Kiwanis Club of Carmichael Kicks Off Sales of See’s Candies

Carmichael, CA (MPG) - The Kiwanis Club of Carmichael will be holding its annual holiday See’s Candies sales event starting on November 24 and ending on December 24, 2017.  The sales will take place at the H&R Block office ( next to Starbuck’s) at the Bel Air Center Complex at 4005 Manzanita Ste. #9 in Carmichael.  The hours of the sales are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily.  Special pre-sales prices are available if purchases are made before November 23, 2017.  Please contact Michael Koerner at (916) 717-1731 for information regarding these sales.

Proceeds from all sales are utilized to support the visual and performing arts programs in San Juan Unified School District and other community arts events.  To experience how these funds support our jazz programs in the school district, please plan on attending the 36^th annual Wayne Reimers Jazz Festival at Rio Americano High School on January 25, 2018 where jazz bands at our elementary, middle and high schools will be participating in a non-competitive festival where they receive constructive feedback by professional adjudicators.  You will have an opportunity to hear some amazing young musicians. 

As the holiday season approaches, please remember that if you wish to purchase See’s candies for friends, employees, neighbors or family members, come by our convenient location and help us support our local schools and the arts in the community.

Sacramento County, CA (MPG) - Silly boys. Science and technology also are for girls, and the Girl Scouts Heart of Central California (GSHCC) is about to prove it to you.

On Wednesday, Nov. 8, the GSHCC will open the region’s first STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Center + Makerspace, an all-girl facility that will serve as a hub for innovation and exploration across the world of tech and science for girl scouts in the council’s 18-county region.  

The STEM Center + Makerspace, modeled on the Girl Scouts of the USA’s other STEM Centers already operating in other parts of the country, will offer girls scouts in grades K-12 the region’s first open structured learning and development space where they can unleash their curiosity and skills and explore and innovate through a broad range of activities that include a deep dive into the study of robotics, circuitry and programing, as well as the environmental sciences.

“Girl Scouts is uniquely qualified to offer support for girls to work creatively in a single-gender environment, where they can explore new interests and collaborate with other girls,” says Dr. Linda Farley, GSHCC CEO.  “The STEM Center + MakerSpace is an investment in the next generation of Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers and Leaders (G.I.R.L.s.), and will serve as a hub for girl innovation, exploration and discovery for Girl Scouts throughout our 18-county region.”

The GSHCC serves roughly 30,000 girls and 10,000 adult Girl Scout members in counties across Sacramento, Stockton and the Modesto area.  Its new STEM Center, sponsored in part by Intel Corporation, includes the MakerSpace, which encourages the use of design thinking and collaborative problem solving.

“At Intel, we are committed to opening doors to opportunity for girls here in Northern and Central California, and we believe this STEM Center + Makerspace will inspire these girls and give them the skills they’ll need to become future innovators,” says Courtney Martin, Intel public affairs director.

A ‘task force’ of local female innovators and Girl Scout members will collaborate on the new STEM Center’s formation and operations.

The Girl Scout’s push for girl leadership and training in STEM is being fueled by the organization’s drive to reverse what it points to as a decline in the country’s number and efficacy of its STEM-related industries.  Putting STEM in front of girls, first at the pre-college level, the organization hopes, will build on their interest and confidence in the fields of math, science, technology and engineering.  In turn, that knowledge and experience can be expanded at the college level, creating a pipeline of STEM-trained women ready to take their education on to build life-long careers.

According to the organization, America’s status as the world’s leading technology and science innovator appears to be slipping, pointing to a 2015 Pew Research Center report, which suggests that only 29 percent of Americans rated their country’s K-12 education in STEM subjects as “above average” or “the best in the world.”

Since 1912, Girl Scouts has served as one of the most widely supported, all-girl leadership development organizations in the world.  There are currently 112 regional Girl Scout councils across the country representing roughly two million members, where they focus on building courage, confidence and character, and yes, cookies.

