| | From Superintendent Bill Kowba
| November 18, 2011 | | Mission Statement
All San Diego students will Graduate with the Skills, Motivation, Curiosity and Resilience to Succeed in their choice of College and Career in order to Lead and Participate in the society of Tomorrow. | | | |  Dear San Diego Unified Community,
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, it is time to reflect upon all of the bounties we enjoy locally and across this great country. It is also our first break of the year, after three months of hard work by our staff and students.
While the 2011-12 school year has so far been one of great challenges, it has also been one of great accomplishments. One of our teachers, Mark Alcorn, of Lee Elementary School, was named a County Teacher of the Year for 2011. Principal Cindy Marten of Central Elementary was just named Principal of the Year by the local YMCA.
Our students are excelling. Case in point, district-wide English-language arts scores are now tops among California's largest districts. Our high school juniors and seniors are receiving scholarship awards that will open the doors to community colleges and universities. We hope to set a record for daily attendance and for graduation in 2012.
The community continues to give us great support in terms of monetary contributions and volunteering. NASCAR great Jimmie Johnson's foundation donated nearly $100,000, TargetCorporation and other partners completed a library makeover at Kimbrough Elementary. We are blessed with thousands of parents and community members who help kids at our schools on a daily basis. New facilities continue to open, a result of our voters' support of Prop. S in 2010. Our school communities have been organized into clusters that are contributing to excellence in education.
Overall, our district is remains focused on academic excellence for all students and is moving forward in a constructive way despite the unprecedented and prolonged budgetcrisis that threatens our collective good work. Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday where we give thanks for all that has been given to us. In 2011, our district has much to be thankful for with a dedicated staff, wonderfully creative and energetic students, and engaged parents. I urge all of you to look for the good in our district and consider our good fortune not only on Thursday, but for the rest of the school year.
Sincerely,
Bill Kowba
Superintendent  | Schools, Offices Closed Nov. 21–25 | | All San Diego Unified schools and offices will be closed Nov. 21–25 for Thanksgiving break. Workers will be in some offices; however since so many non-school employees are taking furlough and vacation days, offices will be closed to the public. Schools and facilities will reopen on Monday, Nov. 28. | Kimbrough Elementary Receives Target Library Makeover |  The Kimbrough Elementary community, along with Target Corp., The Heart of America Foundation, The Mission Continues, United Through Reading and hundreds of volunteers, unveiled the school's newly renovated library on Nov. 10. Supt. Bill Kowba was joined by California Sen. Juan Vargas, San Diego County Supt. Dr. Randy Ward, Area Supt. Gil Gutierrez, and Kimbrough Principal Flavia Soria, along with Kimbrough students and volunteers, in dedicating the renovations. Read more. | Pilot Program Looks at Environmentally Friendly Lunch Trays |  Molded plastic foam lunch trays have long been on the menu at school cafeterias, but after urging by students at Vista Grande Elementary school -- not to mention Board of Education Trustee Kevin Beiser -- San Diego Unified's Food Services Department is testing more environmentally friendly trays for the next few months at Vista Grande and Ocean Beach elementary schools. Read more. | | | Elementary Principal Honored by YMCA |  Congratulations to Central Elementary Principal Cindy Marten! She was selected as "Principal of the Year" for the entire YMCA of San Diego County, which represents 16 branches and more than 175 after school programs from Oceanside to San Ysidro. She was honored at the YMCA's annual Principals' Recognition Breakfast held Nov. 3. Read more. | Prop S Update: San Diego High Students Settle into New Classrooms |  Although it may seem like only yesterday that school started, students at San Diego High have been enjoying their new two-story classroom building now for nearly three months. Funded by Proposition S and an Overcrowded Relief Grant (ORG) from the state, the 25,868-square-foot, 16-classroom building replaced 16 existing portable classrooms on the southeast corner of campus. Read more. | Student Government Officials Enjoy Padres Night Out | ASB presidents and other student body officials were guests of the San Diego Padres for a game just before the season ended. Thanks to a new partnership with the Padres, student body presidents from Clairemont, Crawford Complex, Henry, La Jolla, Mission Bay, Morse and Point Loma high schools received tickets to enjoy time together as the home team won its last game of the season. Read more. | | | Dia de los Muertos is Theme for Culinary Program
 Culinary arts students at Garfield High School used 75 pounds of sugar to create traditional Latin American sugar sculptures to commemorate dia de los muertos on Nov. 1. Sugar, meringue powder and water were carefully mixed and shaped by each student and left to dry for five days. While their sculptures were drying, students gathered photos of an important person, famous or in their own lives, who has died. Read more.
