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Santa Cruz High student candidate for 2012 U.S. Presidential Scholar Program

scefstaff — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:21:14 +0000

Alanna Williams, a Senior at Santa Cruz High School has been named a candidate for the prestigious U.S. Presidential Scholars program. The program recognizes the nation’s most distinguished graduating seniors. Only 141 students nationwide will be honored with the designation. Of the several hundred California students under consideration, Ms. Williams is the only student from Santa Cruz County schools to receive an invitation to apply.

Students chosen as U.S. Presidential Scholars will travel to Washington, D. C. in June and attend the U.S. Presidential Scholars medallion at a ceremony sponsored by the White House. During their stay, students will have the opportunity to meet government officials, educators, authors, musicians, scientists and other accomplished individuals. Semifinalists will be identified in early April; Scholars will be named in May.

District Librarians present Parent Education Night

scefstaff — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:04:01 +0000

Parenting in the Digital Age

February 16 , 7 pm to 8:30

Santa Cruz High School Auditorium

Free Admission

A panel of experts on digital citizenship, cyber-safety, social networking, anti-cyber-bullying, and more, will respond to questions from parents wanting to be proactive in helping their children become good, safe, digital citizens.

Panel members will draw from school counseling offices, law enforcement, UCSC, County Office of Education, and the Public Library.

An example of some potential questions are:

How do I talk to my child about online participation?
What are parental guidelines that you recommend?
What are the commonalities between the digital and real world: bullying, meeting strangers…?
Privacy: how much do I allow my child? What about parent responsibilities?
What is digital citizenship?
How do you control your digital footprint?
and more

This parent night is presented by the Santa Cruz City Schools teacher librarians and the Santa Cruz High School PTA.

Need help with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid?

scefstaff — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:06:21 +0000

February 22, 6:00 pm

Santa Cruz High School Library Computer Lab

Santa Cruz High School, Cabrillo College and Cash 4 College will host a FAFSA Workshop on Wednesday, February 22 at 6:00 pm in the Santa Cruz High School Library computer lab. This is a hands-on workshop. Students and families are invited to bring their tax information, W2s, Social Security Number, Driver’s License, other financial information and all their questions. Financial aid officers from Cabrillo College and guidance counselors from Santa Cruz High will be on hand to assist in filling out the online FAFSA application on-the-spot. Note: this is not a lecture presentation, but rather an opportunity for families and students to receive answers to their specific FAFSA/financial aid questions and fill out the FAFSA application.

Art teacher Kathleen Crocetti seeking to expand students’ public art installation

scefstaff — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:36:26 +0000

In the Spring of 2012, Mission Hill art teacher Kathleen Crocetti and her students installed mosaics on the Water Street Bridge in Santa Cruz. The City Arts Commission has approved expanding the installation to Soquel Avenue bridge. The installations pay tribute to the San Lorenzo River and watershed. Each mosaic was designed and created by students as part of a multidisciplinary unit of study on the San Lorenzo River. View the television news coverage here.

The Water Street installation was funded through the Redevelopment Agency. With the disbanding of all California redevelopment agencies, that source of funds is no longer available. Crocetti is now seeking to crowdsource funding for the project using Kickstarter. For the next 30 days, community members can donate to support this terrific community project by contributing online here.

Daniel Handler & Maira Kalman coming to Santa Cruz High School

scefstaff — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:50:16 +0000

Author and Illustrator to discuss Why We Broke Up

Hosted by Bookshop Santa Cruz

Wednesday, February 1, 7:00 pm

Santa Cruz High School Auditorium

Tickets $5 with purchase of book, available at Bookshop Santa Cruz

Bookshop Santa Cruz brings a Young Adult Literary event to Santa Cruz High School this week featuring Daniel Handler, the force behind Lemony Snicket, presenting tales of teenage heartbreak.

Heartbreak. (Ouch.) Who among us has escaped the agony, the angst? Certainly not the crew at Bookshop Santa Cruz. But what better than to read about it and commiserate? Especially when we’re talking about the fantastic Daniel Handler and his new book, Why We Broke Up, the story of two teenagers and their break-up. And, OMG, and it’s illustrated by Maira Kalman, too? (Be still our hearts.)

