The Natomas Unified Podcast Channel

NUSD is raising awareness of the current Fentanyl Epidemic by sharing Chris Didier’s story. Didier’s son, Zach, was a Placer County teenager who excelled in academics, music, sports; a well-rounded, responsible son. “Zach was a high caliber kid across the board,” Chris, Zach’s father said.  In December 2020, the Didier’s lives changed forever, when Chris found his son in the teen’s room, appearing...

The Natomas Unified School District offers students educational enrichment activities beyond school hours through a program we call Learning Enrichment Athletics Arts and Academics or LEAP. In this episode, we speak with Yee Yang, a Director with NUSD, who explains what LEAP is all about and who it serves. Beginning this spring, Natomas Unified School District (NUSD) will begin a partnership with...

April is Autism Awareness Month and Natomas Unified is spreading awareness and acceptance! In this episode, host Kay Recede, Communications and Family Engagement Coordinator, speaks with Melissa Moore, a Community Advisory Committee member, and whose 10-year-old son, Eli, is on the spectrum and Sarah Wheelock, an NUSD Special Education Preschool teacher.    The two share their experiences with edu...

Natomas Unified is proud to share its steps in preparing for statewide expansion of Transitional Kindergarten classes. To date, NUSD has added four more TK classes in the 2022-2023 school year, an increase from the eight offered in the 2021-2022 school year.  Teachers have been undergoing training, and new curriculum is being piloted in language arts and social-emotional learning. We’re seeking in...

NUSD is proud that five of our campuses are authorized International Baccalaureate schools, and two more are currently pursuing authorization. One in three NUSD students attend an IB school. IB provides students with the skills and confidence they need to navigate ever-evolving obstacles, which will help them prepare for college and beyond. Listen as Kristen Martin, an NUSD IB Coordinator and Trev...

Preschool playgroup sessions are free and fun learning experiences offered to Natomas Unified families. Sessions usually consist of playtime, music, and movement with other families and children. Children must be at least 10 months to 5-years-old to participate. “Play is the foundation of everything for child development. That’s where you learn how to socialize, to make friends in a positive way,”...

As part of the Natomas Unified’s Core Value of valuing diversity, equity, and inclusion, we wanted to share with the Natomas community the history and importance of Kwanzaa which begins December 26 through January 1st.     Kwanzaa was first created in 1966 by activist Dr. Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest festival traditions from parts of Africa. It is a non-secular holiday and a way for c...

NUSD speaks with the authors of the new book, "Behind Their Screens: What Teens are Facing and Parents are Missing". Drs. Emily Weinstein and Carrie James collected insights from more than 3,500 teens about how they navigate the digital world. In this podcast, they share some of the greatest lessons learned in their research and writing this book - and the need for new talking points for parents i...

NUSD continues to share our efforts to improve our students' literacy skills with guests Lan Orr and Juliane Link-Oberstar, both teachers on special assignment. From the "main topic" to punctuation and grammar, Orr and Oberstar explain how each rubric will help elevate a child's reading and writing skills, and how these lessons can help families engage with one another.  More Resources:  https://n...

November is recognized as "Native American Heritage Month" and NUSD is proud to celebrate our community members of Native American descent. Fun fact: Natomas is a Maidu word which means "north place" or "upstream people".   In this episode we speak with Crystal Blue, an NUSD parent, of the Ione Band of Miwok Indians; Raquel Gonzales of the Shingle Springs Rancheria Band of Miwok Indians; and paren...

NUSD is committed to improving all of our students' literacy skills. Mark Bornstein, an NUSD Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA), explains how we use rubrics - which is a way we evaluate a child's writing - and use those measurements to help a child in areas they may need support.  A group of NUSD teachers reviewed and discussed student writing levels and agreed on five key scoring elements of wr...

Larry G. Meeks Academy is a great program for scholars in need of a more flexible schedule. Scholars throughout Sacramento and in counties near Natomas, are encouraged to enroll.   Listen as Dr. Esther Perez, Meeks Academy's executive director, and Sunny Bun, a Meeks Academy teacher, explain the benefits of enrolling at the school as they take virtual learning to the next level.    Click here to l...

