South Bay Union School District – Annual Newspaper

SOUTH BAY UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT

ANNUAL NEWSPAPER

El Boletín Informativo del Distrito se encuentra disponible en www.sbusd.org

2014 - 2015

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Dear SBUSD parents, guardians, and community members,

Chris Brown President

Barbara Elliott-Sanders Vice President

Melanie Ellsworth Clerk

Elvia Aguilar Member

Vacant Member

TABLE OF CONTENTS Bayside News.......................................................................................3 Berry News...........................................................................................4 Central News.......................................................................................5 Emory 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 News................................................................................14 SBUSD News.....................................................................................15 SCHOOL DIRECTORY Education Center 601 Elm Avenue Imperial Beach, CA 91932 (619) 628-1600 Supt., Katie McNamara www.sbusd.org Bayside School 490 Emory Street Imperial Beach, CA 91932 (619) 628-2500 Principal, Patricia Valdivia Berry School 2001 Rimbey Avenue San Diego, CA 92154 (619) 628-3500 Principal, Gil Luna Central School 1290 Ebony Avenue Imperial Beach, CA 91932 (619) 628-5000 Principal, Armando Lopez Emory School 1915 Coronado Avenue San Diego, CA 92154 (619) 628-5300 Principal, Jil Palmer

Imperial Beach Charter 650 Imperial Beach Blvd.

Imperial Beach, CA 91932 (619) 628-5600 Principal, Pamela Reichert-Montiel Asst. Principal, Karla Lerma Imperial Beach Charter, West 525 Third Street Imperial Beach, CA 91932 (619) 628-8900 Director Melissa Griffith Mendoza School 2050 Coronado Avenue San Diego, CA 92154 (619) 424-0100 Principal Don Visnick Asst. Principal, Clinton Anderson Nestor Language Academy Charter 1455 Hollister Street San Diego, CA 92154 (619) 628-0900 Principal Guadalupe Avilez Asst. Principal, Beatriz Carlos

Nicoloff School 1777 Howard Avenue San Ysidro, CA 92173 (619) 428-7000 Principal Rigo Lara Asst. Principal, Estela Corrales Oneonta School 1311 Tenth Street Imperial Beach, CA 91932 (619) 628-8600 Principal, Marla Fernandez Pence School 877 Via Tonga Court San Diego, CA 92154 (619) 662-8100 Principal, Robert Daily 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

Katie McNamara, Ed.D. Superintendent

On behalf of the South Bay Union School District Board of Trustees and our administrative team, I’d like to express my appreciation to our families and the community for their continued support and involvement in our District. I also want to thank the teachers and support staff who have worked tirelessly to provide our students with exceptional educational experiences this year. Educating children and preparing them for the future is truly a team effort.

SBUSD is extremely proud of the work accomplished this year on behalf of students. During a year of implementing new state standards, new assessment systems, new report cards and more, the SBUSD team has risen to the occasion! Highlights of our year include the following: Learning and Achievement: • Full implementation of rigorous state standards in both language arts and mathematics • Significant change in mathematics instruction with a focus on problem solving and reasoning • New assessment measures in language arts and mathematics focused on problem solving and critical reading and thinking • Deployment of new student assessment data system to better track student performance and growth • Implementation of new aligned report cards providing parents with information about their child’s performance on new standards • Professional development for all teachers in the areas of mathematics, English Language Development, technology integration and science • Implementation of Systematic English Language Development instruction across the District • Collaborative redesign of credentialed teacher evaluation tool Digital Literacy: • One-to-one Chromebook laptops for every 4th, 5th and 6th grade student • Professional development for teachers in the area of technology integration • “Compete to Connect” initiative for families without Internet access through Cox Communications Facilities: • Modernization completed resulting in significant improvement in school facilities and environments • Crisis management and comprehensive safety plans completed for all sites • Facility improvements to increase school safety Awards and Celebrations: • MAGNA Award from the National School Board’s Association for “Let’s Dance Kids!” program • Honoring Our Own Awards to Kim Phifer, Human Resources Administrator of the Year and Terry Loyo, Staff Member of the Year • Biliteracy Symposium Honorees Erica Montoya (IB Charter) and Irene Robles (Sunnyslope) • Classified Employee of the Year Julie Penwell (Purchasing) and District Teacher of the Year Annalicia Guido (Nestor) • San Diego Chargers Play 60 Challenge Grant to Oneonta School • San Diego Red Carpet Dual Language Tour at Nestor Language Academy • County-wide award winning Safety Patrol at Sunnyslope School • Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) nine weeks with over 50 parents participating at Mendoza School • Martin Luther King Day of Service with the University of California, San Diego at Pence School As we reflect upon our success this year, we also look to the future and begin planning for the upcoming school year. Through the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) process this year, a clear set of goals emerged for the South Bay Union School District. The following focus areas represent our highest priorities and create action plans for growth.

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Patricia Valdivia, Ed.D., Principal

CHARGER CAMP

Exercise and healthy choices were promoted at our Junior Chargers Training Camp. Throughout the camp students heard messages about the importance of education, physical fitness, nutrition and goal setting. Charger players Tenny Palepoi (#72), Javontee Herndon (#8) and the San Diego Police Athletic League volunteers guided our students through a variety of football drills featuring knock-away dummies, ladders and halfback pads just like the Chargers! Thanks to generous donations from the Chargers, Star Pal and Kaiser Permanente, our students were given Gatorade for hydration and a free t-shirt!

