Incline Village Schools

A great opportunity for all Little League players to warm up their arms and bats before baseball tryouts, and to learn from the high school players and coaches.

Incline High School Highlander Baseball presents the 2nd Annual Baseball Clinic

When: Tuesday, March 9

• 5:00 – 6:15 kids 5 – 9 years old
• 6:30 – 7:45 kids 10 – 12 years old

Where: Incline High School gyms

Cost: $25 per child / $5 discount for each additional sibling

Cool Prizes!

All proceeds from the clinic help support the Incline High School baseball program.

For additional information, please call Jeff Clouthier, Incline High School Baseball Coach, at 831-2667

North Tahoe Little League extended its tryouts, which will be held at Rideout Community Center on March 16-17 from 4-6 p.m., and in the Incline High School gymnasium on Thursday, March 11 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. North Tahoe Little League players ages 9 through 12 will receive a free clinic by former Philadelphia Phillies former player Todd Coburn and Gamer Baseball on May 16.

Registration is also available on-line at www.NorthTahoeLL.com.

Little League is for boys and girls ages 5 to 12 as of 4/30/10. Registration for those age 13 to 15 will be available through Truckee/North Tahoe Babe Ruth. Tryouts for those wanting to play in the Majors or Minors division will be held Thursday, March 11th at 5:30pm at Incline High School.

Attached please find the IES newsletter for March.

ARBOR DAY POSTER CONTEST:

Entries are being accepted for the Arbor Day Foundation's statewide annual poster contest through March 5 at the state Division of Forestry, 2478 Fairview Drive, Carson City. Fifth-graders are eligible to enter at their schools, and one entry per school will be accepted. State winners compete nationally. Visit www.arborday.org for a list of rules. Details: 775-684-2506.

CREATIVE KIDS CONTEST SCHEDULED:

The Launch of PBS Kids Go! Writers Contest for children in kindergarten through third grades is scheduled through March 22.

Prizes awarded for top finishers include laptop computers, digital cameras and MP3 players.

To sign up for a spot at the kick-off event, e-mail le306@sbcglobal.net or 775-853-7884. 

Details: www.knpb.org, 775-682-7801 or 775-682-7830.

COMPETE FOR TOP ANTI-LITTER PSA:

Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful is holding an anti-litter public service announcement contest for students in six categories through April 9. Categories are as follows: Kindergarten through third grade poster, fourth through sixth grade poster, seventh and eighth grade poster, high school poster, 30-second high school/college video and 30-second radio spot high school/college. Finalists in each category will be selected by a KTMB judging panel and winners will be determined by an online voting contest. Prizes include items from Patagonia and concert/golf packages.

For more information and list of rules, visit www.ktmb.org or call 775-851-5185.  Entry form

Cuts to the budgets of public education and higher education will most likely be 6.9 percent when state lawmakers finally agree on the budget deficit solution at the special session of the Legislature, Reno's leading educators said Sunday.

University Chancellor Dan Klaich of Reno and Washoe County School District Superintendent Heath Morrison both said they were told the cuts to higher education and public education would be 6.9 percent.

"That is what we are hearing unofficially but I have not gotten that confirmed yet," Morrison said. "I certainly complement the people for where it has been set. But the disappointing part of that is that it looked like a couple of days ago that it could have been 5 (percent cuts)."

Morrison estimated that the school district would lose about $16 million to $17 million with a 6.9 percent cut to state funding. Yet the school district also faces another $16 to $17 million shortfall because of reduced county property and sales taxes, rollups in the contract with district teachers and more decreases in state funding because of decreased enrollments.

The university system will lose about $50 million in funding over the 16-month span of the planned cut, Klaich said.  "We are still going to see some very difficult times in higher education," Klaich said.

Morrison would not speculate if the 6.9 percent cut in state funding would force teacher layoffs.

