South Bay Union School District Annual Newspaper – 2019

A N N U A L N E W S P A P E R 2018 - 2019

BOARD OF TRUSTEES South Bay Governance Team Left-Right: Board Member Louis Barrios, Board Member Cheryl Quinones, Board Member Marco Amaral, Superintendent Katie McNamara, Board Member Barbara Elliott-Sanders, and Board Member Mary Doyle

TABLE OF CONTENTS Bayside STEAM Academy News......................................................3 Berry News...........................................................................................4 Central News.......................................................................................5 Emory Academy News.......................................................................6 Imperial Beach Charter News...........................................................7 Mendoza News....................................................................................8 Nestor Language Academy Charter News.....................................9 Nicoloff News....................................................................................10 Oneonta News..................................................................................11 Pence News.......................................................................................12 Sunnyslope News..............................................................................13 VIP Village Preschool News.............................................................14 District News......................................................................................15 SCHOOL DIRECTORY Education Center 601 Elm Avenue Imperial Beach, CA 91932 (619) 628-1600 Supt., Katie McNamara www.sbusd.org

Imperial Beach Charter 650 Imperial Beach Blvd.

Imperial Beach, CA 91932 (619) 628-5600 Principal, Melissa Griffith Asst. Principal, Ted Rexall-Scott

Bayside STEAM Academy 490 Emory Street Imperial Beach, CA 91932 (619) 628-2500 Principal, Kevin Coordt

Oneonta School Imperial Beach Charter, West 1311 Tenth Street Imperial Beach, CA 91932 525 Third Street (619) 628-8600 Imperial Beach, CA 91932 Principal, David Trautman (619) 628-8900 Principal, Melissa Griffith Pence School 877 Via Tonga Court Mendoza School San Diego, CA 92154 2050 Coronado Avenue (619) 662-8100 San Diego, CA 92154 Principal, Robert Daily (619) 424-0100

Berry School 2001 Rimbey Avenue San Diego, CA 92154 (619) 628-3500 Principal, Rick Oser Central School 1290 Ebony Avenue Imperial Beach, CA 91932 (619) 628-5000 Principal, Cori Herbst-Loehr Emory Academy of Global Leadership and Empowerment 1915 Coronado Avenue San Diego, CA 92154 (619) 628-5300 Principal, Jennifer Grondek

Principal, Jil Palmer Asst. Principal, Susy Chavez Nestor Language Academy Charter 1455 Hollister Street San Diego, CA 92154 (619) 628-0900 Principal, Gil Luna Asst. Principal, Estela Corrales

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Nicoloff School 1777 Howard Avenue San Ysidro, CA 92173 (619) 428-7000 Principal, Marla Fernandez Asst. Principal, Susy Chavez

Sunnyslope School 2500 Elm Avenue San Diego, CA 92154 (619) 628-8800 Principal, Cynthia Smith-Ough VIP Village Preschool 1001 Fern Avenue Imperial Beach, CA 91932 (619) 628-8690 Director, David Sheppard

Dear South Bay parents/guardians, students, staff and community members, As we conclude the 2018-2019 school year and reflect on another great year, I am incredibly proud of our students, families, and staff. We have had a busy and productive year.

• We expanded our commitment to student learning, innovation, and creativity. All TK-8 students have access to technology each and every day at school. Starting this year, all students in grades 4-6 were able to take their devices home to ensure 24/7 access to learning resources, information, and much more.

• In response to stakeholder input, we launched a VAPA (Visual and Performing Arts) and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) program, which was supported by the hiring of a new instructional team. These teachers were assigned to each school and provided instruction on a weekly basis to all students, from Transitional Kindergarten through grade six. Our VAPA/STEM program will continue to expand and ensure equitable access to arts education and opportunities to connect families with the arts. We are proud to be an Arts Equity District and to be providing these opportunities for students to engage, think creatively, collaborate, and develop their artistic talent.

• In October, we hosted an Active Shooter Drill at Imperial Beach Charter School to increase school safety and to help our staff and community prepare for an incident that will hopefully never occur. In partnership with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office and the Imperial Beach Fire Department, over 150 administrators, staff, and community members participated in two realistic scenarios and a debrief with law enforcement.

