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.

Thanks to a generous donation with a value of more than $10,000 from ClearChannel Outdoor, the district now has five billboards up around the city that highlight the great work our teachers and staff do with our students. Three of the billboards feature Zamorano teacher Terrah Foreman and her students (above), and two feature graduates from Scripps Ranch High School. In addition to one across from the Ed Center on Normal Street, look for the billboards at Mission Gorge Rd. and Vandever Ave., W. Morena Blvd. and Buenos Ave., University Ave. and 37th St., and I-5 and Beardsley St. The billboards will be up until at least March 8. For more information, please contact Linda Zintz at (619) 725-5568.

The Board of Education has authorized the district to offer all eligible classified and certificated employees the opportunity to participate in an early retirement incentive program. The district is working with all collective bargaining groups and the Administrators Association San Diego City Schools (AASD) to reach agreement on the Supplemental Early Retirement Program (SERP) and its implementation.

The supplemental early retirement program will provide a defined monthly benefit through an annuity plan using the employee’s salary amount for 2008-09 multiplied by current FTE (full-time, part-time, etc.) and the number of years the employee selects for the benefit to be provided. Public Agency Retirement Services will provide information packets and information sessions, both individual and large group, after formal board action approving the implementation of the program. For more information, please call the Human Resources Hotline at (619) 725-8089.

This past Friday and Saturday, officers from School Police Services teamed up with STAR/PAL for the annual Fishing Derby, a program that gives 500 boys and girls a day of fishing at Chollas Lake Park. Participants fish the freshly-stocked lake, enjoy a complimentary lunch prepared by the San Diego Fire & Life Safety Services Department, receive special prizes and take home a fishing pole. All youth participants learn the basics of fishing and receive a junior Fishing Licenses. Volunteers for this event come from the community and STAR/PAL partners, which include the SDUSD Police Department. For more information about STAR/PAL, please contact School Police Sergeant Mike Jarvis at (619) 725-7000, or visit their website at www.starpal.org .

The Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Department is holding a K-12 planning workshop to explore and design new ways for serving district GATE students. The workshop will take place on Saturday, February 21, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at Cherokee Point Elementary School. Parents, administrators, teachers and support staff are encouraged to send representatives from their schools and communities. For further information, please contact the GATE office at (858) 573-5998.

The Nursing and Wellness Department, in support of the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Department’s efforts to promote adolescent vaccinations, has designated the week of February 23-27 as Preteen Vaccine Week. School nurses will share information about the importance of a variety of booster and new vaccinations for 11 to 12 year olds, including meningocococcal vaccine, tetanus booster (Tdap), human papilloma virus (HPV), chicken pox (varicella-second dose) and the annual flu vaccine. Additional information and sample educational materials are available on the San Diego Immunization Brand website at www.sdiz.org as well as an interactive website for preteens at www.gotmyshot.com . For more information, please contact Eileen Griffiths, RN, at (858) 636-4380 or egriffiths@sandi.net .

Thirty high school registrars participated in a specially-designed professional development day on February 12. The training was developed by a committee of experienced registrars, led by Madison High School’s April Avery, and included such vital topics as selection of valedictorian/salutatorian, determining academic distinction, GradDocs and the evaluation of foreign student transcripts. The training also included a two-hour peer-to-peer networking session to share best practices. Future follow-up professional development is planned. The Teacher Preparation and Student Support Division; Counseling and Guidance; Information Technology; Career, College and Technical Education; and the Standards, Assessment, and Accountability Division all assisted in the training. For additional information, please contact Mariam L. True at mtrue@sandi.net or (619) 725-7142.

University City High School ninth grade students can count on lots of support thanks to a new outreach program headed up by the Counseling Department. The school’s team of dedicated professionals has designed a program to focus on student study skills and classroom behaviors ensuring a successful transition to high school. At the beginning of the school year, every 9th grader attended an assembly entitled “Making High School Count.” Students were encouraged to become actively involved in academics as well as extra-curricular activities. Counselors followed up with classroom presentations where students received school planners for organization and tips on studying. Counselors are tracking student performance by visiting all 9th grade classes each grading period and rewarding students that are using the organizational tools and study techniques. Focus groups have been formed for struggling students, allowing for individualized instruction. For more information, please contact Heidi Murphy at (858) 457-3040 or hmurphy@sandi.net .

Einstein Academy student Benjamin Byrom has been selected as the 2009 Humane Teen of the Year by Humane Society Youth, a division of The Humane Society of the United States. The award recognizes a student in grades 7 through 12 who has made a significant contribution to animal protection. The winner receives a cash prize of $300. Ben volunteered with the Animal Protection & Rescue League (APRL) to help spread the word about Proposition 2, which recently passed in California. For more information, please visit www.hsus.org .

