucia Mar's vision of 21st century education. To honor PG&E's generous donation, the Lucia Mar Board of Education Trustees approved the naming of the PG&E Center for Learning, a building on the Central Coast New Tech High School campus. Numerous local dignitaries were on hand for the check presentation and building dedication that took place at the future site of Central Coast New Tech High School, which will be located in Nipomo, CA.
Today's announcement represents another example of an already strong partnership between Lucia Mar and PG&E. Prior to today, PG&E's charitable contributions to Lucia Mar totaled more than $150,000. After today's donation, the amount is more than $400,000. PG&E has donated grants to schools in Lucia Mar to help support energy conservation and efficiency within the district, to develop its robotics teams, increase innovative educational programs and more.
PG&E Donates $250,000 to Central Coast New Tech High School
PG&E Donates $250,000 to Central Coast New Tech High School
-Ground Breaking & Building Dedication-
Beth Curran, President, Lucia Mar Foundation for Innovation (left) Chris Johns, President, PG&E (right)
The Lucia Mar Unified School District will be the beneficiary of a $250,000 donation from Pacific Gas and Electric Company. The donation was presented to the Lucia Mar Foundation for Innovation today at a groundbreaking and building dedication ceremony. The $250,000 donation will be used to support Lucia Mar's newest school, Central Coast New Tech High School, and to further Lucia Mar's vision of 21st century education. To honor PG&E's generous donation, the Lucia Mar Board of Education Trustees approved the naming of the PG&E Center for Learning, a building on the Central Coast New Tech High School campus. Numerous local dignitaries were on hand for the check presentation and building dedication that took place at the future site of Central Coast New Tech High School, which will be located in Nipomo, CA.
Today's announcement represents another example of an already strong partnership between Lucia Mar and PG&E. Prior to today, PG&E's charitable contributions to Lucia Mar totaled more than $150,000. After today's donation, the amount is more than $400,000. PG&E has donated grants to schools in Lucia Mar to help support energy conservation and efficiency within the district, to develop its robotics teams, increase innovative educational programs and more.
"Through this unique program, the students of today will be prepared to be the technological leaders of tomorrow," said ChrisJohns, President of PG&E."PG&E is proud to partner with the Lucia Mar Unified School District and the Lucia Mar Foundation for Innovation in support of Central Coast New Tech High School.As the largest private employer in the county, we welcome the opportunity to contribute to the growth and vitality of the communities we serve and where our employees live.
Chris Johns, President, PG&E
"This donation from PG&E is a great gift to our school, our district, and entire community. We are truly grateful and very appreciative of the tremendous support PG&E has given us throughout the years. This gift will have a direct impact on the success and growth of our students now, and long into their futures," said Jim Hogeboom, Superintendent Lucia Mar Unified School District.
Jim Hogeboom, Superintendent, Lucia Mar Unified School District
PG&E, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), strives to power strong communities throughout Northern and Central California. Over the last decade, PG&E has given nearly $40 million toward youth educational initiatives, supporting innovative programs that provide students and teachers opportunities to learn and prepare for their future, the future of California and the future of the energy industry. Community investments are funded entirely by shareholders. For more information, visit www.pge.com/community.
The Central Coast New Tech High School model integrates high-tech teaching methods with project based learning, similar to Cal Poly's "Learn by Doing" philosophy. Upon graduation, New Tech students will have completed college courses, given more than 200 multimedia presentations, completed internships, performed community service, worked on real-world projects, and developed a digital resume portfolio. Central Coast New Tech High School will open its doors to its first freshman class on August 16, 2012. More information at www.CentralCoastNewTech.org.
1/23/12
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Central Coast New Tech High School Groundbreaking & Building Dedication
Central Coast New Tech High School Groundbreaking & Building Dedication
-Anonymous Donor and Donation Amount to be Revealed-
Arroyo Grande, CA--Central Coast New Tech High School will officially begin construction and honor a generous donor with a building dedication ceremony on Thursday, January 26, 2012. The event will take place at noon at the future site of Central Coast New Tech High School which will be located at 525 North Thompson Road in Nipomo, CA. A hosted barbeque and site tour will follow the ceremony.
The donation will be presented to the Lucia Mar Foundation for Innovation (www.thefoundationforinnovation.org) which helps fund and support innovative and engaging educational programs within the Lucia Mar Unified School District.Local dignitaries (list below) and community leaders will be on hand to mark the historic occasion. Central Coast New Tech High School has been in development for more than two years and will open to its first freshman class on August 16, 2012.
"This donation is a great gift to our school, our district, and entire community. We are truly grateful and very appreciative. The support we have received from our community and business leaders in regards to Central Coast New Tech has been overwhelming, and really reassures us that there is a need and desire for further innovative and engaging education in our area," said Jim Hogeboom, Superintendent Lucia Mar Unified School District.
The Central Coast New Tech High School model integrates high-tech teaching methods with project based learning, similar to Cal Poly's "Learn by Doing" philosophy. Upon graduation, New Tech students will have completed college courses, given more than 200 multimedia presentations, completed internships, performed community service, worked on real-world projects, and developed a digital resume portfolio. More information at www.CentralCoastNewTech.org.