• This year, we continued to update classrooms and campuses with innovative furniture, creative spaces, flexible seating, maker spaces, and collaboration areas. Over the next several months, Central School and the Emory Academy will be modernized to update common areas, refresh classrooms, and upgrade utility systems.

• In September, South Bay was accepted into the League of Innovative Schools, a national coalition of forward-thinking school districts organized by Digital Promise, a nonprofit organization with the mission to accelerate innovation in education and improve the opportunity to learn for all through technology and research. The District was selected from a competitive national pool of applicants based on its leadership, evidence of results, innovative vision for learning, and commitment to collaboration.

• Nestor Language Academy received a 2018 America’s Best Urban Schools Award from the National Center for Urban School Transformation. Nestor was one of only 15 schools in the nation to be recognized for achieving excellent academic results for all student groups. As a Silver recipient, the site received $2,500. The campus also celebrated their County Teacher of the Year, middle school teacher Jose Villegas, who was honored for his dedication to his students. This is South Bay’s second Teacher of the Year in a row!

As the year draws to a close, we bid a bittersweet farewell to our eighth grade students and many of our sixth grade students. Congratulations to all and best wishes for great success in the future! We are also saying goodbye to several retiring staff members.

Thanks for your many contributions to South Bay! Best wishes for a wonderful summer. We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Monday, July 22, 2019.

Sincerely,

Katie McNamara, Ed.D. Superintendent

Kevin Coordt, Principal

A YEAR IN REVIEW

Your child’s journey to the future begins at the Bayside STEAM Academy!

BAYSIDE STEAM ACADEMY NEWS

Picture an Honor Roll student. You probably envision a student who is strong at memorizing content, can repeat operations, and can follow directions. Memorizing material, following directions, and repeating operations is what robots and artificial intelligence do best.

ing to research, investigate, and work collaboratively to develop, revise, and test prototypes as a means of expressing an idea or a concept. We believe students need to have time in the “arena” to present or compete, become vulnerable, and make their learning public.

Bayside is preparing your children to create the future, not to be replaced by it.

Bayside continues to develop more community partners including Action Drones, Living Coast Discovery Center, Earth Discovery Institute, the Fleet Science Center, Technolochicas, and Samsung, in order to deepen and enhance learning.

Students are not only learning about the world of work through outside experts, but they are simultaneously developing grit and perseverance.

Our focus is to develop innovative and creative problem solvers. We are preparing our scholars for the future through engineering challenges, Arduino robotics, STEM challenges, Future City Design teams, student-selected passion electives, visual and performing arts, and submersibles. We are creating a culture of risk-taking and failing forward as a means to revise, improve, and develop a growth mind-set. Our scholars are learning from their mistakes and through this process, they are becoming critical thinkers and effective communicators. Our scholars are learn-

We don’t know what problems our scholars will encounter in the future, and we don’t know what type of technology will exist, but we know Bayside is developing and setting the foundation of skills necessary for our students to solve those unforeseen challenges of the future.

South Bay Union School District NEWS | 3

BERRY NEWS

Rick Oser, Principal

A YEAR IN REVIEW The 2018-19 school year at Berry has been nothing less than remarkable! Under the leadership of new Principal, Rick Oser, Berry has set course in its quest to be a world class school and to help every student reach their limitless potential!

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2018-19 has been a “year of firsts” as the staff has built upon the wonderful programs by adding many new ones. Led by amazing teachers and staff, each of these programs gave students the opportunity to explore unlimited possibilities. One of the exciting new clubs was the Berry School Choir. This after-school club was showcased throughout the community and gave students the opportunity to perform for diverse audiences, large and small. In addition, the Berry staff was pleased to launch a new after-school Robotics Club. Members worked on designing, building, coding, and developing their interests in the area of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). We were also excited about the new after-school Art Club, which encouraged students to learn about art techniques and create their very own masterpieces.

We also launched many new community-wide events this year, which gave students the opportunity to showcase their interests and talents.

These events included the Black History Month Celebration, where all grade levels gained important knowledge about the extraordinary contribu-

tions of African Americans throughout history as well as their continued impact on our lives. Berry also held its First Annual Talent Show, which complemented many other “first-time” performances.

The stage was full of students sharing their talents in front of an eager audience.

All of our efforts to provide students with new experiences and opportunities is directly connected to our commitment to develop the whole child.

