District Develops Teaching Strategies

As part of his vision to keep the Oakdale Joint Unified School District moving forward and continuously improving, Superintendent Marc Malone wanted teachers to identify instructional norms and create a cohesive strategy to improve student learning. He created three councils shortly after he stepped into his role as head of the district, including the Superintendent's Education Council. Made up of approximately 25 teacher leaders, including a few principals ...

Mr. Mustang Selected

Oakdale High School senior Justin Martinez was named Mr. Mustang on March 9 in the 2012 OHS Mr. Mustang contest held at the Magnolia school auditorium. He was also named Mr. Congeniality. Senior Marcus Hernandez and junior Adam Lahey tied for First Runner Up, seniors Jeremy Neathery, Thomas Angarole, and Braden Lee also competed. The junior and senior boys were judged in fitness, talent, movie character, and self expression. The fun annual ...

Students Eye Science

Third graders usually don't take part in dissecting cow eyeballs as part of their science studies. But students in Melissa Clark's class at Magnolia Elementary School aren't a usual group. As part of their unit on "animal adaptations" the third graders saw first hand the parts of the eye on Friday, March 2 as they carefully cut their way through the layers of the dissection project themselves. <p class="MsoNormal" ...

Student Science Fair Slated

Hundreds of kindergarten through sixth grade students are preparing for the annual Oakdale Joint Unified School District science fair. The fair runs Tuesday, March 13 through Thursday, March 15 and takes place at the FES Hall on Lee Avenue. Science fair coordinator Kathy Jenkins said that applications for 366 projects have been received this year for grades K-6 district wide. The science fair has special hours scheduled for classroom visits and ...

Students Prep For Science Olympiad

Budding young scientists from throughout the region are gearing up for the 26th Annual Stanislaus County Regional Science Olympiad set for Saturday, March 3 at Modesto Junior College, 435 College Ave., Modesto. The event begins at 8:30 a.m. and will end with an awards ceremony at 4 p.m. inside the gym.

Egypt Comes To Life

While ancient Egypt existed thousands of years ago, Cloverland Elementary School sixth graders brought the relics and artifacts from the reign of the pharaohs to life by recreating them and exhibiting them in their classroom "museums."

Program Offers ‘How To’ For Higher Learning

In an effort to further engage Spanish-speaking parents of Oakdale High School students in their children's education, with an emphasis on helping their children to achieve a post-secondary education, a nine-week program called Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) is being offered to facilitate the goal.

Elementary GATE Students On Learning ‘Mission’

District GATE (Gifted And Talented Education) students are getting ready for an out-of-this-world mission in the form of a play.

Dandy Dozen - Oakdale Decathletes Capture Crown

The winner of the Stanislaus County Academic Decathlon is Oakdale High School. Again. And again. And again&hellip; Two days of rigorous testing, interviews, and speeches resulted in the 12th consecutive championship for the OHS team, garnering 43,993.7 points, at the county's 32nd Annual Academic Decathlon on Feb. 3 and 4 at Gregori High School, Modesto. "It's a 'dozen of dominance'&hellip; it was all worth it," exclaimed competing team member Paul Perrone. OHS beat the second ...

Focus On The Future - Eighth Graders Learn About Ag Science, Elective Options

Students who are enrolled in various types of agriculture classes at Oakdale High School visited Oakdale Junior High School on Friday, Jan. 27 to make presentations and display their FFA project animals.

Week Off Slated For Schools

Some families will have to make special arrangements for the care of their children in late February, as school won't be in session. The Oakdale Joint Unified School District will have a full week off for "Presidents' Week," which takes place Feb. 18-22. The Monday and Friday that week are holidays and the three days in between are days off. They are not furlough days, nor is it Spring Break, which takes place in April.

Ready-Set-Read! - Simoncini Tapped For National Assignment

A year ago, Oakdale High School teacher Pete Simoncini submitted a lengthy application to read and evaluate Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. history essays from the national AP U.S. history test.

On Hold - Transitional K Limbo?

While the state legislature has mandated that school districts across California put transitional kindergarten programs into action at the start of the next school year (Kindergarten Readiness Act), Oakdale Joint Unified School District is putting the implementation of it on hold.

School Employees Advance To State Event

Oakdale Joint Unified School District school bus mechanic and bus driver Richard Melo and Dina Page, lead custodian at Fair Oaks Elementary School, were recently named two of the six nominees who were chosen to represent Stanislaus County in the California School Employee of the Year program, coordinated by the California Department of Education.

Title Defense - Aca Deca Team Preps

The academic "Super Bowl" for local high schools, the 32nd Annual Stanislaus County Academic Decathlon, is a little over a week away and Oakdale High School is preparing for the possibility of attaining its 12th consecutive championship.

OHS Counseling Gets Social

The Oakdale High School counseling department is looking for people to "like" them.

OJUSD Classified Employees To Be Honored

School Care Closet Needs Restocking

Once donations have been made to local charities and the holidays are over, some people forget that there are continuous needs and those holiday donations can be quickly depleted.

School Trustees Hear Safety Plan

An overview of the Oakdale Joint Unified School District's safety plan and coordinated crisis response plan was presented to the district Board of Trustees at the Jan. 14 regular meeting. In the wake of the Connecticut school shooting, information about school district safety plans has been in the forefront of people's minds.

Public Invited To County Music Fest

General Fund Impact - Special Ed Costs Soaring

Special education costs are increasing for school districts, while the state and federal governments' contributions are decreasing, according to a 25-page report on special education in California released Jan. 3 by the state Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO).

Kids’ Museum Gives Glimpse Of Ancient Egypt

Breakfast Honors Kids Doing School Right

Oakdale High School's academic movers and shakers were honored recently with the "Doing High School Right" breakfast for the first semester. The Dec. 13 breakfast took place in the school cafeteria and is held each semester as part of the OHS Renaissance program to support academic achievement and improvement. OHS college counselor Denise Hitch reported that the students recognized were nominated by staff because they are ...

Students Offer Gifts In A Shoebox

School Safety Examined

In the wake of the school tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday, Dec. 14, questions about the safety plans of schools are on the minds of people in communities across the country, including here in Oakdale.

Stellar Students

School Projects Moving Forward

The Oakdale Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees voted to move forward with a Request for Qualifications for architectural services for the district's new Central Kitchen and a multi purpose room design that will be for Fair Oaks and Cloverland elementary schools.

Robbins Closes Out Career At Riverbank Schools

Dissections Bring Knowledge About Organs

Animal organs helped elementary school students learn more about human body systems when they recently had the opportunity to analyze them during a dissection "party."

Orchestra Concert For Kids Of All Ages