 Yosemite
& Coarsegold Districts 
School
News
November
19, 2004
Superintendent's
Report
Bill McCabe, Superintendent
Business
report
Srini Vasan, Director of Business Services
Coarsegold
Elementary School news
Randy Haggard, principal
Alternative
Education Report
Roberta Tackett, principal
Rivergold
School News
Bob Rose, principal
Grant
Report
Earlene Ward, director of special programs
Yosemite
and Coarsegold Districts
Publication Information
 Superintendent's
Report
Bill McCabe
Any
business is judged by the product it turns out and the Yosemite and
Coarsegold school districts are very proud of the students who have
gone through our schools over the past many years - our “products,”
so to speak.
This edition of School News, along with countless issues of the Sierra
Star, features some of those students who we are proud to call our graduates
and our students.
Students leave Yosemite High School District schools, after coming to
us from Coarsegold district, Bass Lake district, Raymond Knowles district,
Chawanakee district and other places, and they literally scatter to
the four corners of the world, making their mark and making us proud.
It would be impossible to mention all of the things our graduates do
once they leave here but we do know that they have become doctors, teachers,
attorneys, professional athletes, law enforcement officers, business
owners, health care professionals, fire fighters, professional artists
in many areas, scientists, homemakers, military officers -- the list
is endless.
Many of our graduates have returned to our local schools in a variety
of positions. Yosemite and Coarsegold districts have over 30 graduates
from one or both of the districts on our staffs. We are so proud to
call them graduates and colleagues. It is very rewarding to see them
as professionals and to know that our schools played some part in their
success.
One can walk into almost any business in the mountain area and recognize
a YHS District graduate. This is fun for school staff to do and we enjoy
visiting with them and hearing how things are going for them.
We enjoy seeing our graduates as parents and, indeed, we are now teaching
the children of some of our earliest district graduates.
As we start to think about the 30th anniversary of the Yosemite Joint
Union High School District (YHS opened in September 1976) we will be
making an effort to find out about as many of our graduates as we can.
We ask anyone who graduated from the YHS District to send a note to
us telling us where they attended elementary and middle school, what
year they graduated from our high school district, from which school
they graduated and what they have been doing since then. Please include
an address and telephone number and any other information you would
like to share.
It is important for us to know where our students have gone and to learn
from them what we did well and where we could improve.
Please send the information to Earlene Ward at 50200 Road 427, Oakhurst
CA 93644. We would appreciate hearing from as many people as possible.
Business
report
Srini Vasan, Director of Business Services
 In
my last article, I talked about ADA (Average Daily Attendance) and how
much the school loses in funding due to student absences. When compared
to other school districts in the state of California, both Yosemite
High and Coarsegold Elementary School districts have always done better
on attendance.
Our attendance percentage is around 94 percent. This means on an average
students attended 94 out of 100 days, did not attend six days due to
illness or other activities. Our goal this year is to increase it by
one percent and take it to 95 percent. Guess how much extra money one
percent can bring? How about $66,000? That money could be a big help
during this year's budget crisis.
Talking about funding and finances, did you notice the construction
that is happening at the high school? If you are not familiar with government
funding, you may wonder how the district can spend money on new construction
while bellyaching that the budget is tight. The State of California
funds school districts from two different sources. Neither fund can
be mixed. Ironically, the State of California does not have additional
money in their coffers to fund the curriculum, salaries, books and supplies
etc. - but has enough money in the construction fund. All the new construction
you see is funded from the State School Construction Fund. Now, you
may ask this question, “you mean the state has more money to build
schools but not enough money to give salary increases or hire teachers?”
I don’t want to confuse you because government funding is a complex
process. To quote Cullen Hightower, “We may not imagine how our
lives could be more frustrating and complex - but government can.”
Is there a catch on construction funding from the state? You bet. The
state would not give away construction money just like that. They require
school districts to match state funding with 40 percent - 50 percent
of project costs depending on whether it is new construction or modernization.
Here is where Developer Fees come in handy. On new constructions - residential
or commercial - the school district collects developer fees from property
owners to accommodate future growth. This area has had a lot of construction
lately and collections last year were record high. You could ask once
again, why can’t the districts spend that money on salaries and
books? The money in Developer Fee Fund is a “sacred cow,”
and per educational code and state law, it must be spent on school facilities
and construction only, and not on teachers’ salaries and/or books
and supplies.
