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       <title>District: District News</title>
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       <item>
           <title>Tribune: Some Lucia Mar programs return to students</title>
           <link>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8927</link>
           <description>
               <![CDATA[Music instruction, technology, a full-time counselor, and Gifted and Talented Education are back for certain grades

By Cynthia Lambert — clambert@thetribunenews.com

Read more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/06/10/2540689/some-lucia-mar-programs-return.html

Trustees of the South County’s school district have taken steps to restore some programs and positions that were curtailed during the past few years of budget cuts.

Starting this fall, fourth- and fifth-grade students in the Lucia Mar Unified School District will have 45 minutes of music instruction a week — likely the first regular music program these students have had in numerous years.

Students at the district’s three middle schools will have access to a full-time counselor. And the basic Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program will be restored at elementary schools.

The Lucia Mar district board approved funding for these and other items at two separate board meetings in May. In a staff report, Superintendent Jim Hogeboom wrote that “we are hopeful that … the massive budget cuts Lucia Mar has faced over the past five years are now behind us.”

The board had directed staff to compile a list of important priorities for the upcoming school year and then approved about $800,000 toward specific programs, positions and other items.

The items include $267,000 toward technology upgrades, including adding computer technician assistants to each elementary school and revamping the district website; $36,000 — or $2,000 per school — for anti-bullying programs; $55,000 to restore the GATE program; and $75,000 toward teaching training.

In addition, a student safety and support coordinator job will be added at a cost of $115,000 a year.

The job description is still being finalized, but the position will likely oversee the district’s safety plans, direct student discipline policies, coordinate programs with local law enforcement and develop drug and alcohol awareness programs.

The district will advertise soon for that position, spokeswoman Amy Jacobs said. The job is somewhat similar to a previous at-risk coordinator position, which had been eliminated in spring 2012.

The district board will consider its 2013-14 fiscal year budget Tuesday.]]>
           </description>
           <pubDate>Mon, 10 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
           <guid>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8927</guid>
       </item>
       <item>
           <title>New Principal at Arroyo Grande High School</title>
           <link>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8922</link>
           <description>
               <![CDATA[I am so pleased to announce that following a special Board of Trustees meeting tonight, the Board voted unanimously to appoint Conan Bowers as the new Principal at Arroyo Grande High School effective the 2013-2014 school year. Conan brings 10 years of experience at AGHS – first as an area administrator, then most recently as Assistant Principal. He has by all accounts been incredibly effective. Previously, Conan was also an amazing sixth grade teacher at Harloe Elementary. The Board was very impressed with Conan’s work ethic, his knowledge of AGHS and the community, his ability to relate well to all students, his support of high academic expectations, his knowledge of Career Pathways, and his integrity and honesty. Conan has a tough act to follow in the footsteps of Tom Butler and Ryan Pinkerton, but we all know he has the drive and determination to be just as successful so please join me in wishing him good luck in his new position. 
 
Jim Hogeboom
Superintendent]]>
           </description>
           <pubDate>Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
           <guid>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8922</guid>
       </item>
       <item>
           <title>Adobe Press: Dana Elementary student achieves perfection</title>
           <link>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8924</link>
           <description>
               <![CDATA[Mike Hodgson /mhodgson@theadobepress.com

When sixth-grader Mason Santos leaves his last class today at Dana Elementary School, he will have achieved perfection.

Not many students can make it through a school year without missing a day in class.

But Mason has done just that — and then some. He has racked up a record of perfect attendance every year since starting kindergarten.

That means, not counting weekends, holidays, breaks and summer vacation, Mason has attended 1,225 consecutive days of school — and he has the awards to prove it.

In addition to perfect attendance certificates for every trimester, he also has medals for every year. He capped his collection Thursday in a sixth-grade awards ceremony.

Mason said perfect attendance wasn’t a goal he set his first year in school. But once he realized he was doing that, it became one.

“I didn’t really realize it until fifth grade,” Mason said this week. “At the end of the year, one of my friend’s parents said, ‘I can’t believe you’ve done that.’ And that’s when I realized, ‘Wow, I really have done that.’”

Not only has Mason never missed a day of school, but he also has never been late.

“Mason loves to sleep, which on some days creates a scramble to get out of the house on time,” said his mother, Tamara.

“Mason will leave the house shoes in hand and crazy hair, eating breakfast in the car, but he makes sure to make it out the door on time for school, meanwhile hoping for no traffic and a green light to school,” she continued.

“Heaven forbid if the gas light comes on in the car. He will say, ‘You have enough gas to get to school, right?’ Although we always make it in plenty of time, he gets stressed.