Our team is not only dedicated to challenging our students to become exceptional readers, writers, mathematicians, and critical thinkers, but also develop their social and emotional skills and positive habits. We are ecstatic about our decision to implement the social-emotional curriculum, Caring School Community, as well as teaching mindfulness strategies so that students can become their best selves. Our staff is determined to ensure every student leaves Berry with the skills, habits, and mindset to develop their limitless potential!

We can’t wait for next year so we can have a year of “second annuals” as well as many more “firsts!”

Cori Herbst-Loehr, Principal

share that we are deeply invested and engaged in the development of our Positive Behavior Systems and that this year, the Central team analyzed and evaluated student behavior data and trends to determine the areas of greatest need. What we discovered is that our community needed a program to support staff, students, and families in developing scholarly characteristics and behaviors.

A YEAR IN REVIEW

Our PBIS team went right to work! One of the big goals was to find a school-wide program to implement that would support us in our efforts to continue to build character and also promote student growth and achievement. The team reviewed a number of great curricula, including components of each program and learning how it would serve the needs of our kids.

At Central we expect our scholars to be SAFE, MOTIVATED, ARTISTIC, RESPECTFUL and TRUSTWORTHY. Our SMART tenets promote the ideals of Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS), but also build on the District’s focus of positive proactive learning environments where strong relationships are developed and connections are created. We are excited to

In December, the PBIS team selected Second Step curriculum authored by The Committee for Children. Second Step is a Social Emotional Learning program focused on “Not just better students, better people.” This program has demonstrated success and is helping to transform schools into supportive and successful learning environments. Second Step has multiple components including a bullying prevention program and a child protection element designed to arm kids with resources and tools

CENTRAL NEWS

to recognize, respond to, and report abuse. One of the tools that we’ve seen the most immediate benefit of is Mind Yeti, which is an online resource that provides guided mindfulness sessions to assist students with relaxation and focus.

What we know about the launch of any program, is that it takes time and energy to implement properly. The Central staff is all in! On a rainy Saturday in February, the entire teaching team gathered at the school to complete a day long training and planning session. The team reviewed the many ways to support students and how to best align and implement the program in the current PBIS environment. One of the most unique features of Second Step is that it also includes many resources for families to use at home, with a weekly communication that shares what their children are practicing at school.

As we plan for next year, we are already considering ways to further partner in this work with our parents and community, including opportunities for Central families to experience onsite learning related to PBIS and the Second Step program. We are so excited to see the positive outcomes already starting and know that with the implementation of this program we are on the path to social and emotional success for all students.

South Bay Union School District NEWS | 5

EMORY ACADEMY OF GLOBAL LEADERSHIP AND EMPOWERMENT

Jennifer Grondek, Principal

Sense of Justice, Purpose, Temperance, Respect, Empowerment, and Courage and Commitment.

Throughout the year, at our Soaring to Success Assemblies, we celebrated students who demonstrated these attributes.

A YEAR IN REVIEW This year, Emory relaunched as the Emory Academy of Global Leadership and Empowerment.

As a part of our re-branding, the Emory team worked together to refine our mission statement and vision for our students. Additionally, we developed the following Global Leadership Attributes:

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Emory students attended a launch party to ignite excitement and inspire service. The event included the world premiere of the E.A.G.L.E. Stomp - a chant accompanied by hand and body gestures as well as a performance of the Merengue by grade 2-5 students. Prior to the event, each student wrote a wish for the world. At the launch party, each student carried their wish through an arch and placed their wish for the world in our school vessel.

In addition to the launch party, we hosted a ribbon cutting event to celebrate our new mission and campus name. The event began with remarks

by Principal Jennifer Grondek, Student Council President Lexi Carter, and Superintendent Dr. Katie McNamara. Special guests included Board Members Barbara Elliott-Sanders, Melanie Ellsworth, and Cheryl Quinones, and Lucero Chavez, a Field Representative from Assemblywoman Lo-

rena Gonzalez-Fletcher’s office. Following the program, which included the unveiling of the school’s new logo and a student performance of the Emory Unity Stomp, guests enjoyed refreshments and read students’ wishes for the world. Superintendent McNamara was thrilled to officially launch the new program. “I am incredibly proud of the Emory team for their commitment to offering our students interactive, engaging, and relevant learning opportunities.”

