Mission Statement: All San Diego students will graduate with the skills, motivation, curiosity and resilience to succeed in their choice of college and career in order to lead and participate in the society of tomorrow.

We are pleased to announce that Chief Information Officer Darryl LaGace and his team have designed and implemented the district's first electronic student transcript program. The program will generate a more transparent, user-friendly transcript model that will be much easier for students, parents and teachers to use and read. In addition, it will make clear what courses students have completed and what additional credits they will need for graduation. The model will save counselors and students a lot of time when applying for college--just point, click, and print! To find out more information about the model, go to http://www.sandi.net/zangle/ .

Special thanks to Board Member Katherine Nakamura who championed the concept and to the eleven schools that participated in the pilot project. For information, please contact Darryl LaGace, chief information officer, at (619) 260-5474.

More than 1,500 parents, students and others visited the Magnet Schools Enrollment Fair held last Saturday at the Palisades Recital Hall in Balboa Park. Current and prospective parents and students learned about the variety of schools offered in the district as well as received information about transportation, preschool options and Career Planning Guides for middle and high school students. This week’s EdCast captures some of the highlights of the fair. Watch video.

The Board of Education is currently appointing members to the Proposition “S” Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee (ICOC), the group that is responsible for monitoring how the district spends the tax dollars. The board is looking for individuals with expertise in the following areas to serve on the Proposition “S” ICOC:

• Large-scale construction operations
• Municipal/public finance matters
• Multiple years expertise with agency/entity budgeting
• Construction-related project management
• Real estate acquisition or sales

Students first day at iHigh Virtual Academy, the district’s first online high school, is Monday, February 2, the start of the spring semester. iHigh is a full-time high school program for grades 9-12 that offers students instructions through internet-based classes. Students can “attend” classes online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to earn a high school diploma. This unique learning environment was recently featured in a Channel 10 News report. For more information and to apply online, visit www.ihighvirtualacademy.com . Call (858) 627-7448 with questions.

The single product served by San Diego Unified that contains peanuts and peanut butter is not subject to the ongoing USDA recall. That product, Smucker’s Peanut Butter & Jelly Uncrustable, is only available in our middle and high schools. Smucker’s has issued a statement saying that it doesn’t do business with the company that is part of the recall.

San Diego Unified’s Food Services Department is in constant contact with the agencies involved in food safety, the California Department of Education Nutrition Services Division, the US Department of Agriculture and the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency. Ensuring the safety and nutrition of the food provided to our students is one of our primary missions. For information, please contact Sally Spero, food planning supervisor, at (858) 627-7306, or Gary Petill, food services director, at (858) 627-7301. For a list of all the recalled peanut and peanut products, please visit http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/salmonellatyph.html .

National School Counseling Week will be observed February 2-6, 2009. This year's theme is "School Counselors: Making a Difference." School counselors are certificated professional educators who work as an integral part of a total educational team. This special week honors them for the important role they play in helping students examine their talents, strengths, abilities and interests. Schools across the nation celebrate National School Counseling Week each year. For more information regarding the National School Counseling Week, visit http://www.schoolcounselor.org . For information about the district Counseling and Guidance Department, visit the website http://www.sandi.net/depts/counseling or call (858) 503-3180.

Everyone loves a summer BBQ - eating outside, hamburgers and hot dogs right off the grill, and gathering with friends and family. In 2008, the San Diego Unified Food Services Department Summer Food Service Program held 17 community BBQ events throughout the city, for which they were awarded the Western Region USDA's Summer Sunshine Award. This marks the second time since 2005 that our Food Services Department has been honored for its summer programs. A departure from traditional BBQ fare, the programs feature healthy eating, and fun, physical activities for the whole family. The City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department, the San Diego Hunger Coalition, the San Diego/Imperial County Nutrition Network, Power Play!, the 211 Help Line, and the Mexican Consulate were partners in the events. For more information, please contact Sally Spero at (858) 627-7306, or Gary Petill at (858) 627-7301.

Karen Childress-Evans, director of visual and performing arts (VAPA), has been awarded the 2009 Music Educator of the Year for the Far Western District of the Barbershop Harmony Society. She will receive this award during the Barbershop Harmony Society Spring Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 21. For more information, please call the VAPA Department at (858) 539-5349.