“Luckily, he is not a sickly child,” she added.

Mason credits his attendance record to his mom, who makes sure he eats good food, goes to bed on time and gets plenty of exercise outdoors.

Perfect attendance certificates and medals aren’t the only awards Mason has won. He’s also earned awards for mathematics — his favorite subject — and citizenship.

He was also chosen to be one of the Dana Diplomats, a new group of fourth- through sixth-graders who meet in the morning before classes.

“We’re like the leaders of the school,” Mason explained. “We take care of the school garden, pick up trash and keep the school neat and clean.”

Dana Principal Stacey Russell said Mason is an exceptional student who is intelligent, creative and treats fellow students and teachers with respect.

“When there is an issue that requires some problem solving, Mason is the one to step up to the plate,” Russell said. “He continually encourages others to live up to their potential and to do the right thing.”

Mason also literally steps up to the plate. A utility player who really prefers playing catcher, he’s been in Little League since he was 5 years old, makes the All-Stars team every year and loves hitting home runs — he’s smacked three of them.

“He likes to play soccer and likes to play goalkeeper,” Tamara said. “He likes the pressure.”

Although he’ll be entering Mesa Middle School next year, Mason already has goals for his future. He wants to play baseball for USC or Cal Poly, become a structural engineer and design buildings.

“He’s definitely goal-oriented,” his mother said. “He sets personal goals, and he’s pretty rough on himself sometimes. I have to keep reminding him, ‘You’re only 11.’”

Mason also has a goal of maintaining perfect attendance through high school. He’s probably got a good shot at that, because not missing school seems to run in the family.

His 20-year-old brother, Brandon, only missed one day of elementary school and four days of high school, Tamara said.]]>
           </description>
           <pubDate>Thu, 06 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
           <guid>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8924</guid>
       </item>
       <item>
           <title>The Tribune: AVID program helps AGHS students succeed</title>
           <link>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8926</link>
           <description>
               <![CDATA[By Gayle Cuddy — Special to The Tribune

Kyla DeLeon, 17, wants to go to study business next year when she graduates high school, perhaps at San Diego State, Westmont College or Sonoma State. Triston Perez, 16, wants to go study computer engineering, perhaps at Chico State or Channel Islands.

Both are juniors in the AVID program at Arroyo Grande High School. AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. It provides classes, teachers and support, encouraging students whose parents didn’t go to college or graduate from high school, to prepare for college.

Triston started AVID in seventh grade, while Kyla started in eighth grade. Besides attending special AVID classes, students are taken by bus each year to visit colleges around California.

“Our classroom is very tight-knit, like a family,” said Triston.

“AVID helps you be connected — be involved in the school,” Kyla said.

AVID teachers Ms. Ackermann and Mr. Anderson told Kyla she needed more involvement. “If you’re connected more in school, you’ll enjoy being at school more,” they told her.

So Kyla joined LINK Crew: “We help do freshman orientation … make freshmen feel welcomed.”

Triston joined the Boys and Girls Club. “All my friends are there. … It’s helped me be more outgoing,” and provides a place to do homework and hang out.

Triston and Kyla both maintain a high GPA and take Advanced Placement classes such as physics, language, algebra 2 and history. The AVID class period provides help with homework and research papers, pushing students to prepare for college-level work.

AVID students also help with fundraising. Each fall there is an AVID barbecue; they run prom by selling tickets and corsages; and hold a spring Doc Burnstein’s ice cream fundraiser.

People from the community help tutor the students, including former superintendent and AGHS principal Mike Sears and former counselor chairperson Judy Leonard. Joe Lococo is AVID director and spoke enthusiastically about the program.

Lococo said it’s designed for low-income families. Many of the students come from single-parent and/or troubled families. They often have a lot to overcome.

“The kids are determined to be successful in spite of troubles,” he said. Staff encourages the kids to make responsible choices. Most of them are entitled to financial aid.

One of the best parts of the program is the graduates who come back as successors. They work with the students, talk with them and motivate them to do well. They are called “older brothers and sisters. … We call each other ‘family,’” Lococo said.

Read more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/06/04/2533609/avid-arroyo-grande-high-school.html#storylink=cpy]]>
           </description>
           <pubDate>Wed, 05 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
           <guid>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8926</guid>
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           <title>Tribune: Kids Leave Their Mark on Dana Elementary</title>
           <link>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8915</link>
           <description>
               <![CDATA[By Cynthia Lambert — clambert@thetribunenews.com

One by one, some of the sixth-grade students at Dana Elementary in Nipomo stepped forward to have their right hands covered in light green or yellow paint.

Then, cautiously, they climbed a ladder and carefully pressed their palms against a brightly colored mural.