We continue to provide opportunities for our students to make a difference at their school, in their community, and around the world. A few of our current opportunities for students include, our participation in the Global Cardboard Challenge; The Dream Create, Give Back Challenge; School Garden Compost crew; and our Partnership with San Diego Audubon to develop the Bayside Path.

We’re proud about what we’re doing today and how we will expand leadership opportunities for our students in the future.

It was a great year at Emory!

Melissa Griffith, Principal // Ted Rexall-Scott, Asst. Principal

IMPERIAL BEACH CHARTER NEWS

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vative learners. Through much research and analysis, we are excited to announce that Imperial Beach Charter will be a Computer Science Focus School starting in the 2019-2020 school year.” As part of the design process, staff are looking at models of excellence across California and on February 22 and March 15, a team from Imperial Beach Charter visited Casita Center K-5 Coding Academy in the Vista Unified School District.

A YEAR IN REVIEW Imperial Beach Charter - Focusing on the Future!

Principal Melissa Griffith explains, “In response to our stakeholder feedback, we have spent the past two years exploring specialty programs that would best serve our community of inno-

Assistant Principal Ted Rexall-Scott went on to describe, “We were really impressed with the data collected by Casita Center (photo) and feel that a similar program could really elevate our students as they prepare for high school, college and career, and beyond. When we look to the future, we are always thinking about ways to best prepare our students for their social, civic, and economic lives. There is no question, in view of societal trends, that our student’s lives will be intertwined with computer science.”

Our initial hope is that our Computer Science Focus will provide every student with foundational skills such as basic knowledge of coding with the aim to develop critical problem-solving

skills. From coding, in the 2019-2020 school year, we hope to develop other computer science related competencies.

Principal Griffith said, “We are building a foundational Computer Science program at IB that will support students through hands-on experiences to utilize problem-solving skills and persevere to the highest level of competency possible. We know that the sky is the limit when it comes to the many diverse and exciting opportunities that our students will have after attending IB and through the addition of Computer Science we will be able to add even more value to an already amazing school.” When asked about the addition of Computer Science at IB Charter, 8th grade teacher Gabriela Lively said, “This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to learn skills that will prepare them for future success.”

We are genuinely excited as we solidify our plans to create an innovative Computer Science Focus School. Stay tuned for more information on the amazing and innovative programs to come at Imperial Beach Charter!

South Bay Union School District NEWS | 7

MENDOZA NEWS

Jil Palmer, Principal // Susy Chavez, Asst. Principal

ated for all students of all grade levels to use and enjoy. The Innovation Playground resides in a nook within the school library and includes flexible seating, which gives students the ability to stand, sit, or lay on a beanbag while imagining their engineering creation or simply while reading an exciting book about robotics. The Playground is a place that provides students the opportunity to create, stimulate their minds, and should they choose, find a place to enjoy an alternative form of recess.

A YEAR IN REVIEW

This year, Mendoza took the first steps in creating what will soon be widely known as our Innovation Playground. This space has been cre-

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Our first steps included painting the walls with inviting and engaging colors, adding new furniture, and provisioning the space with a variety of materials and supplies. This spring, we began to invite small groups of students to explore this new area to get feedback about what works and what students would like to see added to the space. During this pilot phase, students had the ability to choose what they would like to spend their time doing while in the Innovation Playground area. For exam-

ple, there is an area for arts and crafts, another for puzzles and problem-solving, and another for building and creating.

Our next steps will include our Instructional Media Resource Technician teaching robotics and coding with LittleBits or Sphero Balls. We have also created a section with books that focus on Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Technology, Art, and Robotics. Through the engineering and design process, students will be able to use whiteboards as their canvas to draw their visions and ideas, and with the provided supplies they will be able to create their models. We can’t wait to see how our newest playground evolves and to see what our brilliant young Mendoza Explorers create!

Innovation Playground‌.a space to cultivate, grow and thrive on the interests of students and that inspires and motivates students to continue wanting to explore their newly sparked curiosities!

Gil Luna, Principal // Estela Corrales, Asst. Principal

NESTOR LANGUAGE ACADEMY CHARTER NEWS

Principal Gil Luna attributes Nestor’s outstanding results to the staff’s focus on the three goals of the two-way immersion program: 1. E nsure that all students reach high levels of academic achievement.

