Education

February 17, 2016 5:22 PM

Turlock lays out wish list for next university president

Ideal candidate would be collaborative

Valuing community, first-generation student base important

Transparency, direct ties with faculty, business a plus

By Nan Austin

naustin@modbee.com

TURLOCK

The state search committee came to hear what the campus community hopes to see in the next California State University, Stanislaus, president.

She was survived by her sister, Mary Caroline Long, who would go on to dedicate herself to spending money and time in her sister’s memory.

Now in charge of this year’s Alpha Gamma Delta philanthropy, Long, junior from Louisville, Kentucky, said the Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation’s focus on juvenile diabetes care hits home, reminding her of her sister’s health conditions at such a young age.

This year, though, the organization changed what they sold in order to better coincide with their philanthropy’s cause.

In the previous years, the philanthropy would sell bags of candy for $1 donations.

In the end, they tallied up the total number bought for each sorority and fraternity to get the “Most Loved” prizes, winners being Kappa Delta and Pi Kappa Alpha, respectively.

The group also held change wars for the “Most Spirit Points Award,” with the winners being Alpha Omicron Pi in the sorority division and Sigma Chi in the fraternity division.

Rachel Ross, junior from Murray, said Long has done an excellent job in continuing what Ross started two years ago, with the addition of the bracelets as well as the walk held on Saturday, where participants released balloons in honor of those affected by diabetes.

“I loved the idea of adding the walk to ‘Kiss Away Diabetes’ because my grandmother was a diabetic,” Ross said.”It was a bittersweet moment for me on Saturday to release a balloon in her honor.The day before was the anniversary of her death, so it hit close to home.”

Though the philanthropy is not nearly as big as Alpha Gamma Delta’s fall philanthropy, ‘Rockathon,’ Ross said she hopes to keep the spring philanthropy as a simple way of lending a helping, philanthropic hand.

“It is a fun, simple way to raise more money for the Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation,” Ross said. Jude’s Philanthropy Team, which Long is also a part of.

Through it all, Long said she always keeps her sister’s memory with her in these philanthropic pursuits.

“Maria has swept me into her mystery,” Long said.

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FINTECC programme to increase efficiency of local businesses with new technologies

Ukraine has become the newest member of the EBRDs Finance and Technology Transfer Centre for Climate Change (FINTECC) programme designed to transfer technology in the area of climate change mitigation and adaptation. As a result, companies are expected to become more resource efficient and should significantly reduce their energy-related costs.
Terry McCallion, Director of the EBRDs Energy Efficiency and Climate Change team, said: “There is an increasing demand in Ukraine for cost-effective energy efficiency solutions. With FINTECC we are hoping to help a range of businesses in Ukraine to achieve cost and environmental savings through the installation of the right technologies.”
Walter Tretton, Head of Energy, Climate, Transport and Environment section at the EU Delegation to Ukraine, stated, “I welcome the launch of FINTECC in Ukraine. It fits perfectly into the European Unions overall assistance to Ukraine which aims to enable Ukraine, and the Ukrainian economy, to become less energy intensive and more climate-friendly.”
Grants available under FINTECC will help to understand the technical and financial feasibility of implementing climate technologies and help conduct the necessary research, certification, testing and registration of modern energy efficient solutions in Ukraine.

That’s when the school implemented a number of changes, including intervention periods for math and reading, under its $6 million, three-year School Improvement Grant. Math teacher Megan Gleason works with then-sophomore Juwon Dugar in an intervention class for geometry students at Danville High School in October 2013. That’s when the school implemented a number of changes, including intervention periods for math and reading, under its $6 million, three-year School Improvement Grant.

DANVILLE In the last 21/2 years, the average GPA at Danville High School has increased from 2.32 to 2.54, enrollment in advanced placement classes has more than doubled and suspensions (through 100 days) have dropped from 604 to 377.

Officials attribute those improvements to changes that were made through a highly-competitive three-year School Improvement Grant.

Now a sustainability team is recommending the DHS Visionary Plan that would allow the school to continue building on its success when the grant ends later this year.

“We’re beyond tapping the surface, and we’re ready to go deeper,” said Principal Kimberly Norton, who, along with others, will present the plan to board members at a special meeting on Wednesday.