Since 1999, Northern Nevada middle and high school students have submitted art and photography portfolios and individual artwork to the Museum to be adjudicated by a panel of judges. Select award winning regional entries are exhibited in a month-long exhibition, and a ceremony honoring regional winners attended regularly by 500 students, parents, and teachers. The regional competition hosted by the Museum draws some 800 students and 1,200 works of art annually. For more information, contact Claire Muñoz, School Services and Outreach Manager at Claire Muñoz at the Nevada Art Museum.

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

The Museum’s annual presentation of The Scholastic Art Awards is scheduled in conjunction with The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, a national program designed to identify America’s most gifted young artists and writers. A selection of regional award winners are chosen to compete nationally for the opportunity to exhibit their work in the annual Scholastic Art Awards exhibition in New York City. The program has honored some of our nation’s most celebrated artists including Truman Capote, Sylvia Plath, Michael Sarich, Cindy Sherman, Robert Redford and Andy Warhol.

See attached for complete list of Art winners (Writing winners under separate article).

Sierra Arts in conjunction with the Nevada Alliance for Arts Education (NAAE) and The Smith Center for Performing Arts in Las Vegas, are pleased to present The Sierra Arts Nevada Scholastic Writing Awards for 2010. The Alliance for Young Writers invites American students across the country and around the globe to submit their best works of writing to the 87th annual Scholastic Writing Awards.

Six local high school students were honored this Saturday for their submissions to the 87th annual Scholastic Writing Awards competition, which recognizes student achievement in creative writing.

The ceremony took place at the Sierra Arts Gallery located at 17 S. Virginia St., Suite 120, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on February 27th. Six students have been selected by a panel of regional judges based on their originality, technical skill, and emergence of a personal voice in their writing. Gold Key, Silver Key, and American Voices nominations will be awarded at the event. Students receiving Gold Key awards or American Voices nominations will have their work submitted to a panel of esteemed creative professionals in New York City for award consideration at the national level.

The six 2010 Scholastic Writing awardees are:

• Teri Dobbins (Reno High School) -- Gold Key award
• Emily Hamby (Reno High School) -- Gold Key award and American Voices award
• Brendan Kilcourse (Albert M. Lowry High School) -- Silvery Key award
• Sean McClelland (Incline High School) -- Gold Key award and American Voices award
• Crystal Powell (Churchill High School) -- Gold Key award and American Voices award
• Montana Routsis (TMCC Magnet Charter High School) -- Gold Key and American Voices award

The Scholastic Writing Awards, in affiliation with The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, is the longest standing writing competition in America, and has been entered by authors such as Truman Capote, Sylvia Plath, and Robert Redford. The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers is a not-for-profit organization with the mission to identify, motivate and validate the next generation of artists and writers.

Writing Categories: Dramatic Script, Humor, Journalism, Personal Essay/Memoir, Persuasive Writing, Poetry, Novel Writing, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Short Story, Short Short Story, General Writing Portfolio, Nonfiction Portfolio.

The Jury Selection Process: Works are first reviewed on the regional level by jurors recruited by 96 Regional Affiliates. Jurors on both regional and national levels will look for works that exemplify our core criteria: 1) Originality, 2) Technical Skill and 3) Emergence of a Personal Vision and Voice. The best works in each region earn Gold Keys – The Scholastic Writing Awards’ symbol of achievement. Gold Key works are then reviewed on the national level by esteemed creative professionals.

The Awards: More than 30,000 students will earn regional-level recognition. Regional Awards include Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention. Regional-level winners are celebrated at local ceremonies, exhibitions and readings. More than 10,000 Gold Key works will be reviewed in by judges in New York City to determine the 1,000 most accomplished young artists and writers in the nation. National Awards include Gold Medals, Silver Medals, and American Visions & Voices Medals. Selections of national award-winning work will be included in the National Student Art Exhibition and the National Catalog in June 2010. More than 50 award-winning manuscripts will be published in The Best Teen Writing of 2010.

Scholarships for Students in the 12th Grade: On the national level, $10,000 scholarships are given to 15 graduating seniors who earn Gold Medals in the Art, Photography, and General Writing and Nonfiction categories. An additional 400 seniors who earn Portfolio Silver Medals or Portfolio Gold Medals will leverage partial to full-ride scholarships from a network of 60 arts universities and institutes, which annually earmark $3.9 million in financial aid.