2. E nsure that all students become bilingual/biliterate in English and Spanish.

3. E nsure that all students develop sociocultural competence.

A YEAR IN REVIEW Nestor Language Academy was one of fifteen schools nationwide that were selected this year as one of America’s Best Urban Schools by the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST). NCUST describes these schools as “typical urban schools that achieve atypical results – proving that, despite the challenges, excellence and equity are possible in urban education.” Nestor received a $2500 check, which was used for books and a banner, which is displayed on campus.

These goals are based on the core beliefs that all students, regardless of background, have the ability to be academically successful in two languages and have unique gifts and talents that they can use to make a difference in the world.

In addition to holding our students to the highest academic expectations, the Nestor team has created a school culture that values students’ varied rich cultural backgrounds and home languages. Our third goal, developing sociocultural competence, has allowed Nestor to create an environment where students feel safe, valued and respected, and most importantly, gives them a sense of belonging and connectedness.

The staff believe that this culture of acceptance and inclusiveness is an important contributing factor to student academic performance.

Throughout the two-way immersion program,

students have opportunities to reflect on their self-identity, develop compassion toward others (especially those who are culturally different from themselves), and learn about social justice issues.

The Community Service Projects completed by students in the eighth grade are examples of our students’ strong sense of self-identity and belief that they can be agents of change and leaders in an increasingly interdependent global society.

Over the years, students have volunteered at hundreds of organizations and have led projects such as sponsoring bone marrow drives, organizing toy drives for orphanages across the border, and environmental clean-up efforts.

NCUST also recognized 8th grade student, Melissa Valenzuela, who was one of the winners of the America’s Best Urban Schools Speech Contest. Her speech highlighted her experience at Nestor and the impact the two-way immersion program has had on her ability to believe in herself, work with others, and develop leadership skills. Melissa received a Certificate of Achievement and a $250 award.

Congratulations to the Nestor community on an outstanding year!

South Bay Union School District NEWS | 9

NICOLOFF NEWS

Marla Fernandez, Principal // Susy Chavez, Asst. Principal

orous texts dealing with a variety of topics. Each year, 25 books are selected that span genres and topics, including award winning titles. Additionally, there are a variety of reading levels to accomodate all students. Nicoloff staff, administrators, and community members volunteer to lead a Book Club, which focuses on enriching the lesson or moral of the book with projects and activities.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Let’s get ready to rumble!

Let the Battle of the Books begin!

Second grade student Gabriel Flores enjoyed reading the book, Chocolate Milk, Por Favor because “it taught me to be kind.” Genesis Valle, a sixth grade student from Ms. Paik’s class, believes that The Battle of the Books has motivated her to not only read, but has allowed her to be able to connect to the stories when she is reading. For example, one of her favorite books is Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. She said, “The book was very emotional for me because I could feel what they were feeling and because it reminded me of my uncle who died of cancer.”

Battle of the Books started five years ago at Nicoloff. The goal is to encourage a love of reading in students and challenge them to read rig-

This school year, Nicoloff K-3 students have read 2,319 books and students in grades 4-6 have read 785!

A YEAR IN REVIEW

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Community Book Clubs Both Battle of the Books and Battle of the Books Junior have continued their community outreach as a culminating activity for a Book Club that is led by Nicoloff staff, administrators, and members of a community organization. After reading Zane and the Hurricane, the American Red Cross shared disaster preparedness and practice drills in the event of a home disaster or emergency with 4-6 grade students.

Students look forward to the Book Club meetings when they can meet with other students and discuss books like Rescue and Jessica, whose theme of a long-lasting friendship inspired students to create their own friendship bracelets.

Experiments are even conducted during the Book Club! After reading Beetle and Bard, students were able to make a surprising concoction!

Activities such as these are facilitated by Nicoloff staff and are planned with the interest of the students in mind. The activities are connected to the lesson or theme of the book selection. Laughter, smiles, and fun abound at the Book Club!

David Trautman, Principal

• Think Win-Win – Seeking innovative solutions.

• Seek First to Understand and then to be Understood – Listening with a loving heart.

• S ynergize – Working collaboratively to achieve excellence.