Under the School Improvement Grant, the high school received $6 million in federal funding, $2 million a year starting in the 2013-14 school year, to significantly increase student achievement.

The plan’s three major initiatives included: implementing a guaranteed and viable curriculum that’s aligned to the more rigorous learning standards and focused on ensuring that students are college- and career-ready; developing a classroom and schoolwide system of academic behavioral interventions and supports; and using data to inform instruction and professional development.

To do that, the school:

Created common assessments aligned to Common Core standards and developed common exit standards for core classes.

“It was by no means watering down anything,” Norton said. “In fact, we’ve created more rigorous assessments for our students.”

Adding a 30-minute period each day to provide focused interventions in reading and math for students who are falling behind, and enrichment activities for those who aren’t.

Offering freshmen who are behind an extra period of reading or math.

Offering summer school to help incoming freshmen who are behind in reading and math.

Giving teachers time each day to meet in professional learning communities, collaborate and receive meaningful professional development and collaborate.

The grant also funded several positions that were key to the plan’s implementation, including math and literacy coaches and a behavior interventionist.

“It’s been rigorous work. It reviewed financial information, data from surveys with students, staff and parents and teacher interviews to help guide planning.

The plan calls for:

Providing a rigorous curriculum for all students.

Meeting the needs of all students by providing social, emotional and academic support.

Creating incentives to reward students that are making wise decisions.

And examining structures including the four houses or small learning communities Freshman House, New Tech High, GLOBAL House and ACE House seminar and the early-bird hour. Norton said officials will further discuss this topic and present recommendations later, possibly in April.

Under the plan, the school would continue to have the following staff and programs, estimated at $399,903 in the 2016-17 school year:

A behavior interventionist to provide daily mentoring and small group interventions, provide support changes related to Senate Bill 100 (making suspensions and expulsions a last resort), help transition students from alternative settings and suspensions back to high school, participate in freshman team time and support the implementation of BIST, a new social-emotional program.

A college and career guidance counselor to increase individual student time and lead parent sessions on timelines and support available, help students with the college and financial aid application process and ensure that students are on track with their high school timeline/plan.

A dean to address discipline in a timely manner, assist in the increased documentation needed for the new disciplinary legislation and help with things like the student clothing closet and tardy school, allowing administrators to focus more on instruction.

A data analyst to track academics, behavior and attendance and work with teachers on using that data to drive instructional decisions and organize and facilitate the intervention process.

Instructional coaches to organize and lead professional development, mentor new staff, model instruction and work with professional learning communities to improve instruction and facilitate the peer observation process.

A math and reading interventionist to provide support to freshmen and monitor their progress.

Credit recovery periods to provide immediate support to students who are falling behind so that they might graduate on time.

The Durrwachter Alumni Conference Center on the Lock Haven University campus. Credit By User:Ruhrfisch – Photo taken by self, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8138315

Students at state universities, like Lock Haven University, are finally in the process of receiving state grants that had been delayed due to the continued budget impasse. Students who didn’t receive their Pennsylvania state grant funds until just recently have had to make sacrifices.

Landon Allen is a senior at Lock Haven University.

At Lock Haven, 85% of students get some type of financial aid and approximately 1,800 students received grants from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency or (PHEAA) this year. That’s almost $2.2 million in delayed funds for students.

“I’ve been in financial aid in the state of Pennsylvania for over 15 years now and this is the first time that this has occurred to this extent,” said Robert Fryer.

Fryer is the director of financial aid at Lock Haven University and has been dealing with the impasse crisis since August.

Each year a portion of the state budget goes towards need based financial aid for Pennsylvania college students. Universities in the state system as well as PHEAA state grants were funded in this move; meaning that money is finally on its way to students.

At Lock Haven the first wave of funds for the fall semester was distributed during the last week of January.

Ethics in Business Awards seeks nominees

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Health Ministry releases Rs 10 cr grant to HP | Prameya News7

Nadda, a Rajya Sabha from Himachal Pradesh, said while the setting up of new medical colleges will boost medical education, the upgradation of the three hospitals will also improve quality of health care facilities.

“The upgradation of the three district hospitals in Himachal Pradesh where these medical colleges are being set up would also significantly improve the quality of health care facilities at these institutions,” Nadda said.

