Language Academy - Setting the Morning "Intention"

Improving school climate and culture is a top priority and the Language Academy has a creative method to do so. Each morning students sit in their classroom lines, demonstrate pro-social behaviors, and learn a new social/emotional skill tip of the day. On this particular morning students were prompted to set their "intention" for the day. We overheard one 3rd grader say "I will be a great listener today". We are very excited and proud of the Language Academy community since this initiative is led by students. Not only are they building agency, they are also increasing the social/emotional awareness and capacity of the student body.

American Heart Association recognizes San Diego Unified for workplace health achievement Scientific, evidenced-based instrument rates and recognizes workplace health programs and workforce heart health

The results of the American Heart Association 2018 Workplace Health Achievement Index have been announced and San Diego Unified School District achieved Gold level recognition for taking significant steps to build a culture of health in the workplace. More than 1000 companies completed the Index assessment this year.

San Diego Unified School District was one of 186 companies to achieve Gold level, and one of only twelve educational services organizations in the nation to receive this recognition, out of the 105 educational services organizations that participated. Gold level companies received national recognition in the September 18, 2018 issue of Forbes magazine.

The American Heart Association created the Index with its CEO Roundtable members, a leadership collaborative of more than 40 CEOs from some of America’s largest companies who are committed to applying evidence-based approaches to improve their employees’ overall health. The Index uses science-based best practices to evaluate the overall quality and comprehensiveness of their workplace health programs. A unique feature of the Index is that it calculates an average heart health score for employees of participating companies that securely submit aggregate health data. Companies receive benchmarking reports, which allow them to identify potential areas of improvement so that they can advance their annual performance and recognition in the Index and help their workforce move toward ideal heart health. “San Diego Unified schools have made tremendous progress over the last few years in creating learning environments that not only support academics but also promote physical and social-emotional health, wellness and exercise,” said Superintendent Cindy Marten. “Encanto, Kimbrough and Rowan elementary schools show they are committed to improving student health by increasing opportunities for physical activity, promoting healthier eating, and creating an overall positive culture for students. We could not be more proud of their achievements.”

The Association’s Workplace Health Achievement Index allows companies to measure the effectiveness of their workplace health programs as well as the overall heart health of their employees. Unlike other existing organizational scorecards, the Index also scores companies on the heart health of their employees based on Life’s Simple 7® – the Association’s scientifically validated definition of ideal heart health. The American Heart Association’s Workplace Health Achievement Index assessment is grounded in data-driven science and a quality improvement framework. According to the Nielsen 2016 Employee Health Survey, robust and comprehensive strategies for wellbeing are associated with positive impacts on employees’ health.

To get involved in our district’s Wellness Initiative, please visit https://www.sandiegounified.org/health-and-wellness or contact Kate McDevitt, District Wellness Supervisor at wellness@sandi.net

Knowing What's Next

Fifth grade students from Nye and Porter Elementary visited Knox Middle School to see what’s next. Some of Knox’s finest eighth graders lead groups of students around campus to visit classrooms. Fifth graders eagerly peeked in classes to get a glimpse of what life will be like for them next year. Students ended their visit with a popular team building activity, also lead by eight graders. Nye and Porter elementary students left Knox with a feeling of anticipation of life beyond elementary schools. The visit helped dismiss fears that they had about middle school. Good job bridging the gap!

Celebrating our AP Scholars!

Advanced Placement (AP) courses are challenging college-level courses and students work hard all year to feel confident on exam day in May. AP scores are on a 1-5 scale, with most universities accepting 3 or higher for college credit. SDUSD is proud to announce that 1665 of our students earned the AP Scholar status by earning a 3 or higher on 3 or more exams. Of those 1665 scholars, 97 students earned the elite status of National AP Scholar by scoring a 4 or higher on 8 or more exams! Congratulations students on your exceptional academic skills and hard work!