Local Dignitaries who have confirmed to date:
Representative for Kevin McCarthy, Congressman 22nd District
Representative for Lois Capps, Congresswoman 23rd District
Representative for Katcho Achadjian, Assemblyman 33rd District
Paul Teixeira, San Luis Obispo County Supervisor District 4
Adam Hill, San Luis Obispo County Supervisor District 3
Ian Parkinson, Sheriff, San Luis Obispo County
Dr. Gil Stork, President, Cuesta College
Dr. José Ortiz, President, Allan Hancock College
Dr. Philip Bailey, Dean, Cal Poly College of Science and Mathematics
Dr. Robert Detweiler, Dean, Cal Poly School of Education
Dr. James Gentilucci, Professor, Cal Poly School of Education
1/10/12
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Video: Tim Presiado on Central Coast New Tech High School
Tim Presiado, Senior Director of New School Development for the New Tech Network, discusses the progress and planning of Central Coast New Tech High School. Presiado also explains what the New Tech Network is, and the impact that Central Coast New Tech High School will have on the entire Lucia Mar Unified School District.
The Central Coast New Tech High School model integrates high-tech teaching methods with project based learning, similar to Cal Poly's "Learn by Doing" philosophy. Upon graduation, New Tech students will have completed college courses, given more than 200 multimedia presentations, completed internships, performed community service, worked on real-world projects, and have a digital resume portfolio. http://www.centralcoastnewtech.org/ http://www.newtechnetwork.org/
1/06/12
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Video: Jim Hogeboom Discusses Central Coast New Tech High on Charter Local Edition HLN
Jim Hogeboom, Superintendent Lucia Mar Unified School District, is interviewed about Central Coast New Tech High School which will open in the fall of 2012 in Nipomo, CA. The Central Coast New Tech High School model integrates high-tech teaching methods with project based learning, similar to Cal Poly's "Learn by Doing" philosophy. Upon graduation, New Tech students will have completed college courses, given more than 200 multimedia presentations, completed internships, performed community service, worked on real-world projects, and have a digital resume portfolio. http://www.centralcoastnewtech.org http://www.facebook.com/LuciaMarUnified
1/03/12
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Video: Brian Talley on Central Coast New Tech High School
Brian Talley, President of Talley Vineyards, shares his thoughts on the incoming Central Coast New Tech High School which will open in the fall of 2012 in Nipomo, CA.
The Central Coast New Tech High School model integrates high-tech teaching methods with project based learning, similar to Cal Poly's "Learn by Doing" philosophy. Upon graduation, New Tech students will have completed college courses, given more than 200 multimedia presentations, completed internships, performed community service, worked on real-world projects, and have a digital resume portfolio. http://www.centralcoastnewtech.org
On October 26th, Oceano Elementary School kicked off a new parent involvement program called The Latino Family Literacy Project. This evening workshop is an addition to the well attended Community Coffee, both designed to increase school participation among the second language members of the community. Last spring, several teachers attended a workshop designed to increase reading among its second language families, The Latino Family Literacy Project. They brought back several ideas and put together a program of weekly evening sessions where families come to school to enjoy reading and working together. Lead by teachers Diana Tappan and Carolyn Le-Fort, families receive a new book each week to take home and read as a family. The stories are designed to get families talking with their children about their own cultural connections and use nightly reading as the platform for these discussions. The first book, A New Sun, described the travels of a person who migrated from Mexico to work and live in the United States. The stories shared that evening are a prime example of just how well the use of literature to illicit conversation works.
Participants also spend part of the evening building a family album based on their talks and readings. The staff at Oceano sees this new program as a way to increase family literacy in the community as well as increase the parent involvement at the school.
Central Coast New Tech High School Registration Opens Tuesday
Arroyo Grande, CA-Central Coast New Tech High School will open its registration for the 2012-2013 school year on Tuesday, October 11, 2011. The first 50 students who register are guaranteed priority admission, pending they are in good standing with their current school and district. The first freshman class at Central Coast New Tech High School, which will be located in Nipomo, is open to current eighth grade students.
A maximum of 125 students will be accepted for the inaugural year, with priority registration given to current Lucia Mar students. The school will then add another grade level each successive year, ultimately growing to 500 students. If there are more than 125 students who apply, there will be a random lottery to fill spots 51-125.
"We are expecting registration to fill up quickly, as interest and inquiries have been very high at our community meetings," said Dan Neff, Principal of Central Coast New Tech High School.
The New Tech High School model integrates high-tech teaching methods with project based learning, similar to Cal Poly's "Learn by Doing" philosophy. Upon graduation, New Tech students will have completed college courses, given more than 200 multimedia presentations, completed internships, performed community service, worked on real-world projects, and have a digital resume portfolio. There are currently 87 New Tech High Schools in 16 states.
A parent information night will be held October 24, 2011 at Paulding Middle School. Dinner will start at 6:00 p.m. and the presentation will begin at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for the dinner are free, but need to be picked up prior to Friday at noon. Tickets can be picked up at Mesa, Judkins, and Paulding Middle Schools, or the district office.
Registration forms can be filled out online at www.CentralCoastNewTech.orgor picked up at the school offices at Judkins, Mesa, andPaulding Middle Schools, and at the Lucia Mar District office located at 602 Orchard Street, Arroyo Grande. More information is available at www.CentralCoastNewTech.org
For a printable PDF registration form see attachment below. Spanish version also available.
