October 8, 2019
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What are you wondering?
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What are you wondering? It’s a simple question, however when it is asked in a classroom it immediately changes the ownership of learning. STEAM classrooms across San Diego Unified are creating student-driven, inquiry learning environments. Teachers are stepping back and creating experiences for students to explore and wonder. First graders at Silver Gate Elementary are exploring plants in the STEAM Life Science unit called The Power of Plants. Students watched a seed grow into a plant in a bean-time lapse video and were invited to share their wonderings with the class. One student wondered, “How can it carry something so big when it is so little?” Another student asked, “How can a seed make a plant grow?” Great questions. As students share their questions and find answers through exploration it creates a love for learning, a love for discovery. To create a love for learning in your child, ask one simple question: What are you wondering?
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Engineer your Future
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On October 1st, 140 students from Morse, San Diego High, Lincoln and Twain attended an “Engineer Your Future” event at Biocom Headquarters in La Jolla, sponsored by the School of Innovation CCTE and STEAM teams.
The purpose of the event was to create awareness of engineering related careers and introduce students to the Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP), which offers an opportunity for high school students to participate in paid internship during the summer of 2020 while conducting research at the Department of Navy laboratory during the summer.
Students experienced several informative workshops as well as hands-on activities lead by NAVWAR engineers, including designing a Virtual Reality experience for the classroom and designing a new innovative backpack for the night hours.
All students are encouraged to apply for these internships by starting a new application here, http://seap.asee.org/apply. Visit seap.asee.org for more information.
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The Intersection of Math and Art
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The students in Ms. Oliver’s class can tell you where the intersection of art and math lies; it’s with Dutch painter, Piet Mondrian. The students have been using his techniques based on geometry to understand the value of lines, shapes and angles.
Ms. Oliver has been taking her Carson Elementary students on a journey of discovery as they uncover the power of the abstract artist's masterpieces. In addition to studying the art, students study the artist through a text set of various media. They read an article, watch a video, visit virtual galleries and listen to the story, Coppernickel Goes Mondrian by Wouter Van Reek.
During their artist study, students are introduced to the program Geogebra, a dynamic geometry software, to investigate points, lines, line segments, rays, perpendicular and parallel lines. Then they put all those tools to work to make their own Mondrian inspired designs.
Ms. Oliver states, “When students have a context in which to learn something, they learn it without effort or objection.”
Ms. Oliver is a 4/5 teacher at Carson Elementary STEAM Magnet school.
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Innovation and Montgomery Middle Schools Join JumpStart Theatre as Cohort Two
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Two SDUSD middle schools – Innovation and Montgomery – were selected to be part of Cohort Two in San Diego’s JumpStart Theatre program. JumpStart Theatre is national program which seeks to develop theatre programs at middle schools where there previously were none. It is a collaboration with the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) Foundation, iTheatrics, Music Theatre International (MTI), and locally supported by the La Jolla Playhouse.
This is the second year of JumpStart Theatre in San Diego; last year’s Cohort One schools included DePortola, Knox, and Taft Middle Schools. This past spring, these three schools produced their first-ever musical theatre production. Then, in May, the students showcased excerpts from their work on the La Jolla Playhouse stage at the JumpStart Theatre Showcase in front of friends and family as well as District Superintendent Cindy Marten and VAPA Director Russ Sperling.
Schools are selected for JumpStart through a rigorous application process and site visit. The program leverages existing teams of teachers from the school site, many without arts backgrounds, but who are excited about bringing the arts to their students. These teacher teams are trained through a series of three “bootcamps” covering all areas of musical theatre production, the first one of which occurred on September 21. The teacher teams also receive ongoing coaching from a La Jolla Playhouse trained mentor, empowering them to guide their programs independently. Students are involved in every aspect of the production: performance, costumes, sets, and design. JumpStart Theatre provides participant schools with materials, budget, and training support (valued at $12,000 annually per school) to produce one full-scale musical production a year for three years, acting as seed money for the program to reach sustainability.
According to the JumpStart Theatre website, the aims of JumpStart Theatre are:
• to be sustainable and implemented at underserved middle schools;
• engage as many students as possible in all aspects of theatre;
• prepare students for high school, college and the workforce by instilling the skills of collaboration, communication, problem solving and creativity.
The JumpStart Theatre Research Project reported that “students who participated in JumpStart Theatre achieved higher Next Generation Creativity Scores than the control group” and concluded that “JumpStart Theatre draws at-risk students with an interest in creative expression and gives them an opportunity to develop and demonstrate creativity that might otherwise go undeveloped.”
This spring, each of the five participating San Diego Unified middle schools will produce at least two public performances of a musical theatre production from MTI’s Broadway Junior series.
• Innovation – Fame Jr.
• Montgomery – Annie Jr.
• Taft – Aladdin Jr.
• Knox – Aladdin Jr.
• DePortola – Guys and Dolls Jr.
Selections from each of the school musicals will also be performed at the culminating JumpStart Theatre Showcase on June 6, 2020, at the La Jolla Playhouse. Congratulations to Innovation and Montgomery on their acceptance, and “break a leg” to all the JumpStart Theatre schools.
