November 5, 2014 Communicate Please take a moment to remember those who served our country on November 11, Veterans Day. The next eNews will come to you on Friday, November 14. CHANGE IN LOCATION – Wellness Campaign Participants: Please note that there is a change in location for tomorrow’s fitness evaluations. Tomorrow’s evaluations will take place from 6-8 p.m. at the Johansen stadium, NOT Downey. Due to field conditions, the football game scheduled for Friday at Gregori has been moved to Thursday at Downey. In case you missed it, check out the details in the updated email from Core Fitness owner Randy Price. The next fitness evaluation is Thursday, November 13. The time and location are yet to be determined. Cabinet has not met since the last eNews. Our next meeting is Friday, November 7, and the agenda is big. Among the topics we will discuss: Board Policy/Administrative Regulation Revision Protocols; Parent Involvement Monies; Common Core and LCAP Monies; Community Engagement for LCAP; Vending Machine Sales; and First Reading of Proposed Revisions to Board Policy 5117 Intra- and Interdistrict Attendance. The next Board of Education meeting is Monday, November 17. I’ll share Board Preview in the next eNews. We are working hard to address the topics raised in the advisory group meetings we held last month. One question asked concerned our use of college prep (CP) core courses for our students. An employee asked why we don’t offer lower levels for students who don’t plan to attend college. I’ll make sure we have a full response by Thanksgiving, but for now consider the following: Since we implemented CP courses, we have seen an increase in our graduation rates, and in the number of students taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and passing AP tests. We kicked off our 2014 United Way Campaign on Monday. Everyone who gives will be entered into a drawing for a gift basket (donated by United Way) that includes two bottles of wine, wine glasses, nuts and other goodies. Since our last campaign, the United Way of Stanislaus County implemented the Graduation Coach program as part of their education initiative to increase the graduation rate in our county. Collaborate Melicety Deatherage, Teacher at Lakewood shared: “From what I have read, 80% of the battle with weight is due to the food we take in and 20% is due to the amount of exercise we get. Part of my goal to become healthier is changing my eating habits to focus on whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and lean meats. In addition, it is important to eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day, between five and six, instead of just three larger meals. This lifestyle change (notice I didn’t say diet, it is a change) is called clean eating. It cuts out processed foods and focuses on those healthy food groups like complex carbohydrates, vegetables, and lean meats. I began doing this a just over a month ago and have already lost 15 pounds. I started my own Facebook clean eating group to motivate and encourage my friends as well as to provide them with the information I find on clean eating. One other thing I began doing is keeping a food journal. I’ve been writing down everything I eat and drink throughout each day. It helps me stay accountable!” Do you have a wellness tip or a great (healthy) recipe? Email Becky Fortuna to share. Tiffani Burns, Community Outreach Coordinator, needs 10 mentors for Burbank Elementary. Interested in being a “Success Consultant” for one of our students? All it takes is one hour, once a week, to make one huge difference in the life of a child. Contact Tiffani for more information, or check out the mentoring information on our new website. TOMORROW: Johansen’s I Can Club will host their annual Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction on Thursday, November 6, from 5-8 p.m. in the Vikings Den at Johansen. Tickets are $8 and available at the door. Dinner includes spaghetti, salad, bread, cookie, and a drink. You can eat at the event or get it to go. The money raised goes to the Special Needs Severely Handicapped classes at Johansen for classroom supplies and community-based outings. For more information, contact Tony Heintz. The Chemo Crew is a local, community-driven organization that seeks to provide hope and help to chemotherapy patients and their families. The group will host a Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction on Saturday, December 13, from 9-11 a.m. at Big Valley Grace Community Church, 4040 Tully Road, Modesto. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids, and survivors are free. See the flyer for more information. In case you missed it, the list of our fitness facility partners and the discounts available to our employees is here! Should you have any questions about the discounts, please contact the facility directly and identify yourself as a Modesto City Schools employee. Celebrate! You can always find A LOT to celebrate on our Facebook and Twitter accounts! If you have not already done so, “like” us on Facebook and “follow” us on Twitter. Congregations Building Communities recognized Jorge Perez, Director, Student, Parent & Community Support Services, at their Fourth Annual Leadership Gala last month for “Outstanding Leadership in the Community.” Way to go, Jorge! Congratulations to our October MCS Heroes! We will recognize these heroes at the November 17 board meeting. See the nomination text for these folks here (they are listed alphabetically by first name).  Andrea Bailey, Volunteer, Enslen  Justin Krone, Associate Principal, Downey  Sandra Fagundes, Teacher, Martone  Tami Rubalcava, Administrative Assistant, Kirschen Congratulations to all our nominees:  Adria Sanders, Campus Supervisor, Mark Twain  Attendance Team, Yolanda Rebagliati, Jonette Martine, Veronica Flores, Lora Batt, Susi Reyes, Gregori  Daniel Rosales, Bus Driver, Transportation  Elisa Magana, ASES Paraprofessional, Tuolumne  Gina Walter, Instructional Paraprofessional, Transitions  Gustavo Aguilar, Custodian, Roosevelt  Janet Pettigrew, School Secretary, Modesto  Juan Gonzalez, Supervising Custodian, Roosevelt  Lydia Martinez, Instructional Paraprofessional, Special Day Class, Shackelford  Marilyn Todd, Campus Supervisor, Modesto  Patricia Bautista, Teacher, Bret Harte  Robin Kerntke, Application Specialist, Information Systems  Ron Boren, Teacher, Tuolumne  Tom Nelson, Teacher, La Loma  Valerie McAuliffe, District Improvement Facilitator, Modesto  Veronica Alvarez, Yard Duty, Tuolumne Nominate an MCS Hero for the month of November here. I rely on you to make this program work. You are my eyes and ears at our schools and support sites and I need you to help me recognize our valuable, hard-working employees and volunteers. In the last eNews, I shared the video of Ishikawa’s game-winning, NLCS-winning, home-run and asked you to share what it would take for you to have that same feeling of success in your professional life. I LOVED reading the five game-winning home run moments submitted last week, and would love to hear from more of you. Sharing your ideas helps me get to know you, learn what is important to you and tells me how I can help you succeed. Submit your moment here. Read last week’s submissions here. Congratulations to Carol Ovalle, Teacher, Everett, your $5 Starbucks gift card is in the mail. Beard (l-r): Maria Rodriguez (Instr. Para), Warren Sperry Bret Harte (l-r): Vanessa Platt (VP), Steve Hurst (Principal), (Principal), Sherry Leguria (Admin. Asst.), Laura Vercelli (Sub) Marla Sliger (Library Asst.) Martone (l-r): Claudia Lopez (Typist Clerk), Dinah Henschel (Student Records Clerk), Cheryl Nelson (Admin. Assist.) Davis (back l-r, front l-r): Tammy Cameron (Health Clerk), Jill Hayes (Typist Clerk), Margie Cardoza (Admin. Asst.), Sandra Kieta (School Secretary), Carol Huggins (School Secretary), Nicole Jaquez (Bookkeeper), Ann Farina (Teacher), Bridgit Asuncion (EL Counselor)