BAYSIDE NEWS

I LOVE A CLEAN SAN DIEGO BEACH CLEAN-UP

Bayside’s 6th graders were among the 1,200 volunteers from San Diego and Mexico to come together at both sides of the border to remove debris along Border Field State Park and Playas de Tijuana. After the cleanup, one by one, the students filed into the aerial art outline to form an art image and commemorate the first ever bi-national Kids Ocean Day!

LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE

FAMILY LITERACY NIGHT

Thanks to a grant written by our UCSD partners, Bayside students gained an appreciation of the arts and learned key facts about a heroic astronaut when the La Jolla Playhouse presented their Performance Outreach Program (POP) tour play of The Astronaut Farmworker. This engaging story was about a boy who came to the United States from Mexico.

His parents were farmworkers who when they were not working the fields, would return to Mexico. Because of this, the young boy missed out on learning concepts and learning English. In spite of the fact that he was behind in school, the boy dreamed of reaching the stars. With the boy’s determination and the understanding of his parents, this boy grew up to become a real live NASA astronaut.

Family Literacy Night took place during Dr. Seuss week.

During the week, Bayside students celebrated reading with a spirit week filled with crazy hats, costumes, crazy hair and pajamas. Our Navy partners from the USS Princeton were on hand to read stories and lead games for our families. The evening ended with students selecting donated books to take home to enjoy.

USS PRINCETON PARTNERSHIP

In early March, Bayside students hosted a beautiful ceremony formalizing a partnership with the USS Princeton crew. This exciting event marked the start of weekly organized partnership activities. The positive partnership with our navy heroes provides our students with role models to which they can aspire to emulate while strengthening Bayside’s ties to the community.

VISIBLE LEARNERS

Visible learning is knowing precisely what you are learning. This occurs when teachers see learning through the eyes of their students. By doing so, teachers plan their lessons with purpose in mind. Teachers will state the learning objective and state where the strategy might be used. With this information, students are encouraged to set goals. Bayside teachers learned about and planned to set up Visible Learning situations during our professional development days in January and March.

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BERRY NEWS

Gil Luna, Principal

JOG-A-THON

On Friday, April 17, 2015 Berry Elementary held its 1st annual Jog-a-thon event. The PTA president and our parent volunteer coordinator worked tirelessly to ensure the event was a complete success. The PTA president and our parent volunteer coordinator did not invest money but they donated a lot of time. They went to our local community business partners and asked for donations to support the event. They were able to obtain bottled water for every student, oranges for every student, t-shirts for staff and RITA’s Ice. Most importantly we had many parents attend the event to cheer on their children. Parents from all the different grade levels came to show support to the students. In the end, because of the event the PTA was able to gather more than $2,000 in donations. This money will go directly to our school and our students.

POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT This year Berry Elementary began a new focus on the Positive Behavior Support (PBS) model. We began the year by kicking off with a behavior assembly that focused on the three principles of PBS; being respectful, responsible and safe. At the assembly students were taught the previously mentioned principles, assembly expectations and terminology we would be using for the year. Then after every break we returned to kick-off with an assembly. Each assembly was planned based on the students needs and what patterns we saw regarding behaviors. Also, we started teaching students weekly expectations and then held them to those expectations. Some examples of the expectations are hallway expectations, bathroom expectations, playground expectations, cafeteria expectations and more. Teachers teach the expectation of the week and as a staff we focus on acknowledging and reinforcing the behavior. This year we will continue to collect data on student discipline and use it as a baseline/benchmark.

ENGLISH LEARNER TASK FORCE

The English Learner task Force is a committee comprised of teacher representatives from every grade level. We meet four times a year to plan our English language development program at Berry. The team makes sure to address the needs of our English language learners and also is trained in the current research that will give us a better understanding of our populations and the best practices available for instruction. After the teacher leaders complete their full day release with the principal, academic coach and resource teacher they are entrusted the responsibility of trainig their colleagues. We make sure to schedule a guaranteed time, such as our Wednesday PLC time, to accomplish this task. We are very proud of the work that the task force has completed.

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Armando Lopez, Principal

CENTRAL NEWS

LEARNING AND ACHIEVEMENT FOR ALL

Central Elementary has focused on the implementation of the new state math standards this school year. Teachers have been given time to learn the standards as well as plan dynamic differentiated lessons to meet the needs of all students. In an effort to support teachers, Central has created professional developments aligned with district efforts based on Math Conceptual Understanding and Number Talks. As a result, teachers have become prepared to deliver high quality math lessons supporting learning and achievement for all students.

POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE FOR ALL-STUDENT LEADERSHIP

• The Student Council gives Central students the opportunity to learn and build leadership skills through many activities. Our students know that by participating in Student Council, they are helping raise money that will benefit the entire school and build a positive school community.

• Conflict Managers are students who are trained to talk through and resolve conflict. Fourth, fifth, and sixth graders are selected by their teachers in the beginning of the year to become these school leaders. They assist the pre-ks and kindergarteners from the very beginning of the year, helping them get through the lunch line, during bathroom breaks, and onto the playground. With their leadership, Conflict Managers model appropriate proactive behavior and offer a great service to our school.