NUSD's "Learning Recovery Intervention Guide" helps parents navigate the academic needs their child may have. Parents recently received a guide.   Listen as Steven Fong, Executive Director in the Chief Academic Officer department, explains how to use the guide and how it may help tackle a child's learning challenges and how to help them thrive.   More information may be found here: https://natomas...

Natomas Unified staff members are dedicated to become leading examples of committed, collaborative, caring and exemplary examples in the community. As part of NUSD’s 3-year professional development plan, staff members have recently participated in anti-racist, anti-bias training. These training sessions teach staff members about cultural relevancy and situational awareness inside of NUSD schools,...

Join NUSD this Friday as we learn more about Leticia Ordaz’s whimsical journey to becoming an award-winning author and the importance of reading stories in multiple languages.    Sacramento-based news anchor, Ordaz, wanted her young children to read about strong, diverse characters. When she noticed the lack of diversity, she began writing about positive/STEM related stories, with Hispanic protago...

Bienvenidos de regreso a la escuela y gracias por acompañarnos una vez más en el podcast "Conversaciones con NUSD". En este episodio hablamos de la nueva escuela primaria de NUSD, Heredia-Arriaga, que se inaugurará en el 2023-2024. Esta escuela ofrecerá un programa de inmersión en dos idiomas que ayudará a los niños a aprender tanto el español como el inglés. Escuche cómo la directora de la escuel...

Please scroll down to the bottom of the screen to click on the link to listen.   In this episode, we discuss NUSD’s newest elementary school, Heredia-Arriaga, which is set to open in 2023-2024. This school will offer a dual language immersion program that will help children learn both Spanish and English.    Listen in as the school’s principal, Liz Aguirre, and teacher, Lina Bornstein, go over the...

In this final segment of "How do school meals support students' health and well-being," we will continue to dive into school meals by discussing how nutrition education can increase the acceptability of healthy foods and share strategies to support nutrition education. NUSD Executive Director of Nutrition Services & Warehouse, Vince Caguin will share his perspective on this topic, talk more about...

Segment #2 of 3: Health + Academic Benefits of School Meals   Description: In partnership with the Dairy Council of California, we continue the conversation of how school meals support students' health and well-being. In this segment, we talk about the critical role that school meals programs play in supporting the health of school-age children and adolescents by discussing the childhood health be...

Segment 1 of 3: Background of School Meals + Access to Nutritious Foods Natomas Unified School District partnered with the Dairy Council of California to discuss how school meals support students' health and well-being. In this segment, you will learn about the background of school meals and access to nutritious foods. Host - Lisset Mijares, Coordinator III, Communications & Family Engagement Gues...

Learn more about the new Career Technical courses offered at Inderkum, Natomas and Discovery High Schools.  Hosts: Deidra Powell - Executive Director Communications & Family Engagement Guest: AJ Giersch -  Executive Director Career Technical Education, State and Federal Programs

Informing parents and guardians of the impact of stress on their lives and their children’s and to inform the importance of minimizing stress through practical Stress Busters. Hosts: Angela Da Re, President/CEO Delta Prevention Jeremy Greene, NUSD Psychologist Show Handouts Test Your Stress https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N12FsVPi28tLK_21muTOe3qm_dKN0rrT/view?usp=sharing Relieving Stress https://...

This topic will cover how to teach students in the early years (K-3) to read, hear and recognize sounds within words to help students become better readers. Hosts: Natasha Rowlett, Kimberly Stepp, Ranbir Bains 

CEO Michael Lynch of IYT discusses the strong partnership with NUSD to support more young men of color attending and graduating from college and being prepared for careers. Host Deidra Powell,  Executive Director Communications & Family Engagement (CAFE) Guest Michael Lynch, Co-Founder and CEO of Improve Your Tomorrow (IYT)

In celebration of diversity, NUSD Parents Satty Rooprai and Sumiti Mehta educate the community about Sikhism in recognition of Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month. Guests: Parents Satty Rooprai and Sumiti Mehta Deidra Powell, Executive Director