Scholarships for students in grades 7 – 11: More than 50 students in grades 7 – 11 will earn up to $2,500 to attend summer art and writing camps and precolleges through the Young Artist Awards scholarship program. Students who have earned Young Artist Awards have studied video game design, fashion, news media, and creative writing, just to name a few. To apply for summer scholarships, students must earn a Gold Key and submit an additional Young Artist Awards application and a portfolio of three works of art.

NORTHERN NEVADA REGION INFORMATION: Counties include: Carson City, Churchill, Douglas, Elko, Eureka, Lander, Lyon, Mineral, Pershing, Washoe and Whitepine. For more information contact Rick Southerland, Sierra Arts Arts in Education Coordinator at 775-329-ARTS/2787.

SOUTHERN NEVADA REGION INFORMATION: Counties include: Clark, Esmeralda, Lincoln and Nye. For more information contact Rick Southerland, Sierra Arts Arts in Education Coordinator at 775-329-ARTS/2787.

Three public education bills swiftly moved through the special session of the Nevada Legislature on Saturday with only minor opposition, giving school districts the flexibility to increase class sizes in grades one through three and the flexibility in spending money that had previously been earmarked for the purchase of new textbooks.

Also, a resolution was passed urging school districts and Nevada’s system of higher education to make every effort during the fiscal crisis to do what they can to avoid massive layoffs and make sure that the quality of education does not diminish during the crisis.

Now, the focus on education at the special session will shift to the cuts proposed for both public and higher education, lawmakers said.

Although Gov. Jim Gibbons proposed a 10 percent cut for public education and nearly a 13 percent cut for higher education, many lawmakers feel the percentage of cuts for both public and higher education has been whittled down to between 7.5 percent and 5 percent.

The Assembly Democrats have supported a 5 percent cut, while Assembly Republicans prefer a 7.5 percent cut for both public and higher education.

“We are now really between 5 percent and 7.5 percent, and what fees are going to be agreed on and what fees aren’t,” said Assemblywoman Bonnie Parnell, D-Carson City and the Assembly Education Committee chairwoman during regular sessions. “We really have to balance the two (cuts and fee increases) but I expect it (cuts to education) will be less than 7.5.”

Others in the state Senate don’t want to yet speculate on the percentage of cuts to education.  “I don’t land on a number,” said state Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno. “I’m looking for the hard dollars and how to fix the budget.

“If I land on a number that is too low, I’ve got to find a revenue stream,” Townsend said. “And right now, I’m kind of out of creative revenue streams.”

Yet paving the way for the budget battle was the passage of the three bills.  The most important is Assembly Bill 4, which temporarily increases student teacher-ratios for the first three grades by two pupils per teacher.

Under the bill, the student-teacher ratios for first and second grades will be 18-to-1 and 21-to-1 for third grades.  The new ratios would mean that grades one through three would need fewer teachers. No Washoe County teachers are expected to be laid off because of the bill, said Lynn Warne of Reno, the union chief for the Nevada State Education Association.

Teachers displaced by the change in student-teacher ratios could move to teaching jobs at the higher elementary grade-levels that will become open because of retirements and attrition, said Warne.

“You have about 120 teachers on one-year contracts,” Warne said of the Washoe County School District. “So they are all going away. And then you have attrition, and maybe you’ll lose about 90 teachers through resignations, retirements, early retirements and all of that.  “And once those people move out of the system, we can take the employees that we have and move them around in the spots you need,” Warne said.

Yet overall teacher layoffs in Washoe will hinge on the size of the budget cuts, a district spokesman said.

The district would have lost about $25 million in state funding under Gibbons’ original proposal of a 10 percent cut for education. That loss could be whittled down to a $12.5 million under the Assembly Democrats’ plan.

Washoe is also dealing with another $15 million to $17 million in lost revenue due to lost income from shirking county tax revenues, a rollup in teacher contracts and the loss of $4.5 million to $5 million in state funding because of decreased enrollments.

