San Diego Unified students participate in the STEAM Leadership Series in partnership with J. Craig Venter Institute and Intellectual Capital.
On Wednesday April 10th 75 students from Clairemont, Crawford, Mira Mesa, San Diego, and University City High Schools BioMed CCTE pathways attended The Opportunities in Genomics Experience at the J. Craig Venter Institute for a day of career exploration and hands on biotech activities.
Superintendent Cindy Marten kicked off the event and was followed by a keynote from Dr. Venter and the President of JCVI, Dr. Karen Nelson. JCVI is a world leader in genomic and bioinformatics research.
Throughout the day our students interacted with scientists directly. Activities included sampling, synthetic biology, microbiomes, informatics sequencing, and a career panel.
We are very fortunate to have partnerships with leading researchers in genomics such as the scientists at JCVI!
On Saturday, April 19, Hoover’s Social Justice, ALMA & Health Academies along with The National Conflict Resolution Center, came together to hold their first annual Peace Conference Against Gun Violence.
About 70 students and staff attended to not only discuss the problem but the possible underlying causes. After a panel of community leaders sharing the impacts of gun violence, students led restorative circles discussing and identifying the causes as well as solutions. They then had the opportunity to learn about mental health and ways to take action within their community. Students are looking forward to continue their learning around the needed steps to take action against gun violence in their school and community with this being one of their first steps.
As part of the Youth Advocacy Department’s commitment to making school into a place where ALL students want to be, we have coordinated with the professionals at the Instructional Media Center (IMC) in sending out packets of display materials to librarians and library techs that focus on different identities. LGBTQIA and African-American History Months were recognized and highlighted with materials and a list of books that explored these identities and experiences. The vibrant book displays created an upsurge in interest in these books by their students. Youth Advocacy will continue to create packets that can be reused annually for the many identity celebrations reflected over the course of the school year. We also will support a parallel rollout for all elementary school libraries.
Bell Math Teachers, Janet Gil and Rachael Jones, took advantage of sponsoring from the California Mathematics Project, allowing them to participate in the 3rd Annual CANMEE convening in Temecula, CA on April 11-12. CANMEE (California Action Network for Mathematics Excellence and Equity) brings together math content experts and educators from across the state to “use lesson study to continuously improve mathematics learning, instruction, and the lesson study process by ensuring that mathematics education is rigorous, high quality, accessible, and equitable for all students. CANMEE can show that diversity is an asset.” (UC Regents, 2019) At the convening, Gil and Jones attended workshops on culturally relevant teaching and the lesson study process, then visited a classroom in which a public lesson study was held. Both teachers returned with renewed energy to improve their individual practice and to inspire their colleagues to push forward with instructional shifts that will benefit their students.
AMPLIFYing The Student Power Collaborative had its first meeting on Thursday April 11 at Morse High School. There was student and staff representation from Crawford, Lincoln, Morse, and Serra to share and discuss the successes and needs of their advocacy clubs and efforts. The group discussed the importance of healthy youth/adult partnerships, networked and worked towards a plan for future meetings. Karolyn Curtis and other students of The One World Club showcased the work of their Week of Consciousness which raised both awareness and funds around the cause of ending hate speech. With Dr. Larkin, they also shared the process of how they organized their their first annual Walk for Peace, the idea of 9th grader Juan Hurtado.
The Student Power Collaborative is excited to continue this work, with their next meeting in May, and are looking forward to including more student advocates from more schools across the district. If you are interested in learning more about or joining this collaborative, please contact Ciria Brewer in the Youth Advocacy Office at cbrewer@sandi.net.
Share Your Learning, an organization whose goal is to have 5 million students share their learning to a public audience, recently released a new promotional video featuring Montgomery Middle STEAM Magnet school (View Video). Share Your Learning has been highlighting the work at Montgomery around student-led conferences and school-wide exhibitions. Students at Montgomery have expressed that they love being in charge of their own conferences and are excited about interacting with the community through their exhibitions.
