Underground Books Band 3
Zoologists in Training!
PS7 Middle School scholars had the opportunity to learn all about animals in their science classes with the Sacramento Mobile Zoo Program. Scholars attended a one-hour lesson with the Sac Zoo on the PS7M campus, in which they learned about four different animals. They had the opportunity to learn about the history of the animal, how it came to be at the Sac Zoo, and even pet each animal. Our scholars had a great time expanding their knowledge about different animals and were eager to learn more.
Sac High Scholars Dive into the Great Outdoors!
The Sac High Outdoors Club (SHOC) is an effort to introduce our students to the great outdoors where they can find the sort of beauty and peace that urban areas do not offer. So far, we’ve been to Auburn, Clementine Falls, Feather Falls, and most recently Cosumnes Preserve. At Cosumnes Preserve, we were joined by Dr. Castori and her son Sam, who identified for us bald eagles, various water birds, red winged blackbirds, Canadian geese, and many more! It was a great time and the students enjoyed hiking, seeing the Cosumnes River, and learning about the natural environment.
Rob on the Road
Oak Park's Mother Rose
Oak Park’s Mother Rose | Region Rising
Meet the matriarch of Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood who is helping our region thrive by ensuring cultural diversity. Mother Rose of Underground Books shares her store and her heart with Rob in this rare interview. Proudly sponsored by Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld LLP.
Meeting of the Minds
By Jake Mossawir
Some neighborhoods get pushed to the side, separated (figuratively and sometimes literally) from the heart of a city and left to face growing rates of crime, poverty, unemployment, or other harmful consequences.
For too long, that was the story of the Oak Park neighborhood near downtown Sacramento, California. Through a concerted effort by a local non-profit in the community for the last 30 years, we are seeing real change and an upward trajectory. The Oak Park story provides lessons and hope for similarly situated communities across the country.
HOPE to HOPE: Educator Spotlight
Mr. Cody is one of our newest additions to the St. HOPE team! He received his B.S. in Mathematical Education from California State University, Chico and is now teaching Algebra II at Sac High.
The Guild Theater’s Fresh New Look!
The Guild Theater, originally known as the Victor Theater, was designed and completed in 1915. At that time, it featured movies and vaudeville shows for the community.
The theater eventually fell into a state of disrepair and remained vacant for many years. In 2003, St. HOPE updated and restored the Guild Theater to showcase plays, movies, live performances, and more.
PS7 Pick and Rolls with The Kings!
One of the most exciting perks of being a PS7 scholar and staff member is our community partnership with the Sacramento Kings! Throughout the basketball season, the Kings community program graciously donates tickets to different games to St. HOPE. We are then able to reward staff, scholars and families with FREE KINGS TICKETS! Who doesn’t love a Kings game?! Many times, these tickets are used to incentivize positive behavior, leadership, and perseverance. Other times, these tickets are used as rewards!
Celebrating Black History Through Health Education
On Thursday, February 21 at 6:00 pm, Underground Books will host the first of a series of conversations about health topics pertinent to the African-Americans for the benefit of Oak Park residents and the greater Sacramento community. Why? Because rarely has Virgil’s saying “The greatest wealth is health” been more pressing than it is today. Access to health care and stigma associated with medical treatment can be issues for many people, but investing in health education and promoting self-care can result in better quality of life outcomes for everyone.
Now Accepting Applications!
St. HOPE Public Schools (SHPS) is now accepting applications for the 2019-2020 academic year! With over 15 years of high-quality public education focused on getting scholars to and through college, St. HOPE is the right choice for your family. SHPS offers tuition-free, college prep charter schools located in the Oak Park community, and our scholars are prepared to excel, trained to lead, and empowered to serve. Interested in joining one of Sacramento’s highest performing charter school networks?
Hey YOU…Come to our NEW PARK!