The Trauma Informed School

All teachers and staff participated in a second day of Trauma Informed Practices training at Morse High School on October 24th, conducted by the Office of Children and Youth in Transition. The first day of training was completed in September, with teachers and staff learning about the high proportions of students who suffer from trauma and the impact trauma has on the brain, impacting behavior and learning. Today, the focus was on strategies that can be used in and out of classrooms to provide a safe environment in which students can feel connected, an essential focus for helping students to heal from past trauma and increasing chances for academic and life success.

Linked Learning In Action

On Monday, October 15th, a group of educators from San Francisco Unified School District visited Kearny High School to learn about the work teachers and students are doing around project based learning. Students led groups of visiting teachers through classrooms to observe the way various content classes are supporting project outcomes. For example, they observed integrated project work in physics, American Literature, and Multimedia Production at the School of Digital Media and Design. In the afternoon, the visiting teams met together to determine ways to implement similar project outcomes at their school sites. Kearny High School continues to be a leader in linked learning across the state.

SDSCPA Choirs to feature in Grossmont Symphony Concert

Choral students from the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts will be appearing as special guest artists with the Grossmont Symphony Orchestra and Master Chorale in their next concert. SDSCPA Choral Director Andrew Bearden has partnered with the GSO and their conductor Randall Tweed to jointly perform The Queen Symphony. Composed in 2002 by Turkish composer Tolga Kashif, the six-movement symphonic work is based on thirteen songs from the classic rock band Queen. The work lasts nearly an hour and also features a multimedia presentation component. 

The concert will take place on Friday, November 2 at 7:30pm at Foothills United Methodist Church in La Mesa.

Students Reflect While Learning

Teachers at Montgomery and Taft Middle Schools are inviting students to participate deeply in their learning through active questioning and reflection. To frame their learning, teachers are asking students to consider important questions as they begin each class period: What am I learning? Why am I learning it? How do I know I have learned it? Reflection questions like these are encouraging students to think beyond simply arriving to a classroom and being directed by teachers. Rather, they are being given space to reflect on the impact of their learning in the larger context of how the skills and knowledge can be transferred beyond just that classroom and into other classes, as well as into their personal lives. It’s an effort to make learning more visible, and it’s working. Already in just a few short weeks, students have become more active and engaged participants in the learning process. Teachers believe that this type of engagement will lead to deeper learning, better preparation for high school, and ultimately, more thoughtful citizens.

Teachers Make Math Meaningful!

Teachers at University City High School met to talk about how they are making math instruction relevant to their students. Department chair, Margie Himes, challenged her teammates to consider how they can bring math to life by inspiring students and providing a meaningful learning experience. Teachers are making connections to students’ lives--they are making meaning(ful) happen!

Why should students take Advanced Placement courses?

Students have many decisions to make in high school. One big choice is whether or not to take AP courses. The Advanced Placement Program® (AP) enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. Taking AP courses and exams can help students in at least two big ways: (1) AP students stand out on college applications! AP courses on a student’s transcript shows that they’ve challenged themselves with the most rigorous courses available to them. And success on an AP Exam shows that they’re ready for college-level coursework. (2) AP students earn college credit and/or skip introductory courses in college! Most four-year colleges and universities in the United States—as well as many institutions in more than 100 other countries—grant students credit, placement, or both for qualifying AP Exam scores. Want to hear from former AP students and explore courses? Visit: https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/exploreap/what-it-takes/student-voices

Teachers Put On Their Student Hat

Middle school Capacity Builders, teachers designated to receive training they bring back to their department, are seeing what students are experiencing as they try on the Next Generation Science Standards for themselves. Teachers first wandered around the room observing various photos and news articles, and fairly quickly concluded that we would be focusing on climate change. They then dove deeper into the phenomena by participating in an investigation, which helped them understand, in a practical way, what is happening to our oceans as oxygen is depleted. Finally, they read about oxygen minimum zones and their growth rate. After reflections and consensus from their peers, they had an idea of what was happening near the equator and how to make their thinking visible in their science notebooks

At Last - Time for Reading!

