More than 1,000 high-achieving Oakland students will gather under one roof on Monday, May 14, 2012 when the African-American Education Task Force and the Oakland Unified School District host the 2012 African-American Academic Achievement celebration. Held at Acts Full Gospel Church (1034 66^thAvenue), the annual event honors the city’s top African-American public school students enrolled in Grades eight through twelve. To qualify, students had to earn at least a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) in the first semester of the school year.

One of the largest ceremonies of its type in the nation, the African-American Honor Roll unites the Oakland community in support of promising scholars as students, parents and extended family members join teachers, principals, district administrators and education advocates in saluting academic excellence.

Wandra Boyd, Co-chair of the African American Education Task Force, expressed the pride she and Co-chair Oscar C. Wright feel regarding the ceremony. “This will be our eleventh annual event honoring African-American scholars,” Boyd said. “Each year the percentage of African-American students who are honored increases; this demonstrates that more African-American students are achieving. Nevertheless, it’s clear that more work needs to be done to boost overall achievement levels and we hope this ceremony helps promote a greater understanding of and level of engagement in the educational process.”

“At a time when the achievement gap between African-American and Latino students and their peers remains persistent, it’s critical that we celebrate students who present a model of scholastic accomplishment,” explained OUSD Superintendent Tony Smith. “Their academic success, while notable in its own right, can also serve as an inspiration for other students striving to succeed. More than that, it is a reminder of the potential inherent in all our students and our obligation as adults to help them fulfill it.”

Event Details

Event: 2012 Academic Achievement Celebration
Description: Oakland honors its top African-American public school students (Grades 8-12)
Day/Date: Monday, May 14, 2012
Time: 6:30 PM until 8:30 PM (approximate end time)
Venue: Acts Full Gospel Church

Address:1034 66^th Avenue Oakland, CA 94621

For more information regarding this event, please contact the Co-Chairs of the African American Education Task Force:

Mrs. Wandra Boyd, (510) 531-4209, wjboyd@pacbell.net

Mr. Oscar C. Wright, (510) 654-7769

Graduating seniors are set to announce college plans at CCPA's first Decision Day Ceremony.

On Friday, May 4, students in the first graduating class at Coliseum College Prep Academy (CCPA), a small, public, sixth through twelfth grade school in the heart of East Oakland, will announce their college plans at the school’s first annual Decision Day celebration.

UC Berkeley, UCLA, St. John’s University, and Cal State East Bay are among the schools that students were accepted to, and all but one of the students will be the first in their families to go to college. Several graduating seniors are undocumented, and will be in the first cohort of college students to benefit from the passage of the California Dream Act.

CCPA, housed on the campus of the former Havenscourt Middle School, is located in one of Oakland’s poorest and most violent neighborhoods. The school sits just one block from where three-year-old Carlos Nava was shot and killed in August 2011, in a neighborhood that ranks highest on the city’s 2011 stress index. The now-closed Havenscourt Middle School was notorious for being dangerous (only 32% of Havenscourt students reported feeling safe at school), overcrowded, and persistently low-achieving. Few students who attended Havenscourt Middle School went on to graduate from high school college-ready.

Coliseum College Prep Academy opened in the fall of 2006 with the vision of serving the students who live in the immediate surrounding community and interrupting the long-standing patterns of underachievement and persistent high school drop out rates. CCPA’s current seniors enrolled in CCPA as seventh graders in 2006. Both students and parents had a seat at the table when the school was designed, and parent leaders continue to be a strong presence and a guiding force within the school. With a focus on preparing all students for college, and nurturing sustained relationships with students and families over time, CCPA is the only sixth through twelfth grade school in the Oakland Unified School District.

In just six years, the school has gained 100 points in API score over the former Havenscourt Middle School. The achievements of CCPA’s pioneering seniors are a testament to their years of persistence and hard work, and the many support systems the school has set up, such as a Family and College Resource Center, where both students and parents come to learn about college, and partnerships with community organizations such as UC Berkeley’s School University Partnerships, East Bay Consortium, College Track, Summer Search, and Safe Passages.

