December 10, 2019 |
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Dailard Singers Double-Featured in Balboa Park |
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November 30 was a big day for the second-grade singers at Dailard Elementary School. Every year, they perform at the annual Christmas on the Prado in Balboa Park, but this year they also had a second performance across the Park.
Christmas on the Prado is an annual event held on the weekend before the City of San Diego’s very busy December Nights, also in Balboa Park. A charity event to benefit San Diego's Toys for Tots, Christmas on the Prado is organized by the San Diego Children's Coalition, San Diego Community Christmas Center, San Diego Arts Foundation, Spreckels Organ Society, and various International Houses.
The celebration includes a costume contest, a toy drive, photos with Santa, kids’ crafts, booths, and nearly seven hours of choral, vocal, and instrumental music on the main stage, plus additional performances near the International Cottages. The Dailard students kept their traditional spot as the opening performing group for Christmas in the Prado, taking the stage of the Spreckels Organ Pavilion at 1pm and performing a 30-minute set, dressed in festive elf costumes.
But this year, the Dailard students didn’t stop there. After their performance at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, the Dailard students and their director/music teacher, Brad Sullivan, walked across the Park to the Casa del Prado Theatre. There, they sang in the holiday concert of the Sun Harbor Chorus. The students had to move quickly, as the holiday concert, entitled “The Starlight Zone,” kicked off at 2pm.
The Sun Harbor Chorus, established in 1946, is the San Diego Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society. Showcasing the Great American Songbook in four-part a cappella harmony, the men of Sun Harbor are known for their family-friendly holiday elf performances. In addition to the Dailard singers, special guests in this concert included Santa and
Mrs. Claus, the elf chorus, and dancers from the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet.
Any school music groups that would like to perform in Christmas on the Prado in the future should contact Brad Sullivan at bsullivan2@sandi.net.
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Making a Meaningful Impact in our Community Through STEAM |
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We have a lot to be thankful for as we reflect on the year so far! Our STEAM community has grown to 44 elementary schools this year and support for our programs has been resounding from our teachers and our leadership. Last month at the San Diego Unified State of the District address at Lincoln High School, the student work showcase illuminated the power of students making a meaningful impact on their communities.
Fletcher Elementary students in Kindergarten and First Grade were represented by their teacher, Ms.Yamashita and Principal Camacho-McGrath. They shared artifacts of their students’ STEAM projects on Human Impact, Animal Ambassadors and The Power of Plants. Students wrote letters to the Governor sharing the effects of climate change and human impact, created posters and Pulic Service Announcements (PSAs) storyboards sharing the problems in the environment and how to solve them, and created healthy eating awareness at their school after learning about The Power of Plants.
Students at Hoover High School also shared messages about their school’s human impact and how they wanted to increase the use of reusable water bottles and install a hydration station at their school to fill reusable water bottles. Using data from students about their human impact and single-use plastics, students used their findings to help gain funding to support the hydration station project. Our first grade students in STEAM are embarking on a similar project where they will be learning about their relationship with nature in their ONE with Nature project. Students will be sharing their ideas for how to solve the plastic pollution problems at their schools by making a PSA and creating an awareness campaign around what we can do to help.
The STEAM team at the Office of School Innovation hopes to provide San Diego Unified students with meaningful experiences that are relevant to their lives through STEAM projects. Being able to share this meaningful work with the community and have the recognition of our Superintendent, Cindy Marten, and State Superintendent, Tony Thurmond, at the State of the District was a real highlight.
We are committed to empowering our students to enact change in their local and global communities and invite our community of parents and community partners to help connect our students’ classroom experiences to their world outside of school. If you have a project idea or want to learn more about how to engage our youngest students through STEAM, please contact Michael Goodbody, STEAM Innovation Manager at mgoodbody@sandi.net.
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Students from Bell Middle School participate in BrightCamp with Webroot |
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As you know, San Diego is a hub for modern technology careers of the future. Webroot is a cyber security company known for its cloud based cyber security protection, which helps stop and secure threats in real time.
Webroot is also a valued partner of San Diego Unified and they recently hosted Bell Middle School students for BrightCamp. BrightCamp is designed to provide students with an opportunity to learn about engineering, computer programming, and coding through a hands-on experience.
With the guidance of software engineers, the students learned to code and program an Arduino UNO board and complete a special group project. The students also met with the engineers to learn about their diverse backgrounds and the different careers that are available within the field.
BrightCamp opens the world of coding and exposes students to what might be possible in the future if they follow their passions!
https://sdusdoss.blogspot.com/2019/12/students-from-bell-middle-school.html
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Changemaker Challenge |
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Montgomery Middle STEAM Magnet students are focused on “Designing a Better World Through Community-Centered, Project Based Learning.” The 8th grade students will collaborate in small groups on a year-long project with our University of San Diego (USD) partner around the “Changemaker HUB Challenge” of homelessness, displacement, and migration which are social issues affecting our world and community. The students will use the Design Thinking Process beginning with the project launch on 12/9/19, on the campus of USD, to produce culminating work that will be showcased in June at the Exhibition of Student Learning.