• The Central School Safety Patrol is a service group that fosters leadership, responsibility, and dedication in 5th and 6th grade students. This team exemplifies teamwork, conscientiousness and a serious attitude towards a crucial service to our children and parents. As a result, our students, families and the community have learned from our leaders to have a greater respect and sense of urgency for school safety.

PARENT/COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

There have been many exciting family school-wide events at Central this year. We have worked closely with the Navy as they have supported us in our Science Night, Reading Night, and Art Night, which engaged families in activities as well as showcased student work. We also have engaged the community by recognizing our students’ attendance by awarding our monthly “Brag-Tags.” The Navy has been critical in supporting our students and families presenting the highest attendance by grade level certificates.

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EMORY NEWS

Jil Palmer, Principal

LEARNING AND ACHIEVEMENT FOR ALL

English Language Learners: At Emory this year, we have continued to focus on the learning and achievement for ALL students, with an emphasis on the “ALL”. While Emory may not have as high a percentage of ELL students as other schools in the district, we absolutely see the need to support this population of students in their goals of achieving fluency in English. For this reason, we continue to offer Imagine Learning, a computer-based program, both before and after school.

We service over 55 students daily with the opportunity to practice their reading, speaking, and listening skills through Imagine Learning. Over 50% of these students increased at least one level on the annual CELDT assessment with 9% increasing two or more levels! Additionally, we now have 11 teachers trained in Systematic English Language Development (SELD) and are providing these teachers with release time to collaborate and plan well-designed SELD units and lessons. Our Newcomer teacher also supports our newest students to our country with targeted support lessons in ELA. With focused attention on school-wide professional development and writing, all of our teachers are also incorporating writing into our school-wide ELD block every Tuesday-Friday from 8:15-8:55, thus providing ALL students with increased opportunities to speak, listen, read, and write daily!

We Can Do It!: With Carol Dweck’s research on intelligence which was captured in her book Mindset, Emory staff and students are learning that we can continually grow our intelligence through an understanding of the importance of creating and holding onto a positive mindset. Our teachers are demonstrating this positive mindset daily as they take risks around, and persevere through, the teaching of our valuable yet challenging new standards. They in turn, are encouraging their students to take risks and supporting the idea that making mistakes is an essential part of learning. Teachers are communicating to students if they continue to work hard and put effort into their work, they truly can increase their intelligence around ANY SUBJECT and accomplish their dreams. Additionally, all of our 4th, 5th, and 6th graders are participating in the online Mindset curriculum, Brainology, using their ChromeBooks.

POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE FOR ALL

School Spirit Days: Our Student Council also commits to brainstorming School Spirit Days around themes that are connected to the month, season, or

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Most everyone has heard of the African proverb “It takes a village to raise a child.” Well, in our busy, fast-paced world, this couldn’t be truer. At Emory, we understand the importance of involving everyone in our goal of ensuring the well-being and “raising” of our students.

We know that in order to do so, it is imperative to build trust between our staff of educators and that of our families. One way to accomplish this is to provide opportunities to connect with our families.

Home Visits: This year, our 6th grade teachers once again went on a “mission impossible:” to make home visits with every one of their 6th grade students, in order to learn more about their students and their respective families. This time also offered families of 6th graders to learn more about our teachers and their class. To extend their appreciation to our 6th grade families for opening up their homes, teachers also provided our 6th graders with a bag stuffed with some great school supplies.

ELAC Parent Involvement: Emory is particularly proud to see the growth in attendance at our monthly ELAC meetings! We value the involvement and feedback from our parents and want them to be an integral part of our decision making process. We make sure that our parents are well aware of the ways we are supporting their child and offer information on how they can extend this support at home and at school.

events taking place at the school. They have purchased small trophies that they then award to the classes showing the most spirit on that particular day. Amongst some favorites are Sports Jersey Day and U.S.A. Day.

PTA-sponsored Family Nights: Emory’s PTA continues to do a fabulous job of hosting several opportunities throughout the year to invite families to come and enjoy some fun while truly offering another chance for us to connect with our families. This year, we hosted our first ever Bingo Night at no cost to families. We had a huge turn out and a large response to do this again. Additionally, our annual Fall Carnival is a huge “hit” and brings smiles to everyone’s faces while also raising money to support our Emory Eagle Golden Eagle assemblies.

Healthy Living: Our school prides itself on educating our students and families on the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, we have cultivated opportunities to teach this through our school garden that is planted, tended to, and harvested ALL by students.

We also recently held our annual Jump Rope for Heart event where students and staff participated in jump roping and raising money and awareness around the importance of heart health.

Lunch League Sports: We also understand the importance of building partnerships with various community organizations and our newly founded partnership with San Diego’s Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station has been a much-appreciated relationship which has met with tremendous success. Our partners at NCTS have committed to coming out daily to help run our Lunch League Sports program. In March, they came to Emory one morning to present jerseys for our students to wear when they participate in our Lunch League Sports program AND to introduce and model how to play our newest sport, Ultimate Frisbee. Our students eagerly await daily to play in this league during their lunch time and we couldn’t do it without our friends from NCTS!

At Emory, we pride ourselves on creating and providing a positive school culture for all students and families. While there are many examples of this, we will highlight just a few in this edition.

Student Ambassador Club: Emory is committed to welcoming all new families, especially knowing that coming to a new school can be a point of nervousness for new students as well as their families. Therefore, Emory’s Student Council has created the “Ambassador Club”. Members of the Ambassador Club greet new students and their families at the school office on their first day of school at Emory by first introducing themselves, then taking them on a short tour of the campus, and finally delivering them to their new classroom.