• S harpen the Saw – Taking care of our minds, bodies, and hearts.

A YEAR IN REVIEW Oneonta is proud to be a Leader in Me school.

Here, every single child is a leader. Our students, teachers, and families work collaboratively to ensure that each student develops and grows in the Seven Habits: • Be Proactive – Taking responsibility, ownership, and control of ones’ actions.

• Begin with the End in Mind – Setting and achieving goals.

• Put First Things First – Prioritizing.

For the past three years, our community has been working to deepen our expertise at building these leadership skills in our students. After making great strides, we have set the ambitious goal to achieve “Lighthouse Status” in the 2019-2020 school year. This will mean that our school will be officially recognized as a beacon of excellence in leadership by the Leader in Me organization.

You can see, feel, and hear evidence of this progress when you visit our campus. You might find upper-grade students volunteering to help out in lower-grade classrooms, at lower-grade recess, or with our developmentally diverse students. You might encounter positive messages written in chalk on the ground by our students and teachers. You’ll likely hear students encouraging one another. In fact, when one South Bay Board Member was playing soccer with our third grade students and missed a goal, one of our students said, “It’s okay! You’ll get it next time!” This positive energy permeates our campus; it is a place where kids (and adults!) feel happy, safe, and loved.

ONEONTA NEWS

Our leadership environment also helps facilitate deep learning. As you walk into classrooms, you are likely to find students sitting in special spots – at desks, under desks, even on desks! – working diligently and joyfully on reading and writing. You’ll find them individually tracking and setting goals and managing themselves to stay on task while the teacher conducts small groups or conferences with students. You might also see their books and notebooks packed with post-its showing the thinking work they’re doing. If you are lucky, you’ll come on a day when our students are celebrating a “publishing party,” to display their final writing projects of a unit.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the tremendous collaboration between our teachers and our families. This relationship runs deep. This year, in fact, one of our parents wrote a winning nomination of Sonia Hernandez for KSON’s Teachers Are Heroes program. As one of the twelve winners annually in the County, Ms. Hernandez’s class attended a special celebration at Lego Land. Among other things, this parent wrote in her letter that Ms. Hernandez “gives her whole soul to her kids.” This truly embodies what Oneonta is all about!

We are a school where kids feel happy, safe, and loved. We collaboratively teach our students academics and leadership with a smile…because education matters!

South Bay Union School District NEWS | 11

PENCE NEWS

Robert Daily, Principal

A YEAR IN REVIEW

This year, Pence was honored to be selected to participate in a year of School Wellness by the UCSD Center for Community Health School Wellness. In order to be selected, staff completed an application indicating that specific wellness activities were in place, including having a site-based Wellness Committee, and that Committee members and staff would be willing to expand initiatives and work closely with the UCSD Center. Participation in the program provides students and families nutrition education and obesity prevention assistance. Pence combined two initiatives intending to encourage students to select, eat, and enjoy healthy foods: the Smarter Lunchroom Movement and Harvest of the Month.

For the Smarter Lunchroom Movement, the UCSD team came to Pence to analyze our plate waste and advise how to apply research-

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based principles to the cafeteria environment and food display that leads students to make healthy choices. In the Harvest of the Month program, students are introduced to a healthy food item the first Tuesday of every month.

This item is provided to every classroom where the item is taste-tested and discussed in great detail. Teachers are asked to submit survey results and opinions of students and asked for feedback on the lessons. This year, students have tried cucumbers, jicama, and oranges. The same item is then provided to the students during their lunch period. This experience has provided the opportunity for students to try foods they have never experienced before and allowed for them to realize the benefits of making healthy choices for the rest of their lives.

It was an outstanding year of wellness at Pence!

Cynthia Smith-Ough, Principal

A YEAR IN REVIEW

This year, Sunnyslope launched a new schoolwide partnership with Sports for Learning to provide students with fun and active ways to learn STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) concepts through movement and sports. Sports for Learning utilizes college athletes as role models, mentors, and coaches to students throughout California and Texas. The coaches are trained to use Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) methods to help foster a supportive school climate and reduce the number of disciplinary referrals.