We’ve all been there: hearts shattered, songs on the radio bringing us to tears. The only thing that helps is talking about it with someone who gets it. And you know who gets it? Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman. And guess what? They’re coming to town. Yes, both the mega-selling author (hello, Lemony Snicket) and the phenomenal artist will be here to showcase heartbreak in all its glory.

PLEASE NOTE:

Tickets are needed to enter the High School venue. Doors open at 6:30, event will start promptly at 7:00pm. Parking is limited so please allow yourself time to make it to the event’s start time. Both Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman will sign ONE additional title of any of their previous books, provided there is also one copy of Why We Broke Up (purchased at Bookshop) being signed.

Governor Brown discusses 2012 proposed state budget

scefstaff — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:21:59 +0000

**UPDATED**

K-12 funding hinges on tax initiative

In a surprise move, Governor Brown discussed his proposed 2012-13 state budget with reporters today after the document was mistakenly posted on a state website. The budget, originally to be unveiled next Tuesday, includes deep cuts to safety net programs, further reductions in the state workforce and a number of functional consolidations aimed at increasing government efficiency. Public schools will fare better in 2012, providing that new revenues generated by proposed tax initiatives pass. There are, however, a few surprises in the budget for K-12 schools.

Transitional Kindergarten, slated to begin in September 2012 after passage of Senator Simitian’s bill, will be eliminated prior to implementation, allocating the $223 million to other education programs.Transitional Kindergarten is part of the new age cut-off for incoming kindergartners, raising the entry age to 5 by September 1st. Eliminating the program for the 3-year phase in leaves 125,000 4-year old children without a bridge year between preschool and kindergarten and eliminates 5,000 teachers’ jobs. It also means a revenue loss to many school districts for the students denied admission.

The Governor revisits his proposed funding reforms by making many temporary suspensions of categorical programs permanent and beginning a 5-year phase in of a new weighted funding model that ties funding to the costs of educating disadvantaged students. Among those now flexible programs are class size reduction and home to school transportation. Santa Cruz City Schools, with early support from the Santa Cruz Education Foundation, is one of the school districts still using Class Size Reduction subsidizing funds from the state to keep K-3 classes at as close to 20 students as possible. These funds are also used to cap 9th grade English and Math classes at 20 students – a strategy proven to support student success in high school. Determination for how those funds would be spent would fall to local elected officials, providing greater flexibility within school districts to accommodate their students’ particular needs. Local advocacy would help to ensure that the community’s priorities are upheld.

The proposed new funding model would tie student needs to weighted funding levels from the state, with additional money provided for students learning English, students living in poverty and to schools with high concentrations of both groups.

The elimination of redevelopment agencies provides additional funds, but the proposed budget also makes changes to the complex matrix of Proposition 98 formulas, maintenance factors (money owed to schools from previous adjustments) and deferrals, with a net upside of nearly $1 billion beginning in the 2012-13 school year. All of these factors are dependent on revenues flowing from one of the proposed tax increase initiatives (the Governor’s budget presumes his proposed initiative). Should the initiative fail, schools would be faced with a $4.8 billion reduction, the equivalent of nearly three weeks of instruction.

The proposed changes to K12 programs and funding have been excerpted here.

Food What?! Give one buck, it becomes two!

scefstaff — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:14:28 +0000

The FoodWhat Crew

Many of our students participate in the FoodWhat youth empowerment program and events operating on the UCSC LifeLab farm. This terrific program – one that is changing the lives of our students – has been selected for the 2011 Good Times Community Fund. Every dollar donated to FoodWhat before the end of the year through the Santa Cruz Community Foundation will be matched. This is a great opportunity to give to a program making a real difference for kids.

Start here to change a life.

Give the gift of reading to a young student~ Holiday Book Drive continues through December 31st!

scefstaff — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:08:09 +0000

BOOKSHOP SANTA CRUZ HOLIDAY BOOK DRIVE ~ A BENEFIT FOR SANTA CRUZ COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Download a complete wish list for each participating school here.

