Schools
by John M. Zukoski on September 2, 2010 | 
No Comments | Topics: Schools
The Bay Area is home to many top colleges and universities. This abundance of world-class higher education institutions is a key factor ensuring that the Bay Area will continue to innovate and thrive in the years ahead. A college education is one of the most important and costly investments that prospective students will ever make. For this reason, the editors of U.S. News provide students and their families with as much information as possible about the comparative merits of the educational programs at America’s colleges and universities. Many Bay Area and Central Valley institutions made it to U.S. News’ top colleges listing for 2011.
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by John M. Zukoski on August 29, 2010 | No Comments | Topics: Schools
On September 1, 2010, Chevron will be launching its one-month-long Fuel Your School program in partnership with DonorsChoose.org. Chevron hopes to provide public schools in Alameda County and Contra Costa County with funding up to $1M for projects that focus on science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM). Obtaining funding is easy. Teachers simply submit their science, technology, engineering, or math projects to DonorsChoose.org. Projects are approved and funded by DonorsChoose.org up to $2,000 per project in the order that they are received. Participating Chevron stations donate $1 for every 8-gallon or more fill-up to the projects in the city where the gas stations are located.
Dublin, for example, has two participating Chevron gas stations at 7007 San Ramon Valley Boulevard and 7100 Dougherty Road. If 10,000 customers fill-up at these two stations, Chevron will contribute $10,000 to classroom projects in Dublin’s public schools.
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by John M. Zukoski on August 23, 2010 | 1 Comment | Topics: Schools
Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) is moving quickly to complete construction on the $28M Kolb Elementary School. The eagerly-awaited school is scheduled to open in the fall of 2011 with students in grades K-3, according to the March 23, 2010 report by the SCI Consulting Group. The K-3 students that were going to be attending nearby Fallon School will relocate to Kolb Elementary School, and Fallon School will only serve grades 4-8 for the 2011-2012 school year. Grades 4 and 5 will likely be added to Kolb Elementary School, as the initial 3rd grade class advances over the following two school years.
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by Around Dublin Team on August 23, 2010 | 1 Comment | Topics: Local Issues · Schools
Tuesday, August 24th, marks the start of the new school year for Dublin’s public schools. Traffic at and near local school sites can be hectic before the school day starts and when the school day ends. Dublin Police Services would like to remind students, parents, and area residents to allow extra time when traveling during school drop off and pick up times, to drive cautiously, to look both ways when crossing the street, and to show common courtesy toward one another. The speed limit around schools when children are present is 25 miles per hour.
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by John M. Zukoski on August 17, 2010 | 70 Comments | Topics: Schools
In response to a recent Public Records Act request, Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) disclosed that it is spending $3M per year in salary and benefits for the top 24 members in the leadership team. This disclosure does not include DUSD contributions to the retirement plans for these employees. Leading the way is Superintendent Dr. Stephen Hanke with a combined annual salary and benefits package worth over $203K.
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by John M. Zukoski on August 14, 2010 | No Comments | Topics: Schools
Back to school means new teachers, friends, football games, and most importantly, homework. While many students look forward to the start of a new school year, many students may suffer anxiety or dread the return back to class. One of the best ways for students to succeed in the transition back to school is by practicing these simple tips:
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by Around Dublin Team on August 10, 2010 | 11 Comments | Topics: Announcements · Schools · Things To Do
Livermore Valley Charter Preparatory High School (LVCP) and Livermore Valley Charter School (LVCS) will be holding a party and open house for the public to celebrate the grand preview of their future campuses on Saturday, August 14 in Livermore, CA. While admission and activities are all free of charge, attendees will have the option to purchase food and drinks at the event. LVCP and LVCS teachers, students, and administrators would like to invite everyone to join them at 3188 Constitution Drive to tour their beautiful new campuses and to learn more about their innovative education programs. The founders of Tassajara Prep, the public college preparatory high school coming to Dublin in 2012, will also be there to provide updates on the Tassajara Prep charter petition in person. The party will start at 11AM and include activities for the entire family such as jump houses for the kids, face painting, a bocce ball tournament, and more. KKIQ (FM 101.7) will be broadcasting on location from Noon until 2PM, when the festivities conclude.
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by John M. Zukoski on July 30, 2010 | 9 Comments | Topics: Opinions · Schools
With the recent departure of Principal Rick Boster, many parents are wondering what is in store for Murray Elementary School. In an effort to cut expenses and potentially boost reserves, the Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) may be considering the closure of Murray Elementary School. By shutting down Murray Elementary School, DUSD could save at least $250K of operating expenses each year. Additionally, the sale of the Murray Elementary campus to the City or a developer would likely yield a significant one-time boost to the District’s currently non-existent operating reserves.
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by John M. Zukoski on July 21, 2010 | 40 Comments | Topics: Opinions · Schools
Based on the latest data available from the California Department of Education (CDE), Tri-Valley students from high schools in Pleasanton, Danville, and San Ramon, CA, have significantly outperformed those from high schools in Dublin and Livermore, CA, on the SAT Reasoning Test (SAT). This observation is consistent with the trend in API and the trend in AP exam scores for Tri-Valley high schools. SAT results for 2008-2009 reveal that Dublin High School students scored lower on average than students at Livermore High School and Granada High School. Additionally, students at Dublin High School have progressively scored lower on the SAT each school year from 2005-2006 to 2008-2009.
The SAT is a standardized test used by nearly all college admissions throughout the United States to evaluate a student’s college readiness. Owned, published, and developed by the College Board, the SAT consists of three distinct sections that objectively measure the critical reading, mathematical reasoning, and writing skills of the students. Each year, more than two million students take the SAT.
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