Friday FYI

A West Contra Costa Unified School District e-update
October 19, 2001

The Literacy Corner

Last week we introduced you to the National Reading Panel and its charge of reviewing the research-based knowledge about teaching children to read. The first major topic identified by the National Research Council Committee as central to learning to read was Alphabetics, which includes Phonemic Awareness Instruction and Phonics Instruction. For starters, here are some definitions:

• Phonemes -a speech sound. The words "go" and "she" each have two sounds or phonemes.

• Phonemic Awareness (PA) - the ability to blend, separate and manipulate phonemes in spoken syllables and words. It is an auditory skill that does not involve the use of print. When instruction includes the relationship between sounds and written symbols, it becomes phonics.

The Panel reports that:

• Phonemic awareness (PA) and letter knowledge are the two best predictors of how well children will learn to read during the first 2 years of instruction.

• Teaching children to manipulate phonemes in words was highly effective under a variety of teaching conditions across a range of grade levels.

• Teaching PA to children significantly improves their reading more than instruction without PA.

• PA training improved students' phonemic aware-ness, reading and spelling following training. Children of varying abilities improved their PA and their reading skills as a function of PA training.

• PA instruction also helped normally achieving children learn to spell, and the effects lasted well beyond the end of training.

Effective characteristics of PA training included:

• Explicitly and systematically teaching children to manipulate phonemes with letters (phonics)

• Focusing the instruction on one or two types of phoneme exercises rather than many. For example, one phoneme exercise involves deleting an initial or final phoneme, as in "say seat without the /s/." Another exercise is separating two phonemes, as in "What word am I trying to say?

/ L / . . .unch."

• Teaching children in small groups.

Important points to keep in mind:

• PA training is not a complete reading program. It is one necessary part of a complete and integrated reading program.

• There are many ways to teach PA effectively. As educators, we will need to evaluate our assessment data to determine if the method we choose is working.

• The motivation of both students and teachers is critical to success

.-Barbara Adams, Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum and Accountability

Next week: Phonics instruction.

Board of Trustees approves new appointment

At the October 17 school board meeting, trustees approved the following administrative appointment, as recommended by Superintendent Gloria Johnston:

> Acting Principal, Peres Elementary School: Mary Coe

Trustees also recognized school administrators for their participation in the Bay Area School Leader-ship Center (BASLC) Academy training program.

First-year participants in the Leadership Academy are: Kathleen Brady, Linda Cohen, Nia Johnson, Patricia Smallwood Washington, and Michelle Janssen.

Instructional leaders in year two of leadership training are: Mary Allen, Ora Anderson, Eless Battiste, Carol Butcher, Merrilee Cavenicia, Bettye Davis, Jocelyn Hendrix, Lydia Maerdian, Carlena Moss, Baby Raff, Vincent Rhea, Jerrold Scheidt, Benita Shaw-Lewis, Barbara Taylor, and Gail Wilson-Smith.

New maintenance manager now on board

Edward VanDerLinden has been selected to fill the position of Maintenance Manager in the Maintenance and Operations Department. Mr. VanDerLinden has over 17 years of experience with our district as both an HVAC Mechanic and most recently as our Supervisor of the Mechanical Shop. Mr. VanDerLinden's first day on the job was Tuesday, October 9, 2001.

-David Azcarraga

High school students participate in technology science careers conference

Last week over 300 district students from all six of the district's comprehensive high schools, as well as Middle College High School, attended the recent conference on careers in the technology science fields.

The conference featured workshops led by engineers and technicians from Bio Rad, Chiron, Kaiser Permanente, and Chevron Petrochemical. Students rotated among different workshops that were held over three sessions. Keynote speakers from NASA AMES and the Autodesk company addressed students in the morning and afternoon, respectively.

Attention high school science teachers: Bio Rad will be holding a special workshop for high school science teachers on Saturday, December 8, 2001 through a collaboration with WCCUSD and the School-To-Career Department. The workshop will focus on science curriculum tied to the state standards. To register, call School-To-Career at (510) 307-5332, or Cheryl Lilihanand at (510) 307-5336. Stipends will be provided.

-Devi Jameson

October 22-26 is Red Ribbon Week

Red Ribbon Week is a national campaign to create awareness about the drug problem facing every community. The Red Ribbon has become the symbol of support for drug-free and healthy lifestyles, and during Red Ribbon week the entire nation will focus on making a choice to be drug-free.

Red Ribbon Week began as a memorial to honor undercover Drug Enforcement Agent Enrique Camarena, initiated by high school students in his hometown of Calexico, Calif. In 1985 members of a drug gang in Mexico kidnapped and murdered Camarena.

Calexico High School students made the following pledge: "We, the undersigned students of Calexico High School pledge, in the honor of Enrique Camarena, and all others risking their lives, to stop the flow of drugs, to encourage my friends to say no to drugs, to provide support to others who use drugs to help them learn to say no to drugs, to become educated on the dangers of drugs, and provide this information to my community."

We'd like to hear from you if your school or classroom is planning a Red Ribbon activity. Give us a call in the district Equity and Resiliency Office at 307-5356 and share what your students are doing. Thanks!

-Claudia Nelson

Learning Village events: pass it on.

• The United States Fund for UNICEF now offers a service to students that distributes their cards, letters, drawings, or messages to the children who have been most affected by the terrorist attacks of September 11. See the UNICEF web site at <www.unicefusa.org/trickortreat>.
• Applications for the 2002 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards will honor students in grades 5-12 who deserve to be recognized for outstanding acts of community services. Deadline is October 31, 2001. Applications are available from the principal, the Communications Office, or by calling 1-888-450-9961.

Do you have an item for our next Friday FYI that's related to one of our strategic priorities? E-mail it to: pehara@ wccusd.k12.ca.us. Of course, if you're on the district's GroupWise network, you can just send it to us that way.

Our strategic priorities are: 1) Student Achievement (attendance), 2) Safety (behavior), 3) Personnel Training and Professional Development, 4) Facilities, 5) Family and Community Partnerships, 6) Equity, and 7) Communication.

-Paul Ehara, managing editor