Give the gift of reading to your children this holiday season! The Santa Cruz Education Foundation is partnering with Bookshop Santa Cruz for a Holiday Book Drive benefiting public school libraries and classrooms. Donate your favorite books, buy gift cards that librarians and teachers can use to select books for their schools, or shop from the wish lists of the books in highest demand, carefully compiled by our school librarians. Wish list books will be on display at Bookshop, in list form at Bookshop’s information desk, and online.

All books purchased for the Holiday Book Drive will be offered at 20% off from Thanksgiving through December 31st.

Let out-of-town friends and family support your child’s school by buying wish list books online. You can donate to a particular school or to the entire program and an acknowledgement form is offered.

Together, let’s make 2012 the year when every public school child has access to books and reading.

School advocate Barney Bricmont passes away

scefstaff — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:06:16 +0000

Longtime Live Oak school board member Bernard “Barney” Bricmont died Tuesday, December 6. A tireless advocate for schools and schoolchildren, Bricmont was also a delegate to the California School Boards Association, bringing local issues to the state level and bringing insight and advocacy to our community. Bricmont played a key role in helping to launch the Santa Cruz County School Boards Association, an endeavor supported by the Santa Cruz Education Foundation.

From the Santa Cruz Sentinel:

Bernard “Barney” Bricmont had an unbridled passion for his community and spent most of his life working to make it even better.

He started the county’s first farmers market, served on Live Oak School Board for more than three decades, and was a tireless advocate for organic farming.

The Santa Cruz community lost a beloved citizen when Bricmont, who’d long struggled with health problems, died Tuesday at the age of 73.

“Barney had one of the warmest souls and generous hearts of anyone I have met,” said Zach Friend, who served with Bricmont on the board of the Santa Cruz County Democratic Party. “He was one of the most dedicated community servants in our county, committing thousands of volunteer hours to our schools, libraries and political issues.”

An organic farmer with a passion for literacy and education, Bricmont was first elected to the Live Oak School Board in 1972, and was instrumental in securing support for the first Life Lab school garden at Green Acres Elementary school.

A year later, California Certified Organic Farmers was formed as he and five other organic farmers sat around his kitchen table. Just three years after that, he and others began the county’s first farmers’ market in Live Oak, which later moved to Cabrillo College and eventually evolved into the Monterey Bay Certified Markets.

“He was kind-hearted. He was willing to give you the shirt off his back,” said his daughter, Nicole Bricmont of San Jose. “He was a tireless supporter of the things he believed in.”

In addition to organic farming and local politics, Bricmont was passionate about education and literacy,

He was actively involved with the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County, serving on the board of directors for six years. He served as president of Schools Plus — the Public Schools Foundation of Santa Cruz County, was an active member of the Friends of the Library and the Santa Cruz Democratic Central Committee, and was an active member of the California School Boards Association, among many others.

“I’ve never known anyone as engaged as Barney,” said Live Oak School District Superintendent Tamra Taylor. “He was a really impressive individual … he made a huge difference.”

The Live Oak School District and the California School Boards Association released statements this week praising Bricmont for his hard work lobbying for increased school funding and fewer state mandates.

Sen. Joe Simitian and Assemblyman Bill Monning’s offices plan to recognize Bricmont’s work. Simitian’s office is working on an in-memoriam, while Monning is planning an adjournment in Bricmont’s honor when the Assembly convenes for its next session.

Bricmont was often quiet during meetings, said Richelle Noroyan, current chair of the Santa Cruz County Democratic Party, but when he did speak, he always had something wise and profound to say.

“We’re really going to miss him,” she said.

Bernard ‘Barney’ Bricmont

BORN: Sept. 27, 1938

DIED: Dec. 6, 2011

HOME: Live Oak

EDUCATION: San Jose City College

OCCUPATION: Organic farmer, cofounder of California Certified Organic Farmers, irrigation contractor.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Live Oak School Board, Cultural Council, Schools Plus, California School Boards Association

SURVIVORS: Bricmont is survived by his daughter, Nicole Bricmont of San Jose. He was preceded by his late wife Barbara.

