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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. |  |
Study Sees the Future, and it is Online Learning |
I wanted to share with you the findings of a new report conducted for the U.S. Department of Education. The report concludes that on average, students in online learning situations learn better than those who get face-to-face instruction, the Bits blog of The New York Times reports. The study looked at the comparative research on both kinds of learning from 1996 to 2008, mainly in colleges and adult continuing-education programs, though some research pertained to K-12 education. The analysis found that the average student who did some or all of a course online tended to rank in the 59th percentile in tested performance, compared with the average classroom student who scored in the 50th percentile. "The study's major significance lies in demonstrating that online learning today is not just better than nothing -- it actually tends to be better than conventional instruction," said Barbara Means, the study's lead author and an educational psychologist at SRI International, which undertook the federal study. In the opinion of the blog, the results could mean that online education will expand rapidly in the next few years, especially inasmuch as it tailors itself specifically to a student's needs, thereby better engaging a student. This won't isolate students, however, since they'll have an online community that will foster learning and inquiry.
Read more. Please contact me at (619) 725-7076 should you have questions or comments.
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 San Diego Unified will celebrate the start of the school year with a new look and logo. The district Communications Department has been working over the summer with the local graphic design firm Greenhaus, which donated its services, to design a modern, updated logo. With the endorsement of the Board of Education, the new logo was unveiled at the annual Administrators Back-to-School Meeting on August 25. The new look will also transform the new district website that will be launched on September 8 at the Board of Education meeting. For cost-savings, schools and departments will transition to the new logo on printed materials, continuing to use materials with the former logo until they need to be reprinted. For more information, please contact Chief District Relations Office Bernie Rhinerson at (619) 725-5578 or brhinerson@sandi.net . Read more.
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The district H1N1 Pandemic Flu Response Team has developed Instructions for Schools ; as well as parent letters (English | Spanish ;) which outline how we can best prevent and mitigate the spread of both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 flu virus. These materials have been distributed to all principals in preparation for the start of the new school year. The district will be establishing an information telephone line in addition to ongoing web-based links and resources for school staff and parents. We are currently in discussion with County Health Department officials regarding the feasibility of providing H1N1 vaccinations for our students at school sites. For more information, contact, please visit the County Health Department H1N1 website or call the district Nursing and Wellness Program at (858) 627-7580.
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New ERAA Annual Back-to-School Conference and Festival |
Congressman Bob Filner was among the elected officials who supported the New ERAA event
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Start Smart Provides Back-To-School Supplies, Clothes |
Board member Katherine Nakamura joined Ronald McDonald in welcoming students to the Start Smart event
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Maintenance Activities are Booming |
With the passage of Proposition S, maintenance activities are booming as schools are being repaired, renovated, modernized and enlarged at a rate not witnessed since Proposition MM. All construction and maintenance work can be difficult but the projects that take place in or near school buildings while school is in session are the most challenging. Success largely depends on preparation, competence and pre-planning. Every principal plays a key role in any project management process. The principal’s leadership and personal involvement are an essential element of a successful project. We strive to keep principals "in the loop" from the early planning stages of a project to the day the construction crews leave the site. Planner-estimators, project managers and district draftsmen require principals to review and sign project drawings and plans. Principals are encouraged to thoroughly review these plans and ask questions. For more information, please contact Jim Gonsalves, zone manager, at (858) 627-7120 or jgonsalves@sandi.net .
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- Aquatron to the Rescue!
Under the direction of instructor Karl Wendt, Regional Occupational Program students from High Tech Media Arts (HTMA) spent their summer in the Media Arts Summer Engineering Institute, where they designed and developed Aquatron, a remotely operated underwater vehicle for use in water collection and analysis. Mentors in the summer school program, co-sponsored by HTMA and the Regional Occupational Program, included local business partners from SPAWAR and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Students who successfully completed the program received three college credits from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Thanks to this summer's success, next summer, MIT will provide two all-expense-paid internships at the university for two juniors from HTMA's ROP Engineering Program. Contact Karl Wendt at kwendt@hightechhigh.org or (619) 243-5032.
- Point Loma High School Navy JROTC Cadet Returns from Girls' State Cadet
Commander Sarah Robinson joined 500 other young women this summer for Girls State, a weeklong program sponsored by the American Legion. Robinson, the representative from Pt. Loma High School, spent a week learning about our system of government, including running for office, writing bills and resolutions, and participating in political party activities. Sarah spent the week designing Portola's city hat, adorning the dorm, leading party discussions, and writing the Whig party's platform. The sessions also included speakers such as Debra Bowen, California Secretary of State. For more information, please contact Virginia Eves, Office of College, Career and Technical Education, at veves@sandi.net or (858) 503-1738.
- High Tech High Students Save the World One Animal at a Time
Regional Occupation Program (ROP) students from Dr. Jay Vavra¹s biotechnology class at High Tech High are working to save the world, one
animal at a time. Dr. Vavra and the students facilitated a wildlife forensics workshop at Mweka College of African Wildlife Management in
Tanzania. The workshop offered a practical lesson involving innovative methods for identification of confiscated bushmeat that includes DNA coding and analysis. A partnership between Life Technologies and San Diego Zoo's Institute of Conservation Research, it was developed by Dr. Vavra and conservation geneticist Dr. Oliver Ryder. The project uses technology that enables authorities to determine whether illegal hunting and trafficking of meat from endangered animals is taking place. For more information and a video, visit the group's blog at http://www.africanbushmeat.org/ or contact Betty-Jo Acker, program specialist, Office of College, Career and Technical Education, at backer@sandi.net or (858) 503-1745
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