All employees are encouraged to participate in direct deposit and join us in our efforts to “go green” with a paperless electronic pay advice. According to the PayItGreen™ Alliance, the average household can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 171 pounds annually by switching to Direct Deposit/Direct Payment, and by requesting electronic bills and statements. For questions regarding the electronic advice, call Fiscal Control at (619) 725-7679 or (619) 725-7682.  If you would like to sign up for direct deposit, contact Payroll at (619) 725-8146.

Thank you to all district employees who submitted donations and continue to support the CSEA Classified Catastrophic Leave Bank.  This year, more than 14,000 hours were donated.
These donations will be extremely helpful to those with catastrophic illnesses or injuries.

Monday, March 2 marks the 12th annual Read Across America program, sponsored by the National Education Association. The nationwide reading celebration takes place each year on or near the birthday of children's author Dr. Seuss and focuses on how important it is to motivate children to read. If your school is participating in this year's event and would like to invite a board member, cabinet member or community member to come read to your students, please contact Linda Zintz at lzintz@sandi.net. Please include your school's contact person and any specific times related to the event. Every effort will be made to accommodate your request. For more information, contact Linda at lzintz@sandi.net or (619) 725-5568.

On May 19, SD Unified will recognize May 17-23, 2009, as Classified School Employees’ Week. The recognition to honor the district's classified employees will be held as a special Board of Education meeting, off site at University City High School.  During the celebration, school site representatives will be honored and the District Man and Woman of the Year awardees will be announced. School sites are asked to select a classified employee representative to be recognized at this ceremony. Each representative will receive a copy of the board-adopted resolution to take back to his/her site.  Please work with your staff in selecting a classified employee to represent your site/department, and complete the selection form .  Send the completed form to: Gloria Rangel, Room 1241, Eugene Brucker Education Center, by April 17 at 5 p.m.

School sites and district offices are encouraged to nominate a deserving candidate for the 2009 Classified Man and Woman of the Year  awards. Each nominee must be a classified employee with at least three years of service in a monthly position. The deadline to submit a nomination petition  is April 3, by 5 p.m. Completed petitions should be sent or hand-delivered to Gloria Rangel, Education Center, Room 1241. For information, contact Gloria at grangel@sandi.net  or (619) 725-8172.

As a joint program of the Classroom of the Future Foundation and the San Diego County Office of Education, the annual Innovation in Education Awards celebrate innovative technology uses in schools, create momentum for continued innovation, and foster greater communication, coordination, and partnership between educators, administrators and parents. Award programs will be honored for their innovation, dedication and professionalism and receive cash stipends for their schools, ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.  Deadline for award submissions is Monday, March 16, at noon. For more information or to view the online application, please visit kintera.org or classroomofthefuture.org.

• Earn a Master’s Degree in Integrated Teaching Through the Arts
  As an SDUSD cohort with Lesley University, the Integrated Teaching Through the Arts M.Ed. program prepares educators to teach the California state standards while using the arts as teaching and learning strategies to meet the needs of students with diverse learning styles. The degree can be earned in less than two years by attending class one weekend per month. The final two information sessions before classes begin this spring will be held on Wednesday, February 25, at 4:30 p.m., at Taft Middle School, and on Thursday, February 26, at 4:30 p.m., at San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA). The $50 application fee will be waived for those who attend one of the meetings. For more information, and to RSVP, contact Michael McCarthy at (866) 531-3167 or mmccart1@lesley.edu.

• California Preliminary Administrative Credential
  One option for receiving a California Preliminary Administrative Credential is to pass the School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA), which is administered by ETS three times per year: January, June, and September.  To assist prospective administrators in preparing for the SLLA, the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) is offering the Aspiring California Educators (ACE) test preparation program. This program will be held as two all-day Saturday sessions on May 9 and May 30 at the San Diego County Office of Education. For more information, visit www.acsa.org.

• COSMOS Teacher Fellow Opportunity
  Teachers are encouraged to apply as Teacher Fellows for The California State Summer School for Mathematics & Science (COSMOS). Student applications are currently being accepted for the 4-week summer program, which offers a chance to learn about astronomy, biomedical sciences, engineering, computer game design, robotics and more at one of several UC universities. Teacher Fellows works with a team of university faculty to implement the academic portion of COSMOS. The commitment includes participation in all classroom and laboratory work as well as field trips, typically Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Fellows are paid positions, but housing is not provided. Grant funding is also provided to Teacher Fellows to purchase materials and equipment to help enhance teaching in their own personal classrooms. Deadlines to become a Teacher Fellow vary per UC campus.  Please visit the webpage for more information.