It is that time of the year when school auditors start camping here.
I have absolutely no doubt that we will come out with flying colors.
Do you know why?
I will tell you the secret. The business office staffs in both school
districts - as always - are on top of everything. They are the best
and just great. Go ahead. I insist. Share that secret with as many as
you can!
 Coarsegold
Elementary School news
Randy Haggard, principal
Our
theme this year is “Read to Succeed,” and I would like to
give you a few tips on how you can encourage a love of reading with
your child.
*Read with your child every day, read a bit higher than your child’s
ability to help develop your child's vocabulary.
*Continue reading together even after your child is reading independently.
Most older children (and even adults) enjoy listening to others read.
*Make your reading time special. Cuddle up in a quiet, comfortable spot
so that your child will associate reading with feeling secure, relaxed
and loved.
*Be a role model - read on your own. By seeing how much you enjoy reading,
your child will learn that reading is a great source of information
and fun.
*Take books with you wherever you go.
*Take your child to the library often and check out a variety of age-appropriate
reading materials. Librarians are eager to help your choose books if
you need assistance.
At Coarsegold School we are committed to continuous improvement. We
want to be the very best we can be and your input as parents is essential.
Please feel free to contact me at 683-4842, ext. 254 or rhaggard-@coarsegoldusd.com
School and district information is available on our web-site at www.coarsegoldusd.com
Stay Healthy and Stay in School
Attendance is crucial to school success. With the time and weather changes
we see more colds and flu that cause students to miss important learning
activities. At Coarse-gold School we encourage students to develop healthy
habits that can guard against these illnesses.
Some viruses can live on surfaces like doorknobs, pencils and keyboards
for hours. Here are a few tips you can use at home to help children
stay healthy and stay in school:
*Wash your hands often. Use soap and water and scrub for about 20 seconds,
or about as long as it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday”
song.
*Keep
your hands and fingers away from your face (eyes, nose and mouth especially).
This is one way illnesses get into your system.
*Don’t sneeze or cough into your hands: Use a tissue or your arm
if necessary.
*Don’t share food or drinks with anyone.
*Get plenty of rest. Re-search shows that children need 10-12 hours
of sleep every night through adolescence; keeping bed times consistent
through weekends and holidays helps.
*Eat healthy foods; avoid “junk” foods that tend to weaken
your defenses in favor of a balanced, healthful diet.
 Alternative
Education Report
Roberta Tackett, principal
As
principal of the alternative education programs within the Yosemite
Joint Union High School District, I oversee seven schools, including
Yosemite Adult Education. This program offers a variety of classes to
meet the needs of the older members of the community.
Yosemite Adult High School is for those at least 19 who want to earn
their high school diploma or prepare to take the GED (General Educational
Development) test. It is also for adults who need basic education or
who need English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.
These classes are offered at no charge to students.The Independent Study
Adult Diploma program is 180 units and is offered through Yosemite Adult
School in Oakhurst and Raymond Granite Adult School in Raymond.
No one is too old to further their education; we have had graduates
as old as 80 and we have many people who are middle-age. It is a delight
to listen to these people speak of what education means to them and
at graduation their pride is evident .
I encourage anyone who, for whatever reason, did not earn their high
school diploma to contact us and explore the possibility of enrolling
and earning their diploma or preparing to take the GED.
For more information about the Oakhurst program, contact Janice Dissmeyer
at 683-8801 ext. 367; for information about the Raymond program, contact
Jerry Lebovitz at 689-3490
Yet another adult education program is the community service fee-based
classes where for a minimal fee, people in the community can take classes
in which they have an interest. Catalogs are mailed to every residence
within the YJUHSD each spring and fall and classes are also announced
in the Sierra Star and on the district Web page. Classes range from
art to quilting, martial arts and childbirth preparation.
Adult education also offers a variety of vocational classes including
welding, several levels of Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) classes,
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), compute technology and business
courses. In conjunction with Heart-land , handicapped adults are taught
independent living and vocational skills.
With the opening of the YHS pool we have recently added lifeguard training
to the vocational component of the adult program.
To request a course or to offer to teach a course, contact me at 683-8801
ext. 311.
