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The Kearny High Educational Complex and San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) will be closed for up to two weeks after one student at each school was found with probable infection with the H1N1 influenza A (also known as swine flu). San Diego County Public Health Services ordered the schools closed based on guidelines from the CDC and for the safety and well-being of staff and students. All classes, extracurricular activities and sporting events are cancelled until the schools’ scheduled reopening date of Monday, May 18.

During the next 7 days, students and staff are asked to watch for symptoms of the flu including a fever of more than 100 degrees with a cough and/or sore throat or other respiratory symptoms such as runny nose or nasal congestion. In addition, health authorities are asking parents/guardians not to allow their children to congregate with others in large groups. Siblings who attend different schools may go to school as usual and all other San Diego Unified schools are scheduled to open as of now. New information, as it becomes available, will be posted on the district’s website, at www.sandi.net.

Next week marks the recognition of several employee groups who work to make our schools great places for students to learn and thrive:

• May 3-9, National Teacher Appreciation Week
• Tuesday, May 5, National Day of the Teacher
• Wednesday, May 6, National School Nurse Day
• May 4-8, Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week

Please join me in taking the opportunity to thank these hard-working employees for the lasting contributions they make to our lives and the lives of our children.

On April 24, I had the opportunity to attend a community fundraiser for STAR/PAL at Balboa Park. STAR/PAL, which stands for Sports Training, Academics & Recreation/ Police Athletic League, in collaboration with community partners, inspires youth of greater San Diego to make positive life choices through active participation in educational, athletic and recreational activities. Each year, STAR/PAL holds a celebrity waiter luncheon to raise funds for the program. My table’s waiter was the Famous San Diego Chicken. More than 90% of the children serviced by this program are San Diego Unified students. For more information, please contact School Police Sergeant Alfonso Contreras at (619) 725-7000 or acontreras@sandi.net.

For San Diego Unified students under 4 years, transportation is more than a seat on the bus – it is a means to access an early childhood program, a chance for social interaction and the right to a child passenger safety restraint (car seat) that is appropriate in size, inspected and in good working order. The Transportation Department transports approximately 20,000 students per day, of which more than 300 are transported in car seats. Although car seat use is not mandatory for students riding in school buses, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends such as a best practice. In order to achieve the highest level of safety possible, San Diego Unified requires that any student that is either under 4 years of age or less than 40 pounds be transported in a car seat. For additional information, please contact Alex Robinson, director, at arobinson@sandi.net, or visit the NHTSA web site at www.nhtsa.gov.

Teachers, administrators, support staff, parents, students and others are invited to participate in the Union-Tribune Race for Literacy to benefit the San Diego Council on Literacy and our schools. This annual two-day event takes place in Balboa Park and starts with the Kids Magic Mile on Saturday, May 2, followed by the Race for Literacy 8K on Sunday, May 3. This year, a Team Incentive Program has been created to provide cash awards to schools and school districts that participate. The San Diego Unified Strollers team could earn $2,000 for SDUSD if the district has the largest team in the Race for Literacy 8K. Many of our schools are also participating and could win up to $1,500 for the largest 8K team; up to $1,500 for the largest Magic Mile Team. For more information and to join a school or the San Diego Unified Strollers team, please visit www.utraceforliteracy.com or call Contact In Motion at (760) 692-2900.

Don’t forget to order your discounted Padres tickets and support our Visual and Performing Arts programs. Click here (flyer) to see the schedule of games, ticket prices and instructions on how to purchase tickets. For more information, please contact Aly Evans at (619) 725-5582 or aevans2@sandi.net.

• UC Schools Benefit from Foundation Event
  The University City Foundation for Public Schools (EdUCate!) recently raised more than $100,000 for technology improvements in the district’s University City Cluster, which includes Curie, Doyle, and Spreckels elementary schools, Standley Middle School and University City High School. The event, held at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines, featured food from 21 restaurants plus live and silent auctions. More than 350 guests, including School Board President Shelia Jackson and member John Lee Evans, attended the event, while hundreds of local businesses donated auction items. This event is an excellent example of the importance of parent involvement and community outreach in our district. For information, please contact Marge Lorang, EdUCate, at marge@spinosa.com.
  
  
• Cavers Varsity Air Rifle Team Win State Awards
  On April 25, the Varsity Air Rifle Team from San Diego High School continued its streak by winning the California Junior Olympic State Championship Trophy and First Place Team Gold Medals. Squad members Elizabeth Avalos, Monica Cedona, Jamison Claflin-Cave and Maria Mendoza outscored the best teams in the state to secure the title. In addition, junior Elizabeth Avalos was recognized as the Individual California State Silver Medalist. The team has been invited to represent California during the 2009 National Junior Olympic Competition in Ohio this July. For more information, please contact Jan Janus, program manager, Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), at jjanus@sandi.net or (858) 496-8203.
  
  
• Job Shadow Convinces Students to Pursue Aerospace Engineering Careers
  Cedric Jerratt and James Acosta, seniors at Kearny’s Construction Tech Academy, participated in a job shadow on March 24 at Aerostructures, an Aerospace Engineering facility in Chula Vista.  The students benefitted from interacting with four aerospace engineers, who are all recent college graduates rotating through the company’s various engineering disciplines before settling on a permanent position. Read more. For more information, please contact Kathy Thompson, employer outreach specialist, at (858) 496-8370 x4302 or kthompson@sandi.net.