SERVICES: Friday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. at Pacific Garden Chapel, 1050 Cayuga St., Santa Cruz. Reception at Silver Spur, 2650 Soquel Drive, 5 p.m.

DONATIONS: In lieu of flowers, donations in Bricmont’s memory can be made to Schools Plus- Public Schools Foundation of Santa Cruz County, 1840 41st Ave., Suite 102-244, Capitola, CA 95010.

Santa Cruz high schools help students on the path to college

scefstaff — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:05:26 +0000

Reprinted from the Santa Cruz Sentinel, December 010, 2011

Getting freshmen on track: How local high schools prepare ninth-graders for college

By J.M. Brown

Flor Perez, a 1995 Santa Cruz High graduate, sits inside the library of her alma mater with her 15-year-old son Alex as the two plot his path to college.

As part of a preparedness course for ninth-graders and their families, the Perezes match high school course offerings with entry requirements for four-year universities. They want to make sure Alex knows the right classes to take now to get into college after earning his diploma.

Flor wished there had been a similar program when she was growing up. Now in her 30s and expecting her third child, she’s majoring in health science and nursing at San Jose State University while raising Alex and his younger brother.

“We had to see a counselor and make our own appointment,” she said of her time in high school. “This workshop actually includes the parents. It allows us to make sure our kids are on track.”

Pat Cavataio, a former instructor at San Jose State for 12 years, has hosted the Personal Planning Workshops for freshmen and their families at Santa Cruz High for 10 years. As a part-time counseling tech, Cavataio gives dozens of the 90-minute classes each year, helping students and their families chart a college-bound plan.

This year, Santa Cruz City Schools began replicating the workshop at its other high schools and is stepping up other higher education readiness programs. While ninth grade is the first opportunity most students have to begin planning in earnest for college, preparing — or not preparing — often begins much earlier depending on a family’s financial capability and other potential barriers.

“In some families, it’s just a given that kids know they are going to college,” said Kris Munro, the district’s assistant superintendent for education services. “My kids are 6 and 8, and they know they are going to college. But if you haven’t experienced college or people aren’t talking about it, it’s foreign.”

Educators say stumbling blocks present themselves as early as aspirations of college start bubbling to the surface.

If parents can’t afford college or didn’t go to college themselves, or if families are undocumented or face other hurdles, young people can take themselves out of the running before the race even begins.

But educators are working to make sure that, by the ninth grade at the latest, when students are usually 14 or 15, students and their families are learning about their options and how to overcome obstacles.

GETTING READY

In addition to expanding the ninth-grade workshop, Santa Cruz City Schools has taken other steps to increase college readiness. This year, the district joined a new partnership with other K-12 school districts, Cabrillo College and UC Santa Cruz to reduce barriers between moving from high school to the community college and on to a four-year school, if that’s the path a student wants to pursue.

The district has expanded a program called Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, which started at Santa Cruz High and now has classes in the district’s other two high schools and two middle schools. The class helps first-generation college-bound students and their parents learn how to navigate the school system and prepare for college by focusing on study skills and content-specific literacy training.

The district also intends to offer the PSAT test during school hours, not just on the weekend, to encourage greater participation in the test, the results of which colleges use to generate letters of interest. And the district offers college awareness nights that lay out what needs to happen in middle school to set students on the right path toward college.

The district is also reviewing its graduation requirements to ensure they are rigorous enough, whether students intend to go to college or enter the workforce. The district argues that kids need to be ready regardless. “We want them to leave our school with as many choices for their future as possible,” Munro said. “If kids get locked out of the track in ninth grade, if they don’t choose courses wisely, they can’t decide as juniors, ‘Oh wait, I want to be college-bound.’”

FRESHMEN WORKSHOP

In the freshmen workshops, which nearly all Santa Cruz High freshmen complete, instructor Cavataio encourages students to start down the four-year track, getting all the prerequisites they need early, even if they plan to pursue a two-year school, vocational program or immediate career.

“Anytime you do pre-planning, it’s obviously going to help,” he said. “Giving them all that information is a really great way to enhance the chances that they will consider a four-year college. At least they are aware of the expectations, the finite stuff they have to do.”