Practice what we preach - - - we’ve all heard the saying but how often do teachers have time to learn by doing? This week, teachers around the district had time to experience independent reading and complete a follow-up task using the tech tool of Flipgrid! Teachers were thrilled to have 10 minutes to read a text of choice and record themselves reacting to the text chosen. Teachers reached for the most talked about book of the season with an upcoming movie of the same name, The Hate U Give! Others reached for Lincoln on Leadership and the Untold History of the United States. One teacher was interested in reading a National Geographic on the Science of the Teenage Brain. “I can’t remember the last time I had time to sit down and enjoy a book! I know it’s important for students but sometimes I don’t make time to be a learner myself,” said one English teacher. “Now that I’ve experienced the tech tool myself, I know how the students feel and what challenges they might face. It feels good to put myself in their shoes!” Let’s all pick up a book tonight.

Week 10 Alarm Clock Pep Rally: Serra High School

The Serra Conquistadors hosted the Week 10 Alarm Clock Pep Rally bright and early Friday morning the day they were scheduled to play their rivals, the Patrick Henry Patriots. 

Click here...https://www.kusi.com/pep-rally-serra-high-school/

Mission Bay and Serra High School ASB Presidents Serve as Honorary SDUSD Student Board Representatives

Cynthia Taboada, the ASB President of Mission Bay High School, and Marco Abbiate, the ASB President of Serra High School, recently served as San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Student Board Representatives. The students joined the Board Members on the dais and provided reports about what has been happening at their schools both socially and academically.

Counselors for Computing (C4C) Help Counselors Explore Viable Pathways for Computer Science

“California has nearly 75,000 open computing jobs (3.8x the state demand average rate) and more than 70% of STEM careers require computer science.” (Counselors for computing). 

On Tuesday, October 23, 2018, the National Center for Women in Technology (NCWIT) hosted the NCWIT Counselors for Computing (C4C) professional development for school counselors across San Diego. They provided counselors with information and resources they can use to support all students as they explore computer science education and careers. National and local data about Computer Science, education and careers was presented. Counselors had the opportunity to code and learn about the different pathways for computer science.

Discover your Drive - Automotive Students go to College for the Day

 CTE Automotive students from Crawford, Mira Mesa, Madison, Morse and Clairemont had the opportunity to test-drive Miramar College for the day. The experience was called “Discover your Drive” which was unlike any typical college tour. This was for real, students went to class and were taught by college professors at the Miramar College Advanced Transportation program. The students attended three hands-on lab concentration courses and experienced the following subjects: 

Aviation- All students received a basic overview and the function of flight controls, aviation mechanical systems and a hands on activity which consisted of a sheet metal repair, followed by the performance testing and running a 600HP turbo prop engine and actual seat time behind the controls of a professional flight simulator.

Automotive – Students participated in three hands on activities which consisted in performing a tire rotations using Toyota and Honda manufacture service specifications and tools to service dozens of late model Toyota, Lexus, Acura and Honda vehicles. Part two, students performed 4 wheel brake inspections which required taking measurements and calculating brake pad friction material thickness. Finally, students diagnosed and solved electrical faults by putting Ohms law theory to use and pinpointing electrical failures by following a wiring diagram and a digital multi-meter.

Diesel Technology – Students took part in performance testing commercial application Caterpillar Diesel engine on a dynamometer and measured an output working measurement of 1200 foot pounds of torque running on biodiesel. Students also performance tested a CNG natural gas converted engines and experienced a cleaner alternative fuel which emit far less emissions. The final part of the diesel experience, select students took over the controls of a Caterpillar fork lift and were taught basic forklift operation.

By the end of the day, students had a one of a kind experience and now have an enhanced awareness of their local community college offerings. CCTE has set a goal to continue working on building a college experience for all CTE programs by providing fun and engaging opportunities so that students are better informed and comfortable with the transition to college. Opportunities such as this take the unknowns and fear out of the college experience and provide for a smoother transition for students to go on to college.

Strengths at Work

The ability to collaborate and work in teams is an essential skill for the workforce. Giving students opportunities to practice these skills continues to be a part of the high school experience, but this year it is taking a new form. Kearny’s Digital Media and Design sophomores are working with the Youth Advocacy team to activate their voices. They took the StrengthsQuest assessment and explored some deep reflection with the results. This unique assessment helps them understand more about themselves, their leadership style, and the way they function in groups. These discoveries will help them pick their project groups for their upcoming PBL partnership with Scripps Institute of Oceanography.

Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies

Kindergarten and first grade teachers at Jefferson Elementary embarked upon creating classroom and individual student behavior charts using Youth Advocacy culturally responsive practices program. The participating teachers focused on taking student inventories and connecting students’ interests and home cultures with classroom and school expectations. By providing young students with visuals as well as incentives for positive behaviors, teachers are helping students internalize the Social & Emotional Learning Competencies. Teachers at Jefferson left with the understanding that responding to the cultures of students that make up our classrooms is integral in scaffolding academic and behavioral learning as we strive to develop future citizens and leaders.

Hoover Community Connections Student Ambassadors

Hoover Community Connections has developed an ambassador program to increase youth voice in the organizations serving Hoover youth and help reach students who are not connected. With the support of The Youth Advocacy Department, Hoover Community Connection Ambassadors will identify barriers to students’ success at Hoover and help connect peers to organizations and support services. The ultimate goal is to enhance students’ high school experience.

On Saturday, October 20th, the ambassadors convened to work with their club advisor and the Youth Advocacy Department to develop their leadership skills and identify their goals for the upcoming year. Ambassadors also learned how to run and facilitate a restorative community building circle which will help them to lead discussions throughout the year with their peers on topics that they feel are relevant to student success.

Youth Advocacy will continue to work with Hoover and other schools to empower students to make the changes they want to see.

Forging Ahead with Project Lead the Way at Cabrillo Elementary

Cabrillo Elementary is putting Science Technology Engineering Arts Math (STEAM) into practice grades K-4 as a participant in the districts STEAM initiative! Cabrillo is also one of several schools who are implementing Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Launch with the support of a Children and Youth in Transition Department of Defense grant serving military families through the Office of STEAM Innovation.

Teachers Dan Cooperman, Carmen Olow, Virginia Brunetto and Tim Farley are actively collaborating to incorporate the engineering design process into daily learning experiences for students. Students ask questions, create models, test their models and share their results with other students. Cabrillo is sure to engage students with a variety of PLTW and STEAM lessons that include building houses the BIG Bad Wolf can’t blow down and VEX IQ Robotics!

BlueTech Week November 5th-9th

The Blue Economy in San Diego County is large and expanding and BlueTech represents a major, fast-growing sector with good-paying blue and white-collar jobs. The San Diego Maritime Industry Report 2012 identified 46,000 direct jobs and $14 billion in direct revenue in the SD region making it one of the biggest innovation economies in San Diego. The Pacific represents not a border but a frontier with enormous growth opportunity for San Diego. Please join industry experts as we hear about exciting developments and network with the companies and organizations at the forefront of this exciting sector. For more information: www.bluetechweek.org The following Workforce Development Track is FREE! Location: InterContinental Hotel 901 Bayfront Court San Diego, CA 92101 Day: Wednesday, November 7 Track: Workforce Development Track Moderator: Linda Kurakowa Session: BlueTech Workforce Needs Date: Wednesday, November 7th Time: 1:15pm - 2:15pm Session Moderator: Jeff Adkins, NOAA, Panelists: Courtney Purcell, Manager Human Resources,Teledyne Isaac Jones, Product Manager, Xylem//Sontek Sean Newsome, DeepTrekker Orianna Bretschger, Aquacycl Overview: This session will provide insight from BlueTech companies on the skills required for students to be competitive in the workforce of today and tomorrow. Topics will provide collaborative ideas to help teachers have relevant coursework that prepares students to be career-ready. Session: BlueSTEM Education: Best Practices Date: Wednesday, November 7th Time: 2:15pm - 3:15pm

Silvergate Elementary: Using Data to Support All Students

On Thursday October 18, teachers and staff at Silvergate Elementary received professional development around using data to support the whole child. They engaged in rich discussion around why data is important, what areas should be monitored, and how to use the data to support and strengthen their Tier 1 instruction for academics, behavior, and socio-emotional learning. They looked at the continuum of assessments that can be utilized throughout the year: formative, benchmark and summative data. Teachers charted the assessments that they currently use at each grade level and across the school to determine students' strengths and areas of need. Some of these included observations, surveys, and subject specific tests. To strengthen Tier 1 practices, teachers began to examine things such as differentiation and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). They had opportunity to look at the differences between accommodations, modifications, and interventions as well as diving into what it means to be culturally responsive in teaching the diverse population of students that walk into our classrooms each day.

