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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. |  |
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On Tuesday, June 2, during a marathon session that lasted nearly 12 hours, our Board of Education made substantial progress in closing the district’s $106M budget gap. Board members tentatively approved another $63M in reductions while maintaining their commitment to keep cuts as far from classroom instruction as possible. I commend the board members for their hard work and dedication to the budget process during this very challenging year. Every member devoted long hours to listening to the school community and balancing the needs of students with the realities of the deep funding cuts.
In addition, I want to acknowledge our hard-working staff who also stayed focus on what matters most, our students. The board is scheduled to meet on June 9, where the 2009-10 spending plan will receive its first reading; final approval should come at the June 23 board meeting. The final budget must be submitted to the County Office of Education by June 30. Click here to read more about the June 2 meeting. Please call me at (619) 725-5506, should you have questions.
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Distinguished Schools Honored |
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EDCast: Hire-a -Youth Summer Internship Kick-Off |
 On June 3, the kick-off for this summer’s Hire-a-Youth Internship Program  was held at the Jackie Robinson YMCA. Among the attendees were Mayor Jerry Sanders, Supervisor Ron Roberts and Board President Shelia Jackson. Watch the video.
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Proposition S Update: 21st Century Classrooms |
 The Proposition S-funded Interactive 21st Century (i-21) Classroom is coming to a school near you. On Tuesday, June 2, the Board of Education approved a five-year plan to install i-21 interactive “tool sets” in all classrooms. A “tool set” consists of a white board, voice amplification and sound system, Netbooks and/or student responders (depending on grade level) for interactive student participation, networked printer, document projection camera, and teacher work station. For year one, 2009-2010, the plan is to install i-21 “tool sets” in all district 3rd and 6th grade classrooms, and 20 percent of all 9th through 12th grade classrooms, starting with mathematics. For more information, please contact Proposition S Communications at (619) 725-7252 or PropSinfo@sandi.net
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Save the Date: Community Meeting with Richard Barrera |
 Board of Education Vice President Richard Barrera is hosting a community meeting to discuss the ways we can work together to support our schools and students during the budget crisis. The meeting will take place on Saturday, June 13, from 2-5 p.m., at San Diego City College. Attendees will learn about various school volunteer opportunities and other ways to get involved from the people who know best, principals and parents. For more information, please contact Bernie Rhinerson, chief district relations officer, at (619) 725-5568.
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Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Department Receives Agency Certification Award |
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The Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Department has received the 2009 Agency Certification Award in the mid-sized agency category from the Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council. This award formally recognizes the district’s commitment to professional certification by having its Strategic Sourcing and Contracts staff achieve internationally recognized certification as either Certified Professional Public Buyers or Certified Public Purchasing Officers. This is the first time that the district has achieved this award. For more information, please contact Arthur Hanby, strategic sourcing and contracts officer, at (858) 522-5808.
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Science Project Literacy Specialist Provides Special Training |
The Science Education Association of San Diego (SEASAND) Teacher Retention Initiative (TRI) recently hosted Rick McCallum from the California Science Project. Teachers from the San Diego High School Educational Complex and Roosevelt Middle School joined together for a one-day Writing in Science workshop that focused on the use of writing prompts as a means of promoting scientific thought and argumentation in writing. McCallum has been working with high school science teachers for more than four years on such literacy work. For more information, please contact the TRI director Stephanie Rico at srico@sandi.net .
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- Scripps Ranch HS or Mira Mesa HS: Who’s Cuisine Reigns Supreme?
An article in the San Diego Union Tribune highlighted the recent San Diego Teen Iron Chef competition, the brain child of Mira Mesa High School culinary teacher Zhee Zhee Aguirre. Previously exclusive to Mira Mesa students, this year’s competition turned up the heat, pitting Mira Mesa against Scripps Ranch High. Teams were given two secret ingredients to be incorporated into at least one of three courses, all with only an hour to prepare. Industry professionals served as judges. Mira Mesa teen chefs Melissa Rothstein, Wendy Rogers, Heather Leach and Kimberlie Modlin (pictured above with teacher Aguirre) won a very close contest, beating Scripps Ranch students Valerie Castillo, Angelique Obermeyer, Alejandra Robinson, and Sarah Venters by just one point. For more information, please contact Angela Croce, program specialist, Office of College, Career and Technical Education, at acroce@sandi.net or (858) 503-1750.
- The Licensed Children’s Institute (LCI) Program Shining Stars
LCI student Trista Casey was chosen to give the graduation speech for the high school diploma program at Garfield High School. Trista, who has been in the foster youth and juvenile justice systems, managed to change the trajectory of her life through her determination and relationships with a counselor and two teachers who refused to give up on her. Trista is graduating today from the Student Apprenticeship Program after successfully completing training in the hospitality industry at the Marriott Marina. Read her graduation speech . For more information, please contact LCI Program Manager Pamela Hosmer at (619) 725.7054.
- News from Kearny High School of Science Connections & Technology
Science Connections & Technology (SCT) students Cody Barton and Chris Haugen will be featured in the Speaker Series at the Tijuana Estuary on Saturday, June 20. The students will present their findings from their sophomore project regarding the water quality of the surrounding beach. In addition, two teams with a total of 15 students from SCT won the Veteran Team Award ($1,000) and the Project Web Page Award ($500) at the 2009 Project Based Learning Showcase. The projects focused on water in San Diego with topics ranging from drought, water conservation and pollution in the Tijuana Estuary region. For more information, please contact Joanne Johnson, science teacher, at (858) 496-8370, ext. 4703
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