During the workshop, he explains in detail the math, science and other courses needed for college, and how honors courses give students a leg up on earning a higher grade-point average. He walks parents and students through how to register for the maze of college entrance exams.

He said students often start the workshop overwhelmed.

“They think, how do I complete these four-year plans, but by the time they leave, they have a smile on their face,” he said. “Here they have this plan they can utilize, a flexible plan.”

Alex Perez said the workshop helped him strategize.

“It opened my eyes to see what I was going to try and pursue,” he said.

His mother, Flor, said it’s clear some of her fellow college students at San Jose State didn’t get similar help.

“The new kids that are just straight out of high school are lost, they don’t understand the system,” she said. “They didn’t get this kind of counseling. If there is a lack of guidance, you could be taking classes you don’t need or be wasting time.”

‘DEGREE IS REALLY A MUST’

Abdel Ali-Manasrah, a 14-year-old Watsonville High freshmen, knew early on that going to college was not optional. He had to go, but financial and academic planning would be key.

“We talked about college ever since he was really young,” his mother, May Alrshaidat, said. “That was our target — to go through school, do really well and go to university.”

Abdel’s father, Mahmoud, works in a restaurant and May, who earned her associate’s of arts degree in math from Cabrillo College after graduating from Watsonville High, works inside the home. They already have started talking to their younger sons, 6-year-old Mohammad and 3-year-old Ahmad, about the importance of college.

May said a degree is “really a must.”

“It’s not like in the old days when you could work and make good money,” she said. “If you don’t have a certificate or degree, it’s really hard to make it. Everything is getting more expensive.”

Abdel wants to go to UC Santa Cruz to study engineering so he can create video games for Sony. The family is glad he chose a school close by so he can live at home rather than encumber the cost of living on campus.

“It saves money if he can live with us and just go to school every day,” he said.

It’s hard to say what the full cost of a UC education will be by the time he’s ready to go. Tuition has increased 56 percent in the past two years — from $7,788 in 2009 to $12,192 this year — and could go up again if lawmakers once again cut state funding for UC.

Abdel has saved all his Christmas money for his college and is applying for financial aid. The family has some savings, but not enough to cover all the costs.

May said when Abdel is older he will be allowed to work in the summer to pay for school, but she wants him to stop when classes are in session so he can focus on his studies.

In the meantime, Abdel works with his counselor to ensure the courses he takes during the next three years prepare him for college. The school has a variety of programs designed to make sure students know their options for higher education, including helping parents and students prepare four-year plans and hosting college night events with representatives from UC, California State University and Cabrillo College.

Watsonville and Pajaro Valley high schools also participate in the Early Academic Outreach Program, UC’s largest academic preparation program. It helps students complete UC and CSU eligibility requirements and guides them through the application and financial aid processes.

School staff recruits students starting in the 9th grade, and once in the program, they must maintain a 2.0 grade-point average in their freshman year and increase it to a 2.5 by the end of their junior year. Students who participate in the program are 71 percent likely to complete courses required for admission requirements, compared to 35 percent of students who don’t, the district reports.

‘AN INTERGENERATIONAL PROJECT’

Catherine Cooper, a psychology professor at UCSC, directs the Bridging Multiple Worlds Alliance, which was created to help students from low-income, immigrant or historically underrepresented communities find their way to college.

She said families often view college as an “intergenerational project,” based on whether parents and grandparents went to college or expect their offspring to do so. If a conversation about college doesn’t start early, students may decide on their own that they can’t afford it or make the cut academically.

By ninth grade, “If that’s the first time you’re sitting down with your kid (to discuss college), it’s certainly not too late,” Cooper said.

But it’s probably better to do it earlier because, Cooper said, “Children form their own aspirations very early. That’s why pre-college programs are so crucial — because that’s where families who have not had the experience of college learn.”

Flor Perez was the first generation in her family to graduate from college. Her freshman son Alex hopes to be the second, but he plans to enter the military to help pay for it.

“I want to got to college to follow my mom’s footsteps,” he said, “to show I can also do it and she is a big role model in my life.”