February 12, 2019 Did You Know That During Adolescence Teens' Circadian Rhythms Shift? The hormone, melatonin, which helps us become sleepy at night is not produced in teens until close to 11 PM. Help them get the sleep they need by encouraging good sleep hygiene: turn off electronics and create a quiet space. The History of Black History Every February, Americans celebrate the contributions of African Americans to America. But how did this month come to be? And why? In 1926, Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard graduate whose parents were formerly enslaved, developed Negro History Week. He believed "the achievements of the Negro properly set forth will crown him as a factor in early human progress and a maker of modern civilization." In 1976, Negro History Week expanded into Black History Month (CNN). February was the chosen month to commemorate the birthdays of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, who both played pivotal roles in ending slavery. Some resources to assist teachers in commemorating the contributions of African Americans to American development, the economic growth of America, American society and culture, especially the arts, can be located here: Black History Month Resources . While this is not a comprehensive list, these resources will help teachers commemorate the month. San Diego Unified School District is currently in the process of “rewriting” history (classes) to be more inclusive of the diverse peoples who make up our district and nation. Exciting new resources are constantly being developed and we are working on making sure San Diego Unified School District students are literate in the role that diverse peoples have played and continue to play in our past, present, and future. With new history content and resources, memorials such as The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Alabama  and reconciliation by universities and other institutions that recognize their origins came from profits from slavery, America is slowly evolving to be a more inclusive nation. To recommend resources for teaching Black History, please contact jliebke@sandi.net. https://sdusdoss.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-history-of-black-history.html Counselor Conference - Bridging Pathways: from Exploration to Careers San Diego and Imperial Counties Regional Strong Workforce Program hosted their annual counselor conference to provide valuable resources and networking opportunities that will expand their understanding of local career education pathways. This enables counselors to better educate students on academic pathways that lead to in-demand, livable-wage jobs. The San Diego-Imperial Center of Excellence (COE) for Labor Market Research projects that between 2017 and 2022, there will be more than 47,000 job openings per year in the area’s 100 top middle-skill job categories that earn an average hourly wage of $26.70 (or $55.5K annually). Middle skill jobs are positions that require more than a high school diploma but less than a four year college degree. The San Diego and Imperial Counties region knows that in order to get our students into these middle-skills jobs they need to have an awareness of the career pathways that exist in the community colleges; an understanding of how to align their interests, skills, and abilities with the variety of career options that are available in our economy; an infrastructure of interconnected support systems to help them along their journey; as well as ample work-based learning and employment opportunities to directly link them to businesses. Counselors had plenty of breakout sessions, and opportunities to connect with community college and other post-secondary representatives to learn what career pathways they offer and which programs prepare students for in-demand middle skills jobs. The Counseling and Guidance Department would like to congratulate counselor Jason Maher for presenting a breakout session on dual enrollment. https://sdusdoss.blogspot.com/2019/01/build-up-point-loma-nazarene-university.html Students Lead the February Student Equity Coalition Student ambassadors recently led the February Student Equity Coalition at Morse High School. The students prepared the agenda, facilitated discussions at the tables on topics that are important to them as students and began to construct action plans and next steps for themselves as students. Thank you to the parents, staff, community members and partners that joined the students for the event, your support is much appreciated! The student ambassadors will now begin preparations for the March TEDxYouth@SanDiego event and are looking forward to participating in Workforce Partnership's Opportunity Summit on May 2nd. https://sdusdoss.blogspot.com/2019/02/students-lead-february-student-equity.html Clairemont High School Girl’s Water Polo Advances to Quarter Finals! The Clairemont High School Girl’s Water Polo team beat the 10 seeded and #18 ranked Vista High 6-4 at The Tub to advance to the quarter finals for the 6th straight season – 3rd straight in Division 1. Click here: https://chschieftains.com/2019/02/06/girls-water-polo-advances-to-quarter-finals/ La Jolla High School Soccer Celebrates Senior Night Congratulations to the senior soccer players for a terrific career at La Jolla High School.  Click here: https://ljvikings.com/2019/02/03/soccer-senior-night/ & here: https://ljvikings.com/2019/02/06/boys-soccer-senior-night/ Mira Mesa High School Wrestling Team Takes the Title of City Conference Tournament Team Champions The Mira Mesa High School wrestling team participated in the Willie Jones City Conference Tournament over the weekend and came away with the tournament team championship.  Click here...https://mmmarauders.com/2019/02/04/wrestling-city-conference-tournament-team-champions/ A Successful Week for Serra High School Student Athletes Congratulations to Serra High School wrestler Paulina Jimenez for being a 2019 CIF Champion and basketball player Alex Bell for being named the Player of the Game in the Battle at the Bay vs. Army Navy Academy game.  