HALF MOON BAY, CA- El Granada Elementary School in Half Moon Bay has received an education grant as part of the KNBR Step Up to the Plate for Education grants program. With the $1,700 offered, the school wants to purchase a classroom set of ukuleles to be used by students in 2nd through 5th grade and offer an after school ukulele program.

The education grants program, funded by Wells Fargo, presented checks to 29 Bay Area schools on Friday, who received a total of $100,000 to support their sports, musical, art and education programs.

San Francisco Giant Brandon Crawford spoke to the grant winners about the importance of working hard in both sports and academics. It is an honor to be part of a program that gives Bay Area kids the opportunity to expand their academic and athletic horizons.”

Representatives from the following schools attended Friday’s event to receive the grants, for the following purposes:

Malcolm X Elementary, Berkeley: Purchase new sports equipment for Physical Education classes and recess time. $2,500.00Bahia Vista Elementary School, San Rafael Support the “My School in Motion” program which provides fitness and academic support for high needs students in Kindergarten through 5th grade. $5,000.00Jean Parker ES, San Francisco: Purchase new sports equipment for their physical education classes and recess activities as well as needed classroom materials for art. $1,000.00KIPP Bayview, San Francisco: Purchase new sports equipment for their physical education program. $5,000.00El Granada Elementary School, Half Moon Bay: Purchase a classroom set of ukuleles to be used by students in 2nd through 5th grade and offer an after school ukulele program.

Nineteen organizations in the city of Pittsburgh will receive funding to clean up and beautify vacant lots through the Love Your Block grant program, Mayor Bill Peduto’s office announced.

This is the ninth season for the program, which awards $1,000 to block improvement project plans. The goal is to promote community involvement, as all the people working on the various projects are volunteers.

The Spring Hill Civic League received last year’s Best Block Revitalization award, and took home the additional $2,000 for the work it did to enhance the neighborhood gateway.

The Spring 2016 recipients of the Love Your Block Grant are:

Bible Center Church: Volunteers will enhance an existing community space by planting flowers, building a children’s performance stage, and repairing a wooden fence.
Bloomfield Development Corporation: Volunteers will create a litter awareness campaign, participate in a clean up day, and place cigarette butt receptacles at participating properties.
Brightwood Civic Group: Volunteers will landscape a vacant lot and create a neighborhood gateway.
Friendship Community Group: Volunteers will enhance a playground on school district property by landscaping, painting rusted metal equipment, and repairing a retaining wall.
Garfield Community Action Team: Volunteers will install a rain garden and two rain barrels. as well as improve a small wooden sign on a vacant side lot.
Lincoln Lemington Community Consensus Group: Volunteers will clean up litter, plant a flower garden, and install a rain barrel on a city-owned lot.
Mellon Street Neighbors: Volunteers will create a green space on a vacant lot.
Monticello Street Hospitality House: Volunteers will clear an overgrown, vacant city-owned lot and install garden boxes.
Morningside Area Community Council: Volunteers will repaint an iron fence, trim trees, and plant flowers along a neighborhood sidewalk.
Mount Washington Community Development Corp.: Volunteers will construct raised planters, remove litter, and clear overgrowth in a city-owned playground..
Northside Coalition for Fair Housing: Volunteers will plant flowers and clean up litter on two Northside properties.
The Pittsburgh Project & The Outdoor Classroom: Volunteers will clean overgrowth and rebuild raised bed gardens on a city-owned lot.
Page Street Conroy Garden: Volunteers will improve accessibility and expand the “living classroom” area of an existing community garden.
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum: Volunteers will landscape and clean up lawn and areas surrounding this veterans’ monument.
South Oakland Neighborhood Group: Volunteers will plant flowers, remove weeds, and install both a bench and an art project in existing community space.
South Pittsburgh Development Corp.: Volunteers will create a litter awareness campaign, participate in a clean-up day, and place cigarette butt receptacles at participating properties.
South Side Community Council: Volunteers will plant a perennial flower garden surrounded by a short fence, as well as perform general clean up, near the entrance of Ormsby Community Recreation Center.
Stanton Heights Neighborhood Association: Volunteers will install rain gardens and paint stair rails on a vacant city-owned lot.
Westside Community Organization: Volunteers will improve an existing flower garden on URA property.