According to the Share Your Learning, “when students share their learning with an authentic audience, we provide them with an opportunity to share their story, reflect on their growth, and engage in real dialogue with others about their learning and their futures.” Many San Diego Unified Teachers have joined a group of 300,000 other educators that have pledged to have students share their work publicly via the organization, Share Your Learning (www.shareyourlearning.org).
Visit Share Your Learning at www.shareyourlearning.org to learn about the free resources teachers are using to set up student exhibitions, student presentations of learning, and student-led conferences.
Birch Aquarium at Scripps provides Summer Camp with learning adventures for children 4–15 years old, June 24–August 23, 2019.
From the classroom to the seashore, Birch’s accredited Summer Learning Adventure Camps merge scientific exploration with hands-on fun and learning. Campers ages 4-15 investigate marine habitats, create ocean art projects, learn about careers in oceanography, and combine the science and sports of surfing and snorkeling, all while making new friends and memories.
Full brochure here: https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/system/files/2019-02/BAS-SummerCamps2019_WEB.pdf
There are summer camp scholarships: https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/experiences/programs/summer-camps/camp-financial-aid
Over 140 fourth and fifth grade students met on Friday morning, April 19th for the district’s 25th Annual Junior Recorder Festival. Each year since 1994, music students and their teachers have gathered to perform for each other and play combined numbers, all using their recorders.
Before its use as an educational instrument, the recorder was very popular in the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Several songs from these time periods were performed at the Festival, as well as folk songs, opera overtures, and popular music (such as a song by the Beatles). As is tradition, the Festival finale was a rousing rendition of “Ode to Joy” by Beethoven.
This year’s host school was Ellen Browning Scripps Elementary School (music teacher Tom Waczek), and their students were joined by musicians from Dingeman Elementary School (music teacher Garner Saguil) and Crown Point Junior Music Academy (music teacher Anna Hradsky).
This is a non-competitive event and is open to students of any age. The Festival is free for participants and for audience members. If you would like your school to participate next year, please contact Laura Williams, Music Resource Teacher.
La Jolla High’s Biomedical Innovations students worked directly with the Panda Lab at the Salk Institute to collect sleep data on themselves using special watches. They then took the data and asked a variety of questions related to sleep, activity and light exposure. Students then did the statistical analysis to determine whether their data was statistically significant and/ or trended in a certain direction. One significant finding was that students get 45 minutes more sleep the night before our late start compared to other school nights.
The Patrick Henry High School Patriots took on the La Jolla High School Vikings in a league baseball game at Petco Park.
Two years ago, La Jolla’s Sierra Roberson posted one of the state’s fastest 800-meter times for sophomores, clocking a 2:13.31. Roberson then tackled the 400-meter run and everything changed.
On April 7th, Motiv facilitated the city’s third Good Deeds Day for San Diego teens, organizing 29 community service projects across San Diego County attended by approximately 400 teen volunteers, including many from San Diego Unified. Good Deeds Day is an international day of service, initially founded by Israeli businesswoman Shari Arison based on the simple idea that “every single person can do something good, be it large or small, to improve the lives of others and positively change the world”. Since its inception in 2007, this event has grown from 7,000 volunteers in Israel to 3.9 million volunteers in over 100 countries in 2019.
Through Motiv's free “one-stop-shop” platform high school students can find and register for any of 75 community service projects curated for teen volunteers each month and electronically verify their service hours. Motiv is set up to decrease barriers between teens and service to make it easy for all teens in San Diego Unified and San Diego at large to volunteer. In addition, Motiv offers service awards, internships and competitions, and hosts free community-wide service events for teens, highlighted by Good Deeds Day.
On Good Deeds Day, teens sorted clothing donations at Sharia’s closet, helped repair cat enclosures at the Humane Society and distributed care kits to the homeless downtown with Wahupa Upward Bound, among other projects. According to Motiv Manager, Michael Nimer, “by offering a wide variety of volunteer opportunities, teens have the ability to choose projects that match their passions.”
