A ‘Moo-ving’ Visit from ‘Buttercup’ the Dairy Cow

‘Buttercup the Dairy Cow’ visited Jefferson School’s transitional kindergarten through 6th grade students recently at an assembly that made quite the impression! Buttercup’s visit, thanks to our community partner, the Dairy Council of California, brought agriculture to Jefferson scholars, teaching them new vocabulary, the anatomy of a cow, how milk gets from the cow to the table, and the importance of healthy eating and physical activity. After the assembly, scholars were able to continue their learning based on the activity books and digital resources that the Dairy Council provided.

Literacy and Diversity: New Books to Celebrate Black History Month

Natomas Unified is proud to share our collection of new books which focus on notable African American figures, black joy, and Black history year-round. Watch as Ashley Collins, Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) at Natomas Park Elementary, explains the importance of these new books in the second most diverse school district in the nation, Natomas Unified.

“I think the most important part is these stories live on in our library bookshelves. It’s not just a one month a year (literary celebration), it’s the whole year, and for years to come, so a pretty cool way to act on our value of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Collins said.

Due Date Extended: Celebrate Black History Month! Enter our Poster and Essay Contest

This Black History Month, Natomas Unified is recognizing the contributions African American artists have made, as we celebrate the theme “African Americans and the Arts”. All Natomas Unified students are invited to participate in this year’s poster and essay contest, by paying homage to an African American artist of their choice. Examples include, but are not limited to: poets, writers, visual artists, dancers, and filmmakers.

Contest guidelines may be found here. Entries may be submitted via email to [email protected] by February 21st. Winners will be announced on February 23rd. Entries will be featured on our communication platforms.

Save the Date and Participate: NUSD’s Multicultural Festival 

Be sure to join the Natomas Unified community on Saturday, April 13th at Inderkum High School for our first district wide Multicultural Festival! We are also on the lookout for student and cultural performers! Families can even be a part of a cultural fashion show. If interested in participating, please follow this link.

High School Students Help 8th Grade students Prepare for Next Academic Step

Members of our Student Voices Advisory Council toured north Natomas middle schools recently and shared advice with middle school students. Click here to watch some of the advice shared and the lessons middle school students took away from our Middle School  Roadshow.

Student Chefs Featured on SEVA TV

Get ready to have your taste buds tantalized on this week’s episode of SEVA TV, as Harleen from Heron unveils the secrets to crafting the most exquisite samosas.

That’s not all! Brace yourself for a symphony of flavors as Gurneet and Alexandra from Inderkum High School takes us on a journey through the creation of delectable roti.

NUSD Sports Recap

Natomas High School’s boys soccer team won against Wheatland on Tuesday in the division 4 playoffs!

Way to go, Inderkum High School’s girls soccer team, for their win against River City Wednesday Night 5-0 in the division 1 playoffs.

Congrats to both Natomas and Inderkum high schools wrestling teams! A total of eight qualifiers are moving on from this past weekend’s divisionals/regionals. The Masters Wrestling Tournament will be held at Stockton Arena on Friday/Saturday 2/16-17 from 9 am – 6 pm.

The Inderkum High School boys basketball team beat Mountain House 95 to 46 Wednesday in the division 1 playoffs. And on Tuesday, Natomas High School’s boys basketball team beat Colfax 61-39, also in the division 1 playoffs.

Natomas High School advances to the semi-finals with a big win over Sutter High School Thursday night. Phenomenal job, team!

NUSD Superintendent Dr. Robyn Castillo rooted for Inderkum High School’s boys varsity basketball team during their game Wednesday, February 14th. The team faced off against Mountain House in the 2024 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Boys Basketball Playoffs- Division 1 Tournament. Congratulations to the team on their win!

Follow Castillo’s Instagram journey here, then click “follow”.

NUSD’s District Goals: Goal #3

Natomas Unified is committed to its Core Values and continuous improvement. To show families our ongoing progress, we are sharing a series of five videos which outline NUSD’s District Goals. Click here to watch Goal #3: Create a safe, engaging environment where students connect to school.

Thank you to the parents, families, and students who visited the Communications and Family Engagement (CAFE) table at Witter Ranch Elementary Wednesday morning. Our “Coffee with CAFE” series is one of the ways we intentionally reach out to families and share the resources our district and Natomas Parent University has to offer. Parent University provides families with helpful advice to navigate the challenging behaviors that may arise with parenting. We offer classes, webinars, podcasts, and short videos to help parents/guardians in the success of their students.

Staff members also spoke with Witter Ranch Hawks about what they liked about school. An overwhelming majority of students said they love math! “Coffee with CAFE” will be visiting more sites in the coming weeks and months. Be sure to keep an eye out for free coffee and friendly chats!

