TUSD one step closer to trustee area elections

Turlock Unified School District trustees have always been selected through city-wide elections, with a candidate's place of residence in town not a factor. That might soon be changing as the Stanislaus County Committee on School District Organization and Reorganization unanimously voted on Wednesday to accept a proposal by the TUSD to create trustee areas for the 2013 elections. <font face="Times New ...

Dennis Earl students walk like an Egyptian

Sixth graders at Dennis Earl Elementary School went back in time on Friday to 2600 BC, transforming their classrooms into ancient Egypt with mummified chicken legs and gold jewels on display.

College students present study of Turlock’s bike paths

Five Geography majors at California State University, Stanislaus spent the semester biking around Turlock to help make the community a safer place. They surveyed existing bike routes and areas around town that could use bike paths to measure Turlock's bikeability and propose new bikeways.

Tools for learning

Wakefield Elementary School first graders took home Christmas boxes filled with literacy tools ranging from pencils to books. The College of Education from California State University, Stanislaus put together 110 literacy boxes that were delivered to all the first grade classes at Wakefield on Tuesday. The college wanted to provide the literacy tools for students to use over Christmas break so they can continue to learn ...

A step back in time

Turlock Junior High School students from the 7th grade GATE and Honors classes put on their best Victorian outfits on Thursday to dress the part for their Christmas activity of "A Christmas Carol." Students used district-adopted materials to show other students from their school, Walnut Elementary School and Brown Elementary School sixth graders what times were like back in the Victorian days. Turlock Junior High band ...

Bringing civility back to Denair

Civility has been in short supply in Denair over the past month, but the Denair Unified School District is looking to actively change that with the formation of a new committee.

More Turlock students staying in school

Keeping kids in school is a continuous goal for local educators. To accomplish that goal, the Turlock Unified School District has implemented a number of initiatives in the past few years to address high school drop outs including curriculum assessments, pacing calendars and benchmarks. TUSD's hard work has made a difference, according to the newly released 2008/2009 California Dropout and Graduation Rates report. <p style="margin: ...

TUSD receives grant money to enhance school technology

Technology plays a strong role in daily life now more than ever. As recipients of the Enhancing Education Through Technology American Recovery and Reinvestment Act competitive grant for one-time funds of $240,000 for students in seventh grade to 12th grade, the Turlock Unified School District can now give students, teachers and staff about the most up-to-date technology training.

TUSD budget committee prepares for mid-year cuts

The Turlock Unified School District is hoping for the best but preparing for the worst, as a new governor will soon take office with a $6 billion state deficit.

Pre-school program gives children tools they need to succeed

As the 20 Head Start pre-school students in Maria Marques' classroom at Osborn Elementary finished their lunches, parent volunteers Victor Sanabria and Christine Berlin helped the kids throw away their disposable plates and head to the reading carpet.

A real life lesson in First Amendment rights

A couple of weeks ago, Denair Middle School student Cody Alicea rode his bike to school like any other day with an American flag flapping in the wind behind him. At the time, he was learning about the United States Constitution and the freedom of speech guaranteed to all Americans under the First Amendment.

Turlock high schools come together to fight cancer

High school students all over Turlock are looking to make a difference this academic year.

Students gather pennies for schools in Middle East

First, second and third graders at Denair Academic Avenues Charter School had the chance to look at things they would miss at their school if they weren't available during a Pennies for Peace campaign kick-off rally last week.

Reactions to flag incident disrupt classes in Denair

Daily routines at Denair Unified School sites have been disrupted, to say the least. A community and media maelstrom has surrounded Denair Middle School and eighth grade student Cody Alicea after he was told by a campus employee to remove the American flag from his bicycle on Nov. 8.

Community demands answers at heated school board meeting

The Denair Unified School District adopted the new "Choose Civility" initiative led by the county office of education at their Thursday board meeting, despite the lack of civility shown by a few audience members.

Local students get Ag Edventure

Earl's Cardoso earns Teacher of the Year honors

Dennis Earl Elementary third grade teacher Michelle Cardoso strives to take her students' learning beyond the classroom and into the community. And it's her drive to go beyond the expected that earned Cardoso the title of 2013 Stanislaus County Teacher of the Year for the K-3 grade division. "I truly had no idea that I would be the one to receive the award," said Cardoso. "It definitely was the cherry on top ...

Walnut teacher earns county's top education honors

Jamie Garner, a sixth grade teacher for the Discovery Math Science Program at Walnut Elementary, has long been a treasured educator to her students. Now, Garner's exemplary teaching has also earned her the title of 2013 Stanislaus County Teacher of the Year for the 4th-6th grade division. "It's because of the school that I am in this position," said Garner. "I love teaching here because we are given so many opportunities to do ...