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Education to Employment at Kearny High School
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Every 10th grade student at the Kearny High Educational Complex experienced their first workshop in the Educational to Employment Lab (E2E) on their campus. Students signed up and used their College Board accounts to explore possible careers related to their interests and passions.
Through this process, they were able to explore salaries and education levels needed to obtain careers that were a match. This process showed students the educational journey they can take from high school diploma to masters degree and beyond.
Students also learned that the PSAT they will take on October 16th can be the first step in their educational journey that leads to a rewarding career. The E2E curriculum will be delivered monthly and is aimed at inspiring and preparing students for college AND career after high school!
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The Canvas Invasion
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We started the school year with a Canvas learning managemnent system invasion. Teachers all over the district are using this new, innovative and very functional learning management system. At Mission Bay High School, teachers are using Canvas to push out the ELA GVC curriculum. This platform allows online discussions and collaborative documents where students can communicate with other students via Google docs. At Morse High School, Math teachers are collecting homework using Canvas, and pushing out lessons in Spanish classes as well. San Diego High School has their Science and English department using Canvas and increasing their students' engagement even more. Canvas makes teaching and learning better and all the community colleges, UC system and the State universities are using Canvas. Go Canvas!
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STEAMing Up Curriculum: Creating Career Awareness in Kindergarten
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When you were 5, what did you want to be when you grew up?
STEAM Architects, Lacy Szuwalski and Zoë Randall, asked participants at the Regional Work-Based Learning Summit to channel their five-year-old self as they briefed attendees on the STEAM curriculum pilot. Participants learned about the STEAM curriculum kindergarteners and first graders are engaging with in SDUSD.
The Regional WBL Summit brought educators from all backgrounds together to think about preparing students for their life after school. Szuwalski and Randall presented the work they’re doing to create career awareness in kindergarten.
Through the STEAM curriculum, students are engaging with professionals such as meteorologists, zookeepers, and health nutritionists. Jodi Kodesh, voted San Diego’s Best Meteorologist by the Union Tribune, engages with kindergarteners through a platform called Flipgrid. Kindergarteners send their questions about weather and weather forecasting and a week later they have a response from a professional meteorologist.
Opportunities to connect with professionals outside of the school environment opens students’ minds to possibilities for their future. The world of work for our future kindergartners is unknown. What is known is that they will have a multitude of ideas for what they can do and that they are being inspired to dream big!
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Students Mentored by Northrop Grumman
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Congratulations to the four students from Hoover High School that have been selected to participate in year one of the Northrop Grumman High School Involvement Partnership (HIP) mentoring program. Northrop Grumman believes in inspiring and preparing high school students to pursue STEM pathways and supporting their development to become innovative leaders. Northrop Grumman hopes to accomplish these goals through webinars, facility visits, and collaboration with mentors.
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PB Middle Launches into Project S.A.V.E.
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A personal tour of the USS Midway?! Pacific Beach Middle School 8th graders will experience that and much more this year through their participation in Project S.A.V.E. (Serve and Volunteer Everyday).
USS Midway Volunteers kicked off the project at PB Middle by explaining the history of the Midway and the significant role volunteers play in sharing the story of the USS Midway every day with visitors from all over the world. PB Middle teachers explained how through the partnership, students would have the opportunity to honor the service of the USS Midway Museum Volunteers by creating posters and a book to highlight their stories of service.
Students can’t wait for their first visit to the USS Midway in October.
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Designing A Better World!
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Montgomery Middle School STEAM Magnet has been developing their mission of “Designing a Better World Through Community-Centered, Project Based Learning.” To reach this goal, 7th and 8th grade students completed an intense 3 Day Peer Leadership Training with the Anti-Defamation League over the summer. This peer leadership opportunity provided students with the skills needed to become peer mentors and engage in supporting fellow students throughout the school year. As it states on ADL’s website, “Peer Leaders learn about social justice issues through comprehensive training designed to address the specific issues they face each day in their schools and communities. Once trained, they work together over the course of the school year to plan and implement projects of their own choosing that they believe will promote a more respectful and inclusive school community.”
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Kearny Digital Media and Design Captures Taft Garden Installation
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On Thursday, September 26th, seniors from Kearny Digital Media and Design filmed the Taft student collaboration with volunteers from Brummitt Energy Associates and the San Diego Green Building Council in a Green Apple Day of Service. Approximately 40 6th-8th graders were matched with 10 volunteers to pull weeds from the existing garden, fill a vertical garden wall in the lunch area with strawberries, lettuce, herbs, and more, and prepare a raised garden in one of the open spaces on campus--all in an effort to build community and engage Taft students in campus beautification. The Kearny students captured the experience on film, interviewing students and volunteers, and will eventually create a documentary that tells the story of this year’s Taft garden project.