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DMD 9th Grade Project Launch-The Water Conservation Garden |
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On Thursday, December 5th, the 9th grade class at Kearny Digital Media and Design kicked off their year long project dedicated to promoting sustainability. The day began with a presentation by Emily Usaha from Strategic Energy Innovations (SEI). Teams of 9th grade students will produce multimedia products for SEI to promote innovative sustainability practices. After the presentation, the entire 9th grade class took a trip to the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College. There, students engaged in a scavenger hunt where they found examples of sustainable plants. Students also saw sustainability in action like innovative irrigation techniques and various species of low maintenance plant-life that are efficient and beautiful. The students also had a chance to design their own sustainable gardens using the techniques that they learned throughout the day. At the end of the day students felt more prepared to engage with their client and produce a great product to promote sustainability!
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Building Community Through Orientation: Hoover HS AoIT Academy |
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Community is the key! Bringing the community into a shared space to learn about upcoming events and projects is an annual tradition for the Academy of Information Technology (AoIT) Academy at Hoover High School. The orientation kicked off with a video of former academy students sharing their positive experiences in Hoover AoIT. Following the video a few former students shared how Hoover AoIT was the bridge to what they are currently doing in college or career. Community partners were up next. Two opportunities presented were joining The League of Amazing Programmers and applying to work in the cafe at the local YMCA. The interdisciplinary projects were introduced and community partners / clients discussed what they were hoping would result from the students efforts. In the end, the message was clear! Hoover’s AoIT Academy is a community where students are informed, supported, and part of a family!
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Mira Mesa Orchestra Musicians Perform in Balboa Park |
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Approximately 100 string musicians from the Mira Mesa High School orchestra program played in the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park on Tuesday, November 19. The special 30-minute performance under the direction of Matthew Mulvaney, MMHS’s Director of Orchestras, was the featured opener for a concert by Art of Élan, a unique San Diego chamber music ensemble.
Originally, the Mira Mesa High School musicians were supposed to perform outside, on the steps to the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park. They prepared to play in the dusk and dark by practicing with small lights on their music stands.
However, with uncooperative inclement weather leading up to the performance, the musicians had to improvise as they were moved inside the museum to perform above the main rotunda. The following concert by Art of Élan was held in the John M. and Sally B. Thornton Rotunda itself.
The concert, titled “In Spite of All This,” was part of Art of Élan’s newly-launched “BaCH Initiative.” Standing for “Beyond a Concert Hall,” the BaCH initiative is a 3-year project to move Baroque music out into the world of the 21st century, to “bring the timeless music of J.S. Bach to unexpected places.”
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Changemaker Challenge |
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Congratulations to all our new SDUSD Google Certified Educators! The Instructional Technology Department along with the PBL Resource Teacher offered a workshop to prepare the teachers to take the test, and our passing rate was phenomenal. Google offers the Google Certified Educator Level 1, Google Certified Educator Level 2, Certified Trainer, Certified Innovator and G-Suite Certified. Many teachers, principals, and classified staff from different departments came and took the test and passed.
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STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES |
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District Honor Ensembles Auditions
Each year San Diego Unified selects students to be a part of their Honor Ensembles. These students participate in Honor Concerts at distinguished venues such as Point Loma Nazarene University and Copley Symphony Hall. Applications are now open for Spring 2020 auditions. Read below for more information and how to apply.
Debut (grades 4-6)
- Debut Choir (gr 4-6): CLICK HERE for the audition packet and rubric.
- Band and Orchestra (gr 4-6): Step 1: fill out the application (CLICK HERE). Step 2: sign up for an audition time (CLICK HERE). Step 3: print the audition scale and excerpt for your instrument (CLICK HERE).
Middle School (grades 6-8)
For choir students in grade 6, please see Debut Choir linked above.
- Tenor-Bass Choir (gr 7-12): CLICK HERE for the audition packet and rubric.
- Treble Choir (gr 7-12): CLICK HERE for the audition packet, sheet music, tracks, and rubric. CLICK HERE to sign up for an audition time
- Band (gr 6-8): CLICK HERE for audition packets (select your instrument) and the rubric. CLICK HERE to sign up for an audition time
- Orchestra (gr 6-8): CLICK HERE for audition packets (select your instrument) and the rubric. CLICK HERE to sign up for an audition time
High School (grades 9-12)
- Tenor-Bass Choir (gr 7-12): CLICK HERE for the audition packet and rubric.