PARENT/COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Pamela Reichert-Montiel, Principal // Karla Lerma, Asst. Principal // Melissa Griffith, Director

IMPERIAL BEACH CHARTER NEWS

POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE FOR ALL

Walk onto either the West Campus or the Main Campus of Imperial Beach Charter School (IBCS) and you’ll readily notice a welcoming and positive climate we’ve worked so hard to create. Through the use of the research-based Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) proactive approach, IBCS students and staff engage regularly in rich dialogue surrounding ways to be respectful, responsible, and safe. The commitment and positive impact PBIS has made in the lives of our students has given us much to be proud of so, for the 2014-2015 academic year, IBCS incorporated a Kindness component into our PBIS in an effort to further support the needs of the whole child. Now, IBCS students and staff are frequently reminded to Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe, and Be Kind as our way of increasing social emotional development and inspiring caring, compassionate, and empathetic individuals.

In order to launch this Kindness Campaign, IBCS had all students participate in, “How Full is Your Bucket?” kindness lessons which place an emphasis on being kind to others as a means to “fill other’s buckets.” With the launch of this Kindness Campaign, a commitment was made by both students and staff to demonstrate acts of kindness to each other.

Opportunities to receive Bucket Filler raffle tickets as an extrinsic reward for their efforts have also aided in creating an environment where kindness is encouraged, modeled, and celebrated. In January, all students and staff participated in The Great Kindness Challenge, a positive and proactive bullying prevention initiative where students were challenged to create a culture of kindness by performing as many acts of kindness as possible in one week and tracking them on a checklist. Students embraced this challenge and everyone has benefited.

Kindness continues to thrive at both IBCS campuses as students continue to participate in Kindness lessons each month, where positive character traits and examples of acts of kindness inspire us. By integrating kindness into our PBIS approach, IBCS proudly demonstrates a commitment to providing a safe, respectful, responsible, and kind learning environment for everyone who walks through our doors.

PARENT/COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IBCS PTA has chosen to say goodbye to the traditional “cookie dough” fundraiser and hello to alternatives that encourage family involvement and healthier lifestyles. Product sales in previous years had been solid, but the current PTA Board took this “leap of faith” because they realized the health and well-being of their school community was more valuable than any amount of money.

To jumpstart the new healthy fundraiser movement, Inflatable World was invited to the campus during the first month of the school year.

Students and their families happily jumped for several hours, not only getting some wonderful cardiovascular exercise, but also raising money for their school in the process. The smiles plas-

tered across the hundreds of sweat-drenched faces were proof positive that the once difficult decision was the right one. A few months later, students participated in an amped up version of a jog-a-thon called the APEX Fun Run. It was an extremely fun and hassle-free way to raise money while building strong leaders through meaningful character education and exercise. For the second time, it was clear that the families of IBCS support and enjoy healthy activities as much, if not more, than those involving cheesecake and chocolate chips.

As this school year comes to a close, IBCS PTA is excited about the future of their fundraising efforts and proud of the healthy changes occurring for all members of their school’s community.

LEARNING AND ACHIEVEMENT FOR ALL

Over the course of the 2014-2015 school year, Imperial Beach Charter School has been fortunate to continue with the implementation of Response to Intervention (RTI).

RTI is a dynamic process that works to improve learning outcomes for all students by utilizing screening tools to measure how well students respond to instruction and then using this data to immediately respond to student needs. Imperial Beach Charter School has had the privilege of being the first school in the district to pilot AIMSweb, a universal screening and progress monitoring tool. Together, AIMSweb and RTI have been instrumental to the development of targeted intervention groups, academic gains, and continued growth with our Student Success Team (SST) meetings.

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MENDOZA NEWS

Don Visnick, Principal // Clinton Anderson, Asst. Principal

VRC-30 SQUADRON

MENDOZA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR

In December, students, parents and community members came out to enjoy the Annual Science Fair at Mendoza Elementary School.

Over 250 students participated in this year’s event. Students from Kindergarten to 6th grade presented projects that ranged from Static Electricity to the Solar System. Students worked independently or in teams to research a subject and work through the scientific process to arrive at a conclusion or discovery. All students were recognized for participating and being a part of this fantastic learning experience.

All projects were judged on creativity, research, writing and display.

But the stakes really went up when they had to orally present their project to three different judges! They all did great and proved how smart they are!

The judges were all volunteers from our local community. A big “Thank You!” to Navy Squadron VRC-30, the Montgomery Lions Club, and the Mendoza staff for making this event so special for the students. The SBUSD Education Foundation helped sponsor this event with a mini-grant to purchase display boards and medals. Next year’s event will be even bigger and better!

Community involvement helps make South Bay Union School District and Mendoza Elementary school special. Here at Mendoza Elementary School, we are lucky and proud to have a partnership with VRC-30 Squadron based here in Imperial Beach.

Students need role models, and what better role models are there for our students than the military heroes stationed locally here in Imperial Beach! These active duty sailors, and their families, have selfishly offered so much of their time and energy to make Mendoza a better school.

Our Fall Carnival would not have been nearly as successful if not for the support from VRC30. Their tireless energy, both before and after the event, helped make this fund-raising event a huge success that helped send so many 6th grade students to camp.