Getting the Middle School STEAM Experience Early!

Students from Chesterton Elementary spent a day at Montgomery Middle STEAM Magnet experiencing what it is like to be part of a STEAM magnet school. The fifth graders had the opportunity to meet with Principal Stephanie Brown who gave them a preview of the programs and experiences that await them at Montgomery. As part of their day, the Chesterton group toured the school stepping into the newly designed Siemen’s Genius Lab to watch as Montgomery engineers crafted designs using the new FUSE program. They also worked in the outdoor garden learning lab and spent time in the maker space building zip-lines that were later tested in the courtyard.

The visit by Chesterton students is part of Montgomery Middle STEAM Magnet’s outreach to its neighborhood feeder schools throughout October and November. Fifth graders from Carson Elementary STEAM Magnet, Linda Vista STEAM Magnet School, Fletcher Elementary and Ross Elementary will visit the campus to experience the day as a STEAM middle school student.

At the end of each visit, fifth graders pose for a picture with Monty Wolf, Montgomery Middle STEAM Magnet’s school mascot.

Trauma and the Brain Professional Development at Hoover High School

On Wednesday, October 17th the Children and Youth in Transition Team (CYT) presented a trauma informed practices presentation to about 150 Hoover High School staff members. The professional development training “Trauma and the Brain” is one of a series of fours presentations that the CYT department offers. The presentation focuses on building awareness and shared understanding of trauma. It also highlights how trauma affects the brain, health, cognitive development and behavior of our students. One Hoover Educator commented, “I’ve seen a variety of presentations on the topic, but I think that was one of the best.” Hoover High School is one of seven schools in San Diego Unified who have participated in the training in the 18-19 school year thus far. Interested schools should contact the CYT department to sign up for trainings.

California Energy Commission visits Mira Mesa High School's Auto Program

Mira Mesa High School Automotive program was awarded $55,000 with a Clean Fuels Transportation Grant from the California Energy Commission. Only a few schools throughout the state were selected to be part of this process. The project includes the complete construction of a Zero Emissions Electric Vehicle to be hand-built by the students. On Wednesday Oct 17th, The California Energy Commission visited Mira Mesa High School and presented an award to the students in recognition of their cutting edge project. The Automotive Paint and Body students at Morse High School will also take part of this project as they will be responsible for the painting of the chassis and body panels.

La Jolla and Scripps Ranch High School ASB Presidents Serve as Honorary SDUSD Student Board Representatives

Shushu Crevoshay, the ASB President of La Jolla High School, and Jerry Yang, the ASB President of Scripps Ranch High School, recently served as San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Student Board Representatives. The students joined the Board Members on the dais and provided reports about what has been happening at their schools both socially and academically.

 

Three days later, Warhawks rally for football win over St. Augustine

Madison High School Football Coach Rick Jackson guided the Warhawks to a victory over St. Augustine in a game that had been suspended Friday night because of lightening. 

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/high-school-preps/sd-sp-preps-football-lighting-augustine-madison-20181015-story.html

Students Prepare for the November Student Equity Coalition

Students representing the Student Equity Ambassadors, GSA Collaborative, Council of ASB Presidents, Wellness Ambassadors, Clubs & Organizations and Athletics came together to identify student equity topics that they would like to focus on for this school year. The students worked together to create visions, brainstorm and select topics, and take some time getting to know one another. Their work will be put into action at November's Student Equity Coalition at Clairemont High School. It is going to be a wonderful year with these students leading the way!

The Trauma Informed Classroom

Educators and staff from Edison Elementary are partaking in a school-wide professional development series centering around Trauma Informed Care. Yesterday the Office of Children and Youth in Transition delivered the second part of the 3-part series on The Trauma Informed Classroom to the staff and educators at Edison Elementary during their staff meeting.