Families are asked to take part in our community partner, City of Sacramento’s, Truxel Bridge Concept Questionnaire. The City of Sacramento is undertaking an engineering feasibility study for a new multi-modal bridge across the lower American River between Truxel Road and Sequoia Pacific Boulevard to better connect North and South Natomas with the Central City. The city’s plan for Truxel Bridge will create a more direct connection for those walking, biking, taking transit, or driving between northern Sacramento communities and Sacramento’s urban core. It will also provide better access, improve air quality, improve job opportunities, enhance economic development, and improve emergency response times. To the right is a map depicting the proposed Truxel Bridge location.

In January 2024, the city hosted the first in-person community meeting to gather initial feedback from the public on the preliminary bridge design. During the meeting, the city re-introduced the project, explained the current study, and facilitated an early dialogue with community members about Truxel Bridge. To learn more visit the project website or watch the video presentation.

FBF: Brenda Carvalho, Teacher at Larry G. Meeks Academy

Every week, we share a wayback/flashback/throwback photo of our staff members, share a little bit of their story, and why they love working for NUSD.

This newsletter, we feature Brenda Carvalho, a teacher at Larry G. Meeks Academy.

Question: What’s the story behind the photo?
Answer: This was one of my favorite toys when I was a kid. I would rock back almost far enough to hit the ground.

Question: When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Answer: A pharmacist.

Question: Why do you like working here at NUSD?
Answer: I like the feel of the smaller (but not too small district) and the diversity in staff and scholars.

If you would like to see the latest career opportunities at Natomas Unified, visit natomasunified.org/human-resources.

On Tuesday, February 13, an email was sent to all district employees inviting them to nominate a teacher that they believe deserves the title of “Teacher of the Year”. Nominations are due by Wednesday, March 13. Nominations should describe qualities that the teacher possesses that make them an exemplary teacher, including their efforts to provide an engaging and safe learning community where all students will demonstrate responsibility, achieve academic and social-emotional growth, embrace diversity, and are prepared to make decisions about their college and career success.

Nominations will be collected through this Google form (similar to the Classified Employee of the Year process). After the nomination period, the CAO’s Office and site principals will work together to review the nominations and determine the site teachers of the year. From the site selections, a District Teacher of the Year will also be chosen. The District Teacher of the Year will be forwarded to the Sacramento County Office of Education and will be eligible to be selected as the Sacramento County Teacher of the Year, and possibly be selected in the California Teacher of the Year Program.

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP)

An EAP is a service designed to help you manage life’s challenges. Everyone needs a helping hand once in a while, and the EAP can provide it. Professional counselors and services can help you and your eligible family members resolve a broad range of personal problems affecting your emotional health, family life, and work life. EAP is a no-cost, confidential resource for NUSD employees and their eligible family members.

DID YOU KNOW?

The new year often brings renewed focus on setting new goals and finding ways in which we hope to improve. EAP can help with its own resource section, filled with articles and tools on Motivation, Goal Setting and Resilience.

You can access articles and tips, such as 6 Steps to Get Motivated and Tips to Stay on Track. You can also read articles on Goal Setting and use an interactive tool to test your resilience. Just look for the Well-Being category in the Explore & Learn section of the website.

EAP information can be found online at liveandworkwell.com, or by calling 1-866-248-4096. If accessing online, click register now, follow the prompts, and select SIA-SIA when prompted for the company code.

UPCOMING FEBRUARY EAP WEBINARS AND REGISTRATION LINKS. (Please click on the title for the registration link:

ParentSquare: Personalize Direct Messages with Voice Clips

Thank you to all our staff members who are using ParentSquare to keep colleagues, families, and students informed! Did you know you can also send personalized voice clips in ParentSquare?  You can personalize your direct message by attaching a voice clip to it. This is great for quick updates to a parent regarding the progress of their student in a 1:1 conversation or for sending the same personalized voice clip to everyone in a group Direct Message. Here are some examples where voice clips are useful:

• Pronouncing vocabulary words that are being sent home.
• Sharing a short poem, verse, or song students need to learn.
• Recording the written message you are sending for people who might prefer hearing, instead of just reading, your words.
• Foreign language teachers can record a passage that students then need to translate.
• Recording students reading aloud in class to share with parents.

Families will receive your message with a link they can click to hear the voice clip.

Click here to learn how to send a direct message with a personalized voice clip.

The NUSD Newsroom Hub web page is a dedicated place to access current and past NUSD media such as news articles, Board Highlights, newsletters, Last Week’s Wrap Up, videos, and podcasts all produced by the district’s Communications and Family Engagement team known as CAFE. Check out our page here.