The Decision Day Ceremony will be held in the school auditorium, 1390 66th Avenue, at 9:00am on Friday, May 4.

For more information, please contact CCPA Principal Amy Carozza, at (510) 409-1241 or amybhattacharya@gmail.com.

The 2012 College Summit Heart, Mind, and Spirit Awards Ceremony were held on April 26, 2012 at Scott’s Seafood in Oakland. The celebration highlighted the incredible accomplishments that schools, educators and students from across the Bay Area have achieved this past year. Students from Oakland Unified schools won two of the Peer Leader awards – including the highest honor, Peer Leader of the Year.

{Claudia Suarez} Claudia Suarez from East Oakland School of the Arts won the distinguished 2012 Peer Leader of the Year Award. The Peer Leader of the Year exemplifies all three of our values: the heart of a great teacher, the mind of an innovator, and the spirit of an inspired student. An educator who nominated Claudia said, “Claudia possesses an individual, passionate, and sincere approach to learning. She is naturally curious, intrinsically motivated, thinks outside the box, and her critical analysis skills are sharp and ready. She is the type of student that challenges me to be a better teacher. She can often be found helping her classmates, especially around college applications, scholarships, and maintaining their grades. She personifies a ‘Peer Leader.’ When it was crunch time for the November 30 deadline for CSUs and UCs, she stayed up late on the phone with other seniors to help them with their applications. Despite difficult challenges she has faced in her family and personal life, she perseveres and has a humble resiliency.” Along with a plaque, Claudia won a fully loaded laptop as another tool for success as she heads to UC Santa Cruz in the fall.

{Jalissa Tello} Jalissa Tello from Leadership Preparatory High won the Mind of an Innovator Award, given to recognize a student leader who envisions, structures, measures, and improves—constantly focused on getting results with students and schools. The teacher who nominated her said this about Jalissa; “An inspirational and dynamic student, whose four years on campus epitomize academic success, true leadership, and extraordinary service to the school and extended community. As a peer tutor, this student helped advance the school’s college-going culture by supporting her peers as a College Summit Peer Leader, as an AP Student Ambassador, and is well known on their campus as a resident student advocate for urban student success. She is very clear and open about the hardship and challenges she has faced; but this student adamantly refuses to allow them to direct her life’s journey.” Jalissa says, “I am not a victim. I am a young woman who chooses to allow her past to be the strength for a better future.” Along with a plaque, she received a College Survival Basket to make it through her first year at Sonoma State.

{Media High School} In addition to honoring students at the ceremony, College Summit also held a Wall of Honor contest as a way to encourage schools to create a visual celebration of the work that went into supporting seniors in planning for their ambitious post-secondary options. This year, a record number of schools entered the contest, and the quality and creativity of the Walls was absolutely amazing! Skyline High School and Media College Preparatory High School each received honorable mentions for their schools’ amazing work and received a gift certificate for their school.

Since 1993, College Summit has been advancing its mission of increasing the college enrollment rate of students in low-income communities by building capacity within schools and school districts to guide all students through the college preparation and application process.

To date, over 9,000 Bay Area youth have benefited from participation in College Summit programs. In Oakland Unified, College Summit currently partners with 13 high schools, including College Preparatory & Architecture Academy, Castlemont Business & Information Technology High School, Dewey Academy, East Oakland School of the Arts, Far West High School, Leadership Preparatory High School, Mandela Law & Public Service Academy, McClymonds High School, Media College Preparatory Academy, MetWest High School, Oakland High School, Oakland Technical High School, and Skyline High School.

For more information about College Summit programs, please contact Raquel Espana at respana@collegesummit.org, or visit http://www.collegesummit.org.

In the latest partnership between Oakland Public Schools and the city’s professional football franchise, the Oakland Raiders announced that, for all new season tickets purchased from May 1st to June 30th, the Raiders will donate 10 percent of the gross ticket price to the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD).

 

“We greatly appreciate this show of generosity and civic spirit,” said Oakland Unified School District Superintendent Tony Smith. “Most of our students already root for the Silver-and-Black and now they have further reason to support the hometown team. The fact that the Raiders are willing to give back in this way strengthens this important relationship and sets the stage for the next generation of loyal fans.”

