October 12, 2005 - Top Stories
You know those giant 100-plus foot transmission lines you see off I-15 at the Riverside county line?
Lines like that could be crossing parts of Valley Center under plans unveiled recently by San Diego Gas & Electric Company as part of a new transmission line between San Diego and Imperial Counties that will import power to serve about 650,000 customers in this region.
The new project is called Sunrise Powerlink. It is intended to improve reliability and provide access to so-called “green” power sources such as solar, geothermal and wind power.
An open house where residents can find out more about the project will be held Oct. 18, 3-7 p.m., VC Community Hall.
SDG&E is not sharing exactly where it wants the lines to go, and part of the reason for meetings such as the one above is to help select a route.
However, power company representatives told a recent meeting attended by two VC planners, Oliver Smith and Larry Glavinic, that it wanted to use existing rights of ways if it could.
This means that the lines might go through Ramona, or they might go through Valley Center.
In Valley Center rights of way, that look good from the power company’s standpoint run from Rincon along Valley Center Road to the substation at Vesper or from Hwy 76 along Lilac.
At the meeting he attended Glavinic asked whether the power company might consider undergrounding the lines and was told that the cost to do that is five to ten times that of putting them above ground.
Those who cannot attend the Oct. 18 meeting or several others scheduled around the area can learn more about the project and provide their input by contacting SDG&E through the project’s toll-free information line: 877-775-6818.
Recent electricity shortages in Southern California are reminders of how fragile the state’s power grid is.
SDG&E has been studying options for a major new electric transmission line since 2004. That plan calls for an expanded transmission system, in addition to energy conservation programs, improving demand-response and building more power plants.
Industry forecasts show that, by the year 2010, SDG&E customers will require more energy than can be produced locally or imported on existing electric transmission lines.
Currently, SDG&E’s electric transmission system has only two power links to the statewide energy grid.
Several times these two connections have nearly reached “energy gridlock.” The Sunrise Powerlink will considerably increase SDG&E’s ability to import more power into the region.
The project will also help the power company achieve its renewable energy goals of having 20% of its electricity come from renewable sources by 2010.
SDG&E is conducting an extensive outreach effort to allow local residents the chance to get actively involved in the route selection process for the Sunrise Powerlink.
New power plants are also planned. The first, the Miramar Energy power plant, went into service in June. Palomar Energy power plant in Escondido is expected to be online in June 2006. A third power plant is planned in Otay Mesa in 2008.
When the VC-P school district’s STAR (Standardized Test and Reporting) scores went down in several schools over a couple of years, the district adopted a strategy to get them up.
Instead of going after all students to drum into them the state’s standards that are the basis for a school’s average yearly progress (AYP), the district began concentrating remedial efforts on the students that everyone knew were having problems.
The approach appears to have worked.
The district’s score overall rose from 700 last year to 729 this year.
This year only one school, the upper elementary, scored lower on the tests than it did last year. Five schools scored above the median AYP, including Lilac, the lower elementary, Pauma, the primary school, the middle school and the high school.
Scores Increased
The percentage of students scoring in the proficient or above range in both Math and English has increased.
And, if you look at the students in the lower grades there is a trend upwards in the percentage of them that are proficient or above in English and Math.
For example, in English Language arts, the class of 2005’s percentage of proficient or above is 40% and 35% for the class of 2006. However, in the class of 2007, that percentage is 41%, 46% for the class of 2008, 46% for the class of 2009, 54% for the class of 2010, 44% for the class of 2011 and 45% for the class of 2012.
There was significant improvement in Mathematics through Grade 5 and student performance in English Language Arts (ELA) in grades 7-11 improved, according to Ken Clark, director of curriculum for the district.
On the other hand, five schools, in spite of improving, did not meet AYP criteria for 2005: Lilac, the lower elementary school, Pauma, the upper elementary and Independent study.
Measuring School Growth
The California Department of Education gives each school a rating based on the performance of students on the CSTs, and other factors.
This rating is called the Academic Performance Index. It measures school growth on a yearly basis.
A score of 800 is the target score and this year, Lilac school earned an API of 811 while improving 78 points. Other schools that significantly improved the API were: Primary School, 794 (+ 115); Lower Elementary, 772 ( +73); Oak Glen High School, 476 (+64). Other schools scores were: Pauma Elementary, 658 (+32); Upper Elementary, 735 (- 4); Middle School, 762 ( + 6); High School 698 (+22); Independent Study School, 555 (+22). The district API improved from 700 to 729.
No Child Left Behind
It is possible for a district’s students as a whole to improve, but for the district not to meet federal No Child Left Behind standards because certain groups, such as low income and English learners, did not improve enough.
Each school and district is assigned a rating against the standards established through the federal, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Legislation.