Holmes Elementary Welcomes Special Visitors
 Supt. Bill Kowba and Area Supt. Marian Phelps recently paid a visit to Holmes Elementary School in Clairemont. Led on a tour by Principal Jonathan Saipe, the district leaders talked with parents and staff and visited several classrooms including Mr. Clement’s first grade class. The students were very excited to meet their special guests and share what they have been learning this year.
$100 Wal-Mart Gift Cards For Lindbergh Schweitzer Elementary Teachers
 Wal-Mart representatives Derrick Walz and Jennifer Taylor presented Lindbergh Schweitzer Principal Deanne Rohde with ten $100 Wal-Mart gift cards. Wal-Mart’s campaign “You Make a Difference, We’d Like to Help” supports teachers and thanks them for their “commitment to educating the students of today and building leaders of tomorrow.” Read more.
Memorial Preparatory gets $10,000 NFL PLAY 60 Grant from Chargers
 Students at Memorial Preparatory for Scholars and Athletes did not let an unprecedented San Diego power outage in September stop their plans to hold Back to Football Friday. They instead rallied to show off their Chargers pride a week later, earning a chance to win a NFL PLAY 60 grant. Read more.
Sandburg Elementary Highlighted as Physical Fitness Model
Sandburg Elementary School in Mira Mesa was the site of a recent announcement about childhood obesity from Mission:Readiness, a group of retired senior military officials. The school was chosen for its innovative physical fitness program that brings Marines from MCAS Miramar to work with the fourth and fifth grade students. Read more.
Students Design Hospital Emergency Departments
 The assignment for Biomedical Innovations students at University City High School was to design an effective and efficient emergency room and then present their plans to members of the medical community for grading. Read more.
New Equipment Saves Students a “Trip to the Hospital”
 Whitman Elementary School started the new school year with a new sound booth. The new booth is equipped with a GSI audiometer, a tympanometer for obtaining middle ear information, visual reinforcement display screens, and is large enough to allow a two-person team to test very young children. Before getting its own sound booth, Whitman students would have to go to Rady Children’s Hospital or Lafayette Elementary for testing. Read more.
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“We must get beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths... and tell the world the glories of our journey."
-- John Hope Franklin, History Professor Emeritus at Duke University
| | |
The deadline for families currently enrolled in the district to apply for 
San Diego Unified and its strategic sourcing and contracts officer, Arthur Hanby, were recently recognized by the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance for their contributions to the organization’s advisory board. These efforts result in savings to the district, including more than $200,000 annually on food and supplies. 
Improvements to the student drop-off and pick-up area at Marshall Elementary School are complete. The work included a new 20-foot lane to allow cars to continue out of the lane after dropping off or picking up students; extension of the existing American's with Disabilities Act path of travel from the street into the school site to allow students with disabilities to also utilize the drop-off/pick-up area; a new 10-foot-wide sidewalk; new landscaping; and modifications to the existing irrigation system. 