Each Sports for Learning game is centered around a New Generation Science Standard concept such as energy, mathematics, or engi-

SUNNYSLOPE NEWS

neering. Every game has a curiosity question as well as a phrase that pays. For example, “need for speed” focuses on speed and distance. The curiosity question might be, “what travels faster, light or sound?” All curiosity questions are broad, open-ended questions that maximize the number of answers across a variety of grade levels.

Sunnyslope students have enjoyed the high energy lessons and hands-on experience. In addition to learning STEM through sports, students also learn cooperative skills that are essential to teamwork. It’s a win-win all around!

South Bay Union School District NEWS | 13

VIP VILLAGE NEWS

David Sheppard, Director

VIP VILLAGE PRESCHOOL On March 20, hundreds of Preschool students and their families gathered at the Education Center to celebrate the 2019 VIP Village Art Show. Each Preschool classroom in the District created a distinctive work of art to showcase at the event. Each art piece was accompanied by a description of how the students brought their vision to life.

All the art was sold at the evening’s silent auction, the proceeds of which will be used for special campus events, including Snow Day, Preschool Olympics, and many more. Two of the masterpieces went for over $200 each!

Many of the students and guests dressed in their fancy clothes for the event. Preschool teachers from Sunnyslope, Martha Avalos and Fabiola Manriquez, shared why their students were so dressed up, “we discussed in class how people dress differently for various events. We talked about how attire for the beach is not the same as the clothes someone might wear to church. We shared pictures of people at an Art Exhibit, noticing how people were dressed. We encouraged the parents of our students to dress them up for the event.”

This was an amazing event, which proves that South Bay elementary schools have some outstanding artists coming to their schools in the not too distant future. Kudos to the entire VIP Village team, especially Family Services Liaison Marina Vazquez, for a wonderful celebration of student creativity!

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SBUSD NEWS EMPLOYEES OF THE YEAR

DISTRICT CHAMPIONS This year, Superintendent McNamara continued the District Champions program to recognize students, parents/guardians, staff, teams, and community members that demonstrate outstanding work, dedication to South Bay’s mission and goals, commitment to our community, and strong support for our schools. Congratulations to the following Champions: • District-wide: Karen Densmore (Child Nutrition Supervisor) and Adrian Castro, Stephanie Estrada, Tina Ford, Kimberlee Hall, Steven Howser, Toni May, Vanessa Velazquez, and Leslie Warren (Instructional Media Resource Technicians and a Personnel Technician).

• Bayside STEAM Academy: Diana Cordova (Instructional Assistant), Xochitl Villegas (Instructional Assistant), Claudia May (volunteer), the Irish Outreach Center of San Diego (community organization), Amanda Pelloth (teacher), and Rachel Swader, Celeste Bonilla, Nicolaus Ortega, Natalie Arroyo-Vega, and Elizabeth Leyva Martinez (students).

• Berry: Jeanette Lizarraga (parent).

(Pictured L-R) Superintendent Katie McNamara, Board Member Louis Barrios, Board Member Barbara Elliott-Sanders, Herlindo Fernandez, Veronica Soriano, Board Member Mary Doyle, Board Member Cheryl Quinones, and Board Member Marco Amaral.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2019 EMPLOYEES OF THE YEAR! Site/Department

Certificated Representative Classified Representative

Bayside STEAM Academy

Kelly Christensen

Gloria Guzman

Berry

Tawnia Vinland

Gerardo Ruiz

Central

Jose Guzman

Leonard Elston

Education Center Emory Academy IB Charter

Carlos Leon

Javier Montes

Vicky Ferra

Facilities Mendoza

Veronica Soriano

Erika Gundermann

Laura Ortiz

Herlindo Fernandez

Amalia Mendoza

Dania Cabrera

Delia Ayala

Nicoloff

Adriana Aguilar-Mas

Leticia Reynoso

Oneonta

Jenny Pagaard

Jose Mora

Pence

Monica Corona

Martha Stingl

Sunnyslope

Marivel Lopez

Ramona Ramirez

Nestor Language Academy

Transportation VIP Village Preschool

Sara Golden

Warehouse District-Wide

Herlindo Fernandez (Mendoza)

Lupita Villa Yesenia Gonzalez Olivia Fay Veronica Soriano (Education Center)

LET’S TALK South Bay is pleased to announce the launch of Let’s Talk to give our community a new, convenient way to communicate with District staff. The Let’s Talk technology gives families and the community a 24/7 outlet to ask questions, offer praise, or raise concerns about their school or the District.

