APRIL 2024 | VOLUME 4 | EDITION 9
In the tapestry of life, we're all connected. Each one of us is a gift to those around us helping each other be who we are, weaving a perfect picture together . ~ Anita Moorjani
As some of you may know, I grew up in Placer County, specifically in Loomis. I went to Franklin Elementary School, graduated from Del Oro High School, and also attended Sierra College. In my immediate family, three siblings, two in-laws, two of my children, and fifteen nieces and nephews have also graduated from Del Oro. Currently, I have a niece and two "great" nephews enrolled in the school, with more family members expected to follow in the coming years. To say my family’s fabric is entwined in these communities would be an understatement. Witnessing the connection and support of our family has been truly special. When given the chance to become a staff member of PUHSD, I wholeheartedly jumped at the opportunity for various reasons, one being to give back to the communities that positively impacted my life. I am not alone in this endeavor. Of the 425+/- employees in our District, about 130 of us are alumni of PUHSD schools and have returned to ‘give back’.
The 130 of us are, however, just strands in the vast and wonderful pattern woven together with the other PUHSD staff members who bring their unique gifts, talents, experiences, education, and visions to the Placer Union High School District's fabric. This collection results in an immense and miraculous tapestry as we weave a “perfect picture together ”. Through good times and difficult ones, “in the tapestry of life, we’re all connected.” The connections of our students, staff, families and communities have been instrumental in being able to cope with the very difficult losses we experience. Your support for each other is evident and admirable. I am truly honored to work alongside my exceptional colleagues in serving our communities. Together , with our students, families, and communities, we weave the wonderful tapestry of PUHSD. Thank you ALL. Wishing all of our PUHSD Students, Staff, Families & Communities a happy April ~ Sarah Rath , Communications Officer
Official Newsletter of the Placer Union High School District
April Board Meeting Tuesday - April 16, 2024 5:30 pm Lynn MacDonald Education Center 3775 Richardson Drive - Auburn CAASPP Testing & March In- Service - Page 2 “Beauty & the Bonds” - Page 3 Redistricting Process - Page 4 Competency-Based Education - Page 5 Alternative Education - Page 6 “The Point” Podcast - Page 7 The Squeeze - Page 8 Out & About on Campus - Pages 9-10 Budget Information - Page 11
The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) is an indicator of progress toward career and college readiness. On January 1, 2014, the CAASPP System was established. The primary purpose of the CAASPP System is to assist teachers, administrators, students, and parents by promoting high-quality teaching and learning through the use of a variety of assessment approaches. California’s new academic standards – the things we want students to know and be able to do – are designed so students graduate ready for college and/or a career. One way we measure their progress is through computer-based assessments, which students in grades 3 through 8 and 11 take each Spring. These tests were created specifically to gauge each student’s performance in Mathematics and English (language arts/literacy) as they develop – grade by grade – the skills called for by the standards, including the ability to write clearly, think critically and solve problems. Teachers, business leaders, public colleges and universities all support these long-term learning goals because they reflect what students need to know in order to be prepared for the career and college experiences that await them. (cde.ca.gov) Testing for our District will begin this month at our sites. A broad schedule is listed below, but please monitor the communication from your school to know specific details, i.e., bell schedules for all students on testing days, etc. Here is a link to the Parent/Guardian Resources (link) or please visit the CDE website for more information about the required testing.
Be there, do your best & make yourself PROUD!
The March 15th In-Service Day was a great success! Thank You's to Ed. Services for organizing, our
Food Service Workers for keeping us
nourished and Placer for hosting... and as always, Thank You to our AWESOME STAFF!!!!!
“Beauty and the Bonds” The results of the construction and improvement projects at Del Oro and Placer High Schools following the passage of Measures D & G are truly impressive! (Updates are from earlier newsletters.) We extend our heartfelt thanks to our communities for ensuring that our students and staff have access to safe and high-quality learning environments.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE Del Oro High School
Site of Building #3
New furniture and updating of
existing Science Building
Building #3 taking shape
Courtyard in the center of campus - starting the renovation project which should be complete by August, 2021
As a Del Oro alumni, parent, former staff member and resident of Loomis, I find it so exciting to see the new additions and improvements to the campus. Our community will be positively enhanced by these changes. From new buildings & classrooms, to renovating the halls I once walked...it is awesome to witness the transformation. Again, thank you Communities!
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE Placer High School
Measure G in the works! Placer's projects are moving along and it's great to see the transformation of the campus. The upper campus painting project was completed this past Spring. The site for the new Learning Commons is being prepared and construction will begin soon.
