Local teacher learns strategies to improve student achievement
One of Morgan Hill’s teachers spent part of her summer with other educators from across the nation in a workshop sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.
Kathy Rhee of the Charter School of Morgan Hill attended the workshop, which is geared to K-12 educators, earlier this month in San Jose. The focus of the workshop is sharing ideas and learning about the latest successful strategies for raising student achievement.
Workshop sessions cover reading and other literacy skills, math, science, history and the arts as well as how to use data effectively. Specialists speak on teaching strategies for students with special needs and students who are learning English. Six workshops will be held this summer.
Supreme Court gives redistricting measure the go-ahead
The California Supreme Court ruled Friday that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plan to redraw state legislative districts should be placed back on the November special election ballot.
Two courts had previously ruled the measure’s backers violated constitutional procedures for placing an initiative on the ballot and purposely delayed revealing the discrepancies to make it harder to challenge the measure in court. The petition circulated to voters contained 11 differences from what was submitted to the state attorney general to be placed on the ballot.
In its ruling, the court said it was not convinced there were different meanings in the two versions. The 4-2 decision overturned the appellate court rulings.
The measure, Proposition 77, would take away legislators’ ability to redraw political districts and grant it to a bipartisan panel of retired judges.
Construction closes Hecker Pass
If you’re headed over Hecker Pass any time soon, you’ll find another route is necessary: As of 11am Monday morning, Highway 152 at Hecker Pass was completely closed to traffic for approximately 40 days.
A detour will be in place, with traffic routed to Highway 129. Highways and roads in Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and San Benito counties will be marked with detour signs.
Caltrans officials announced the project will improve safety by widening existing traffic lanes and shoulders. Upgrading the existing metal-beam guardrail and repaving a one-half mile section of the highway are also part of the estimated $1.5 million project.
While Hecker Pass should be reopened at the end of September or early October, the entire project is not scheduled to be completed until spring 2006.
San Jose man injured in early morning motorcycle accident
A San Jose man walked away from an early morning accident after receiving only moderate injuries, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Armstrong.
Christopher Timm, 21, received abrasions to his ankle, hip and shoulder in the 4:04am accident Sunday morning and was flown to Stanford Hospital for treatment.
Timm was driving his Honda motorcycle southbound on Uvas Road, just north of Little Uvas Road, and as he took a left turn in the road, he drifted off the edge of the road and on to the gravel shoulder. As he lost control of his vehicle, it went down, and he was thrown off the Honda. Timm was wearing a helmet and his injuries were deemed “moderate.”
“He could have been flown to Stanford because it was a motorcycle accident, as a precautionary measure, or it could have been that the other trauma centers were busy,” Armstrong said Monday.