Click here:.https://goconquistadors.com/2019/02/03/paulina-jimenez-2019-cif-champion/ & here: https://goconquistadors.com/2019/02/03/alex-bell-player-of-the-game-battle-at-the-bay-vs-army-navy-academy/ Carson Recognized as a Common Sense School! Common Sense, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids and families thrive in a world of media and technology, has recognized Carson Elementary STEAM Magnet as a Common Sense School. Carson has demonstrated its commitment to taking a whole-community approach to preparing its students to think critically and use technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate, while limiting the perils that exist in the online realm, such as plagiarism, loss of privacy, and cyber-bullying. The recognition acknowledges Carson's commitment to creating a culture of digital citizenship. "We applaud the faculty and staff of Carson Elementary STEAM Magnet for embracing digital citizenship as an important part of their students' education," said Liz Kline, VP, Education Programs, Common Sense Education. “Carson deserves high praise for giving its students the foundational skills they need to compete and succeed in the 21st-century workplace and participate ethically in society at large." Carson Elementary STEAM Magnet has been using Common Sense Education's innovative and research-based digital citizenship resources, which were created in collaboration with researchers from Project Zero, led by Howard Gardner at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The resources teach students, educators, and parents tangible skills related to Internet safety, protecting online reputations and personal privacy, media balance, managing online relationships, and media literacy. More than half a million educators use the free K-12 curriculum in classrooms across all 50 states, in more than 50,000 schools. For more information about Carson’s approach to digital citizenship, go to our webpage. https://sdusdoss.blogspot.com/2019/02/carson-recognized-as-common-sense-school.html Canvas LMS at San Diego High School San Diego High School teachers decided to start a new educational adventure using Canvas LMS (learning management system) in their 10th grade classrooms. They will be following the exact same ELA curriculum and materials, and they will be monitoring students outcomes. By using Canvas analytical tools, it will be easy to assess students' strengths and areas of difficulties, and teachers will be able to address them in a timely manner. Canvas also provides students with collaborative activities, formative assessments, summative assessments and even an online notebook. Another reason for choosing Canvas is that over 142 colleges and community colleges have adopted it, so using it helps our students be better prepared for college. Congratulations to Ms. Gottlieb, Ms. Magoffin and Mr. Weise for agreeing to pilot this with their students! https://sdusdoss.blogspot.com/2019/02/canvas-lms-at-san-diego-high-school.html Who Says You Can’t Use Tech in a Math Classroom? Technology and math can go together! Teachers from all over the district are spending their day learning how Desmos and Google’s Education Apps can be combined to help students tackle those deep probing questions. They experienced a lesson through the eyes of a student and learned what it’s like to develop a digital end product. Who says math class needs to be stand-and-deliver? These teachers now know the power of exploration and technology! https://sdusdoss.blogspot.com/2019/02/becoming-meddlers-in-middle.html Bell Middle School Math Teachers Partner with the San Diego Math Project to Create Great Math Learning Opportunities On February 6, 2019, the entire Bell Middle School Math Department, including special education co-teachers, and their principal, Precious Jackson-Hubbard, took a professional field trip to San Diego State University (SDSU). The day began with engagement in math and icebreaker activities with the Director of the San Diego Math Project (SDMP), Lisa Lamb, and one of the SDMP middle school teacher leaders, Jean Zelt. The Bell math team spent the rest of the morning developing a shared vision for great math classrooms and touring the SDSU campus, hearing about all of the resources available to students through The Office of Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP) and Ethnic Affairs. During lunch, the Bell math team had an opportunity to meet the Director of the School of Teacher Education, Dr. Lynne Bercaw, and the Dean for the College of Education, Dr. Y. Barry Chung. The full day ended with an opportunity to talk about shifts in math instruction for the SDSU Mathematics Department in recent years with Dr. Janet Bowers, the Director of the SDSU Math Learning Center. The discussion included an opportunity to participate in an actual Precalculus classroom with SDSU students that used technology to deepen students’ understanding. Through the GEAR UP grant awarded in 2018, the Bell Middle School math team will have many opportunities to collaborate with the San Diego Math Project and the SDSU community over the next 5 years. The team appreciated the hospitality and introduction to the expertise available to help them to further develop the Bell Middle School math program. https://sdusdoss.blogspot.com/2019/02/bell-middle-school-math-teachers.html Oakland Conference Teachers and administrators from Kearny, Lincoln, and Morse Gear-Up clusters had the pleasure of attending a conference in Oakland. African American Regional Education Alliance (AAREA) hosted its 10th Annual Professional Development Summit on the Status of African American Education, a three-day, conference February 1-3. Dr. Geneva Gay, Professor of Education, University of Washington- Seattle, was one of the many presenters that provided participants with information on how to best educate African American youth. Two of the workshops available to participants included: Career and Technology Education (CTE): ”The Answer for Closing the Achievement and Opportunity Gaps for African American Students” and “Promoting Culturally Responsive Programming for African American Student Engagement: Practical Strategies to Seamlessly Integrate Culturally Responsive Teaching into all Classrooms.” Educators left the conference feeling