One of our staff families watching the fun!
Rendering of the Learning Commons
Learning Commons - This will be the new hub of campus providing a new cafeteria, educational spaces, library, and community spaces.
Site of the new Learning Commons
Projects Around Campus
600 Bldgs - The modernization project of the existing three classroom buildings was completed in January, 2021. This project updated spaces and provided new technology, finishes, and furniture. Earl Crabbe Gym - Plans for the modernization of the iconic gym are slated to begin later this year. Updates will include addressing ventilation and water intrusion issues, along with improvements to the weight room and creating a new wrestling space. Music Suite Relocation - Plans are currently under design for the relocation of the band and choir program to a new space where the current library is housed in the 100 wing. This new space has almost 1,750 square feet which will be used to enhance the illustrious program and is sure to become a premiere center for the music arts on campus and for the City of Auburn. Culinary Arts Modernization- This project is entering the planning stages to look into the feasibility of a new culinary arts space on campus to further the dedication to CTE pathways. Currently reviewing a few locations and conceptual designs throughout upper campus.
Painting project for upper campus
Some enhancement projects from the Bond funding are continuing; however, the major construction is complete. Thank You Del Oro and Placer Communities!
What is Redistricting? The Placer Union High School District’s Board of Trustees are currently elected in At-large elections. At- large elections are those in which all the voters of the entire jurisdiction elect all the members to the governing board. Under a By-Trustee Area election system, the District is divided into geographic areas - Trustee Areas – and a Board Member residing in each Trustee Area is elected only by the registered voters who live in that Trustee Area. Please keep in mind that this transition does NOT change attendance boundaries for students/schools, it only changes the Trustee Area maps for election purposes. The following is an excerpt from the March newsletter about what redistricting is and how it relates to PUHSD‘s election process. How do I submit a map? Here are the instructions and steps taken for map submittals: Use this link to download a pdf map of our District boundaries. (Follow the rules noted on the map.) 1. 2. Once complete, please submit a copy of your pdf map to redistrict@puhsd.k12.ca.us. 3.Submitted maps will be reviewed by the Demographer for compliance. If compliant, the map will be linked on our webpage and presented to the Board for consideration. 4. All maps that will be presented to the Board must be linked on the District’s webpage seven (7) days before the Board’s review at the next public hearing. 5. 6.The first public hearing where maps will be considered is scheduled for April 16, 2024. Maps submittals for that meeting are due to the District no later than Tuesday, April 9, 2024 , so that they can be reviewed and linked. 7. Where can I learn more? Please visit our dedicated webpage and/or reach out to us on our dedicated email address: redistrict@puhsd.k12.ca.us
At-Large System
By-Trustee Area System
= Area Trustees are elected by voters residing in entire District boundaries
Area Trustees are elected by voters only residing in the Trustee area boundaries
One of the critical components of Competency-Based Education is the accurate evaluation and communication of student learning. Traditional grading includes several non-learning measures including behavior penalties and extra credit. As Tom Schimmer points out in his book, Grading From the Inside Out , “Grades must be a reflection of student proficiency, not a reward for compliance … Grades are fundamentally flawed if the achievement information they report is inaccurate.” The traditional grading system rarely communicates what a student can do or know, rather it communicates an average score from a collection of different assignments and weights. In a CBE system, the focus is on the progress a student is making towards meeting the goals of a course. This is very different from a traditional system in which letter grades are given at different times throughout a term, but never communicate explicitly what a student has learned or needs to learn. Instead of using a letter grade, CBE articulates what targets the student has hit, or how close they are to hitting a target. At the end of the term, a letter grade will be given based on the student's demonstration of meeting the course goals. The CBE system requires parents and students to shift their thinking regarding grades and progress. During the term, parents and students should look at the student’s progress on proficiency scales for the course instead of a letter grade. By focusing on the proficiency scales, parents and students will better understand where a student is in the course and the support a student may need.