Join us in these exciting opportunities for adults.
Rivergold
School News
Bob Rose, principal
 Every
day I see students and families who are “Living Strong”
with extremely difficult situations. I have a challenge for all mountain
area families that is outside the box, or should I say Xbox. Give as
much as you get. All good things start with “one,” - one
can of food, one book read, one homework assignment completed or one
act of kindness.
Parents, help your child learn the gift of giving by supporting local
organizations that help others in need. If you do not know who to contact,
call your local school and they will make sure that it gets to someone
in need.
We are so blessed in the mountain area. We have so much; show your kids
that living strong is more than a new entertainment system.
Help someone this year who is in need. The spirit of giving is alive
and well in the mountain community, you can make a difference with only
“one.”
Grant
Report
Earlene
Ward, director of special programs
 The
financial difficulties schools have been facing include a decrease in
the number of grants available.
In years past there was an abundance of grants for which school districts
could apply; today there are very few opportunities through the state.
I remember a time about five years ago when we had seven competitive
grant applications due within about a one month period. We don’t
see seven competitive grants in a year now.
One of the last grants we received had been for four years with funding
decreasing each year. As the fourth year approached, the state withdrew
funding, leaving schools with a four-year plan but three years of funds.
We received a planning grant a few years ago that allowed us to spend
a year planning for a family resource center. At the end of the year,
we were to be able to apply for an implementation grant.
When the year was up, the program had been dropped, leaving us without
the opportunity to apply for funding to carry out what was planned.
The lack of grants generally does not hurt the basic educational program,
but it does keep us from having some enrichment programs from which
students benefit.
Over the past seven years we have had almost $2 million in grant funds
for schools in the Yosemite Joint Union High School District.
These funds have allowed us to do some special things for our students
that we can’t do without the extra money.
Most of the computers we have were purchased with funds from one grant
or another. One grant, EAST or Environmental and Spatial Technology,
not only provided us with over $300,000 for training and to get the
program started, but we also received an additional half-million dollars
worth of technology equipment.
Other grants have allowed us to provide tobacco use prevention education
and services; enhance our fine arts department; provide career information;
replace a wooden roof with metal; install an all-weather track; provide
teacher training; help pay for Challenge Day; begin an Advanced Placement
program to supplement our International Baccalaureate program; assist
the agriculture program; buy new school buses and more.
Some grants are still available and we apply for all of them for which
we are qualified and have a need.
We are reminded that a grant will cause a school to change the way it
does business in at least that one area. So, care must be taken to be
sure that is the direction the district really wants to go.
We have benefitted from grants written by other agencies as well as
from those we write.
The Madera County Sheriff’s Department wrote a grant several years
ago to pay to put a deputy on the Yosemite High School campus. While
that was a Sheriff’s Department grant, YHS and its students were
the beneficiaries.
The program worked so well, the Sheriff’s Department agreed to
leave the deputy on campus even after the grant expired. That is one
of the intents of a grant: That money is given to start a program and
then the agency finds a way to continue with it after the funding expires.
We are currently in a lottery for diesel retrofit funds for our school
buses. We have met the criteria, now we wait to see if we are drawn
in the lottery which would allow us to write an application.
We intend to apply for a Tobacco Use Prevention Education grant early
next year.
Grants provide wonderful opportunities for our students so we have a
strong commitment to getting as many as we can.
Yosemite
and Coarsegold Districts
School
News
is a publication of the
Yosemite Joint Union High School District
and the
Coarsegold Union School District
Published at the YJUHSD Office
50200 Road 427
Oakhurst CA 93644
559-683-8801 ext. 338
www.yosemiteuhsd.com
Bill
McCabe, publisher
Earlene Ward, editor
YJUHSD
Board of Trustees
Priscilla Pike, President
Karen Hutchings, Clerk
Tom Allcock
Bert McSwain
Linda Olson
Trustees
can be reached through the
YJUHSD office, 683-8801 ext. 348
CUSD
Board of Trustees
Sue O’Connor, Chair
Greg Schoonard, Clerk
Kathy Casey
John Reynolds
Christine Wilder
Trustees
can be reached through the
CUSD office, 683-8801 ext. 387
Bill
McCabe
Superintendent
45426
Road 415
Coarsegold CA 93614
www.coarsegoldusd.com
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