While Warne feels Washoe teachers’ jobs are safe under bills passed Saturday, the relaxed student-teacher ratios will lead to few jobs available for new teachers.

“They are going to have a tough time finding a job next year,” Warne said of teaching applicants.

While celebrity skiers are a big part of the upcoming Special Olympics Celebrity Winterfest in Incline, the most important part are the Special Olympic athletes — and there are plenty of locals participating.

Jacqui Gilpin, of Stateline, is a Tahoe native who learned to ski here. She trains regularly with her mother, Donna, and has been a regular at Winterfest for the past five years. Jacqui graduated from South Tahoe High School in June and is now attending Lake Tahoe Community College in South Lake Tahoe. Jacqui is one of the local athletes who will hit the slopes of Diamond Peak for the Special Olympics Celebrity Winterfest.

“She loves skiing and we practice a couple of times a week,” Donna Gilpin said. “This will be her fifth time competing in Winterfest.”

Another Tahoe local athlete is John Lahti of Tahoe City. Mary Lahti, John's mother, said he works at Safeway, but still finds time to practice regularly and work out. He also assists with a scout troop and helps with the North Tahoe football team. John also is a North Tahoe High School graduate.

Other athletes from the South Lake Tahoe area include Philip Sturgeon, Susie Enos and Michael Cotter.

2010 Special Olympics skiers from the Tahoe area:

• Michael Cotter, of South Lake Tahoe, 34, has participated in Special Olympics for 26 years. Having won more than 100 medals and ribbons, he is a serious competitor to watch.
• Susie Enos, of South Lake Tahoe, 41, has participated in Special Olympics for more than 20 years. She too is a serious competitor to watch as she has won the award for Most Inspirational Skier for Team Tahoe.
• Jacqui Gilpin, of Stateline, 22, has been involved in Special Olympics for eight years. Her first sport in Special Olympics was bowling, and she added swimming and most recently added skiing. This will be Jacqui's first time skiing at Diamond Peak but she will be a competitor to watch too as loves the event.
• John Lahti, of Tahoe City, 26, has been active with Special Olympics for more than nine years and is a member of Team Tahoe. He currently participates in softball, bowling, track and field and skiing. John's participation in Winterfest has been the highlight of his winter for the past few years. He is definitely a fun skier to watch and easy to spot as he is one of the tallest at 6 feet 4 inches.
• Philip Sturgeon, of South Lake Tahoe, 35, has been training and competing in Special Olympics for 19 years. Watch out for Philip. He had the honor of competing in the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Idaho and brought home three gold medals.

Schedule of Events for 2010

Friday, March 5

• 7 to 10 p.m. “Let the Games Begin” reception at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom
• 9:30 p.m. No Limit Texas Hold'em Shootout Poker Tournament at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe

Saturday, March 6

• 9:30 a.m. Opening Ceremonies at Diamond Peak
• 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Competitions
• 7 p.m. Awards dinner and live auction with dancing at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Regency Ballroom

Sunday, March 7

• 9 a.m. Plungefest at the Hyatt Beach

Some history

Special Olympics was established in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and the International Special Olympics took place in Incline Village in 1989, when 1,400 athletes competed in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, figure and speed skating and even floor hockey.

Incline Village embraced the Special Olympics by hosting the events at Ski Incline (now Diamond Peak), provided housing and conducting a parade and torchlight parade, said Incline resident Georgia McGregor.
“The credit for bringing the Special Olympics to Incline goes to Marv and Jeannine Karnofsky,” McGregor said.

McGregor was very involved in Incline's International Special Olympics experience and coordinated housing at Woodstock Condominiums for the event. McGregor said it is now exciting to see the Celebrity Winterfest again bringing Special Olympic athletes to Incline.

Today, Special Olympics, one of the largest and most successful sports and volunteer organizations in the world, has chapters in every state, as well as in more than 180 countries. It serves more than 2.25 million Special Olympics athletes worldwide. There are 47 Northern California counties and 11 Nevada counties with active Special Olympics programs.