But the creation of Girl Scout STEM Centers aims to ratchet up the impact of membership, specifically by working to fill the gaps in educational instruction in the fields of science, engineering and technology and give girls a chance to build careers across sectors that have, in some cases, remained out of reach.

“With our focus on mechanical engineering, biological and environmental sciences, programming and robotics, girls develop skills that have the potential to change their lives,” Farley said.

For more information, please visit: www.girlscoutshcc.org

 

Sacramento Region, CA (MPG) - Carmichael and Fair Oaks stalwarts gathered in last Saturday’s rain to recall fallen heroes of nation and community. The annual “Wall of Honor” ceremony was observed at Patriots Park.

Built in 2008, the reserve’s stone monument is dedicated to 13 local men -- from military, police, CHP and fire-fighting forces -- who died in service during Carmichael Park District’s 55-year existence.  Their sacrifice unites surrounding neighborhoods each November. The 13 named heroes fell in uniforms of the U.S. Army, Marines, Air Force, Navy, CHP, police and firefighting services. Plaques recall sacrifice from the Vietnam War years until the present time. 

Ceremony attendees included bereaved families; elected representatives and park district leaders. Congressman Ami Bera and County Supervisor Susan Peters were among last Saturday’s speakers. Dr. Bera said the nation should “stop and consider values that bring us all together.” The best way we can remember our heroes, he suggested, “is to continue the service that they began.”

Supervisor Peters noted that the wall’s plaques named individuals who shared one commitment. “They put service above self,” she said. “regardless of whether they wore a Sheriff’s uniform or that of the Highway Patrol or a branch of the armed services or of fire protection, each was dedicated to the common good.

“It is fitting that today we continue to remember each honoree’s service and sacrifice.”

A new name will soon be added to the wall. In August, Deputy Robert French -- a former member of the Sheriff’s local Problem-Oriented team in the North Division -- died in an August shootout on Fulton Avenue. The tragedy will be recalled next year when Deputy French’s plaque joins those on the Wall of Honor.

Heroes commemorated by the recent ceremony were:

CHP Officer Ronald E. Davis

Army Specialist James E. Schlottman

Army Leiutenant Robert S. Byrnes

Airforce Captain Olin E. Gilbert Jnr

Army Sergeant Larry H. Morford

Firefighter Dean W. Rhoades

US Navy pilot Lieutenant  J. G. David A. Warne

Marine and firefighter Sergeant Brian E. Dunlap

Sheriff’s Deputy Kevin P. Blount

 Sheriff’s Deputy Joseph M. Kievernagel

Army Sergeant Ronald L. Coffelt

Army Specialist Raymond N. Spencer Jnr

Deputy Sheriff Danny P. Oliver

Anyone may visit Patriots Park at 6825 Palm Avenue, Fair Oaks.

American River Eaglets Named and Famed

Sacramento Region, CA (MPG) - What’s in a name? Monikers chosen by children for local bald eagle babies are on the lips of raptor fans all over the world.

In the space of 12 weeks, siblings “Peekaboo and Poppy” fed, flapped and eventually flew before the kindergarten children’s eyes. Thanks to photos and social media, thousands of followers -- some from as far away as the Arab States -- experienced the growth of eaglets deemed closest-hatched to Sacramento in recorded history.

For the record, Department of Fish and Game gurus documented the American River chicks as Eaglet One and Eaglet two. Anthropomorphism – the practice of bestowing human traits and names on wild animals – is discouraged by scientists. However, nobody told the Golden Valley River School children that. “Peek and Poppy” flew the nest in June but the huge bald babies will soar in the children’s memories forever. “We walk the American River trail every week,” explains teacher Tavia Pagan. “One day in fall (2016), an adult bald eagle flew right over the children. We all knew the national bird. It was extra special to see it right in front of us.”

Weeks later, the junior naturalists beheld a huge nest. “It was exciting,” recalls fellow teacher Becky Page. “We decided to keep an eye on things. All through winter, the children looked forward to visiting what we called ‘our eagles.’ One day in spring, we heard a new little sound from the nest. We realized it was a hungry baby.”