The 2014 Science Fair was another huge success thanks to Navy Squadron VRC-30. Their intellectual and analytical skills were put to use as they judged the student’s Science

Projects on a challenging rubric. They helped judge over 250 participants from Kindergarten to 6th grade. Sailors were interviewed on stage during the event and helped make a connection between science and the real worls, as they explained their duties in the military. Sailors also mingled with students and parents throughout the evening, encouraging each and everyone to aspire to their full potential.

Although the Science Fair and Carnival are huge events that would be far less successful with out their support, Squadron VRC-30 Aircraft Division helps our school and students in other day to day activities. Junior Achievement offers a program for 5th Grade students a chance to educate students about business and finace. VRC-30 helped out with the annual BizTown where students participated in a real world experience focused on community, finance and leadership. VRC-30 also chaperoned field-trips to the Midway Museum. and is helping with an all-day PE Exam for 5th graders as they prove their Physical Fitness competency towards the California Standards in PE!

PARENT INSTITUTE FOR QUALITY EDUCATION

So often, schools look at the teachers and students to gauge success. At Mendoza Elementary School, we go beyond and involve our parents in the education of our students.

Like any other school in the South Bay Union School District, Mendoza Elementary School has a highly diverse population of students. At Mendoza, our highly qualified staff does their best on a daily basis to ensure that each and every student receives the best education possible.

As much as we do in the classroom and at school each day, we know that parents 8 | South Bay Union School District NEWS

are an extremely important part of each child’s education.

This year, we reached out to the parents of our English Language Learners and worked with the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE). Over 30 parents met weekly and learned about the many things involved in not only getting the most out of public education, but also how to deal with the complex route to higher education. The teacher-leaders from PIQE educated our parents on topics ranging from new state standards, English Language Development (ELD) and how to start plan-

ning now for their child’s higher education.

The Institute culminated with a Graduation Ceremony that celebrated the commitment and accomplishments of all involved.

Our PIQE was so well received that we extended it to include finance seminars provided by Wells Fargo, and currently we are holding classes on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) opportunities in education as their students move on to Middle-School. We were thrilled with the commitment our PIQE parents made and look forward to even more parents participating in the future!

Guadalupe Avilez, Principal // Beatriz Carlos, Asst. Principal

NESTOR LANGUAGE ACADEMY CHARTER NEWS

POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE FOR ALL PARENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AT NESTOR LANGUAGE ACADEMY In an effort to ensure ongoing, authentic parent engagement, Nestor Language Academy hosted its Nineteenth Annual Family Reading Night on Wednesday April the 29th from 5 to 7 p.m. Our entire community was invited for a night of reading and to meet the author of Sweet Memories, Kathleen Contreras.

Dr. Contreras did a wonderful job modeling the joy of reading. She shared her book which is all about the love of popsicles. In Spanish popsicles are called “paletas”. She spoke of the history of “paletas” which started in Michoacan, Mexico. It was truly a fun and inspiring evening for everyone. Over eighty families were in attendance, more than two hundred visitors to Nestor. We also had another special guest… “the paletero” (the ice cream man) who distributed free “paletas” to each and every guest in the audience. We also had a raffle and a book give-away.

When asked “Why Family Reading Night is important for our community, our Family Reading Coordinator, Mrs. Gloria Muñoz said “It’s extremely important in order to instill the value of reading in all of our students. It’s also gives our parent’s strategies for reading to their children at home”. She went on to say that Family Reading Night brings the school and the community together; it has for over nineteen years. It is a tradition here at Nestor, one that brings everybody together to read and to share the power of stories. She also shared that this night is very important because it is continuing the legacy of our departed Marina Matzner whose passion was to read to her students. Nothing was more important to Marina than having them read, read, read!” Gloria dedicated the evening to Mrs. Matzner and it was followed by a huge round of applause. What a great night of reading for everyone!

At Nestor Language Academy we believe that it takes a village to raise a child. There is no job more important than that of the custodial staff who works tirelessly to ensure that our campus is clean and safe for all of our students. We would like you to meet two very important gentlemen, Mr. Jose Villagrana and Mr. Christopher Ruelas (pictured). They are both responsible for working behind the scenes to keep Nestor clean and orderly and they both do a tremendous job!

Mr. Jose is a seasoned veteran. He is exceptional in his work ethic. He really takes ownership of the school and because of him Nestor is one of the cleanest and most charming campuses in the district. His work ethic is truly remarkable! He is known throughout the district because he has trained many substitutes, ensuring that they have the skills and work habits to get employed full time. He is a beacon of honesty and integrity and Nestor is really lucky to have him.

Now, meet Christopher. When asked “Why his job is important?

He said: “I help maintain the campus. It is important for kids to walk into a clean campus. That makes a difference for kids”. He was also asked if he thought that the kids noticed his work. He immediately said “Yes!”. He shared how the kids in Ms. Cabrera’s fifth grade class made him a sign that said “Thank you” (for making our campus clean).

The real heroes in our district are men like Jose and Christopher because they are honest and hard-working, steadfast and true.

They are our support staff and they are essential in order to uphold and maintain our district priorities. They provide basic services and they do it to the best of their ability. They give students a clean and orderly campus in which to learn, free from debris and distractions. We thank them on behalf of our students, staff, and families.

