Highlights from Forward 5 Regional Meetings
If you didn’t get an opportunity to attend our in-person Forward 5 Regional Meetings this week, there is still time to participate in the engagement sessions. On January 18th, from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., there will be a virtual meeting available to all families. Visit our website for the Zoom Link. The link will also be sent to all families on Tuesday. This is an opportunity for families to hear about action items aligned with our district goals, work that has been done over the last 10 years with our facilities, and provide feedback. While registration is not required to attend, it will help us to plan for the number of families attending. Please take a moment to click here to RSVP.
LEAP Academy
Students Enjoy Crafts and Gifted Books at LEAP Winter Wonderland 2024
LEAP Academy students at Bannon Creek School enjoyed crafts and activities and were gifted books during 2024’s Winter Wonderland Showcase and Carnival. LEAP Academy providers organize events such as this showcase to share with Natomas Unified families how students continue to learn and have fun beyond school hours. Registration for next school year’s LEAP Academy will be made available February 15th. To learn more about LEAP, click here.
LEAP Academy Students Build Language Arts Skills over Winter Break
Integrating fun games, lessons, and culturally responsive teaching strategies helped teachers build students’ English language arts skills over the winter break. Culturally responsive teaching strategies is an example of how our district is implementing our core value of diversity, equity, and inclusion into our every day work with students.
Teachers such as Latrice O’Gilvie engaged with the LEAP Academy students to help them build active listening skills, work on English language arts concepts, and expand their vocabulary. “The purpose is always for them to learn, of course. But, the second purpose is just really to make sure kids are more engaged in their learning,” O’Gilvie, a Larry G. Meeks Academy teacher who taught kids during the winter said.
Literacy
NUSD Recognizes National Braille Literacy Month
January is National Braille Literacy Month! We highlight our braille/dual vision books, as we work to recognize and celebrate the various kinds of media which help build literacy skills. Watch this video to check out some of the books at H. Allen Hight and Natomas Middle School library, so students with and without sight can read together.
Parents As Partners
Resources for Families
Register for the Raising Resilient Girls Parent University Session
Learn how to build emotional wellness together with your student. This free session is being sponsored by our partner Girls Leadership Inc. For more information and to register, visit girlsleadership.org/parent-education
Monday January 22nd
5 – 6:15 PM Pacific
Love and Logic Parent University
There are still a few slots left to enroll in next week’s Parent University’s Love and Logic parenting series. This is a free 5-week program where parents learn to raise self-confident, motivated, and resilient children. Dinner and childcare will be provided starting at 5:30 PM with the class session beginning at 6 to 7:30 PM. Space is limited. For this free series, register as soon as possible.
Cohort 1: Natomas Park Elementary – 1/16, 1/23, 1/30, 2/6, & 2/13 (Full with waiting list)
Cohort 2: Jefferson School – 1/18, 1/25, 2/1, 2/8, & 2/15 (Almost Full)
Cohort 3: Bannon Creek School – 2/27, 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, & 3/26 (Spots Available)
Cohort 4: American Lakes School – 2/29, 3/7, 3/14, 3/21, & 3/28 (Spots Available)
Cohort 5: Paso Verde School (This series will be conducted in Spanish) – 1/25, 2/1, 2/8, 2/15, & 2/22
Tips and Tricks for Parents on ParentSquare
Parent Dashboard on Mobile App
When a parent logs into ParentSquare, they can view all of their children’s school information easily. Parents will see all children associated with their ParentSquare account even if their children attend multiple NUSD school sites.
- In the upper left, view your children, along with their school and grade level.
- The “Posts” tab allows you to view all the posts that pertain to each child.
- The “Messages” tab allows you to view messages from teachers or staff.
How Violent Video Games Impact Teens
Watch this video from our educational partner, Screenagers, and learn how violent video games may desensitize teens to violence. We encourage families to watch this 3:46 video with their teens.
Locate similar resources through NUSD’s Parent University. 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.
Superintendent’s Corner
Superintendent Dr. Robyn Castillo loves being out in the community and connecting with our families, staff and community partners. Here are a few photos she shared on Instagram of our LCAP Regional Community Meeting this past week.
To follow along with her, click here and hit “follow”.
Announcements
Participate in the Great Kindness Challenge
The Great Kindness Challenge is in two weeks! To help us celebrate, we ask the Natomas Unified community to send in #KindCards. Email [email protected] with a kind message to a teacher or staff member, we’ll create a graphic like the one above, and share the message on our platforms on Jan. 22nd – 26th. Send messages by Jan. 20th.
NUSD Recognizes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month
January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. As we recognize this month, we want to reshare this video of hope from Jeanette Diaz, a trafficking survivor, who is also an NUSD parent. We first shared Diaz’s story in November of her upbringing, how Diaz is working to become an advocate, and a voice for people who face similar struggles.
Reminder: NUSD Sites Closed Monday, January 15 in Observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
NUSD Newsroom Hub
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 new page here.