• E mory Academy of Global Leadership and Empowerment: Elmer Vigilia/Silver Gate Three Stars Masonic Lodge and Claude H. Morrison Masonic Lodge (community organization), Lourdes Gonzalez, Maria Zavala, Martha Morales, and Guadalupe Carrillo (volunteers), San Diego Police Officers Thomas Parilla, Saum Poorsaleh, and Steve Gudoy (community organization), and Jordyn-Dionne Webster, Joaquin Almaguer, Diamonet Wimbley, Diana Roman, Azela Huerta Esparza, Leely Guzman, Lexi Carter, Erika Preciado, and Ashley Perez Gandara (students).

• Imperial Beach Charter: Liliana Hernandez (Office Clerk).

• M endoza: Arminda Nigh (teacher) and Sandra Ramirez, Guillermo Rodriguez, Eliseo Sisneros, Joseph Tipton, Ann Newman, Jolyn Llamas, Pam MacDonald, Susan Connors, Noma Bruso, Maria Urrea, Teresa Price, and Fran Cavaco (volunteers).

• N estor Language Academy: Alvaro Alvarez, Dania Cabrera, Delia Uribe, Gloria Munoz, Irene Perez, Jose Villegas, Juan Escamilla, and Mark Rosillo (Middle School teaching team), Mariel Origel (Community Volunteer Coordinator), and Melinda Rodriguez (parent).

• S unnyslope: Nelida Ramirez Briceno, Emily Flannigan, Maria Garcia, Halley Neufeld, Linette Salome, Suzanne Savoie, Sandra Sawa, and Aimee Verhoeven (Special Education team).

The recognition program will continue next year and we look forward to honoring more South Bay Champions!

INNOVATION EXPO On April 24, South Bay Union hosted the Third Annual Innovation Expo to highlight the innovation, creativity, and imagination happening in, and around, the District.

The event included interactive booths from all twelve of the District’s campuses. Participants had the opportunity to fly a drone with the Bayside STEAM Academy, build a maze with Sunnyslope School, create wooden bookmarks with staff from Nicoloff School, and join the team from Oneonta School to build a boat, among many others. Several community organizations also hosted booths including BAE Systems, Computers 2 SD Kids, Energy Coalition, PEGG, Port of San Diego, Rick Engineering, San Diego Tracking Team, SCST, LLC,. SDSU Engineering, Southwestern College, Southwest Middle School, and WSP USA.

Designed by K12 Insight, Let’s Talk is part of South Bay’s commitment to collaboration and transparent dialogue with our community. The link is available on the District’s website and is accessible anytime, anywhere and from any device. Each Let’s Talk submission is automatically sent to the appropriate staff member for follow-up. Users may remain anonymous, or they can submit their contact information to receive a direct response. Let’s Talk includes an easy-to-use web form that quickly takes in information, questions, concerns, or compliments and directs that content instantly where it needs to go. A feedback form will also be available, so users can rate their experience using Let’s Talk.

In addition to an art gallery displaying student work, student speakers and group performances were featured in Burress Auditorium. Thank you to Ms. Lockwood’s Kindergarten Class from Imperial Beach Charter; the Emory Academy Dancers; the Berry School Choir; the First Grade Students from Imperial Beach Charter; Valeria Felix from the Emory Academy; and Panabi Hyson Free, Zoe De Los Santos, Vianca Garcia, Angelica Lopez, Jose Lopez, and Jessica White from Imperial Beach Charter.

We invite our community to join a conversation on topics of interest. Every Let’s Talk submission will be read and addressed by District staff. The Let’s Talk application may be downloaded in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store with code SB1640.

It was an amazing afternoon of experimentation, inspiration, and innovation. Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support of South Bay: North Island Credit Union, Mission Federal Credit Union, Rich’s, Kona Ice, and Sparkletts.

Refreshments were provided by Just Smother It!, King Cream Ice Cream, and water stations from Sparkletts.

South Bay Union School District NEWS | 15

SO MANY GOOD THINGS HAPPENING!

A N N U A L N E W S P A P E R 2018 - 2019 El Boletín Informativo del Distrito se encuentra disponible en www.sbusd.org