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NICOLOFF NEWS

Rigo Lara, Principal // Estela Corrales, Asst. Principal

GUIDED READING

We are excited to be addressing our literacy focus by administering an assessment that will enable us to track the development of our students as readers. Four grade levels have administered the DRA, which provides an independent reading level for each student and identifies areas of need to address in a small group setting. Teachers use this valuable information to drive instruction and monitor student’s reading progress throughout the year.

Our new book room is currently stocked with over 1300 leveled sets in both English and Spanish. A variety of genres are represented: non fiction text, literature, poetry, informational text and biographies.

BATTLE OF THE BOOKS

Battle of the Books is a reading program that has the goal to improve student engagement in reading and challenge students to read rigorous texts about a variety of topics and cultural awareness issues. Engagement in reading has been considered one of the top factors determining a student’s academic success. The purpose of this program is for kids to fall in love with reading. In addition to reading the books, students participate in a book club for each of the twenty books they read. These book clubs are run weekly by teachers, parents and community members. At the end of the year we will have a competition on the 20 books and prizes will be awarded to the top competitors. The student response has been even better than we expected. In about four months our students have already read over 800 books and are still continuing to read. We have been impressed by our students desire to read books above and beyond the school day.

POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION SUPPORT (PBIS)

This is our first year implementing PBIS. We have a strong committee of teachers and specialists that have done an outstanding job implementing the program. The focus on PBIS is to teach students how to be safe, responsible and respectful throughout the school. We do this by teaching weekly lessons

We celebrate and recognize students on a regular basis. We recognize one student in each grade level weekly and announce their names over the PA system. We also have quarterly PBIS assemblies. During these assemblies we recognize three students per class.

1. A student who has shown/is showing progress with their behavior.

2. Student who consistently shows proper behavior in the classroom.

For the the third award, we have partnered with the Navy’s USS Boxer. Navy volunteers come to our assemblies and give the Navy Award of Honor, Courage and Commitment to one student per class that consistently shows extraordinary behavior, displays leadership skills, and helps hold others accountable for their behavior to help provide a conducive, positive, learning environment for his/her classmates. These students are model citizens not only in the classsroom, but accross the school campus.

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Marla Fernandez, Principal

ONEONTA NEWS

ONEONTA STUDENT COUNCIL

LET’S GO CHARGERS, LET’S GO!

This year, the Oneonta students and staff received the exciting news that our school was the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Chargers organization and the California Milk Advisory board. Principal Fernandez, a diehard Charger fan, was giddy with excitement when she heard the fantastic news. “I can’t believe it. I am so delighted that we will be able to purchase new physical education equipment for our students”. As the day drew closer, Principal Fernandez’ anticipation grew and when the day finally arrived, it was a dream came true when she met three of the Charger players; Nick Novak, Kendall Reyes and Darryl Stuckey. Both the Chargers players and members of the Milk Advisory board presented the check to the South Bay Union superintendent, Dr. Katie McNamara, Trustees Melanie Ellsworth and Barbara Elliott-Sanders. The students, teachers and parents were dressed in their blue and gold while cheering on the players and holding up posters to show their gratitude for the generous donation. The highlight of the presentation was when each player answered questions from students and led the entire school in various exercises. It was a school day that will be forever be known as “the day the Chargers came to our school”.

MIGHTY MATHEMATICIANS

“Math is fun” is the resounding refrain from our students as they learn their grade level new state standards. This enthusiasm is due to the teaching and learning of the Oneonta teachers. They have received professional development around the math standards at both the site and district level. At Oneonta, our Instructional Leadership Team has led the charge of mathematics by sharing their learning after attending professional development as a team. The response from the staff has been wonderful as stated by Mrs. Alaman, “That was a great workshop. All the ideas are so practical”. Our Instructional Leadership team has shared topics ranging from professional reading on mathematics, videos on math instruction, math workshop to math games that reinforce math skills and strategies. Our Transitional Kindergarten to sixth grade teachers, including our Special Education teachers have experienced math games first hand and based on the laughter and level of engagement, they also see math as “fun”. Oneonta teachers and students are mighty mathematicians.

The school is the heart of every community. The beat of that heart are the students and the Student Council that represents them. Under the leadership of one of the fifth grade teachers, facilitator Ms. Judy Guevara, the Student Council of Oneonta Elementary School took to heart the core values of leadership, integrity and school spirit this year. The student members wanted to leave their mark on their school in a positive way, so with that thought in mind they went to their peers to find out what they felt was needed at the school.

The students wanted DVD’s to replace the now obsolete VHS movies; so they ran a campaign called, “Change to Make a Change.

They asked the students to bring in change from home to enhance the video library. They collected over $600. Next they wanted to do something healthy and FUN, so they organized a Jog–a-Thon and asked students to find sponsors to be able to purchase new audio books and earphones for the library. Due to generous sponsors over $1,296.00 was raised. For Earth Day they held a recycling event and asked students to donate bottles and cans. They want to use this money to buy ice cream for all the students in the school to thank them for supporting the student council. They work before school and after school and still they ask, “What else can we do?”

Ha’ani S. the president said,” This has been a wonderful experience. What I have learned is that this school can become better with the help of the students. This experience in collaborating will take me far in education.” Hailey M. , the vice president said, “ I have learned so much. I love to help others and make the school a better place.” Fayth Anne D said, “Something that will take in my future is to know I helped my school. Jessica A. said, “ I take with me generosity and commitment.” Alizza L said, “What I will take with me into the future is responsibility”. José said, “ The most important thing I will take from this experience is that when I grow up I will help others.” Christian F said, “Being part of student council has taught me the meaning of giving back to our school. When I go to seventh grade I will take the memories with me.”