Congratulations to Jim Good, vice principal of Patrick Henry High School, who was selected as the Secondary Co-Administrator of the Year for the Administrators Association of San Diego and the Association of California School Administrators, Region 18 (San Diego and Imperial Counties). For more information, please contact Pat Crowder, principal, at (619) 286-7700 x 2208.

Funded by the National Science Foundation, Scripps Institute of Oceanography/UCSD has partnered with the district High School Instructional Support Department to develop the Scripps Classroom Connection • Scripps Teacher Fellows Program. Scripps Institute graduate students will be linked with our high school earth science teachers to create laboratory-based lessons for classroom implementation. This is a fantastic opportunity to expand teacher content knowledge, build university connections and develop powerful experiences for SDUSD students. For information, please contact John Spiegel, director, high school instructional support department, at jspiegel@sandi.net .

Ross Dunn, San Diego State University, and Stewart Gordon, University of Michigan, led a symposium with a dozen SDUSD teacher-scholars this past Tuesday. The group explored more integrated approaches to teaching world history to middle and high school students, studied the findings in Dr. Gordon's recent book, When Asia Was the World, and provided suggestions for revising the state's History-Social Science Framework. For information, please contact Kirk Ankeney at kankeney@sandi.net .

The San Diego Gang Commission held a workshop, the “Youth Empowerment Summit,” at the War Memorial Building near Balboa Park earlier today. Approximately 300 students from San Diego County took part in discussions about violence prevention and safety. The mayor, city council members, police chiefs and I participated and offered welcoming remarks. Members from the district’s School Police department did a presentation. For more information, please contact Sergeant Joe Florentino at (619) 725-7000 to jflorentino@sandi.net .

On Friday, January 16, 24 eighth graders from Correia Middle School and their humanities teachers, Mrs. Dana Mejias and Ms. Loni Philbrick-Linzmeyer, traveled to Grossmont College to participate in the "We the People” Mock Congressional Hearing Team Competition. Team Correia competed against 14 other schools from San Diego County. In groups of four, students prepared answers to a series of questions dealing with the philosophy of government. Group members were required to cite examples in history to support their ideas while making their answers relevant to current events. A panel of judges that included state Supreme Court members, Elks Club members and former history teachers evaluated the students’ presentations. Recognition was given to the best groups from each school, including a first place plaque to one of Correia’s teams, which included students Jack Fogel, Brooke Justus, Allie Knickerbocker and Michael Colloca. For information, please contact Principal Patricia Ladd at (619) 222-0476.

Justin Augustine, a junior at San Diego Met High School, was featured on the front page of the January 23 edition of the Big Picture Learning–Network News for hosting his junior exhibition at Terra restaurant. In his third culinary internship, Justin prepared a multi-course meal for six district administrators and staff. He plans to complete a B.S. degree in Business Administration and attend a culinary school with the ultimate dream of becoming a chef and restaurant owner. San Diego Met prepares students for college while simultaneously providing opportunities for internships. For information, please contact Mildred Phillips, San Diego Met principal, at (619) 388-2299 or mphillips@sandi.net ; or Dean Darley, program specialist, Office of College, Career and Technical Education, at (858) 503-1752 or ddarley@sandi.net .

Through a well-vetted process over the last several months, Physical Plant Operations (PPO) is reorganizing to better serve our schools. Each school site has been assigned to one of four geographic maintenance zones. The new structure will provide “one-stop shopping” for facility maintenance at each school from a dedicated team of professionals. Each zone manager will oversee landscape, custodial and facility maintenance within their area. The true benefit is that sites can be informed and address issues all in one call. See the Zone Management Chart , to view the four zones and the schools they support. For more information, please contact Drew Rowlands, director, physical plant operations, at (858) 627-7121 or drowlands@sandi.net .

Did you know that each school bus full of kids takes approximately 36 cars off the road? Riding the school bus is an easy way to help preserve a green environment for our kids. San Diego Unified, as well as the Transportation Services Department, has received numerous awards for our green and environmentally friendly initiatives. Our students and teachers can benefit as well. IC Bus, a large manufacturer of school buses used in San Diego, is sponsoring the “America’s Greenest School” contest. By submitting an essay on your school’s “green” initiatives, one lucky student will receive a $5,000 scholarship and a Plug-In Hybrid School Bus for his/her school district. Teachers have the chance to win $3,000 in classroom supplies. For additional information, please go to www.americasgreenestschool.com or contact Alexandra Robinson, director, transportation department, at (858) 496-8701 or arobinson@sandi.net .