When they finished, the dark green trees painted on the side of a classroom wall were covered with hand prints, each signed by their owners.

“I think it’s excellent and beautiful,” 12-year-old Ebony Anderson said after she’d washed her hand free of paint.

Nipomo artist Ethel “Tink” Landers stood nearby, directing and helping the students. She created the mural based on illustrations and stories produced by the sixth graders.

Besides two large trees — with “6th Grade Rocks” written on the trunk of one tree — the mural includes a boy reading, two girls playing with a blue kickball, a dolphin, a horse wearing a snorkel and a rainbow with a school slogan, “Respect the Blue,” painted under it.

Landers plans to paint murals for all the other grades as well, and recently started painting the fifth-graders’ wall using paint donated by the school’s PTA. The kindergartners already have a colorful mural that can be seen from West Tefft Street, painted by parent Jennifer Marsh.

The murals will incorporate student stories and drawings, and give them a chance to add final touches. Landers said they serve several purposes: they beautify Dana Elementary, give the students more pride and ownership and, perhaps most importantly, keep the students interested in art.

“Too many shut down at an early age, thinking ‘I’m not good,’ ” Landers said. “One of my main goals is to stimulate creativity.”

But don’t take her word for it — just ask 11-year-olds Carly Billinger or Ian Macaulay. “I think it’s cool that we got to play a part in this,” Billinger said.

Added Macaulay: “I think this is an enjoyable experience now that my name is on the wall for all to see.”

Landers also painted a mural inside the school’s cafeteria over the Christmas holiday, which Dana Principal Stacey Russell said has boosted student morale.

“The kid participation in this really is key,” she added.

Landers, who doesn’t have any relatives at Dana Elementary, also hopes to get other retirees involved in efforts to beautify their local schools.

“I’m retired and have a lot of energy, so why not give back this way?” she said. “You don’t have to have a child or grandchild (there) to help your local school.”

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.


Read more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/05/15/2508781/kids-leave-their-mark-on-dana.html#storylink=cpy]]>
           </description>
           <pubDate>Wed, 29 May 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
           <guid>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8915</guid>
       </item>
       <item>
           <title>Kindergarten Registration Now!</title>
           <link>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8873</link>
           <description>
               <![CDATA[Kindergarten Registration

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.]]>
           </description>
           <pubDate>Sat, 25 May 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
           <guid>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8873</guid>
       </item>
       <item>
           <title>Tribune: New Assistant Superintendent</title>
           <link>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8916</link>
           <description>
               <![CDATA[By Cynthia Lambert — clambert@thetribunenews.com

Tom Butler, currently principal at Arroyo Grande High School, has been appointed the Lucia Mar school district’s new assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction starting in the fall.

Butler, who has led the high school since fall 2011, will succeed Andy Stenson, who has worked nearly four years as the assistant superintendent of curriculum and will take over as Mesa Middle School’s principal in the upcoming school year.

In his new role, Butler will oversee the district’s state testing and summer school programs and serve as support for principals throughout the district.

The district posted the Arroyo Grande High School principal job on Wednesday with a salary range of $98,285 to $109,583. The deadline to apply is May 15.

In addition, the board appointed Derek Muetzel, a sixth-grade teacher at Fairgrove Elementary, to become assistant principal at Mesa Middle School. He will fill a vacancy left by the upcoming retirement of current assistant principal Marianne Foster.

Read more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/05/10/2503263/ag-high-principal-to-be-lucia.html#storylink=cpy]]>
           </description>
           <pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
           <guid>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8916</guid>
       </item>
       <item>
           <title>Bullied: Movie &amp; Panel Discussion</title>
           <link>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8886</link>
           <description>
               <![CDATA[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.]]>
           </description>
           <pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
           <guid>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8886</guid>
       </item>
       <item>
           <title>AGHS Agriculture and Career Technical Education Ribbon Cutting</title>
           <link>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8883</link>
           <description>
               <![CDATA[Please Join Us! 

RIBBON CUTTING & OPEN HOUSE CELEBRATION 

Agriculture & Career-Technical Education Facilities 

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]]>
           </description>
           <pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
           <guid>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8883</guid>
       </item>
       <item>
           <title>TPR: Nipomo student to lead statewide organization</title>
           <link>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8885</link>
           <description>
               <![CDATA[http://www.timespressrecorder.com/articles/2013/05/03/news/news55.txt

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.]]>
           </description>
           <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
           <guid>http://www.lmusd.org/education/components/whatsnew/default.php?sectiondetailid=27910&amp;viewType=detail&amp;id=8885</guid>
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