• Educational Technology Department Spring Semester Workshops
  There’s still time to register for Educational Technology’s spring semester professional development. Workshops include Beginning PowerPoint; Intro to Moodle; Moodle 1; Moodle 2; Video in the Classroom; Google Collaborative Tools; Digital Images in the Classroom; Using Graphical Organizers; Using Online Databases and Streaming; Intro to Blogs; Wikis & Podcasting; Getting to Know Your Apple Computer; Getting to Know your Windows Computer. Workshops are held at the Center for Educational Technology located at the IMC, 2441 Cardinal Lane. For workshop descriptions and to register, visit the webpage. Questions? Contact Susan Levine at slevine@sandi.net or (858) 503-1700.

• Point Loma Nazarene University School of Education Information Night
  Point Loma Nazarene is committed to improving teaching and learning in the K-12 learning community.  On Tuesday, March 24, at 6 p.m., the University’s School of Education will hold an information night to learn about teaching, service and administrative credentials, certificates and Masters of Arts in Education programs. The event will be held at Point Loma Nazarene’s Mission Valley Regional Center.  To R.S.V.P. please go online or call (619) 563-2810.

• Earn a Tier I Preliminary Administrative Services Credential at USD
  The Educational Leadership Development Academy (ELDA) at the University of San Diego is searching for strong teachers, counselors and nurses who have worked in education at least three years and possess a clear California teaching credential. If you are interested in earning the Tier I Preliminary Administrative Services Credential, plan to attend the ELDA Open House/Information Session on Tuesday, March 10, from 4:30-6 p.m., at the School of Leadership and Education Sciences. For information and to RSVP, contact Carmen Valencia at cvalencia@sandiego.edu or (619) 269-8839.

• USD Doctoral Program in Leadership Studies
  The application deadline for the Leadership Studies Ph.D. program at the University of San Diego (USD) School of Leadership and Education Sciences with a specialization in public/private schooling has been extended to Friday, February 27. More information and applications are available online.

• Earn National Board Certification, Master's Degree at the Same Time
  In partnership with National University, district teachers can pursue National Board Certification in 2009-10 while completing a Master's Degree in Teaching, a Master's with an Administrative Credential, or simply National Board Certification. Classes meet one night per week at a district school and online in a hybrid program. Apply for the June cohort no later than June 1, 2009. Plan to attend an informational meeting  to learn more. For information, contact Julia Groff at jgroff@sandi.net.

• Discover Program Course Offerings
  Don’t miss out on great professional development opportunities from the Discover Program throughout the 2008-09 school year.  Registration is still open for the following February - March course offerings:
  
  
  • CPR-Basic Life Support and First Aid (.5 cr.)
  • GATE - Differentiating Instruction with Curriculum Compacting and Tiered Lessons (.5 cr.)
  • Insights Into Probability, Statistics, Reasoning, and Language (.5 cr.)
    

Register early to avoid class cancellations.  Classes are held based on registrations received.  To view course descriptions and to register online, go to the DISCOVER website.  For information, contact Esther Caluza at (619) 725-7431 or ecaluza@sandi.net .  You can also view the Staff Development page.

• World Math Day for Grades 3-8
  On March 4, math teachers in grades 3-8 are encouraged to participate in this free international event where students from around the world compete online in real-time battles of speed and skill by correctly answering as many math questions as possible in one day.  Students can compete anywhere, on any computer with Internet access.  World Math Day generates excitement about math in a friendly competition, building student confidence and camaraderie. More than 1.5 million students in 165 countries are expected to take part. Student registration deadline is March 1 and practice sessions are available. For information and to register students, visit www.worldmathday.com.
  
  
• COSMOS Summer Math and Science Program
  Students who love math and science and do well in those subjects are invited to apply for the COSMOS summer program, spending four weeks at UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Santa Cruz, or UC San Diego to learn about astronomy, biomedical sciences, engineering, computer game design, robotics and more. The California State Summer School for Mathematics & Science (COSMOS) is a four-week residential program for talented and motivated students who are completing grades 8-12. Students work side-by-side with university researchers and faculty to explore advanced topics that extend beyond the typical high school curriculum.  COSMOS courses are hands-on and lab intensive emphasizing current research underway at the Universities of California. Students are invited to apply to one of the four campus programs. The application must be completed online.  Deadline is March 15. 
  
