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Extra Credit

Daily education news and conversation

Rusty Sims named principal at San Antonio, Valley Oaks

Tuesday, at 6:56 by

Rusty Sims has been named principal of San Antonio High School and Valley Oaks School. He will start July 1. Current principal Lyn Moreno is retiring. For the past six years, Sims has served as principal at Carpe Diem and Sonoma Mountain high schools. Prior to that he taught English at a junior high in Las Vegas and multiple subjects at schools throughout the Petaluma district: Petaluma High School, Petaluma Junior High, Carpe Diem and Casa Grande High School. Sims… Read More »

Renee Semik named principal at Petaluma Junior High, 6th grade charter

Monday, at 1:56 by

Renee Semik has been named principal at Petaluma Junior High and the Sixth Grade Charter Academy. She will start July 1. Semik takes over for John Lehmann will retire. Semik was last at Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District where she was principal at Santa Monica High School for the last three years. In charge of the Advanced Placement program at Santa Monica High, the number of students of color taking AP exams increased by almost 50 percent over three years,… Read More »

Analy, SRHS win video production ‘Emmys’

Friday, at 6:52 by

A video production team Analy High School was given the equivalent of an Emmy award when it was awarded the “Pillar of Excellence” from the Northern California chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. A team from Santa Rosa High’s ArtQuest program earned an “Award of Excellence” in the same competition which included entrants from Northern California, Nevada and Hawaii. The Analy High team won for “Phat Brahms,” a “Flying Pepper” music video produced by seniors Max… Read More »

Reminder: Tomales High joint reunion upcoming

Friday, at 6:01 by

Reminder: It’s been awhile since Extra Credit has had any reunion news, but Tomales High School is changing all of that. The combined classes of 1986 through 1991 are hosting a reunion Oct. 5 at the Sheraton in Petaluma. The event runs from 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Tickets are $65. Email: geegmom@aol.com for more information

Free bike rodeo in Rohnert Park Saturday

Friday, at 6:36 by

Safe Routes to School Sonoma County is hosting a bike rodeo in Rohnert Park this Saturday. The free event will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in parking lot of the Rohnert Park Community Center. Children ages five to 13 are invited to learn skills and the rules of the road in a fun, controlled environment. Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition will provide the instructors. Participants will also have their helmets fitted properly and low cost helmets will be available… Read More »

Tobes’s ‘mental math’ students strike gold on STAR exam

Thursday, at 6:36 by

Do regular Press Democrat readers remember a story that ran last month on Public Schools Week that featured Wright Charter School students in Jeff Tobes’s algebra class? Well I just heard from Tobes and he says that every single one of the students in that class – the first ever algebra class in Wright School District – scored proficient or advanced on the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program exam. “Needless to say, we’re all very proud of them,” Tobes… Read More »

Destroyed trees at Maria Carrillo replaced

Tuesday, at 5:06 by

Remember the five trees hacked down by vandals at Maria Carrillo High School  last month? Well PG&E last week donated five new trees to replace them and a crew of volunteers and Maria Carrillo volunteers and students planted new ones. The two that were damaged are expected to survive. Read about the effort here : http://bit.ly/ZcPmGL And check out the photos provided by PG&E.

UPDATED: Principal gets ‘slimed’ in student reading celebration

Tuesday, at 4:00 by

UPDATE: More photos were promised, more photos were delivered. Check out the photo gallery now. ____________________- Maureen Grafeld took one on the chin…and hair and nose and body and everywhere Thursday in Windsor Creek’s annual reading celebration rally Thursday. Grafeld, the principal at the second and third grade campus, volunteered to get “slimed” by students who read enough books and passed enough comprehension test to reach 100 points. She should have given that threshold a little more thought: 321 students… Read More »

Head Start applications due Friday

Tuesday, at 6:42 by

Head Start is taking applications for the 2013-14 school year. Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County Head Start, a federally funded preschool for three and four year olds, is a five-day a week program is provided for children whose family income meets the federal poverty guidelines. For more information, call 535-3386. The deadline to apply is Friday, May 31.