Schools
by John M. Zukoski on May 29, 2011 | 
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PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS CONFERENCE HAS BEEN CANCELLED
Livermore Valley Charter Preparatory (LVCP) High School’s Model United Nations (UN) team has earned the distinct honor and privilege to host its first Novice Workshop and Conference on September 17, 2011 in Livermore, CA. The workshop is designed to introduce freshmen to the experience of a Model UN conference and prepare them for success in future Model UN endeavors. The students will be part of a nurturing environment in which delegates from top schools throughout the area will engage in meaningful debate and a unique learning experience.
Model UN is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy, and the United Nations agenda. LVCP is the only school in the Tri-Valley to offer a Model UN program for its students. This distinction is one of the reasons that LVCP has attracted high school students from the Livermore and Dublin school districts.
Topics for the Fall 2011 conference include:
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by John M. Zukoski on May 27, 2011 | 3 Comments | Topics: Schools · Sustainability
Do you have a bunch of unused electronics that you want to throw away but don’t want to fill up your trash bin or can’t dispose of them safely? Here is a chance to get rid of your electronic junk and help Dublin’s students at the same time. Valley High School, located at 6901 York Drive in Dublin, CA will be hosting an eWaste fundraiser this Saturday, May 28th from 9:00AM to 4:00PM to raise money for a variety of programs. The programs to be benefited by this fundraiser include Valley High’s after school sports program, tobacco use prevention education, field trips and hikes, student leadership activities, graduation activities, the senior breakfast, the Friday morning breakfast club, and physical education activities.
As a continuation high school, Valley High School provides a lifeline for mostly at-risk students who are in jeopardy of not graduating from high school due to academic, social, or other challenges. Many of Valley High’s students come from difficult home environments that have made classroom learning a challenge. Fundraisers like the May 28th eWaste collection event support programs that help get the lives of these kids back on track, so they can have the same chance to succeed in life as students attending traditional public high schools.
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by Around Dublin Team on May 26, 2011 | 3 Comments | Topics: Local Issues · Opinions · Schools
The Around Dublin Team would like to thank Broker/Owner Anthony Sadigh of East Bay Estates in Danville, CA for sharing his insights on renting in highly rated school districts with the Blog. Anthony is passionate not only about what he does within his company but also in creating win-win situations for every client who buys, sells or invests with East Bay Estates. Anthony has secured many great investment properties for his clients and continues to be their sole property manager of their investments on a continual basis. His many happy clients appreciate his knowledge and ability to forecast what might be a great move in this uncertain industry.
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by John M. Zukoski on May 19, 2011 | 4 Comments | Topics: Opinions · Schools
Mired in eye-popping budget deficits, ballooning debts, and cratering credit ratings, California’s fiscal health has been anything but golden for the past decade. Many State lawmakers and concerned voters have tried to fix California’s chronic budget challenges through legislative bills and ballot initiatives with good intentions. Unfortunately, many of the band-aid solutions often ended up hurting those with the least political clout the most. Candidate Jerry Brown promised to cut prison spending to help rebuild our public schools, but Governor Jerry Brown has yet to deliver on that promise.
Adjusted for inflation, California has reduced per pupil spending by 12.5% from $9,011 in 2001 to $7,886 in 2010. The national average for per pupil spending is $11,397. Families in Dublin, San Ramon, Livermore, Danville, and Pleasanton have all felt the pain of having to cut programs and increase class sizes as a direct result of the 12.5% drop in per pupil spending by the State.
K-12 public school students in California are not the only ones to suffer. California used to spend about 11% of the general fund budget on our esteemed universities back in the 1980s. We have now cut this funding for higher education by more than half and built up our prison system by the same amount. The ten-campus University of California system, for example, has been ramping up its recruitment of out-of-state and international students who pay more in tuition and fees than their in-state counterparts.
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by Jimmy Huang on May 11, 2011 | 30 Comments | Topics: Opinions · Schools
The aggressive campaign of fear, intimidation and misinformation against Tassajara Prep does not change the fact that Dublin, CA needs a second public high school. Claims that a second public high school would take budget away from Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) started as soon as the Tassajara Prep petition was announced in 2009 when Dublin High had 1,400 students. Today Dublin High has close to 1,600 students, and DUSD is hoping it will reach 2,500-3,000 in the next decade.
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by John M. Zukoski on May 4, 2011 | 3 Comments | Topics: Opinions · Schools
A 2009-2010 Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) school climate survey commissioned by the California Department of Education (CDE) paints a surprising picture of the public schools in Dublin, CA. Respondents to this climate survey are primary teachers as well as administrative and support employees. The 2009-2010 school climate survey classified the K-8 Fallon School as an elementary school.
Among the positive findings, 88% of the respondents believe that most students in Dublin are well-behaved, and 90% feel that nearly every student in Dublin’s elementary schools is motivated to learn. The level of confidence for students at Wells Middle School and Dublin High School, unfortunately, are not nearly as high. According to the survey data, the percentage of respondents who feel that most students are motivated to learn is 61% for Wells Middle School and 76% for Dublin High School.
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by Jimmy Huang on April 26, 2011 | 108 Comments | Topics: Opinions · Schools
Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) recently stepped up its campaign against Tassajara Preparatory High School in an attempt to limit educational opportunities for students in Dublin, CA. Planned to open in the fall of 2012, Tassajara Prep will be Dublin’s second public high school. DUSD’s dishonesty about Tassajara Prep and charter schools in general illustrates its goal of putting the interests of District personnel above the interests of Dublin’s students.
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by John M. Zukoski on April 22, 2011 | No Comments | Topics: Announcements · Schools · Things To Do
Tri-Valley Learning Corporation (TVLC) is hosting the Seventh Annual Livermore Valley Charter School (LVCS) Golf Tournament and Dinner at Poppy Ridge on Friday, May 13, 2011. Proceeds from this event will benefit Livermore Valley Charter School, Livermore Valley Charter Preparatory (LVCP), and Tassajara Preparatory High School (TPHS). The cost of each golf tournament ticket is $165 or $660 per foursome for early birds registering by May 1st. The golf tournament will be followed by a banquet dinner. Dinner tickets are $55 per person or $100 per couple.
Registration on the day of the golf tournament will start at 10:30AM with lunch served at noon. There will be a shotgun start at 1PM with the no-host reception starting at 5:30PM and dinner at 6:30PM. Don’t eat too much because dancing starts a bit later at 8:00PM. This is sure to be a tremendously fun event that will benefit local Tri-Valley schools.
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by Around Dublin Team on April 15, 2011 | No Comments | Topics: Announcements · Schools
Dublin resident and Livermore Valley Charter Preparatory High School (LVCP) teacher Rashida Haveliwala and her student Julia Di Simone would like to invite everyone to stop by and experience a Model United Nations (Model UN) Conference on Saturday, April 16th at LVCP. Set in the Post WWI to the Post WWII era, LVCP’s simulation will cover nearly 16 World History State Standards. Opening ceremony will start at 9:00AM, and registration will begin at 8:45AM. LVCP is located at 2451 Portola Avenue, Livermore, CA 94551.
With the help of Mrs. Haveliwala, LVCP students have spent the last two months organizing for this all-day event. The theme for the simulation at LVCP will be genocide. Genocide is defined as the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group. Set in the Post WWI to the Post WWII era, all of the committees will cover some form of genocide in their discussions. For the students, the simulation and the preparation for this conference are all part of a World History project at LVCP.
The Model UN Conference at LVCP will run all day and culminate in a closing ceremony at 4:00PM. Awards will be given to outstanding delegates who have performed exceptionally in the simulation.