 

Members of the Raiders are frequent visitors to local schools, and the franchise, among other charitable endeavors, has helped to underwrite the expansion and renovation of athletic facilities OUSD. Raiders officials were delighted by this most recent opportunity to extend the partnership with Oakland Public Schools.

 

“We are thrilled to announce our newest youth and community-based initiative and we are delighted to assist the Oakland Unified School District,” said Oakland Raiders Chief Executive Officer Amy Trask.

 

The Raiders kick-off the 2012 season in the national spotlight, hosting the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night, August 13th on ESPN.  The Raiders open the 2012 regular season in prime time, hosting AFC West division rival San Diego Chargers on Monday night, September 10th, in the second half of the ESPN Monday night double header.

 

Season tickets must be paid for in full by June 30th for 10 percent of the proceeds to benefit the Oakland Unified School District. For more information about this or other ticket offers, call 1800-RAIDERS or visit raiders.com.

Do you need assistance enrolling your child in school for the fall?

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{PLACE logo} Attend Prescott's Annual Community Health and Enrollment Fair!

PLACE @ Prescott is hosting an exciting Health and Enrollment Fair on Saturday, April 28, from 11am-3pm. Assistance with enrollment, and health needs associated with completing the student registration
process will be available at the fair.

• Connect with health professionals to learn more about health services and required immunizations for your child!
• Receive assistance enrolling your child in school—it's not too late to register your child at Prescott!
• Our fair will include health care services, "Big Smiles" Dental Providers will be onsite, healthy food cooking demonstrations, fresh produce, enrollment support for preschool and elementary school-aged children, and fun giveaways.

We are happy to announce that we are opening a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program next school year, for students who will turn five years old between November 2 and December 2, 2012. We still have space in both the TK and kindergarten (for students who will turn five years old by November 1, 2012) classes. We will also be accepting registration for our preschool program (for three and four year olds). There is still room in all of our grades (kndergarten through fifth grade).

PLACE @ Prescott is part of the West Oakland STEM corridor schools focusing on science, technology, engineering, and math. Our targeted STEM focus area at Prescott is health and nutritional sciences. In addition, we have a bilingual Spanish/English program for our kindergarten through third grades.

For more information, please contact:

Principal Enomwoyi Booker, Principal
ADDRESS: 920 Campbell Street - Oakland, CA 94607
OFFICE: 510-874-3333
EMAIL: enomwoyi.booker@ousd.k12.ca.us

Please click here for a flyer for this event.

For the first time ever, the Oakland Public Library and San Francisco Public Library, in partnership with Youth Speaks (the country’s leading nonprofit presenter of spoken word performance, education, and youth development programs), are staging competitions that will result in two Youth Poet Laureates, one from each city.

Through a competitive process judged by local leaders and celebrity authors (including renowned artists Arisa White and Marc Bamuthi Joseph), the Youth Poet Laureate initiative will celebrate exceptional teen poets who represent the best of the Bay Area. The winning poet in each city will receive a $5,000 educational scholarship and will serve as an ambassador for arts, education and youth expression during a year of public service and academic enrichment, including publication of their work in an anthology.

Oakland-based poet Arisa White (author of Hurrah’s Nest, 2012) is one of several acclaimed writers volunteering to judge the competition. “As a poet who believes in the transformative and healing power of poetry, it is necessary for me to support young people being active and influential citizens through their writing,” said White, who was recently featured on hip-hop mogul Jay-Z’s website. “I'm excited to be a part of this project, because it celebrates and honors young people and their perspective, their stories, their voices, their creative minds, and their ability to influence the communities around them.”

“Young writers today are at a crossroads,” said project coordinator Amy Sonnie, Teen Outreach Librarian of the Oakland Public Library. “Dwindling budgets for school arts and library media centers send mixed messages about the value of art and literacy, even as state academic guidelines taut the importance of 21st century learning. The Youth Poet Laureate competition is for young people who write to send their own message, their own way. This first-of-its-kind contest celebrates the hard work of young poets who turn to paper and pen, the microphone, and even YouTube, to speak their truth and make us think deeply about our world. The Bay Area has long been home to this kind of young talent. Now, we invite those honest, brave, original voices to apply and win the top literary honor in their city.”

