Leadership Profile Approved

The leadership profile for the future Superintendent of the Oakdale Joint Unified School District was approved at the Feb. 7 special meeting of the Board of Trustees. Trustees Mike House, Mike Tozzi, and student member Daniel Dunning were absent.

OID Tunnel Tour Educates Teachers

The unique opportunity to go behind locked gates to see the inner workings of the Oakdale Irrigation District with a tour of some of its tunnels was recently presented to a small group of Oakdale teachers. The Oakdale Joint Unified School District held a staff development day on Jan. 27 and the OID tour was one of the offered workshops where the participants could visit and learn about ...

Local Girl Honored At Warrior Basketball Night

Oakdale's Alivia Antinetti was honored at the Jan. 29 CSU Stanislaus (Stan State) Warriors' basketball game Make-A-Wish night, hosted by the college's Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC). The Magnolia Elementary School first grader is a cancer survivor and has been in remission since March 2010.

OJUSD Business Chief Resigns

Oakdale Joint Unified School District Assistant Superintendent for Business Tim Hern resigned from his post, effective Monday, Jan. 24. Hern accepted a position at Lodi Unified School District as the Chief Business Officer. The Lodi district is approximately five times the size of OJUSD, with 27,000 ADA (Average Daily Attendance).

Team Handles Pressures Of Academic Contest

For 10 consecutive years, Oakdale High School has reigned over the Stanislaus County Academic Decathlon as champions. With each win, it seems the pressure is turned up for the next year's team. For a few years before Oakdale's decade of dominance, the team was knocking on the door of the county championship behind the then-dominant Modesto High School. OHS holds the record for wins at the contest and ...

School Staff Members Develop Ideas, Skills

While students are out of class early on the upcoming minimum day on Jan. 27, the teachers will be still be working, learning new ways they can improve their knowledge and skills in the classroom.

Hern Resigns From School District Post

Tim Hern, Assistant Superintendent for Business for the Oakdale Joint Unified School District, resigned effective Jan. 24 and was hired as Chief Business Officer by a larger school district. He worked for OJUSD since Oct. 2003 and was in attendance at the district's Jan. 24 regular board meeting. Look for the full story in the Jan. 26 issue of The Oakdale Leader.

Employees Nominated For Honor

Two classified employees in the Oakdale Joint Unified School District make a difference for their fellow staff members and students, so much so that they were nominated for a special award.

OID Weighs Cost Cuts

In a recent memo to the Oakdale Irrigation District Board of Directors published in the agenda of the Jan. 18 regular meeting, General Manager Steve Knell noted that OID capital construction will be put on hold for the next two to three years. That move is due to the absence of revenue from Tri-Dam, resulting from unreimbursed expenses from the insurance company for the Donnells generator failure; weak ...

Helping Hands

Family Support Network has been in the business of giving people a hand up, not just a hand out - and doing it in a friendly and welcoming manner for more than 15 years. Its focus is to be a resource for families in the community and to help ensure healthy lifestyles for children.

Dawn’s Column - I Remember When…

The other day my coworker made a phone call from work and got a busy signal on the other end of the line. She gave the receiver a strange look and then hung up.

Superintendent Search

A timeline of the Superintendent search process was covered at a special meeting of the Oakdale Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees on Monday, Jan. 10. Dr. Wendell Chun of Educational Leadership Services (ELS), who was selected to conduct the school district's search for a new superintendent, provided the review.

OID Creates New Job

The Oakdale Irrigation District is at a point in modernization and automation of its canal facilities that it needs to hire a technological person to manage and maintain its control and data acquisition (SCADA) sites, said OID General Manager Steve Knell at the Jan. 4 regular meeting of the Board of Directors. The board unanimously approved a new staff position for an information technology/SCADA coordinator. <p style="text-align: justify" ...

HOLIDAY HOMECOMING

After being on a combat tour in Afghanistan for more than six months, U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Vince Havelaar recently arrived home in Oakdale with his new wife Shelby (Hamilton) on Dec. 23, in time to celebrate Christmas with his family.

Students Bring Holiday Cheer To Care Center

Armed with umbrellas and rain ponchos donated by parents, students in Tara Vandermark's class at Fair Oaks Elementary School braved the weather on Dec. 17 and focused on giving to others. The rain couldn't keep the class of 36 sixth graders from taking a walking field trip to deliver gifts and handmade cards to residents at Oak Valley Care Center.

DAWN’S COLUMN – I Could Not Ask For More

My husband and I recently celebrated our anniversary.

Schools Spending Plan In Place

The 2013-14 proposed budget for the Oakdale Joint Unified School District was approved at the recent Board of Trustees regular meeting. However, the budget will likely require updates and modifications in the future as it does not reflect the final state budget.

Super Summer Camp Offers Fun, Learning

Now in its third year, an eight-week summer program known as Super Summer Camp, kicked off on June 3 with 74 children present &ndash; the highest number so far during the first week of camp, said camp co-supervisor Carla Moore. Super Summer Camp is operated by the Oakdale Joint Unified School District at the Magnolia Elementary School campus and ends July 26.

Oakdale Celebrates Graduates

Excited graduates filed into the stadium to the traditional Pomp and Circumstance while friends and families cheered them on in one the most important events of their young lives at Oakdale High School's 119th Annual Commencement on Friday, May 24.

Awards, Honors For OHS Seniors

With graduation only days away, Oakdale High School's Class of 2013 is about to embark on a new part of life &ndash; one that officially launches them out of childhood and toward adulthood.

New Games Lined Up For Challenge

The rivers of chocolate will flow at the annual Chocolate Challenge, where fun and games with chocolate will reign on the stage, Saturday, May 18 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, May 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. At the 21st Annual Oakdale Chocolate Festival, there will be a few changes to the Chocolate Challenge games this year, with some new, timed events where contestants will ...

Native American Life Studied

A "field trip" came to school for Fair Oaks Elementary third graders on May 8 to study the Yokuts people. The Yokuts populated this area at one time and consisted of a number of different tribes.

OID Vote - Westlands Water Sale Cleared

A one-year water transfer contract with the Westlands Water District (WWD) was unanimously approved at the May 7 regular meeting of the Oakdale Irrigation District Board of Directors. There are some conditions on the contract that first protect OID water users before any transfer.

Deadline Looms For Irrigated Lands Coalition

It's the "last call" to join the East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition, also known as the Irrigated Lands Coalition, said Tom Orvis, Governmental Affairs Directors for the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau, at the recent Oakdale Irrigation District Board of Directors meeting. He said the deadline is Monday, May 13.

2013 Volz Recipient Announced

Fifth Graders ‘Complete’ Space Mission

A trip to Sacramento turned out to be a simulated trip to outer space recently for fifth graders at Fair Oaks Elementary School.

Campus Concern - Board Addresses Discipline Complaint

Complaints about the handling of discipline of a student at Sierra View Elementary School was addressed by the Oakdale Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees at the regular meeting on April 22.

River Flows On The Rise

The Bureau of Reclamation, which operates New Melones Reservoir, and the Oakdale Irrigation District recently released information about flow increases in the Stanislaus River.

Realistic DUI Tragedy Played Out

A drunk driver, a bloody crash scene, dead and dying vehicle occupants.

Rodeo Parade Entertains Masses

It's time to people-watch in Oakdale, and what better place than to watch them march down the middle of F Street to the beat of their own drums &ndash; or to the clip clop of horses' hooves &ndash; than at the 62nd Annual Oakdale Rodeo Parade? The parade starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 13 and features some of the best dressed cowboys and cowgirls of different ages, ...