Dear Colleagues, Parents and Community Members,

As the end of the traditional school year rapidly approaches, I want to take the opportunity to thank you all for your support and hard work during a tough year.

From the wildfires in October to the State budget crisis, teamwork has been the key to overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities. Employees, parents and the community have pulled together to maintain safe and comfortable learning environments for our students. You have taken on the new version of the three R’s: Rigor, Relevance and Relationships, and stayed focused on what’s most important: the academic achievement of all students.

I hope you take time during the summer to focus on a different set of R’s: Rest, Relaxation and Revitalization. The new school year will bring more challenges, opportunities and rewards. It will continue to take teamwork to make sure all students are well-educated and prepared for a brighter future. I look forward to being part of the San Diego Unified team.

Congratulations to our graduating seniors, parents and families, and the teachers who have made a difference throughout the school year. In appreciation of our teachers and teachers across the nation, I want to share with you an essay I recently received by e-mail. It’s called You Want Heroes?

Have a wonderful summer.

Terry B. Grier, Ed.D.
Superintendent

P.S. – Friday Notes will continue through the summer.

The San Diego County Taxpayers Association recently awarded the Golden Watchdog Award to the Regional Construction Procurement Committee, of which San Diego Unified is a member, for developing “best practices” that make the bidding and construction of public works projects more efficient. For more information, contact Cynthia Reed-Porter, facilities community liaison, at (858) 637-3604.

Area 1 teachers have received more than $11,000 in resources this year through the website www.Donorschoose.org. This website connects classrooms in need with individuals who want to help. Teachers submit simple project proposals for materials or experiences to enhance student learning. These ideas become reality when concerned individuals research proposals by areas of interest, learn about classroom needs, and choose to fund the project(s) they find most compelling. It is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that public schools often lack. For more information, go to www.Donorschoose.org.

For the second year in a row, the Transition Resources for Adult Community Education (TRACE) Program has been recognized as a CalSTAT Leadership site. This prestigious award is for the 2008-09 school year and is a special project of the California Department of Education, Special Education Division and is funded through the Special Education Division and the California State Personnel Development Grant. TRACE is a district program for young adults with disabilities, 18-22 years of age, as they transition from public school to adult life. For further information, please contact TRACE Principal Robert Morris at (858) 693-5500.

Grade 12 economics teachers attended a meeting this week to learn about the district’s new personal financial literacy curriculum. San Diego Unified is among the first to require that students be taught the connection between career and income, how to file taxes, budget money, and manage bank accounts, credit cards, and a credit score (FICO). The lessons were written by Hoover High teachers Ellen Towers and Vicky Banks, and piloted in classrooms this year. College, Career and Technical Education (CCTE) program specialist James Michaelian coordinated the project, which was underwritten by San Diego National Bank, Union Bank, California Coast Credit Union, Wells Fargo, and Washington Mutual. The United Way contributed $54,000 for production costs to implement the curriculum.

The Serra High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) won the San Diego Unified Stilwell championship for the sixth year in a row. There are twelve Stilwell competitive categories that include Best Drilled Individual (9-12 grades), Color Guard (male and female), Best Drilled Platoon, Best Drilled Squad, Physical Fitness (male and female), Unarmed Exhibition and Armed Exhibition Teams. The Serra Cadets placed first in seven of the 12 categories, resulting in one of the largest point spreads between first and second place in school history. Individual accomplishments included Freshman Cadet Nathaniel Radovan and Senior Cadet Zebedee Cajudo as best drilled individuals, and Cadets Zebedee Cajudo and Diana Luu as the best male and female Physical Fitness champions. For more information, please contact Principal Mike Jimenez at (858) 496-8342.

Madison High School tenth-grader Robert Turner was recognized by the National Youth Theatre as "Best Actor in Lead Role: Musical Production" for his outstanding performance in the Madison High School production of "The Boy Friend". Madison High received “honorable mention” for Outstanding Set Design. The National Youth Theatre reviewed nearly 200 plays in 23 states. For more information, please contact Andrea López, Madison High School, (858) 496-8410 x2214.