The search for talented young writers (age 13-18) began Sunday, April 1 – just in time for National Poetry Month – when judges started accepting submissions. The deadline for all submissions is May 15.

Finalists will be announced in early July, and the winners will be announced in September. For more information and submission guidelines, go to: http://youthspeaks.org/2012poetlaureate.

 

As a part of a national conference this May 9 through 12, the Coalition for Community Schools is hosting a series of site visits and workshops in the Bay Area centered around the theme of scaling up community schools.

The Coalition for Community Schools 2012 National Forum will bring together a diverse group of leaders from the fields of education, youth development, health and human services, family support, neighborhood and community development, government, philanthropy and others who work at the local, state and national levels. Topics include how to mobilize local leadership, plan and organize community schools, increase capacity to advocate for community schools, gather and utilize data to help make the case, and apply best practices across the range of supports and opportunities.

During the conference, local community school leaders are planning visits to community schools in San Francisco and Oakland. We are excited to announce that seven OUSD schools will be hosting site visits, including Castlemont, Greenleaf, LIFE Academy, Madison, McClymonds, Oakland High, and Westlake on May 9 and 10.

In addition, OUSD staff will present several workshops at the Forum, and a number of community partners are also offering workshops. Workshops will address topics such as: chronic early absence, links between early childhood and community schools, family engagement, engaged learning, place-based initiatives, higher education, summer learning, community schools financing and policy, and much more!

You can still register for the conference using the local discount code (CCSF2012) for a rate of $345 per person. Discounted one-day rates are also available. For more details and to sign up, visit the forum website: www.cvent.com/events/2012-coalition-for-community-schools-national-forum.

{logo} Academy of Art University in San Francisco is offering 25 OUSD students scholarships for participation in Summer 2012 programs (including the possibility of earning college credit). This is an exciting opportunity for high school students who are interested in pursuing their passion and talent in art with a well-known university in the Bay Area.

Please visit http://www.ousd.k12.ca.us/summerart for information about how students can apply (current eleventh and twelfth graders are eligible), and what students must include in their application (a CD portfolio of work, a 250-word letter of intent, and two letters of recommendation from school site staff).

Applications are due to the College and Career Readiness Office by April 27th. Please email Diana Kampa with any questions at diana.kampa@ousd.k12.ca.us.

OakTechRep is delighted to announce the Spring 2012 Show: a unique spin on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare.

This season, let the award-winning OakTechRep Theatre Company guide you through this edgy and entertaining re-envisioning. In a post-industrial world, four young lovers vying for each other's attention enter a colorful rave scene where anything is possible. Meanwhile, Fairy Kings and Queens plot mischievous schemes with their agile and acrobatic entourages.

Join us for this tale of love, betrayal, redemption, and a fair amount of magic. The show will be held in the Oakland Technical High School auditorium on 42nd St. and Broadway. Performances will be held on Wednesday, April 25; Thursday, April 26; Saturday, April 27 all at 7pm; and a matinée performance on Sunday, April 29 at 2pm. There will be face painting at the door and discounts for arriving in rave gear.

This year tickets are available online in advance! Save money, save hassle, buy your tickets online from Brown Paper Tickets! http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/242396

• A 55-passenger bus will leave McClymonds High School at 8am, with a second pick up at West Oakland Middle School at 8:15am, for arrival at Bret Harte Middle School (destination) by 8:45am. The bus will do a return trip, departing Bret Harte at 3:15pm, for arrival back at 4:15pm.

• A second 55-passenger bus will leave Elmhurst Community Prep at 8am, with a second pick up at Havenscourt 8:15am, for arrival at Bret Harte by 8:45am. The bus will also make the return trip for arrival back at 4:15pm.
  

For more info contact Raquel Jimenez at 510-703-4825.