The snowy-crowned parents began supplying the nest with fish from the river. Eventually, bystanders saw a fluffy head rise to welcome deliveries. “One of the children named him ‘Peekaboo,’ explained teacher Pagan. “We all started calling him that.” When a second baby crested, the teachers asked their classes to volunteer another name. Poppy was the final choice; evoking flower-lined river trails and the magic of a wee head popping above the nest. Delighted by Facebook reports, raptor lovers world-wide soon adopted the names. By pure serendipity, the kindergartners also nailed eaglet genders. Peekaboo, they decided, was a boy and Poppy his little sister. Beak shape – a text-book sex identifier  – eventually proved truth had come from the mouths of babes.

Federal law protects bald eagles. As the chicks grew, the school party and other trail users were soon warned against lingering near the raptors’ nest tree. Cordons went up and Park Rangers cautioned visitors. “We were still able to do our walks,” explains teacher Page.  “The children were reverend. They used their whisper-voices near the nest. They knew to respect the eagle family’s space. We could see Peekaboo and Poppy when they began to flap their wings. Then we saw one of them on a branch. One day, we saw there was only one baby left.”

Alpha chick Peekaboo fledged first. A week later, his sister flew the coop. For weeks, their dutiful parents continued food deliveries in and near the nesting tree. In summer, the juveniles began hunting on their own. By fall, they had found territory downriver. “The children were concerned about where Peek and Poppy were,” says teacher Pagan. “We encouraged them to use their imagination.”

The teachers consider the five and six-year-olds’ eagle encounter has blessed them with extra wildlife appreciation. “We hope this experience helps them grow into people who protect nature,” says Tavia Pagan. “We protect what we love. And we only love what we experience.”

Sacramento County, CA (MPG) - Just days prior to the mass shootings in Las Vegas that left 59 dead and more than 500 wounded, Bob Erickson was presenting a day-long training for educators and staff in the San Juan Unified School District that could not have been more timely.

“Basically, we were talking about things that were done right and others that could have been done differently during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings,” said Erickson, a retired sergeant with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, now managing San Juan Unified’s Safe Schools Program.

Safe Schools is essentially the backbone of the district’s campus safety and security system, which covers all policies and procedures for initial assessments and, if necessary, responses to myriad issues and events that can go on at any one of the district’s 65 campuses in a single day, including bullying, weapons found in back packs or lockers, drug and alcohol-related offences, assaults, intruders, gang activity, suspected child abuse, and, sadly, the very real possibility of a student suicide on campus.

Established in 1988, Safe Schools operates through a partnership with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department. to select, train and assign off-duty officers to serve as School Resource Officers (SROs) who patrol, monitor and respond to incidents across five designated school zones that include all 64 campuses in the district.  SROs are assigned to roughly 5 schools each, but if needed, they will cross out of their districts to support other SROs in crisis.

In addition, the Citrus Heights Police Department also participates with the provision of two, full time SROs at Mesa Verde and San Juan high schools, which sit within the SJUSD’s boundary lines.  They also will cover a crisis if needed at other schools in Sacramento County’s unincorporated areas.

All calls for SRO assistance that are not initiated through a 911 call for police are filtered through a Safe Schools dispatcher at the district offices in Carmichael.  And, while the majority of dispatched calls for an SRO response are not lock-down or high-level emergencies like Sandy Hook or Vegas, as unlikely as they are to occur, according to Erickson, trainings for campus shootings are necessary and, in the recent case, involved the keen eye of hindsight to in reinforcing protocol.

“The seminar was called ‘Lessons Learned From Sandy Hook,’ and I started out by saying the chances of a school shooting happening on one of our campuses are very slim,” says Erickson.  “We are constantly aware that a school campus or workplace shooting can happen anywhere, but statistically, the odds are very low that we will have a campus shooting like Sandy Hook.  That said, someone always wins the lottery. Our trainings are not to scare anyone, but we need to be prepared.”

District-wide staff trainings like these, as well as a regular review of policies and procedures for handling an entire range of campus emergencies are held roughly every three months for teachers and staff, along with SRO representatives and other Safe School team members.  