Each county program is accredited by Special Olympics Northern California and Nevada, and these programs serve more than 17,000 Special Olympics athletes. The programs conduct sports training and competition, administrative functions and fundraising year round.

Athletes participating in Special Olympics events must meet the eligibility criteria of having an intellectual disability or a similar developmental disability and be at least eight years of age in order to compete. Activities at these events are for those of all ability levels, from the highly functioning to the severely challenged. All of the athletes receive year round opportunities to develop physical fitness and participate in Special Olympic events.

The weekend for Winterfest in Incline is filled with events open for free to the entire community and will provide an opportunity to see celebrities competing along with the Special Olympic athletes.

In addition to the free events, the community is invited to participate in all of the other activities from the Friday night events at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe to Sunday's Plungefest at Hyatt Beach. The event is March 5-7, and is sponsored by the Hyatt and Diamond Peak.

Teachers reach for highest level of U.S. professional certification

School Zone is a weekly column written by the Washoe County School District trustees and administration about key issues and noteworthy news for parents, teachers and students.

The Washoe County School District has a very clear focus, and that is helping all children graduate college or career ready. We do this by providing highly skilled teachers who develop, challenge and encourage students to fulfill their potential. Without a doubt, student learning and achievement begins with an excellent teacher.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards improves teaching and student learning. National Board Certified Teachers are highly accomplished educators who meet high and rigorous standards. My fellow trustees and I are very proud of the 29 teachers who have taken their careers to the next level by achieving the nation's highest level of professional certification. This brings the total number of district teachers with this distinction to 158. Personally, I find it very inspirational that our teachers are so committed to students and learning, and I look forward to meeting the newly certified teachers during an upcoming board meeting.

Like board-certified accountants and physicians, teachers who achieve National Board Certification have met rigorous standards through intensive study, expert evaluation, self-assessment and peer review. The program offers 25 certificates that cover a variety of subject areas and student developmental levels. This certification is an advanced teaching credential that complements a teacher's state license and is valid for 10 years. In a recent report, the National Research Council confirmed that National Board Certified Teachers advance student achievement and learning, stay in the classroom longer, support new and struggling teachers and assume other school-based leadership roles.

Being a teacher today is far more complex than when I was in school. Teachers are leaders and actively know how to seek and build partnerships with community groups and businesses. They work collaboratively with parents to engage them productively in the work of the school and with other professionals on instructional policy, curriculum development and staff development.

National Board Certification is part of the growing reform in our district that is all about improving student achievement and teaching. As the district goes forward with our reform agenda, we will encourage more teachers to excel in their careers through staff development and additional certification. I believe a strong and well-equipped team of educators will prepare our diverse student population for their future.

Estela Gutierrez is president of the Washoe County School District Board of Trustees.

Twenty-nine teachers in the Washoe County School District (WCSD) were recently recognized by the district and the Washoe Education Association for achieving the nation's highest level of professional certification. These new National Board Certified Teachers bring the total numbers of WCSD teachers with this distinction to 158. Honored were:

• Robert Andre, McQueen HS
• Judy Ashby, McQueen HS
• Carol Bean, Mathews ES
• Martin Braik, Coral Academy Charter School
• Suzette Champagne, Donner Springs ES
• Kelley Clare, Incline ES
• Ann Clark, Incline HS
• Kristen Conway, Mathews ES
• Rebecca Curtright, McQueen HS
• Kitty Gillette, Westergard ES
• Revae Henry, Westergard ES
• Deborah Hildebrand, Beasley ES
• Lisa Keilty, Incline ES
• Elizabeth Korinek, Pine MS
• Krista Kruger, Shaw MS 
• Tomas Macaluso, Reno HS
• Jennifer Marrujo, Westergard ES
• Allison Morre, McQueen HS
• Matt Ochs, Reno HS
• Dana Ouart, McQueen HS
• Chad Reynolds, Spanish Springs HS
• Sarah Russell, Hug HS
• Bret Shumsky, McQueen HS
• Heidi Skoff, Donner Springs ES
• Nicolette Smith, Galena HS
• Tracey Tatebe-Miller, Donner Springs ES
• Kira Temple, McQueen HS
• Gretchen Wallace, Mathews ES
• Jean Zordell, Westergard ES

Like board-certified doctors and accountants, teachers who achieve National Board Certification have met rigorous standards through intensive study, expert evaluation, self-assessment and peer review. The program offers 25 certificates that cover a variety of subject areas and student developmental levels.