The NCLB rating is called Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). It is assigned based upon the following factors:
• Percent of students participating in the testing, percent of students scoring proficient or above on CSTs in ELA and Math
• Improvement in API
• Graduation rate for High Schools
To meet the requirement for AYP, the percentage of all students scoring proficient or above on CSTs and for each significant sub-group must be above the standard, which is set at 23.0 (12.0 in 2004) in ELA and 23.4 (12.8 in 2004) for Math at the district level.
The total percent proficient or above for all students exceeded the standard, however; not all sub-groups of students met the standard.
Schools that will be Program Improvement for the 2005-2006 school year are Pauma Elementary (Year 5) and the Lower Elementary (Year 1).
Sub-group proficiency improved significantly last year, but not quite enough to meet the standard. When student performance improves this year, equal to the growth over the 2004-2005 school year, all students and sub-groups will meet or exceed the standards.
All students in grade 2-11 participated in the STAR program in April and May.
New Strategies
Last year the district adopted several new strategies to improve the test scores.
According to Clark, “With a focus on the improvement of student achievement, programs were put in place last year to identify the level of performance for all students and to provide support and growth opportunities for all children at every grade level.
“Teachers examined student performance data and used the information to develop and strengthen instruction to improve student performance on the California Standards Test (CST) which measure the progress of students toward mastery of the California Content Standards.”
The K-6 VC Teacher Parent Club-sponsored Halloween Carnival, a VC tradition since at least the early 1970s, when it was a really small event, will delight kids and their parents once more on Oct. 29, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the lower elementary school.
This year’s chairmen are Joanne Holtz and David & Denise Dugger.
Costumes, pumpkins and scarecrows, oh my!
The costume parade and contest begins at 10 a.m. in the yard between the upper and lower schools.
There are two divisions, first grade and under and second grade and up.
The Carved Pumpkin Contest begins at 11 a.m., also in the yard between the schools.
The Scarecrow Contest begins at noon, at the same location.
Presale of the tickets will be Oct. 27-28. On those days pre-sale tickets will be on sale during lunch at all schools.
A ticket table will be set up on Friday, Oct. 28, 2:30 p.m. at the lower elementary school.
Pre-Orders
The family pack #1 costs $25. It includes two all-day ride wristbands and four meal tickets. Meal includes soda and choice of pizza slice, tostada or chips and hot dog or hamburger.
The family pack #2 costs $20 and consists of 50 game/ride/food tickets, and four meal tickets.
All-day ride wristbands (which can’t be used for games or food), cost $10 if you preorder and $15 on the day of the carnival.
Game/ride/food tickets are available four for $1 if you preorder, three for $1 on the day of he carnival.
Prices are as follows: Laser Tag, 19 tickets; rock wall climbing, 15 tickets, obstacle course, 6 tickets, scramble slide, 6 tickets, giant slide, 5 tickets, jumpies, 3 tickets, games, 1 ticket. Price of food varies.
Musical entertainment is free.
Drawing tickets cost six for $5 if you preorder and $1 each on the day of the carnival. Drawings for the prizes will be held beginning at 3 p.m.
Other entertainments include the cake walk and dessert booth.
Volunteers, donations
Volunteers, donations and sponsors are needed for the carnival. If you donate more than $100 a banner with your company name will be displayed prominently at the game booth area of the carnival.
Donations big and small for the silent auction and drawing are needed.
Call Amy at 749-3110 for more information on donating or volunteering
Call Beth at 751-1342 if you can help sell tickets.
The “final push” to raise the remaining $170,000 for the Maxine Theater has begun this week.
School Supt. Karen Jobe said she hopes to see the money raised before her retirement at the end of the year.
The high school joint use theater will cost a total of about $7.5 million. About $1.7 million of that will be matching funds from the state for money raised locally.
This week the school is publicizing a way that you can donate to the theater and provide recognition for a loved one, or even yourself.
Theater seat plaques cost $500 and will be affixed on the back of the seats. You can put up to three lines of text on the plaque. The school has sold 50 plaques so far, so 527 spots remain.
To buy a plaque, call Olivia Leschick at the school district office at 749-0464.
The second fund-raiser planned is Karen Jobe’s retirement party, Oct. 22, 3-6 p.m. at VC Community Hall.
Donations will be taken in lieu of buying tickets or contributing a gift. To attend, RSVP to Dee Dee Ortega at 749-0464 by Oct. 17. The event is being underwritten by the Staples Foundation.
The final fund-raiser being planned is the premiere of the theater itself, which will be held Nov. 19.
Tickets to attend the grand opening are are $30 apiece and will go on sale soon. The musical entertainment line-up will be announced soon, however we are told that it will include a choral performance by students and an opera piece by Rich Horne, a middle school teacher who, in his earlier days was a professional opera singer in Europe.
The Valley Roadrunner
P.O.B. 1529, Valley Center, CA 92082
Tel. 760.749.1112 Fax 760.749.1688
Website: www.valleycenter.com
Email: editor@valleycenter.com
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