Discover all the exciting events happening around the district. A complete list of San Diego Unified School District Upcoming Events is posted on www.sandi.net.

• State Board of Education African American Advisory Committee
  The California State Board of Education is currently recruiting members for its newly created African American Advisory Committee. The application, applicable guidelines and flyer is accessible by visiting the “What’s New” section of the State Board of Education Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/ .
  
  
• New Tactics to Tackle Bystander's Role in Bullying
  A new study in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry indicates that an easily implemented school-wide intervention can have a significant impact on the incidence of bullying, Science Daily reports. The intervention, which focuses on empathy and power dynamics, can reduce children's experiences of aggression in school and improve classroom behavior.
  Read more.
  Read the abstract.
  
  
• Harlem Children's Zone Hit Hard
  The highly regarded "Harlem Children's Zone," which serves 8,000 children across 97 blocks of Central Harlem in New York City, is yet another institution suffering from the downturn on Wall Street, according to a profile in The Wall Street Journal. Read more.
  
  
• The Obama Effect on School Testing
  Researchers have documented a positive "Obama effect" in test-taking among blacks following his successful candidacy, according to The New York Times. Performance gaps between African-Americans and whites on a 20-question test given before Mr. Obama's nomination "all but disappeared" when the exam was administered after his acceptance speech and again after the November election. Read more.
  
  
• Report: Few States Ensure Teacher Quality before Granting Tenure
  "Iowa and New Mexico are the only two U.S. states where teacher tenure is not essentially automatic under state law, according to a new National Council on Teacher Quality report. "States can help districts do much more to ensure that the right teachers stay and the right teachers leave," said Kate Walsh, the council's president. Houston Chronicle/The Associated Press.
  
  
• Differentiated Instruction Virtual Community
  Are you interested in refining your differentiated instruction practices? Would you like to meet other educators who may be implementing similar initiatives in their districts? ASCD Conference and Pre-Conference attendees are invited to participate in a live "DI" virtual community with Carol Ann Tomlinson on Monday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET. Participants will address routines in a differentiated classroom. Learn more.
  
  
• Inventory Losses Prompt Arizona District to Focus On Pricier Assets
  After losing track of nearly 1,800 items worth $1.6 million, officials in Tucson, Ariz., schools are changing how they inventory assets. Rather than attempting to track all items worth $200 or more, district leaders will leave items worth $999 or less to principals and focus districtwide efforts on inventory valued at $1,000 or more. Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) (1/25)
  
  
• More English-Language Learners Lack Formal Education
  Immigrant students like Fanta Konneh, 18, who became the first girl in her family to go to school after coming to the U.S. as a teenager, face special challenges, educators say. "They don't always have a notion of what it means to be a student," said Stephanie Grasso, an English teacher at a New York school designed particularly for such students. "Certain ideas are completely foreign to them. They have to learn how to ask questions and understand things for themselves." The New York Times
  
  
• Teachers Help Massachusetts ELL Students Improve Fluency, Scores
  Students learning English often take five to seven years to achieve fluency, but teens who hope to graduate from Massachusetts schools must master the language in time to pass their state exams. One district has improved their scores after successfully integrating such English-language learners into mainstream classes, where teachers help make the content more understandable. The Boston Globe
  
  
• Survey: U.S. Districts Face "Devastating" Cuts
  Some 72% of U.S. districts have plans to decrease staff or eliminate teaching positions this year, according to an AASA "snapshot" survey of more than 250 education leaders in 46 states. "School districts nationwide are facing devastating job cuts that will directly impact student learning," said Dan Domenech, AASA's executive director. PJStar.com (Peoria, Ill.)
  
  
• Stimulus School Money Could Be Hard to Cut Later
  If the government spends billions on education to help jump-start the staggering economy, what happens when things improve and schools have grown used to the largesse? That is what Republicans are asking about President Barack Obama's recovery plan, the largest increase in federal money for schools. ... The measure making its way through Congress would achieve a long-sought goal of Obama and other Democrats ... fully fund No Child Left Behind ... "At the moment, my interest is in rebuilding the economy," said Rep. George Miller, chairman of the House education committee. Read more.
  
  
• Pupils Miss Out on Meals
  Fewer than half of the students in Michigan who take advantage of the national lunch program participate in the federally subsidized breakfast program, suggesting thousands of kids are missing out on a nutritious meal to enhance learning, according to a report by the Washington, D.C.-based Food Research and Action Center. The Detroit News