NUSD Spotlight Community Newsletter May 5, 2023

National School Principals Day!

Monday was National School Principals Day! We have the most amazing principals in NUSD. We thank them for all that they do. Let your principal know today how much you and your school community appreciate them. #NationalSchoolPrincipalsDay #NUSDStrong

Leroy Greene Academy’s 2nd Annual Culture and Connectedness Summit

Thursday at Leroy Greene Academy (LGA) brought students, staff, faculty, parents, mental health experts, and business professionals together during LGA’s 2nd Annual Culture and Connectedness Summit. 6th through 12th-grade students learned about diversity, equity, and inclusion through a series of workshops featured at the summit. Thank you to everyone who helped organize the event and all who participated!

Exposing Our Elementary Students to CTE Pathways Early -Two Rivers Host CTE Day!

Two Rivers Elementary School students are getting an early introduction to the CTE Pathways available to them at NUSD High Schools. They learned a great deal about the 10 CTE options available to students! All of the Otters are AVID learners, and this is part of their mission to provide opportunities for students to explore their future pathways.

Update on Trustee Area 4 Vacancy

On May 3, 2023, a message was sent to the Natomas Community regarding an update on the Trustee Area 4 vacancy. Please click on the link here if you have not already read the message pertaining to the NUSD Board of Trustees voting 3-1 to order an election to fill the vacant seat for Trustee Area 4.

Literacy Spotlight

The Natomas Unified School District (NUSD) is focused on improving students’ informational writing. Informational writing is a skill that students will use beyond the classroom and will help set them up for success. Hear from Susan Garrison about how programs such as Amira and Edmentum have helped her scholars in the virtual classroom.

All NUSD Schools to Use ParentSquare for Enhanced Family Engagement

Health and Wellness

Student-Athletes with and without intellectual disabilities came together at Natomas High School to play, compete, and celebrate the 8th Annual Field Day! The last time this event took place was in 2019. The event was co-founded by Kim Taxara, a Special Education Moderate-Severe Teacher, and Stacey Hickle, a Teacher of Adapted Physical Education. There were over 130 athletes from NUSD, 120 from Twin Rivers Unified, 50 from Folsom Cordova Unified, and 24 from Sac City Unified participating. Taxara and Hickle created Field Day as an opportunity for kids with exceptional needs to engage in sports. A video with all the highlights will be shared next week!

Natomas Park Elementary School Community Running for a Good Cause

More than 65 staff members, students, and parents/guardians of Natomas Park Elementary participated in the annual Runnin For Rhett Organization’s Run Because You Can Race. This is the eighth year NPE has participated.

Runnin’ for Rhett is a Nonprofit organization that makes training available at no charge to schools in the 4-county Sacramento area. NPE participates in Runnin’ for Rhett’s Youth Fitness Program, designed to combat childhood obesity by educating young people and their families on fitness and nutrition. “Our hope is to use this program to touch the lives of all youth from a wide variety of different backgrounds. It is our experience that youth who feel like part of a team – accepted and encouraged – hold higher self-worth – and will be more prepared for life’s challenges,” shared Lyndsay Byrd – School Culture and Climate TOSA at NPE.

Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s May 5, 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. The day, which falls on Friday, May 5 in 2023, is also known as Battle of Puebla Day. While it is a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations.

Students: Show off your Culinary Prowess in NUSD’s Iron Scholar Chef Challenge

NUSD embraces diversity and works to promote cultural appreciation year-round. As part of National Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI), we encourage NUSD students to participate in our Iron Scholar Chef event. Students are invited to share their favorite AAPI recipes and a picture or video of the final dish with us. All students who participate will receive prizes. Entries must be received by May 15th, 7 pm to [email protected]. For more information and to learn more about AAPI month, click here.

As a reminder, Natomas Unified schools will begin using ParentSquare to help streamline communication between families and their student’s schools. Although the official launch is this summer, we invite parents to download the app and visit our website to learn more at https://natomasunified.org/parentsquare/.

Announcements & Resources

The Natomas Unified School District (NUSD) has taken proactive measures to ensure the safety of our community, during California’s current opioid epidemic. “Even though we haven’t had an overdose in Natomas Unified School District, we’re trying to prepare, so that we never lose a student or staff member to a potential overdose,” Anthony Da Marto, NUSD’s Director of Student Services and Support. Learn how NUSD is doing its part to educate and prepare in this video and podcast featuring a father who tragically lost his son to Fentanly.