RESOURCES PUHSD and school websites have a dedicated page about CBE which contain a lot of information and resources. PUHSD Webpage Please be sure to listen to all of the podcasts, but especially the episodes that contain information about CBE. There are many useful episodes on how CBE helps students be successful as the leave one class and move on to the next. “The Point” Podcast
Education at Confluence & Confluence West High Schools emphasizes the LTI (Learning through Interests) Internship Program. During these internships, students collaborate with expert mentors in their chosen field to complete meaningful projects benefiting both the student and the mentor’s workplace. These projects play a crucial role in enhancing student learning and academic progress. Internships offer students numerous opportunities to explore their interests, engage professionally with adults in various fields, and tackle real-world projects that enhance their academic skills. Students, parents, and Confluence staff collaborate to secure internships tailored to each student’s area of interest. Throughout this process, students develop networking, communication, self- advocacy, and initiative skills. They are encouraged to step out of their comfort zone and engage actively in the professional realm.
School as Community, Community as School
POWERED BY A PASSIONATE STAFF COMMITTED TO REAL-WORLD LEARNING & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Independent Study was first recognized by the District in 1978 as a valuable way to serve the diverse needs of our students. Throughout the next three decades, the District’s Independent Study Programs evolved and changed with technology and State requirements. In the Fall of 2018, MVCA was opened with its current offerings.
MVCA is a virtual charter school that offers two different pathways to a diploma: Collegiate and Personalized (PEP). Collegiate students follow the A-G course of study and PEP students have a personalized plan with credit requirements. MVCA’s mission statement reads: The Maidu Virtual Charter Academy is committed to providing a personalized and supportive environment enabling students to discover their purpose and become self-motivated, competent lifelong learners. Many of MVCA's offerings are dual enrollment courses so students are earning college credit while taking their high school course. Students outside of PUHSD may enroll in the online programs.
P INT The
Podcasts will be aired on the 1st and 15th of each month during the school year (unless that needs adjusting due to topics/schedule).
Episode #9 - December 15, 2023 Episode #10 - January 1, 2024 Episode #8 - December 1, 2023 Episode #7 - November 15, 2023 Trailer - August 1, 2023 Episode #1 - August 15, 2023 Episode #2 - September 1, 2023 Episode #3 - September 15, 2023 Episode #4 - October 1, 2023 Episode #5 - October 12, 2023 Episode #6 - November 1, 2023
Episode #11 - January 16, 2024
Episode #14 - March 1, 2024 Episode #15 - March 15, 2024 Episode #16 - April 1, 2024 Episode #12 - February 1, 2024 Episode #13 - February 15, 2024
From the desk of Crystal Eatherton, Director Child Nutrition Services Department
ON CAMPUS & BEYOND OUT & ABOUT
PUHSD In - Service Day Photo of Alumni that could make the 7:50 am photo shoot. We’ll try again another time to capture everyone. Fun Fact: One of PUHSD’s first Student Board Members is now
a tenured teacher at Placer High School!!! PUHSD Proud!!!
BUDGET ADVISORY GROUP A team of administrators and employees from varied job classifications met for their initial meeting to begin discussing projected budgets and brainstorm strategies to mitigate necessary cuts. In the upcoming meetings, more staff members will be involved as we strive to maintain a stable financial situation while minimizing the impact on various programs.
Please participate in the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) survey to ensure your input and voice is heard during our meetings. LINK TO SURVEY Images from the 2nd Interim Budget Report presentation at the 3/19/24 Board meeting.
Life is a great tapestry. The individual is only an insignificant thread in an immense and miraculous pattern. Albert Einstein
13000 New Airport Road Auburn, CA 95603 Phone: 530.886.4400 Fax: 530.886.4449 Placer Union High School District PUHSD
The Placer Union High School District (PUHSD) is committed to ensuring equal, fair, and meaningful access to employment and education services and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. PUHSD prohibits discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment), intimidation, or bullying in any employment practice, education program, or educational activity on the basis and/or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics of age, ancestry, color, ethnic group identification, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical information, national origin, disability, parental status, political affiliation, pregnancy and related conditions, race, religion, retaliation, sex, sexual orientation, military or veterans status, homelessness, foster status, or any other basis prohibited by California state and federal nondiscrimination laws consistent with Education Code 200 and 220, Government Code 11135, and Title IX. If you believe you have been subjected to discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment), intimidation, or bullying you should contact Title IX Coordinator (Students) Steve Caminiti 13000 New Airport Road, Auburn, 530.886.4402, scaminiti@puhsd.k12.ca.us; Title II (Students) and Section 504 Coordinator Carrie Warda, 13000 New Airport Road, Auburn, 530.886.4443, cwarda@puhsd.k12.ca.us; and/or Title IX and Title II Coordinator (Staff), Elena DalFavero 13000 New Airport Road, Auburn, 530.886.4426, edalfavero@puhsd.k12.ca.us.
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