In a congressionally mandated report, the National Research Council (NRC) confirmed that National Board Certified Teachers advance student achievement and learning, stay in the classroom longer, support new and struggling teachers and assume other school-based leadership roles. The NRC acknowledged that students taught by National Board Certified teachers make higher gains on achievement tests than students taught by non-board-certified teachers.

Also receiving recognition were six teachers who were re-certified. Teachers must renew their certification every ten years. Those teachers are:

• Cora Carrigan, Anderson ES
• Mark Hurst, Galena HS
• Yvette Deighton, Regional Professional Development Program
• Barbara Surritte-Barker, Dilworth MS
• Jeanine Vandevort, Dunn ES
• Sue Vaughn, McQueen HS

"This rigorous process demands much from our teachers, who take on this challenge while continuing to teach every day. I commend them because I know how demanding it is. I also know, because the research confirms it, that these teachers make a difference in the lives of their students. A great teacher is the single most important factor in advancing student achievement, and these are great teachers," Superintendent Heath Morrison said.

Estela Gutierrez, President of the Board of Trustees, said "As an organization committed to continuous improvement, I applaud these teachers for taking that to heart and working to improve their skills in order to meet the learning needs of all children."

About Washoe County School District: The Washoe County School District includes the Reno/Sparks metropolitan area, Incline Village, Gerlach, Empire and Wadsworth, Nevada. The District provides each of its 63,000 students with a superior education in a safe and challenging environment and is committed to graduate every child career and college ready. For more information visit: www.washoecountyschools.org

Nearly forty public safety personnel, first responders and school district officials from across the state will meet on Wednesday, February 24 to launch a major upgrade in school district emergency response plans. The meeting, set from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the Regional Emergency Operations Center, is the brainchild of Chris Smith, WCSD's emergency management director.

"Last school year, all school districts, charter schools and private schools were required to submit their emergency response plans to the State of Nevada Emergency Management Division. I was among a group of professionals asked to review the plans and it was clear that there was no consistency in the plans, there were some pretty glaring weaknesses, and few of them were compliant with national guidelines. I began to think about what could be done to make them better," Smith said.

What happened next is proof that one person can truly make a difference. Now called Project SPARTAN (Schools Prepared And Ready Together Across Nevada), the Nevada Homeland Security Commission has awarded its first grant for schools. Written by Smith, and sponsored by Aaron Kenneston, Washoe County's Emergency Management Director, the grant will fund not only Wednesday's planning session but three more two-day workshops across the state. The workshops will bring together national experts in the field of school emergency management and provide some tangible resources for schools to use.

"Nothing is more fundamental than safety. Schools are responsible for the care and welfare of thousands of Nevada children every day and we have an obligation to ensure that they are fully prepared for a wide variety of emergencies and crises. Project SPARTAN will help ensure that they are," Smith added.

About Washoe County School District: The Washoe County School District includes the Reno/Sparks metropolitan area, Incline Village, Gerlach, Empire and Wadsworth, Nevada. The District provides each of its 63,000 students with a superior education in a safe and challenging environment and is committed to graduate every child career and college ready. For more information visit: www.washoecountyschools.org.

School Zone is a weekly column written by the Washoe County School District trustees and administration about key issues and noteworthy news for parents, teachers and students.

I believe in the power of families engaged in their children's learning. I believe family engagement will increase achievement for all children. This is one of my core values as a school board trustee, one that I have held and advocated for since the early '90s, beginning with my involvement in the Parent Teacher Association. So what I hear, you say. The action it takes to effectively connect family engagement/parent involvement to academic achievement is difficult. Only by working together can we make a difference.