CPMA Deaf, Hard of Hearing Students Hip-Hop Thanks to Grant
Fay Elementary Stretches Read Across America Day to a Week
Lindbergh-Schweitzer Elementary Joins with Madison High to Promote "No Name Calling"
Mira Mesa High Ninth Grader in So. Cal. Honor Band
Pacific Beach Middle School Student, Teacher Honored
Pershing Middle's Actors, University City High's Artists Team for Show
Hottest Restaurant in Scripps Ranch is At The High School
National School Counseling Week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association, will be celebrated Feb. 6–10, 2012, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of professional school counselors and how students are different as a result of what school counselors do. Please take some time to thank our district counselors for making a difference in the lives of our students. 
Crawford Law Students Are Defendant, Prosecution and Defense
Rosa Parks Elementary Celebrates Tet
Prize Winning Card Illustration by Sandburg Elementary Student
The Best Teen Band in the U.S. comes from the 
Students at 
Whitman Elementary PTA Wins $1,000 Grant
More than 70 students, staff and community members involved with Student 2 Student (S2S) clubs came together recently to share best practices and energize school programs at the first-ever Student 2 Student Council Day. S2S clubs help students face the daunting experience of changing schools. 
Thanks to Kaiser Permanente’s generous donation of thousands of sports balls, district physical education teachers can now offer more activities in their classes. The December donation also set a new Guinness World Record for the most balls collected in a single day. 
Thanks to the generosity of community members, businesses, schools and district employees, our students who are experiencing homelessness had a brighter holiday season. The donated items not only provided homeless children with the essential items they need but also with the joy that other children experience when they receive a new piece of clothing or an unused toy. 
Each year, San Diego Unified’s JROTC cadets rally to support San Diegans by collecting food during the holiday season. This year was no exception as 13 JROTC programs conducted the annual JROTC Holiday Food Drive, culminating in a collection of 10,960 pounds (almost 5.5 tons) of food. 
All San Diego Unified schools and offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 16, for the 
Mira Mesa High School’s Frederick Griesbach, La Jolla High School’s Trang Vu and Suzanne Fore from Serra High School were among seven mathematics teachers in San Diego County selected for the 2011 
On a day that would have made John Phillip Sousa proud, the annual JROTC Best Drill Competition brings teams from all 13 San Diego Unified high schools to one location to find out which team has the sharpest uniforms and performs the best drill movements, both stationary and precision. 
Back by popular demand, the 4th Annual Enrollment Options/Magnet All Schools Fair will take place on Saturday, Jan. 28, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Recital Hall in Balboa Park (next to The Puppet Theater). More than 1,500 families attended last year's event. 
Administrators, teachers, parents and interested community members are invited to attend the 
The fourth annual Enrollment Options/Magnet Schools Fair is coming up on Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Palisades Recital Hall in Balboa Park. The fair provides parents throughout San Diego County with the opportunity to obtain information on the various programs offered within the San Diego Unified School District. Live student performances will take place throughout the day. Admission is free and open to the public. 
America's healthiest and tastiest school lunches continue to be in the cafeterias of San Diego Unified. For example, certified locally grown Kabocha squash from 
Students from La Jolla, Mira Mesa, Patrick Henry, San Diego High School of International Studies and Serra high schools had a chance recently to learn about the field of hematology as the American Society of Hematology held a symposium for high school students just before its national conference. 
San Diego Unified School District Trustees voted at their Dec. 6 meeting to use biodiesel or an alternative fuel in the tanks of school buses and the diesel fleet by the end of the 2014-15 school year. 
Jonathan Winn, calculus teacher at 
When 
What would it be like if adults could to go back to their time in high school? At 
Taft Middle School Students "Mix It Up" at Lunch 
Feeding America San Diego, House of Blues® San Diego and San Diego Unified hosted meals for hundreds of local children and their families on Thanksgiving Day. The meal included live entertainment by gospel choir Eddie Baltrip & Fulfillment, singer/songwriter Alex Woodard and a special performance by the Mission Bay High School band. More than 600 low-income and homeless San Diego Unified children and their families attended the event. 
What inspires a writer? 
A delegation of principals from China toured 
Dr. Arielle Borovsky, a researcher in cognitive science at UCSD, recently visited 