PARENT PARTNERSHIPS

One of the four South Bay Union School district’s goals is that of parent and community engagement. At Oneonta, we pride ourselves in our strong home-to-school connections, whether through teacher/parent personal communication or school and community events. At Oneonta two examples of our parent partnerships is our robust English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) and PTA. Our ELAC site board members attend each and every District English Learner Advisory Committee meeting and in turn, the site board members share and discuss the information presented to them to our parents of English Learners. Topics range from the importance of attendance, reclassification of English learners, homework support at home and guest speakers. In addition, our PTA continues to strengthen our membership by conducting regular PTA meetings with a twist. To encourage our school community to attend meetings, an activity or event is sponsored in conjunction with the meetings. Some examples of events are Movie Nights, Holiday Gift Shop, Gold Coin Hunt, Mad Science Night and our “Caught you Being Good Store.” This year, our PTA graciously approved the expense of providing a bus for each grade level to use for a field trip. It is our goal that we involve our all parents and community at Oneonta School so as to continuously reinforce our parenting partnerships.

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PENCE NEWS

Robert Daily, Principal

LEARNING AND ACHIEVEMENT FOR ALL; PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Howard Pence has had a wide range of valuable professional development experiences this past year in order to develop teacher skill levels. The works of Carol Dweck, Anthony Muhammad and John Hattie in dealing with Mindset, School Culture and Visible Learning respectfully, have all been an integral part in expanding the thinking and practices we use to benefit our students. Along with these topics, our Instructional Lead Team has led in-services dealing with the implementation of the CCSS in the content area of mathematics. Teachers learning from teachers has provided and developed the sharing of leadership and accountability among peers.

PARENT/COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE

It is Howard Pence’s priority to provide a warm, welcoming environment where the presence and awareness of student achievement is the predominant feeling throughout the campus. The climate and culture that No Excuses University provides allows for our students to maintain a focused priority that with hard work and a growth mindset, they can one day attend the college of their choice. Our Friday morning flag salutes, school-wide mural, mosaic and daily expectations act as a constant reminder of this goal.

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Howard Pence provides many enriching opportunities to involve parents in their child’s education. A highlight this past year was participating in UCSD’s Martin Luther King Jr.’s Day of Service. On Sunday, January 18th, 150 volunteers from the UCSD Center for Student Involvement arrived on the Howard Pence campus to work with students and parents on projects to enhance our campus. Restoring and adding to our school-wide college themed mural, rejuvenating our campus garden and holding breakout sessions for our students and parents providing first hand experiences of college life were part of this exciting day.

Cynthia Smith-Ough, Principal

SUNNYSLOPE NEWS

LEARNING AND ACHIEVEMENT FOR ALL

Staff professional learning and collaboration around new state math standards. Teachers have been working together to learn more about “Math Number Talks” to help students gain greater conceptual understanding around mathematical concepts. Number Talks are short discussions among a teacher and students about how to solve a particular mental math problem. The focus is not on the correct answer, but on all the possible methods of finding the answer. Each student has a chance to explain their method, and everyone else will learn from other people’s methods!

POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE

Sunnyslope families and community members participated in a fabulous night of learning and fun during their Family Literacy Night on March 19. Families were engaged in a variety of interactive literacy activities that proved learning can be fun! Some of the family activities included creating your very own reader’s theater, creating a thumbprint family book, and learning word attack skills with your favorite super hero. Families also participated in a special rock painting activity “Rocks of Hope” led by The Jose Montano Foundation to support and encourage families battling cancer with messages of hope. Sunnyslope families also had the opportunity to meet and interact with Clifford, the Big Red Dog while reading their favorite books.

PARENT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Sunnyslope families participate in monthly Coffee with the Principal meetings and workshops throughout the school year focused around a variety of high interest topics. Some topics include: Ways to Use Games to Support Math Reasoning, How to Praise our Kids to Build a Growth Mindset, How to Live a Healthier Life, and Understanding New State Standards. In addition, parents participate in a variety of social events throughout the year such as “Muffins for Moms” and “Donuts for Dads”, hosted by our PTA, in an effort to honor and celebrate that together we empower our children to reach for the stars!

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VIP VILLAGE NEWS

David Sheppard, Director

DAY OF THE CHILD COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

SPRING CLEANING? On Friday April 17th VIP Village held its second Are you getting rid old games with missing pieces? Your school may be annual Day of the Child. This was a celebrationofof the able to use those andChild other household items as math manipulatives. Considschool districts youngest learners.

Day of the er donating the following items, and your school will put them to good use: is a day devoted to child exploration where children take part along with their families in everything from science exploration and artistic impression to athletic endeavors and beyond. This event is put on through the hard work by Family Service Liaison; Marina Vasquez who coordinated parent volunteers to showcase the event. Day of the Child celebrations was also held at VIP West and VIP at Nicoloff.

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SBUSD NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

Learning and Achievement for All: Implement and assess a rigorous, standards-aligned, 21st century educational program that promotes the development of the whole child.

Positive School Culture for All: Provide safe, nurturing and purposeful environments which support the social, emotional and physical well-being of all individuals in order for them to thrive.