This Board of Trustees hired a new superintendent to move our school district from good to great. We knew this would mean a change in the culture of our district, specifically laying out the goals and targets that need to be met, from kindergarten to high school, in order to give our children the best chance at graduating high school. These goals and targets must be wrapped in a framework of continuous improvement with rigorous accountability.

Equally important is the need for change in the belief systems held regarding family engagement and its impact on student achievement. Everyone must share the core value of building and sustaining relationships with all families. Everyone -- parents, teachers, administrators and the community -- must believe that their partnership is critical for increased achievement. The same framework of continuous improvement with rigorous accountability applies to our ability to reach, connect and engage all families in their children's academic lives. Integral to this is the district's strategic plan that is being developed focusing on increasing graduation rates and decreasing achievement gaps.

Real family engagement is data-driven and must translate into increased student achievement. This cannot be achieved unless schools and families have mutual respect and depend on each other as partners in education. Schools must believe the overwhelming research that documents increased engagement leads to academic gains for all students, regardless of socioeconomic status, cultural background, ancestry or special education status. Schools need to reach out to all families to build partnerships, to provide the tools for engagement through sharing information and training in learning skills. As leaders, we need to provide staff the metrics for family engagement and the tools/professional development to accomplish this.

The power to create positive change in our children's learning, school culture and to engage all families is in our hands. We are responsible to remove the barriers to allow meaningful participation and address the essential issue that will lead to reform -- that all members of the school community share the core value of building and sustaining engagement with all families.

Barbara Clark is vice president of the Washoe County School District Board of Trustees.

Up to 1,000 teachers statewide and 150 in Washoe County could lose their jobs after the Legislature determines the solution to the state budget crisis, Keith Rheault, Nevada superintendent of public education, said today.

“I’m guessing roughly it will be 600 to 1,000 teachers,” Rheault said during the start of the special session in Carson City.

“I think there will be (layoffs) just because we will have $178 million in cuts,” Rheault said, referring to the amount of the governor’s proposed 10 percent cut of funding for education. “If it is 1,000 (statewide) it could be 150 in Washoe at the far end.”

Rheault said it’s uniklely that no teachers would be laid off.

“Boy, I don’t know how, unless there are good concessions made between the (district) bargaining units,” Rheault said. “If they are not willing to reduce salaries or save some funding at that end, to me, the only place to cut are positions or layoffs.”

Sierra Nevada College is presenting “Family Reading Night,” a community-wide event to promote literacy on Tuesday, March 2nd, 6–7pm.

The event, designed to share the enjoyment of reading with children, will feature “celebrity readers” reading from Dr. Seuss, as the event coincides with the 106th birthday of the beloved children’s author (Theodore Geisel). The festivities will take place in the campus’s Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, room 139. Each child in attendance will choose a free book courtesy of Sierra Nevada College, and staffers from the Washoe County Public Libraries will be on hand to provide information about books, library events, and library cards to all prospective children and adults. Kid-friendly refreshments will be served at this free event (cake, cookies, and beverages), which is open to the public.

The event is centered around the National Education Association’s (NEA) “Read Across America Day” on March 2nd, which is observed annually on Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Across the country, thousands of schools, libraries, and community centers will be commemorating this special day by bringing together kids, teens, and books.

Said Sheryl Watson, an adjunct faculty member from SNC’s Teacher Education program, “I’m thrilled to continue our community’s 12th annual Family Reading Night through the support and generosity of Sierra Nevada College. I thank SNC for joining me in recognizing the importance of reading aloud to your children. Bring a reader—a child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or neighbor!”

soulcycler - words and images from a 26,000 mile bicycle journey around the world.  A presentation by writer-photographer Rick Gunn.

Join us for this amazing journey:

When:

• Wednesday, March 3, 2010
• 7:00pm
• for All Ages
• free

Where:

Sierra Nevada College

• in the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences Rooms 139-141
• 291 Country Club Drive, Incline Village, NV, USA 89451

For more information on Rick Gunn, writer, photographer, adventurer, speaker, human being. Visit:  www.rickgunnphotography.com.