This professional development picks up where the first presentation (Trauma and the Brain) left off. The main goal of the training is to outline what it means to be trauma informed and how incorporating this mindset shift in the fabric of the school culture positively impacts students and staff members alike. The educators learn various strategies and are empowered to create their own trauma informed practices to incorporate and employ within their school climate. This paradigm shift incorporates social-emotional learning into classroom curriculums and the results are energizing and truly rewarding for everyone involved in the education field and the school’s culture.

For more information on how to include or provide the district’s 3-part Trauma Informed Care series at your site or for your staff, please contact your Children and Youth in Transition support counselor.

ASVAB Career Exploration Program at Crawford High School

Many excited Crawford Colt students sat for the ASVAB Career Exploration Program assessment last week. These students have demonstrated a serious interest in their post high school future by taking this opportunity. When they receive their results, they will know if they qualify for entrance into the United States military and they will be provided results from an award-winning career exploration program. The results from the ASVAB assessment provide them with a complete profile of their strengths and abilities, and how they relate to specific military and CIVILIAN jobs. We are very proud of our Crawford Colt students who are actively taking steps to ensure they have meaningful options upon graduation. GO COLTS!

Join Us for the 2018-19 Student Equity Coalitions!

Parents, staff and community members are invited to join our students at the 2018-19 Student Equity Coalition events. The students plan to lead conversations around school safety, civic engagement and opportunities and other areas that they feel are important. The first Coalition is being held on Wednesday, November 7th at Clairemont High School, the second Coalition is being held on Thursday, December 13th at Patrick Henry High School and the third Coalition is being held on Wednesday, February 6th at Morse High School. All Coalitions are scheduled from 5:00-6:30pm. For more information, contact Stacey Seiders at sseiders@sandi.net or 619-725-7125.

Open Education Resources in Action

There are so many fantastic ways to incorporate learning resources into the 21st century history-social science classroom. More and more teachers are engaging students in reading, writing, listening, and speaking as historians. Historians travel to new places, meet new people and conduct interviews, research through reading primary and secondary sources, and report out in a variety of ways: in their own writing, through interviews, presentations, videos, and firsthand experiences.
While most history-social science teachers see a need for engaging their students in meaningful ways, finding new resources and taking time to learn how to use them requires teachers to go outside their classrooms and comfort zones. In the last two weeks, nearly 50 middle school history-social science teachers took time out of their classrooms to engage in professional learning that enabled them to network with other SDUSD grade-level content area teachers and put themselves in their students’ shoes to experience learning activities from free resources such as California Education and the Environment Initiative Curriculum and the History Blueprint, a project funded by the California History-Social Science Project. They were able to step out of the student role and put their teacher lenses on to debrief the lessons and discuss ways they may help their students successfully complete the learning activities. Students are sure to find new ways and new materials to generate new interpretations of the old history.

Back to the Future

In the future we will all need to go back to working with our hands. That or at least knowing how to run the machines that will rule the world. We can now 3D print a home, robots can drive semi-trailer trucks and bus can be automated. If we can prepare students today to work with machines to innovate creative scientific solutions to everyday problems they might be prepared for the inevitable technological future. Teachers from San Diego Unified gathered to understand how to integrate their Genius Labs into their science curriculums. Not everything may get automated, but are you willing to sit back and let the technology go unlearned?

Making Connections With Zines

In the 11th grade classes at Kearny Digital Media and Design, students are currently engaged in a unit of study where they are learning about the context of the 1960s in preparation for their grade level project with the volunteers aboard the USS Midway. They have been researching and making connections in each of their project classes: examining the scientific context in Physics, learning about “Civil Disobedience” in American Literature, and applying design skills to the topics in their multimedia production class. This week they continued to synthesize their learning through the production of a Zine, a magazine in a one-page format that pulls the ideas together in one place. At this point in production, students are building background knowledge, synthesizing ideas, developing proficiency in literacy standards, and learning industry standard software, all preparing them for success in both their project and academic experiences.