Warrior Day 2013

California State University, Stanislaus students celebrated the end of another year at Warrior Day on Friday. This annual campus party was almost canceled last year due to concerns about alcohol sales and consumption. In 2012, a scaled-down, student-only event was put together at short notice. On Friday, the event was back in full-force - although still sans alcohol. A series of bands played at the outdoor festival and students were able to get ...

CSU Stanislaus interim president may soon become permanent

An open forum was held at California State University, Stanislaus on Monday to discuss the potential permanency of Interim President Joseph Sheley. University students, trustees and department heads evaluated Sheley's performance, pointing out both the good and areas in need of improvement throughout the campus. Much of the university's tribulations over the past few years arose from system-wide budget cuts implemented due to lack of funding statewide. Like many other California universities, CSU ...

More cuts in store for Denair schools

Denair Unified's new interim superintendent didn't pull any punches during Thursday's board of trustees meeting, calling for even more cuts to help fix the district's financial problems. He also, however, rescinded previous teacher lay-offs that didn't "make sense" to him. "The district will get back to where it was," said Interim Superintendent Walt Hanline. "It'll be back. In order to that we're going to have to suck it up and make the cuts." ...

Playground to parking lot

While students across Turlock have been enjoying the warm spring weather during recess and physical education time, students at Julien Elementary have been watching the bulldozing of their playground. The Julien construction plan, which includes the creation of a new parking lot, is a point of contention between a group of parents and Turlock Unified School District administration. In 2006 the district authorized spending $9.9 million for a series of modernization projects, with ...

Sacred Heart students learn the pioneer way

Fourth and fifth graders at Sacred Heart Elementary School will take a step back in time to the pioneer days as part of the Yosemite Environmental Living Program. During an overnight visit at Yosemite on May 20, students will confront the problems of the pioneers by performing tasks such as cooking, blacksmithing, spinning, candle dipping, covered wagon packing, square dancing and craft making - all without electricity. "Through this program students will discover ...

Local dairywoman donates $1 million to UC Merced

When it comes to educational opportunities, Turlock native Margo Souza believes that it is better to give than to receive. The 74-year-old former president and CEO of Turlock's Circle H Dairy Ranch Inc. donated $1 million to UC Merced in an effort to create leadership initiatives for Merced's diverse student population. In April, the school pledged to establish the Margo F. Souza Leadership Center within UC Merced's Office of Student Life. The ...

TUSD prepares for shift in classroom instruction

As public schools across the country transition to the new Common Core Standards, which will change the way math and reading are taught nationwide, the Turlock Unified School District is already adopting the approach by building a foundation for a better tomorrow for its students. On Tuesday, the TUSD trustees were presented an overview of the district's Common Core Transition and Implementation Plan, changing the way students will learn in the classroom. CCS ...

Proposed smoking ban passes at CSU Stanislaus

A proposed mandate to ban smoking passed with 69 percent in California State University, Stanislaus' recent Associated Students Inc. elections. The elections are voluntary, so although it may seem that the mandate passed with flying colors, the ballot may not accurately represent the entire student population. Not everyone chooses to vote for student government. "I didn't even know it was up for a vote," Alicia Sablan (junior, Political Science) said. "I would've ...

Career Fair puts Pitman students on the right path

Pitman High School junior Trevor Knudsen came to the 4th annual Career Fair on Wednesday with pressing questions about his future. Knudsen, along with hundreds of other students, left with a better understanding of what types of jobs and educational opportunities are available thanks to the 25 businesses, colleges and agencies from the Central Valley that attended the event. "I learned about all the different careers and pathways I can take once ...

Passion for music

The piano notes that flow from Neve Foresti's fingers tell the story of a young woman whose passion for life centers around music. At her short 13 years of age, Foresti, a resident of Denair, has achieved musical excellence and will soon put her abilities on display as she will be attending the prestigious Casalmaggiore International Music Festival in Italy. The program will involve intense musical study for three weeks in July, with ...

Running for Boston

Even though Boston is 3,000 miles away, the victims of the recent marathon bombings are in the minds and hearts of the students at Osborn Two-Way Immersion Dual Academy. Over 750 students from Osborn participated in a jog-a-thon on Friday to raise money for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. Osborn students raised $3,000 for The One Fund Boston, set up by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to ...

Denair students Picnic for Earth

Over 300 students from Denair Elementary celebrated everything 'green' on Tuesday by holding a Picnic for Earth in honor of Earth Day. As part of the "All Hands on Earth" campaign, an organization that is celebrated worldwide, Denair took the pledge to spend the entire month of April learning about the importance of nature and its impact globally. "Picnic for Earth is about coming together to celebrate nature," said Denair Principal Fawn Oliver. ...