- Treble Choir (gr 7-12): CLICK HERE for the audition packet, sheet music, tracks, and rubric. CLICK HERE to sign up for an audition time
- Band (gr 9-12): CLICK HERE for required scales, etudes, and the rubric.
- Orchestra (gr 9-12): check back soon
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Going for Gold(berg)!
The Fleet Science Center, in partnership with the San Diego Engineering Council, will host San Diego’s first-ever Rube Goldberg Machine Contest on January 11, 2020.
The Rube Goldberg Machine Contest is an event where high school students ages 14 to 18 showcase machines that they have imagined, designed and created to perform a simple task. This year’s task is to turn off a light! During the competition, the public will be able to see the contraptions while at the Fleet. This exhibit will be included with general admission to the Fleet that day.
This fun competition will encourage teamwork and out-of-the-box problem solving, in a fresh learning environment and on a level playing field. All one needs is a good imagination and a pile of junk!
Space is limited, and the registration is $295* per team. The registration deadline is Friday, December 15, 2019.
First and second place winners at the Fleet will be eligible to participate in the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest Finals, which will be held Saturday, April 4, at the Lawrenceburg Event Center, in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
*A portion of the $395 team fee is underwritten thanks to the support of the San Diego County Engineering Council.
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Winter Break Paid Externships with SDWFP
Looking to gain paid work experience over winter school break this year? The San Diego Workforce Partnership (SDWP) is currently recruiting for their School Break Externship Program. They still have 80 spots available for high school and college students to work with a San Diego County employer over their school breaks. Externs will be paid $12 per hour for 22 hours of work and 12 hours of training over the course of their winter and/or spring breaks. Participants will also receive transportation and clothing assistance.
Eligibility Requirements:
In order to be eligible, participants must be age 16-24, low income (see income limits here), have a special housing situation, or be current or former foster youth.
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Bank of America Student Leaders Internship Opportunity
The Student Leaders program from Bank of America connects qualifying high school juniors and seniors with paid summer internships that have a focus on serving the community.
In addition to an eight-week internship working with a local nonprofit, each student will attend the Student Leaders Summit in July 2020 in Washington, D.C., with travel expenses paid by the program. The application period closes January 31, 2020.
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Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's R2L NextGen Program
Are you a high school student who wants to learn about how government works?
Apply now to CHCI’s R2L NextGen program and take advantage of an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C.
R2L® NextGen is a week-long leadership and civic engagement program for current high school sophomores and juniors. CHCI will bring a group of Latino high school students to D.C. to learn about how the Federal Government works, meet key leaders, visit historic sites and develop a deeper understanding of how they can affect positive change in their communities and their nation.
The program is completely FREE of charge to all selected student participants.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Feburary 15, 2020 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time
San Diego County students will participate in the program during the week of June 14-19 OR July 19-24.
In order to be eligible to apply, students must:
- Reside in San Diego County
- Be a current 10th or 11th grade student
- Demonstrate interest in learning more about civic engagement
While CHCI does require applicants to share their grades and a copy of their transcript, there is no minimum GPA requirement to apply.
All individuals are welcome to apply. However, preference is given to individuals with financial need.
Interested in applying? Visit apply.chci.org and complete the application named R2L NextGen – San Diego, California
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California Teacher's Association Scholarships, Grants, and Awards
California Teacher's Association (CTA) offers several different educational scholarships, grants and awards to members and their dependents throughout the academic year. Application deadlines are quickly approaching. More information can be found at www.cta.org/scholarships.
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San Diego Education Association Scholarships
San Diego Education Association (SDEA) annually offers scholarships for members and members’ dependents. The Dependent Application is for high school graduating seniors and current college-enrolled students, who are dependents of a current CTA/NEA/SDEA member.
The Member Application is for current CTA/NEA/SDEA members who wish to further their education. Applications can be found on the SDEA website: http://www.sdea.net/membership/scholarships. If you need further assistance with SDEA scholarships, contact Lisa Steinberg at SDEA (619) 283-4411 or steinberg_l@sdea.net. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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Monday-Sunday
12/09/19-12/15/19 |
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Computer Science Education Week
View activities to try at: https://csedweek.org |
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Monday
12/23/19 -
Friday
1/3/20 |
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Winter Break
No School |
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Month of Janurary |
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Litera-SEA San Diego Library Winter Reading Challenge
https://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/kidsandteens/winterreading
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Monday
1/20/20 |
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No School
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Observed |
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Friday
1/24/20 |
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Semester 1 Ends Traditional |
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Monday
1/27/20 |
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Year-round Schools Resume |
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Friday
2/14/20 |
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Semester 1 Ends Year-Round |
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Friday
2/14/20 |
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Deadline to register for March 14, 2020 SAT |
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