Mirroring Arison’s sentiment, Zachary Patterson, a high school freshman at University City High School, reflected on his experience preparing for the Midnight Run: “Packaging winter-weather clothes and hygiene supplies was a step in the right direction towards helping the homeless. It felt great to give back to the community, but also realize just how much more work needs to be done.”
As Zachary and others have come to understand, teen service is not only focused on doing good deeds to help vulnerable populations, but also on the volunteers own experience through a service learning lens, in order to create agents of change. It’s one thing to learn about food insecurity, it’s another to serve a meal to someone who otherwise wouldn’t eat that night. Service learning combines both elements, giving teens the chance to connect with people or organizations and find that they share common beliefs and values, creating bonds that inspire a greater sense of desire to care for their neighborhoods and support individuals. While Good Deeds Day is only one day a year, community service organizations like Motiv provide service-learning opportunities for students throughout the year.
English teacher leaders from around the district, aka Capacity Builders, have gathered together five times this year to discuss best practices, try on strategies and share resources. After reflecting on the 2018-19 school year and all the learning that Capacity Builders were a part of, teachers showcased some highlights in a “rapid fire exhibition.” Teachers were challenged to take an idea or two that was learned from their five leadership sessions and creatively exhibit it to others in less than 30 minutes! Some teachers used pipe cleaners to demonstrate the intricacies of leading department and staff meetings. Other teachers shared their learning of collaborative reading strategies through cotton balls and LEGO pieces. There were googly eyes on drawings, Harry Potter stickers representing teachers, clothespins, markers, and more! Teachers love to experience what their students experience. Look out for some creative ways to exhibit learning in SDUSD English classes!
Students in Julia Bennett’s 7th grade classroom are exploring the relationship between Universal Human Rights and food deserts. They have read several articles on the topic and have prepared presentations that either showcase innovative ideas for solving food desert issues in neighborhoods or educational campaigns that inform the public about the issues. With that knowledge, they are now writing argumentative essays in which they are synthesizing their learning and producing academic writing. This is all preparation for the 7th grade project in which they will pick an issue at school and campaign for change around that issue. Monty Wolves are making change in their local community!
Teachers from all over San Diego Unified spent three days at the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics annual conference. The conference this year was held right here in San Diego. They were joined by twenty thousand other educators from around the world. Teachers participated in sessions centered around eliciting and using student thinking, creating inclusive classroom environments, access, and equity. Our teachers shared their takeaways with each other at the completion of the conference, and we can’t wait to see what they bring back to the classroom!
The sixteen teachers in this year's Leaders of Innovation have developed and implemented at least one innovative challenge with the goal of transforming student experiences and learning either in their classes, at their school site, or district-wide. On Day 3 of the program, the teachers were able to share their learning during the Leaders of Innovation Exhibition at Taft Middle School. During the morning, teachers participated in an exhibition workshop with guest speaker Michelle Pledger, from Share Your Learning. Through the workshop, teachers learned that an exhibition of learning is an organized event that provides learners the opportunity to share their learning with an authentic audience. Teachers designed a blueprint for their own student exhibition and then prepared for their exhibition. In the afternoon, the audience arrived and the Leaders of Innovation shined as they shared how their innovative challenges had transformed student experiences and learning in their classrooms.
Hoover High students learned about their local watershed, the hydrologic cycle, and their impact while visiting Mission Trails Regional Park. Students were engaged by the fact that they were in the watershed to observe their own physical impact. They determined what would happen to trash left at various parts of the watershed and how it would impact them as well, as others who depend on the rivers and oceans. Then, they embarked on a mental and physical push to get out of their comfort zones by going rock climbing and rappelling.
The term, “placed-based education” is somewhat new; however learning in places beyond the classroom is not. Students retain information when they are intertwined with the phenomena. The more we can get students out of the classroom, the more we can push them in their 21st century skill acquisition!