University City High senior Mac Fleet came from behind in the last 40 meters to win the Boston Indoor Games Boys Invitation Mile on Saturday February 8. His time of 4:09.06 minutes is this year’s fastest mile time in the nation for high school athletes. Mac beat 11 of the nation’s fastest teen milers; the top four finishers all posted sub 4:10 times. Mac recently accepted an athletic scholarship to University of Oregon where he will continue his running and academic careers. For more information, please contact Jim McCarthy, cross country coach, at jmccarthy@sandi.net .

On January 15, Twain High School senior Michael Whitney was named the winner of the Program Design Competition for the Business & Education Direct Connect Annual Event. Michael, who is enrolled in the Regional Occupation Program (ROP) Computerized Graphic Design class at Twain, used various software applications, such as Adobe in Design, Illustrator and Photoshop, in the development of his winning program design. For further information, please contact Jennie Minor, employer outreach specialist, Twain High School, at jminor@sandi.net or (858) 496-8260, ext. 154.

Congratulations to Patrick Henry High School students Esmat Elhalaby (senior), Renee Estrada (senior), Amanda Howard (freshman), Shannon Mulderig (sophomore), and Drew Spence (senior) who competed in the 72nd Annual Lions Club Speakers' Contest on the topic, "Water, Will California be Left High and Dry?" The students drew upon science, social science, mathematics and the language arts to make well-reasoned and compelling arguments in favor of their solutions to the problem. Drew Spence won the competition and is now competing for more than $20,000 in cash and scholarships. For more information, please contact teacher, Mark Frerichs, at (619) 286-7700.

All SDUSD honor theatre students have been invited to attend, free of charge, the premier of the Old Globe Theatre’s production of “KINGDOM”  on Sunday, February 15, at 2 p.m., at Lincoln High School. “KINGDOM” fuses hip-hop and rock music to create a truly original score that chronicles the lives of Andres and Juan, two inner city friends who join the Latin King and Queen Nation searching for honor, power and respect. Inspired by true stories of gang culture, the play is a groundbreaking new musical that gives audiences a unique view into the world of two young men caught in a cycle of violence—helping to understand their lives, their hopes, their struggles and the choices they make. Later this month, the production is moving to the Old Globe in Balboa Park. All honor theatre students attending the February 15 production are also invited to attend the Hip-Hop Party at the Old Globe on Friday, February 20. We thank the Old Globe for its generosity and partnership. For more information, please contact Marjorie Treger, theatre resource teacher, at (858) 539-5350 or mtreger1@sandi.net .

Each year, students in Cathy Kagen’s ninth grade English classes at San Diego High School of Business read several memoirs during a unit on nonfiction. Students then write a business letter to one of the authors expressing how the author’s memoir related to their own lives, questioning elements of the memoir or thanking the author for hooking them on reading. This year, most of the students chose author Luis Rodriguez, author of Always Running, and Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle. Rodriguez sent the class an e-mail, apologizing for not being able to personally respond to each student. Walls sent handwritten postcards to each of the students who contacted her. For information, please contact Cathy Kagen, School of Business, at ckagen@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.

• Connecticut Plans Merger of Technical High Schools & Community Colleges
  Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell has proposed merging the state's technical high schools with its community colleges to create a new "middle college" system, The Hartford Courant reports. Robert Genuario, Rell's budget director, said it would give 10,000 technical school students free college courses and training for careers in health care, early childhood programs, computer support, automotive technology and "green" technology. Read more.
  
  
• Education Takes a Hit in Final Stimulus Bill
  Congress has reached agreement on a $789 billion economic stimulus bill, a contentious process that left many Congressional Democrats feeling too much was cut, and many Congressional Republicans that too much remained, The New York Times reports. In order to win three crucial Republican votes in the Senate, senators pared away education and healthcare spending from the initial House bill, prompting House Democrats to balk before a final meeting between House and Senate negotiators on Wednesday afternoon. Read more.
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• Learning Labs Help Curb Dropout Numbers
  Learning labs in a Florida school district are a place where students can get help in various courses from certified teachers, and officials say the program helps in its dropout prevention efforts. "It's about making connections," said one Pasco school district official. "That's the No. 1 reason many students are dropping out. ... They isolate themselves from school. This helps them connect with teachers and find a place where they can get help." St. Petersburg Times
  
  
• Success of Finland's schools intrigues educators
  Educators in Texas are looking to Finland for ideas on how to close achievement gaps among students and improve math and science performance. School reformers in Texas are considering mirroring some steps Finland has taken, including the establishment of one curriculum for all schools, setting high standards for all students while providing help for those who need it and allowing well-trained teachers the freedom to teach. Read more.