“Water on the Rocks,” a painting by Elliot Torrey, is currently on display at the Oceanside Museum of Art. This painting is one of many in the San Diego Unified art collection. The exhibit continues through June 29, 2008. For information about the museum, visit www.oma-online.org. For more information about the district’s art collection, please contact Rose Gustafson, materiel control manager, at (858) 522-5850.

Discover all the exciting events happening around the district. A complete list of San Diego Unified School District Upcoming Events is posted on www.sandi.net.

• NAESP Sharing the Dream Grants
  Apply now for the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) Sharing the Dream Grants . NAESP knows that principals across the country have good ideas on how to engage families and parents in significant ways, connect their school community with health and social services, and create a community forum on issues important to students. Selected principals will receive a grant for $3,000 and a tool kit of NAESP-developed resources. Projects must be implemented during the 2008-09 school year and demonstrate evidence of success in meeting the goals determined by the principal and school community. For more information, contact Margaret Evans at diverselearningcommunities@naesp.org . Applications  are due by Friday, June 27.
  
  
• VOISE Academy (Chicago Public Schools)
  Forget textbooks and handouts. Forget No. 2 pencils. If you're looking for curricula for science or English class, you'll need to go online. At the VOISE Academy, a new high school opening this fall in Chicago, class work is guided and shaped by the tech tools of the twenty-first century, providing an intriguing glimpse at what schools may look like in the future. Apex Learning (Apex), VOISE’s online content provider, is recommended by the College Board as a sole provider, has a long standing record of excellence, and has been used widely across the country.
  
  
• L.A. schools eliminate 680 positions, mandate four-day unpaid leave
  Faced with having to make roughly $400 million in budget cuts, the Los Angeles school board on Tuesday voted to lay off 507 staff and leave another 173 positions vacant. The eliminations include 65 coaches in reading and math, 19 school nurses and 19 school counselors. Read more.
  
  
• Early Signs Identified for High School Failure
  According to a new report based on an extensive study of student achievement in San Diego schools, students at risk of failing the California State-required high school exit exam can be identified as early as fourth grade based on grades, classroom behavior and test scores, writes Seema Mehta of the Los Angeles Times. The report by the Public Policy Institute of California suggests taking a portion of the millions of dollars now spent on struggling high school seniors to help them pass the exam and focusing them on students in the younger grades. Read more.
  
  
• The Three C's of Urban Science Education
  Chris Emdin, assistant professor of science education in the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University won the 2007 Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award from Phi Delta Kappa International. In "The Three C's of Urban Science Education," published in the June 2008 issue of Phi Delta Kappan Magazine, Emdin writes that, "In each of my roles as teacher, administrator, and researcher in urban public schools, I have been struck by the magnitude of the separation between the culture of school science and that of urban students." Read more .
  
  
• School Size Not Key to Small High School Success, Study Finds
  A new study by Education Resource Strategies, "Strategic Designs: Lessons for Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools," examines nine high-performing small urban high schools throughout the country to better understand how they achieved their success. The report by Karen Hawley Miles and Regis Shields finds that the success of small urban high schools rests less on their smaller size and more on how they use their resources strategically. Read more.
  
  
• Educational "Workouts" for the Brain Can Boost Reading Ability
  A rigorous intervention program targeting students with dyslexia effectively rewired their brains to work almost the same as children who don't struggle with reading, Carnegie Mellon University researchers reported Wednesday in the journal Neuropsychologia. The changes, which appeared immediately after the 100-hour intervention, remained for at least one year, brain scans of a sampling of the students showed. Read more.
  
  
• Students with Nationally Certified Teachers Score Higher
  Teachers who earn National Board certification are more effective in the classroom than their colleagues who lack that standing, according to a long-awaited review of the program by a National Research Council panel. Nevertheless, their findings indicate that schools are failing to capitalize fully on the expertise of teachers with this credential or engage them as teacher-leaders, and that these educators also tend to congregate in schools where students are more affluent and higher achieving. Read more.