empowered by the information received. Thank you AAREA!!! https://sdusdoss.blogspot.com/2019/02/oakland-conference.html STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES Four $1,000 Student Scholarships Available! Region 18 of the Association of California School Administrators (San Diego and Imperial Counties) and the San Diego County School Boards Association are very pleased to offer five $1,000 scholarships as a result of donations made by both organizations and our generous business partners. Our scholarships provide an award for four high school seniors who meet the following criteria: 1) show proven academic success with at least a 3.3 cumulative grade point average; 2) are involved in community service; 3) who may not necessarily qualify for other financial aid, and 4) are pursuing a career in education as a teacher or other certificated employee. Download the Application from this Dropbox Link. Benjamin Banneker Association, Incorporated Book Scholarship The Benjamin Banneker Association would like to honor three African American/Black students this April at the annual National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference (NCTM) held in San Diego. The award is for students showing achievement and/or promise in mathematics The application should be submitted by February 25, 2019. Directions for submission are included in the application. AVID Night with the Gulls! The first ever (and hopefully annually after!) AVID Night with the Gulls will be March 30, 2019 at Pechanga Arena. This special opportunity not only gives students a fun night of a game, college fair, and career exploration, but also a portion of every ticket sold goes back to schools’ AVID programs! College Fair begins at 3pm, followed by career conversations with Gulls staff. Tailgate begins at 5pm and game begins at 7pm. For more information on this exciting opportunity, talk with your AVID teacher or contact Rachel Amato at ramato@sandi.net STEAM Hackathon San Diego County opportunity youth (ages 10-17) are invited to attend a hackathon focused on raising awareness about youth homelessness. Together, youth and adult community mentors will be part of a homeless simulation, conduct research on issues impacting homeless youth and create PSA videos educating the community For more student opportunities, please visit the Office of School Innovation & Integrated Youth Services website UPCOMING EVENTS Tuesday 2/12/19 Resilience Film Screening 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (Malcom X Public Library, 5146 Market St, 92114) Wednesday 2/13/19 The Evolution of Black Art & Activism 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM (Black Box Theatre, San Diego City College, 1313 Park Blvd) Featuring Keynote Speaker Jasiri X, the first independent hiphop artist to be awarded an Honorary Doctorate. His critically acclaimed album Black Liberation Theology (2015) has been recognized as a soundtrack of today’s civil rights movement. Wednesday 2/13/19 Knox USS Midway Excursion Click Here for More Information Friday 2/15/19 Lincoln Day Holiday No School Monday 2/18/19 Washington Day Holiday No School Wednesday 2/20/19 DAC General Meeting 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM (Harold J Ballard Parent Center, 2375 Congress St) Thursday 2/21/19 Bethune USS Midway Excursion Click Here for More Information Thursday 2/21/19 DELAC General Meeting 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM (Harold J Ballard Parent Center, 2375 Congress St) Saturday 2/23/19 Give Kids A Smile Event 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM (See Flyer For Locations) FREE DENTAL SCREENING, SEALANTS AND FLUORIDE VARNISH For children 1-18 years of age Kindergarteners can get a FREE Oral Health Assessment Screening for school! Call 619-692-8858 today to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins welcome, but children with appointments will be given priority. Wednesday 2/27/19 Lewis USS Midway Excursion Click Here for More Information Friday 3/01/19 Notification of UC Fall 2019 Admission Decisions Begins http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/dates-deadlines/index.html Saturday 3/02/19 San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering Expo Day 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Petco Park) http://lovestemsd.org Saturday 3/02/19 Deadline for applicants for all terms to submit FAFSA and Cal Grant GPA Verification Form http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/dates-deadlines/index.html Tuesday 3/05/19 Bethune USS Midway Excursion Click Here for More Information Thursday 3/07/19 CPMA Vocal Solo Festival 2019 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (CPMA Performing Arts Center, 5050 Conrad Ave, San Diego, CA 92117) CPMA's Vocal Solo Festival, now in its 10th year, showcases the top vocal talent at CPMA. Seating for this special event is General Admission, all seats are $5.00. Click Here for Tickets Monday 3/11/19 GATE DAC General Meeting 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM (Harold J Ballard Parent Center, 2375 Congress St) Wednesday 3/13/19 Montgomery USS Midway Excursion Click Here for More Information Saturday 3/16/19 JROTC Joint Brigade Cadet Ball 6:00 PM - Midnight (Town and County) Tuesday 3/19/19- Thursday 3/21/19 CPMA Presents: The Addams Family-Musical 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (CPMA Performing Arts Center, 5050 Conrad Ave, San Diego, CA 92117) The CPMA Advanced Theater class presents its annual Spring Musical, "The Addams Family". "They're creepy and they're kooky...". A great musical for the whole family. Click Here for Tickets Thursday 3/21/19 Roosevelt USS Midway Excursion Click Here for More Information Sunday 3/31/19 Cesar Chavez Day Sunday 3/31/19 Notification of fall 2019 admission decisions for freshman applicants is complete http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/dates-deadlines/index.html For a complete list of upcoming School Innovation & Integrated Youth Services events visit our on-line calendar or your school's website. For more information about the Office of School Innovation & Integrated Youth Services please visit our website.