Parent and Community Engagement to Support Student Achievement: Ensure ongoing, authentic parent engagement and community partnerships that strengthen the foundation for student success-both now and in the future.

Basic Services to Support Student Achievement: Provide basic services aligned to district budget and goals in order to ensure facilities, high quality staff, and transportation systems benefit students.

As the school year draws to a close, we bid farewell to some of our sixth graders and all of our eighth graders. The entire school community is proud of the students promoting and we wish them continued success in middle school and high school. We are also saying goodbye to over fifty retiring staff members. These employees have earned the community’s gratitude and appreciation. We are thankful for their commitment to our students and wish them success in their future endeavors.

I hope you have a safe, restful, and enjoyable summer break. I am grateful to all of you for your support and am excited about continuing our great work together!

Sincerely, Katie McNamara, Ed.D. District Superintendent

COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

SPRING CLEANING?

Are you getting rid of old games with missing pieces? Your school may be able to use those and other household items as math manipulatives. Consider donating the following items, and your school will put them to good use:

Blocks • Cubes • Buttons • Clothespins • Dice Dominoes • Puzzles • Miscellaneous Game Pieces or Tokens Play Money and Coins • Poker chips • Playing Cards Refrigerator Magnet Numbers or Letters • Kitchen Scales

DISTRICT ORGANIZATIONS The SBUSD Education Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation organized and operated for the benefit of the students of the South Bay Union School District. The Board of Directors is comprised of parents, educators, and community members who volunteer their time and knowledge. Each year, the Foundation awards mini-grants to teachers and schools for special programs and events. In the 2014-2015 school year, the Foundation awarded over $10,000 in grants for science education, support of the Visual and Performing Arts Program, staff development, class projects, and school libraries. To support these mini-grants, the Foundation hosts several fundraisers throughout the year, including Cosmic Bowling, Casino Night in the fall, the Stars under the Stars dinner in May, and parking during the Sun & Sea Festival in July. If you wish to make a donation, or are interested in serving on the Foundation, please visit their website at www.sbusdef.org. Thank you for your support!

The South Bay PTA Council is an organization comprised of PTA and site leadership from every school in the District. Their mission is to be a powerful voice for all children, be a relevant resource for families and communities, and to be a strong advocate for the education and wellbeing of every child. The Council sponsors several Districtwide initiatives each year, including the Bea Estrada Services Awards for 6th and 8th Grade students, the clothing room for families with emergency needs, and SBUSD Padres Night. In 2016, the PTA Council will focus on promoting attendance and will be sponsoring the District’s Unity Games to celebrate and honor our student athletes. If you have not already done so, please consider joining the PTA. It is a powerful way to be involved and support your child’s educational success

TOP WAYS PARENTS CAN SUPPORT STUDENTS AS CRITICAL THINKERS (Some items taken from Colorin Colorado) 1. Get involved: Attend parent meetings at school. Volunteer in your child’s classroom, or for a school event. Our schools offer many ways you can get involved:

a. Join a PTA

b. Join a committee: i. The English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) which advises the district on programs and services for English Learner students. ii. The District English Language Advisory Committee (DELAC) which is a place to share information about new initiatives and current issues iii. The Reachout to Families Coordinating Council which helps build quality of life for children and families in our community. iv. The Military Family Council connects military families in our community to learn about area support and resources. v. The Community Volunteer Coordinator ensures home to school community connection through newsletters, parent nights, Scholastic Book Fair and carnivals. vi. The South County SELPA Community Advisory Committee reviews and provides input regarding annual priorities and the triennial development of the Special Education Local Plan. It also promotes parent awareness and education.

2. Model your thinking out loud: When you’re trying to solve a problem, say what you’re thinking and the steps you’re planning to figure it out.

3. Model reading: Read magazines, cookbooks, the newspaper, articles online, and books.

Then have a conversation with your child about what you learned and what you might do with the information.

4. Try coding with your kids: Using websites like Code.org, you and your child can learn how to code in really fun and engaging ways while solving puzzles.

5. Volunteer with your child: One of the biggest ways to build self confidence is to serve others.

6. Model new learning: Take a class, watch a YouTube video on knitting, or learn a new game.

Show your child it is fun to learn new things.

7. Turn off the TV, especially during dinner: Ask questions about your child’s day, friends, class time, after school time. Make sure you’re monitoring what they watch and how long they watch it.

8. Encourage activity: model simple or complex exercise. The brain works better when the body gets exercise.

9. Demonstrate a positive attitude about education to your children: What we say and do in our daily lives can help them to develop positive attitudes toward school and learning and to build confidence in themselves as learners. Showing our children that we both value education and use it in our daily lives provides them with powerful models and contributes greatly to their success in school.

10. Encourage your child to be responsible and work independently: Taking responsibility and working independently are important qualities for school success. You can help your child to develop these qualities by establish reasonable rules that you enforce consistently, making it clear to your child that he has to take responsibility for what he does, both at home and at school, showing your child how to break a job down into small steps, and monitor what your child does after school, in the evenings and on weekends. If you can’t be there when your child gets home, give her the responsibility of checking in with you by phone to discuss her plans.

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SOUTH BAY UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT

SO MANY GOOD THINGS HAPPENING!

El Boletín Informativo del Distrito se encuentra disponible en www.sbusd.org

2014 - 2015