  
• Asian Pacific American Network Scholarships for Seniors
  Kaiser Permanente's Asian Pacific American Network (KP-APAN) will award scholarships to a few eligible Southern California high school seniors graduating in the spring of 2009. Relatives of Kaiser Permanente physicians and employees, as well as members of the community in the region, are eligible for the scholarships. The scholarships will be divided evenly among applicants internal and external to the Kaiser Permanente family. Each scholarship is worth $1,000. High school students graduating in the spring of 2009 must be of Asian descent and planning to attend an accredited college, university, trade or technical school in Fall 2009.  They must also be residents in the Southern California Kaiser Permanente service area and have a minimum GPA of 3.50. The deadline for applications is April 10. Please visit www.kpapan.org or contact Victor Cheng, M.D., at victor.c.cheng@kp.org, or Pauline Tsai, M.D., at pauline.b.tsai@kp.org.
  
  
• Knight Scholarships for High School Seniors
  Service organization, The LEAGUE, is now accepting applications for the Knight scholarship—a national competition that awards three students $5,000 each for their writings or reflections on civic experiences in one of three categories: persuasive essay, personal narrative, or news story. The scholarship is open to any high school senior who is a U.S. citizen and has been accepted to a 2 or 4-year accredited institute. Winners will be recognized at The LEAGUE National Awards & Recognition Luncheon to be held in New York City on June 10, 2009. Students can apply by visiting www.theleague.org.

• Free Family Admission to The New Children’s Museum
  In partnership with San Diego Public Library, Check Out The New Children’s Museum is an innovative program that provides families unlimited access to the Museum, with circulating membership cards available for check out at each city library branch.  When library patrons check out an NCM membership card at a branch library, they receive full membership benefits at the Museum. This includes free admission to the galleries for up to two adults and all children in the household, hands-on art projects in the studios, as well as discounts at the cafe and store.  For more information, visit www.checkoutncm.org.

• California Young Scholars Accepting Student Nominations from Teachers
  California Young Scholars enters its 12th year of honoring students in grades 3-8 who excel in the classroom, in the community, as leaders in extracurricular, church or other outside interests, as well as in the athletic area.  Students are nominated by their teachers and will have their name and short biography printed in an honor roll, both in print and on the web (with parental permission). Students will also have the opportunity to apply for the California Young Scholar state-wide award.  To review nomination qualifications and for an online application, visit the website.

• Reel Voices Summer Program
  The San Diego Asian Film Foundation (SDAFF) is offering their yearly Reel Voices summer program, designed to empower high school students by teaching them the value, techniques and art of digital storytelling.  Over the course of 12 weeks, Reel Voices interns work with fellow students and professional filmmakers to produce, edit and promote their own short documentaries. Each student receives $500 upon completion of their film, which premieres at the SDAFF annual film festival in October. Any high school student in San Diego County is eligible to apply. No prior filmmaking experience is necessary. Go to the webpage for more information.

• 2009 Innovative Video in Education Student Film Festival
  The 8th annual Innovative Video in Education (iVIE) Student Film Festival is now accepting award entries. Sponsored by the San Diego County Office of Education, Sony and Time-Warner Cable, the awards feature fifteen categories. Students and teachers may submit videos for awards ranging from trophies to prizes, like Sony video equipment, cameras, Adobe and Apple software, and more. The deadline for entries is Wednesday, April 1 at 4 p.m. An all-day iVIE Festival will be held at the Del Mar Highlands Ultra Star Theaters on Saturday, May 9. A formal iVIE Awards Ceremony will be held at the Balboa Theater on Thursday, May 21, from 5–8 p.m.  For more information, visit http://www.ivie.tv.

• Free Athenaeum Music and Arts Outreach Program
  The Athenaeum Music and Arts Library in La Jolla is sponsoring a free outreach program to elementary and middle school teachers and students. Teachers can select among three standards-based programs: American Women in Music Series, Journey Through Art History Series, and Music in Science Series. Actors and musicians from the Athenaeum will come to the school three individual times for each series. Space is limited. For information, visit the Athenaeum at www.ljathenaeum.org or contact Cornelia Feye, education co-director, at (858) 454-5872.