The 3rd Avenue lot near St. HOPE’s 40 Acres Complex was once the site of Esther’s Pastry Shoppe, a two-story mixed use building constructed in 1915 that provided Oak Park residents with freshly baked goods through much of the 1900’s. By the time the historic building was acquired by St. HOPE Development Company in the late 1990’s, it was in a state of disrepair and in need of major funding before it could be restored. In 2018, the badly deteriorated building was deemed uninhabitable and was therefore demolished.
Increasing Family Participation and Encouraging Ongoing Involvement
Family involvement contributes positively to the learning experience and success of our St. HOPE scholars. We understand the importance of having clear and consistent communication channels, and engaging parents and caregivers throughout their scholars’ education – not just when there is a problem. We have been working with our St. HOPE community and are excited to see various ways family participation and engagement has increased at St. HOPE Public Schools:
Scholars Work Hard AND Play Hard!
Building scholar investment, excitement, joy and love for school is one of our number one priorities at PS7 Elementary. Our PS7 Team is committed to going above and beyond for our scholars so they have the best elementary experience possible. Each quarter, our staff plans incentives that provide our scholars with opportunities to partner with the community, and build camaraderie and teamwork with their classmates.
Christmas in Oak Park presented by: Underground Books & The Guild Theater
On December 15, Underground Books and The Guild Theater partnered to host a great Christmas event for all families from the Oak Park community.
Dance Education: Training the Whole Student
By Shawna Smith, 9th Grade Dance Instructor
Dance is not just a physical art form, it is also an academic exercise and confidence booster. How, you might ask? First, scholars must understand the science and application of the mind and body. Then, they must learn about mathematical structures of angles, counting music, shaping formations and how to travel through space and time to create transitions. Finally, they must comprehend the historical meaning behind the movements, understand sentence structure to create a story with non verbal language, and above all the importance of instilling confidence.
Meeting of the Minds
The 12th Meeting of the Minds Annual Summit convened this year in Sacramento with the purpose of spotlighting tools and best practices. Leaders from around the nation were brought together at this event held downtown and St. HOPE was fortunate enough to have been chosen to lead a workshop tour of Oak Park alongside Sacramento City Council Member, Jay Schenirer.
9th Grade Scholars Build Strong Community
9th Grade Academy scholars had the opportunity to participate in team building at UC Davis this quarter! Our scholars competed in various competitions in their advisory classes in order to strengthen their teamwork and build community, all with the ultimate goal of claiming the Dragon Cup! Our scholars had so much fun participating in team building activities on the UC Davis quad. We ended our team building activity with a picnic.
Walkin 4 A Cause
For the second year in a row, a group of Sac High students and staff participated in the annual Walk 4 Literacy event sponsored by the Sacramento Library Authority. The 3-mile walk, which begins at McClatchy Park in Oak Park, meanders through different neighborhoods, past the State Capitol and ends with a festival at Cesar Chavez Plaza across from City Hall.
Giving Thanks in Oak Park
On the Monday before Thanksgiving, several St. HOPE teachers, staff, students and parents joined countless volunteers at the Sacramento Food Bank to help distribute turkeys and all the fixings to those in need. Thousands of people lined the streets of Oak Park to be one of many to receive the donation given in a nifty Sacramento Food Bank bag.
Preparing St. HOPE Scholars to Succeed in College
We are committed to ensuring all of our scholars receive a strong foundation so they are prepared to attend, succeed in, and complete college. We believe in encouraging our young scholars to set their sights on college early, which is why we offer college field trips for every grade level, from K-12. These trips are a special time for our scholars to learn more about college and visualize themselves making it to and through college.
St. HOPE + NetSuite
By Ton Saliew, Technology Program Manager
At St. HOPE, we are always looking to improve efficiencies and economies of scale. A few things we considered when searching for a new finance system were agility, unity, and scalability. We needed a new finance system up and running fast, so NetSuite’s out-of-the-box, 60-day “SuiteSuccess” program offered the speed we sorely needed to hit the ground running. After years of using disparate systems and processes, NetSuite’s unified approach to finance operations centered our payroll, accounting, and finances in a way never realized previously.