All schools in the district are required to have a "Comprehensive School Safety Plan” in place that should be made available for public review at any time. 

In the case of Sandy Hook, says Erickson, many teachers and students exposed themselves to the gunman by trying to run first rather than hide, following a previously standardized policy of run, hide, fight, which today winds counter to the tactic advocated by many Safe Schools teams, including San Juan’s.

“Here in the San Juan School District, we look at it as hide, run, fight,” says Erickson.  “If you can run to safety, do it.  But if you are not sure, we advocate hiding first.  At Sandy Hook, you had teachers who hid kids in cupboards and other places and called 911.  That was exactly the thing to do.  In other instances, however, teachers heard shots and went out to investigate and they were killed.  So if you hear something that sounds like a shot, it’s probably a shot and you should hide.”

In addition, first responder protocol has also changed, according to Erickson, since the Columbine school shooting in Colorado in 1999.

“Before Columbine, law enforcement or SROs would arrive on the scene, form what’s called a ‘perimeter’ around the school, and then wait for reinforcements before going in,” said Erickson.  “Now, they are trained to just go in.”

Trainings rotate from campus to campus and are usually held on shortened days in the afternoon to ensure everyone who wants to attend can, Erickson said.  In a few weeks another “active shooter” and high-alert response workshop will take place.  Attendees will be given a range of scenarios, broken up into groups and charged to each come up with their own strategies for effective response.

One aspect that also gets emphasized in active shooter trainings that will also be highlighted, is the concept of friendly fire.  Erickson explains it best.

“One of the things we also emphasize is a hands up policy,” Erickson said.  “If you are walking on the campus during a lockdown and law enforcement is there with weapons drawn, you always want to keep your hands where they can see them. Hands are what kill people. The hand is needed to make the gun go off.”

The district is also amidst implementation of a campus fencing program launched several years ago.  According to Keith Reed with the schools facilities department, a total of eight campuses identified as high-priority sites, such as Del Campo High School, now have fences.  At a cost of $1 million, the pace of the project is slow and, cautions Reed, they serve as deterrents, not guarantees against the possibility of a high-alert crisis.

“The fencing helps, but really the focus is to serve as a deterrent, which is why we have the SROs and trainings in place,” Reed said.  “They are designed in a way that forces visitors to enter the campus through the main office and they are not cheap, so completion is based on when funding comes available.  But we do prioritize based on the needs of each school.”

Greif counselors are also part of the Safe Schools team and are trained to provide support to school counselors and psychologists in the district in responding to a crisis, such as a student suicide and other highly charged, emotional events.

“Sadly, we do have student suicides in schools,” says Erickson.  “It happens. And when it does we have staff who are trained to comfort those in crisis and help allow students to have their emotions. We never want to advocate for anything else.”

Student threats against schools are common.  And, it’s Erickson’s job, working with Safe Schools team members, to identify those threats, discern which are real and respond accordingly.  As unlikely as mass shootings in schools are, in all cases where they have occurred, according to Erickson, there were warning signs.

“Kids post threats against their schools on social media all the time,” says Erickson.  “It’s almost weekly that the threats come in.  Now, is it likely the student is going to come (to school) with a loaded gun?  No.  But we take every single threat as if it were real.  Every shooting we’ve had (in the country) there was a message sent out by the shooter in advance.  In cases where we do perceive the potential of a threat to be real, we will go out to visit homes. We’ll find out if there are guns registered at the house. We look in (students’) bedrooms, we check it out to see what’s going.”

While parents have not been flooding the district since the Vegas shootings to ask about their school’s safety plans, they do call.  Regularly. And their calls, says Erickson, are important.

“I wouldn’t say that I’ve had any calls of concern about Vegas or since that event,” says Erickson.  But we do get calls from parents every day about something and when we do, I investigate it, triage it and if there is something we need to respond to, we do.  Believe me, I spend a lot of my day on the telephone just talking to parents to assure them that we are all about student safety, safety for all the students and the staff and the families.”

For more information about Safe Schools, visit www.sanjuan.edu