The Children and Youth and Transition Department is offering post-secondary transition workshops for seniors at Lincoln, Hoover, Morse and San Diego High Schools March – May 2019. In fall 2018 Intervention Counselors working with the CYT Department administered a needs assessment to youth in transition who may be unaccompanied, experiencing homelessness or in foster care at Lincoln, Hoover, Morse and San Diego High Schools. Over 50% of the youth at the sites indicated a desire to want more information on post-secondary options. As a response, the CYT Team created the “What’s Next” series focusing on transition skills and topics including: exploring post-secondary options, career development, resume writing, how to find a job and more. So far over 75 students have participated in the workshops. Interested students can contact their counselor.
The Language Academy with the guidance of their principal Rosario Villareal and the Restorative Justice Department (RJP), have been working in PLC’s to implement Restorative Practices. During grade level PLC cycles teachers have learned more about Restorative Justice Practices they can use in their classroom while also utilizing a 3-Tiered approach to student intervention. At the Language Academy students begin their day with a morning meeting led by the Vice Principal, Silvia Herrera-Flores. Students begin their day by learning about the “Monthly Trait” and other PBIS strategies to promote positive behavior on campus.
Most recently the entire Language Academy staff was trained in using Community Building Circles. In the picture below, 3rd Grade Teacher, Gigi Carrillo leads her students in a Community Building Circle after attending the Two-Day ERO Introduction to Restorative Justices Practices. Students at Language have a unique opportunity to express themselves during the circles as they lead the circles in either Spanish or French, depending on the language being taught.
Pamela King of Family Engagement and members of Restorative Justice Practices (RJP) Department and National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) will also be presenting to parents of the Language Academy to better inform parents on how Restorative Justice is used in schools. Restorative Justice aims to build strong communities through open communication. This important family outreach hopes to invite parents to be part of the process in understanding Restorative Justice and to support the work being done at schools and in the community.
On April 12th, three students and a teacher from Rowan Elementary, Ms. Melling, were interviewed by KPBS about the Restorative Justice Practices (RJP) work that is happening on their campus. The students are Rowan Circle Leaders whose role is to facilitate community building circles in the classrooms every Thursday.
The RJP Department is proud of the great work that is going on at Rowan Elementary. This would not be possible without the support and leadership from the principal Ms. Carpenter and 5th grade teacher, Ms. Campbell.
Below is the article and video of KBPS Broadcast at Rowan Elementary!
https://www.kpbs.org/news/2019/apr/16/lawmaker-pushes-restorative-justice-awareness-cali/?utm_content=bufferb96ee&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
On April 16, 2019 the Miramar College Outreach Team held an assembly at Mason Elementary School to over ninety 5th grade students about the importance of higher education and what it means to be a college student. Mason students participated in the interactive assembly and were excited to hear about the many programs and opportunities that were available to them and their families at Miramar College. Students attended a field-trip to Miramar College on April 19th to see firsthand what college life was like and get a sneak peek of the many career programs and pathways that Miramar College has to offer. A huge thanks to Mason's school counselor, Miriam Roashan and the Miramar College Outreach team for planning the event. To learn more about Mason Elementary School, Miramar College, and the SDUSD Counseling Department, please follow us on social media: @masonlions; @masonpta; @SDMiramar; @CounselingSDUSD
Lincoln High School Engineering and Architecture students participated in a company tour to Solar Turbine at the Kearny Mesa facility. Students were exposed to the workings and function of a solar turbine and compressor. They were able to see Solar's new 1 MWh energy storage system, and micro grid controller system in action with several different technologies and applications. Other aspects the students were able to experience were the assembling of products, compressor design engineering, project management, engine and package manufacturing and testing.
Students at Lincoln High School had the opportunity to use a Ferrari 430 for a professional photo shoot. CTE Photography students were tasked with a photojournalism assignment which required each student to take a series of detailed photos and write an article using a maximum of 4 photographs. This assignment was designed to help students with creative writing with using a minimum number photographs to market a product (Ferrari) to the consumer.
Part two of the morning continued over at Crawford High School Automotive program where the students received and in-depth technical overview of the advanced technologies found in the Ferrari 430. Students learned how Formula 1 racing technology is used in the Ferrari and other sports cars on the roads today.
