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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. |  |
DISTRICT NEWS: County Teacher of the Year Awards |
San Diego Unified teachers shined at the annual Cox Presents a Salute to Teachers Awards last Saturday night. Kelly Kovacic (2nd from left) of The Preuss School UCSD joins four other outstanding educators as the newest County Teachers of the Year who will now compete at the state level. Kelly teaches social studies at Preuss, a charter school for grades 6-12 that provides a college preparatory education for motivated low-income students who will become the first in their families to graduate from college.
Now in its 36th year, the 2009 Salute to Teachers event honored more than 26,000 teaching professionals throughout San Diego County. Bill Freeman of Porter North Elementary, one of San Diego Unified’s Teachers of the Year, was also honored on stage as one of the ten finalists for the county award. Congratulations to Kelly, Bill and all our teachers for their commitment to our students. For more information, visit www.sdcoe.net.
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2009-10 Student Enrollment |
San Diego Unified’s official enrollment for the 2009-10 school year is 132,000 students, marking a slight decline after two years of increases. This year’s enrollment, including charter schools and infants and preformals, declined by 814 students from last year’s enrollment. Among the 180 district-operated schools, there was a decline of 865 students, while the 35 charters increased by 151 students. Two new charter schools opened in 2009-10 (King Chavez High School and Gompers Prep Academy), and two closed (Memorial Academy and Cortez Hill Academy). In 2008-09, enrollment increased by 705, while in 2006-07 it was up 294 over the previous school year. Click here for more information.
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Achievement Gap Task Force Reports Progress in
Closing Gap |
On Wednesday, October 14, I joined County Superintendent of Schools Randy Ward, Poway Unified Superintendent Don Phillips and other local educators, including Kearny High School of International Business Principal Ana Diaz-Booz and student Shayne Kelley, at the seventh annual news conference of the Superintendents’ Achievement Gap Task Force. Dr. Ward announced that the efforts to close the achievement gap between students of different ethnic and socio-economic groups are paying off, but warned that such improvements probably won’t continue if state support for public schools continues to shrink. Click here to read more about the news conference. Please contact me at (619) 725-5506 or superintendent@sandi.net if you have questions.
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Governor Signs Compact Helping Military Dependents |
Gov. Schwarzenegger's signature on a recent bill means frequently-moving military dependents will have an easier time when they go to a new school. California's participation in the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children means that children with dads and/or moms in the Navy and Marine Corps (as well as Army and Air Force), who are frequently transferred, will have "barriers to educational success" removed. In addition, states are now "ensuring that military dependents are not placed at a disadvantage due to difficulty in the transfer of educational records... or variations in the entrance age or requirements."
About 10 percent of San Diego Unified's students are military dependents, including almost half in the Tierrasanta area, home to Serra High, De Portola and Farb middle schools, and Hancock, Kumeyaay, Miller, Tierrasanta and Vista Grande elementary schools and child development centers. There are many other schools in the district with large military populations. For more information please contact Pam Hosmer at phosmer@sandi.net.
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PSA Contractor Orientation |
The next Project Stabilization Agreement (PSA) Contractor Orientation  is scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, from 1-3 p.m., at the Physical Plant Operations Center, and 6-8 p.m., at Lincoln High School. Contractors are invited to come and learn how the PSA will impact bidding and day-to-day operations on Prop. S school construction. For more information, please contact George Harris at (858) 637-6269 or gharris@sandi.net.
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Pop Rock Group ‘Honor Society’ Partners with USA Pears |
During lunch yesterday, Taft Middle School students enjoyed a rare live concert by one of the country’s hottest new acts, Honor Society. The pop band is partnering with USA Pears to promote a healthy lifestyle, rich with fruits and vegetables. Each student received a fresh pear as part of the concert. Lead singer Michael Bruno said “we couldn’t be more excited about this cool program with USA Pears. With us constantly on the road, we have to pay special attention to our diets so we are at our best at each and every performance.” For more information, please contact Gary Petill, director, food services, at (858) 627-7301 or gpetill@sandi.net.
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Imagine the responsibility of pulling up to the curb and having hundreds of students anxiously awaiting the ride home on the big yellow bus. Each day transportation drivers meet and transport nearly 19,000 student riders. As the rider-ship continues to expand, so do the responsibilities aligned to safety in Title 5 California Code of Regulations, which states “students are under the authority of and directly responsible to the driver”. Our drivers take this responsibility very seriously and appreciate the support of school staff and parents who remind students about the importance of enjoying the ride to and back home from school each day. Students are instructed to be calm and respectful riders so their driver can focus on the roads and freeways for the safety of all. For information, please contact Lee Eddy, manager of transportation operations, at (858) 496-8781 or leddy@sandi.net.
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 Lincoln Fire Protection Students Volunteer in Community Service
Students in the Fire Protection Program at Lincoln High School’s Center for Public Safety volunteered for community service by participating in “Family Day in the Park,” pre
sented by the Commission of Children, Youth and Families, on Saturday, October 10 in Balboa Park. The students had a chance to interact with the public, provide fire safety and fire prevention information, as well as conduct arts and crafts activities. For more information, please contact Jorge Hernandez at (619) 266-6510 or Dean Darley at (858)-503-1752.
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Grossmont College Forensic Science Program Visits Kearny DMD
On October 8, the school of Digital Media Design (DMD) at the Kearny Complex was visited by instructors and students from the Grossmont College Forensic Science program.The visitors shared their knowledge with 10th grade students who are participating in Crime Time, a project where the 10th graders are designing an interactive website to be used by middle school students nationwide.The website presents possible crime scenarios for middle school students to solve. Other partners include Time Warner and Montgomery Middle School.  For more information, please contact Principal Cheryl Hibbeln at (858) 496-8370 or Program Specialist Lance Larson at (858) 503-1756. To learn about the project, visit the webpage.
- MET Seniors Take Whirlwind LA College Tour
San Diego MET High School seniors recently toured Pepperdine University in Malibu and USC in Los Angeles as part of their college research curriculum. The students are currently completing applications for acceptance at major colleges and universities nationwide. The students have researched entrance requirements, availability of their majors, ethnic diversity on campus, quality of cafeteria food and level of school spirit. Students (pictured) and their first and second college choices are Brianna Contreras (UCLA/USC), Becky Diaz (UC Irvine/USC), Kathleen Lopez (PLNU/CT College), Bexeida Medina (UCLA/USC) and Bashir Wyatt (USC/Stanford). One of the trip’s highlights was watching the USC marching band rehearse while touring the campus. For more information, please contact Jill Badger at (619) 388-2296 or jbadger@sandi.net. 
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