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Med Mindset Interns Placed
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Recently, Seniors at the School of Biomedical Sciences and Technology at Kearny High School were placed in the Med Mindset internship program. This is an 18 month program where students will have access to personalized mentorships and become part of a supportive community. Students will learn about different career pathways in medicine and learn about life in college. Students will be mentored by healthcare professionals who have an interest in creating future leaders in the healthcare field. These students were chosen by Med Mindset because they exhibited the talent, drive, leadership, skills, and qualities to thrive in the program. We are excited that our seniors will have the opportunity to experience this program, and we wish them the best of luck!
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| STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES |
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Apply to be a Student Board Member
On Tuesday, September 10, 2019, the San Diego Unified Board of Education accepted a student petition and authorized installment of a student board representative, in line with California Education Code 35012. Additional details can be found here.
Students interested in running must be enrolled in a high school of the school district, may be less than 18 years of age, and shall be chosen by the students enrolled in the high schools of the school district via a districtwide election. This Thursday, October 10th, is the deadline to declare your candidacy.
Here is the timeline for the 2019-20 Student Board Member:
- Wednesday, September 18, 2019: Documents of Candidacy become available to students (students can begin filing their documents of candidacy)
- Thursday, October 10, 2019: Documents of Candidacy Filing Deadline
- Thursday, October 17, 2019: Open Election
- Tuesday, October 29, 2019: Runoff Election (if needed)
- Tuesday, November 12, 2019: Student Sworn In/Oath of Office
The following are Candidate Filing steps for a Student Board Member candidate to complete:
- Candidate Information Statement (Required): The candidate completes this document to provide basic information to the Board of Education Office. The Candidate Information Statement is not public record.
- Nomination Papers (Required): Nomination signatures must be obtained to become a candidate for Student Board Member. The number of signatures required for a Student Board Member candidate is 200 or 10% of the school. The Nomination Papers are public record.
- Candidate’s Statement (Required): A candidate for Student Board Member may prepare a brief description of his/her/their background and qualifications to be printed in the District’s Voter Information Guide. If a candidate wants to prepare a statement, he/she should contact the Board of Education Office for more details. The Candidate’s Statement is public record after the close of Candidate Filing.
- Declaration of Candidacy (Required): This is the final step of Candidate Filing. The Declaration of Candidacy is the document on which the candidate indicates how he/she/they wants his/her/their name to appear on the ballot and what Ballot Designation he/she/they desires, if any. It also contains the Oath of Office. The Declaration of Candidacy is public record.
Submit your completed Documents of Candidacy via email or deliver them in person between the hours or 8:00am-4:00pm to the Election Administrator:
Stacey Seiders
sseiders@sandi.net 619-725-7122
4100 Normal St. Room 2140 San Diego, CA 92103
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Profile in Courage College Essay
The NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC) honors 9th-12th grade students who self-identify as women, genderqueer, or non-binary for their computing-related achievements and interests, and encourages them to pursue their passions. Award recipients are selected based on their aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing, as demonstrated by their computing experience, computing-related activities, leadership experience, tenacity in the face of barriers to access, and plans for post-secondary education. Since 2007, nearly 14,000 students have received an Award for AiC.
Recipients of the award:
• Receive personalized trophies or certificates & AiC award swag
• Are recognized at your local AiC Regional Affiliate event
• Join the AiC Community, where they will build friendships and gain exclusive access to scholarships, internships, and job opportunities
Deadline November 5, 2019. The Award for AiC is sponsored by Apple, Bank of America, Microsoft, and Motorola Solutions Foundation.
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Cal-SOAP's College Application and Scholarship Workshops
Cal-SOAP is hosting a variety of college application and scholarship workshops all over the county through October and November. To view Cal-SOAP's free events and register please visit http://www.calsoapsandiego.org/workshops
On November 25th and 26th Cal-SOAP will be hosting a college application and scholarship workshop at Lincoln High School from 10am-2pm.
Cal-SOAP College Fair
Cal-SOAP's college fair will be taking place on Wednesday October 23rd from 6pm-8pm at the Scottish Rite Center.
See dozens of college representatives from Universities around the Country. Parking and admission are free. Visit calsoapsandiego.org to register and for more information.
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Kids FREE in October
There's no better time to be a kid in San Diego than in October! Throughout October, kids 11 and younger are free at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, kids 12 and under receive free admission to 40 participating museums across the county, and kids 3-9 get free admission to SeaWorld!
To learn more and take advantage of the museum offer register for the free coupon at the San Diego Museum Council website. To learn more and take advantage of the SeaWorld offer visit their website and "purchase" a free child ticket. All offers require the purchase of a paid adult ticket and other restrictions may apply. Please visit the links for more information. |
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USD's Character Development Center Essay Contest
The University of San Diego's Character Development Center announces the fourth annual Fall Essay Contest sponsored by The Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation and the Character Education Resource Center.
This year's theme, "Who is Your Hero?", asks students in grades 6 to 12 to reflect on the core values of the U.S. Marine Corps and our society by exploring what the virtues of honor, courage, and commitment mean in their own lives. All entries must be received by November 11th. Click here for more details. |
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