• Burmese Parent Workshops  at Mann Middle School
• Journey to Academic Success at the Tubman/Chavez Multicultural Center
• Journey to Academic Success at the Ballard Center in Old Town

• Superintendent’s Friday Notes
• New Administrative Circulars and Bulletins

• County Superintendents’ Dinner
  The Phi Delta Kappa chapters of San Diego, East County and USD are hosting their annual reception/dinner for County Superintendents on March 9, 2009. This event is intended to bring all educators throughout the county together, so that they may network with colleagues and thank Superintendents for their contributions to the field of education. The speaker for the event will be Dr. Terry Grier. The dinner will be held at Tom Ham’s on Harbor Island beginning with a social hour at 5 p.m.  The cost is $35. Contact Jeannie Steeg at jeannie@aasdcs.org or (619) 295-2118 to make a reservation.  
  
  
• Ain’t Misbehavin’ at SCPA
  The San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts will perform this 1978 Tony Award-winning musical, featuring the music of the great American jazz giant, Fats Waller.  Performances are on March 12-14 and 19-21.  Tickets are $7 for adults, $6 for students, seniors and military.  Performance times are at 7 p.m.; March 21 at 2 p.m.  For tickets or more information, call the box office at (619) 475-8556 or go to www.scpa.sandi.net.
  
  
• Hutchins Consort Free Family Concert Series
  The Hutchins Consort is the first successful attempt to play an acoustically balanced set of instruments that sound like violins across the entire range of written music. Professional musicians play instruments designed and crafted by famed American luthier Dr. Carleen Hutchins.  The second Saturday of each month, the Consort holds a free concert at the Encinitas Library. The next concert will be held on Saturday, March 14, at 10 a.m., celebrating International Women’s Day.  For information, visit www.hutchinsconsort.org.  The group also presents an annual concert series, as well as community and educational programs.  For more information, contact Karen Childress-Evans, director, VAPA, at (858) 539-5349 or kchildressevans@sandi.net.

For Sale:

• 1997 Cadillac SLS, one owner, low mileage. Call (619) 460-2943 or (619) 670-7471.
  
  
• 1998 Isuzu Rodeo 4x4, black, 120K miles, good condition, $3,000. Call Leslie at (619) 322-2420.

• Sweet 2 ½ year old female Sheltie Mix. Weighs 12 pounds, very easy to live with but needs/desires lots of people attention. Please call (858) 405-3220. 

• Darling 5 year old male mini-dachshund. Has AKC papers, is neutered, kid-friendly and current on his shots. Call 858-829-4427.

• Labradoodle puppies F1b (3/4 poodle 1/4 lab), creams and apricots, available March 4. Males $600, Females $800, pictures available.  Call to reserve yours at (619) 475-5572 or email at mandjwilliams@sbcglobal.net.

For Rent:

• Furnished room in Kensington. $450/month includes utilities, wireless internet, w/d, house access. Call Debby at (619) 838-1180 or www.4631vandyke.com.

• 2 BR/2 BA condo in Rancho Bernardo/4S Ranch. One car garage, fireplace, wood floors, beautiful. $1695 a month. Call Emily at (858) 717-4977.

• 2 BR + loft Townhome in La Mesa near Hwy 8, attached garage for two cars and a view. $1600 a month.  Contact tassae@yahoo.com for more information.

• Share 2BR/3BA 1600sqft Townhome near Mission Trails.  Your own LR/TV room.  Home has A/C, washer/dryer and is fully furnished w/ exception of your Bedroom/private Bath.  Garage parking available.  $700/month + share utilities.  Please call (619) 269-1020.

• 1 BR + loft in North Park.  Brand new condo with w/d and underground assigned parking space. Condo is on the top floor and has 2 balconies with a view of the east county mountains. $1500. Please call Judy at (858) 354-5281.

Travel

• Staff members at Roosevelt Middle School are organizing a 9-day Thanksgiving '09 cruise from Venice to the Greek Islands and Croatia for $1,495 + taxes (air + cruise). For information, contact Sandra at sandraboe@sbcglobal.net.

• Staff members at Gage Elementary are organizing a 15-day trip to Ireland, starting July 27, 2009. For information or to join the group, contact Milanne at milannetolson@hotmail.com.

Classified ads are accepted from district employees only and cannot be used to advertise commercial activities. Submit ads by e-mail to communications@sandi.net. Limit to 15 words (not including phone number). Include work location and phone number (for ID purposes only).

Do you have an announcement for Newsline? Newsline is published every Monday; the deadline to submit items is noon on the preceding Friday.  E-mail items to communications@sandi.net and mark “Newsline” in the subject line.