Next Monday, January 9, is the date for upgrading Zangle. As of January 9, all Zangle users, including teachers, will use Zangle v.2005.2. Any teacher using an Apple computer running OS X (typically the white eMacs) must have version 10.3.9 or higher and must use Safari as their web browser in order for TeacherConnection to work properly. (Teachers using OS 9 computers can continue to use Internet Explorer.) For more information about what teachers need to do to prepare for the Zangle upgrade, visit the Zangle Knowledgebase. For handouts, flyers, and documentation related to the upgrade, click on the Zangle jobaids and look in the “General” section.
Cookies With Carl
Do you have something you would like to share with or ask of Superintendent Cohn? If so, plan to attend the second “Cookies with Carl” on Wednesday, January 11, from 4 -6 p.m. at Holmes Elementary School, 4902 Mt. Ararat Drive, San Diego, 92111, (858) 496-8110. All employees (classified and certificated) are invited to come by and speak with Dr. Cohn as well as to hear what others are saying.
If you can’t make it this time, there will be more opportunities during the year. Look for future “Cookies with Carl” dates in upcoming editions of Newsline and Staff Bulletin.
Nominate Your School Site's Teacher of the Year
Submit
your school site's nomination for 2006-2007 Teacher of the Year by
Monday, January 23, 2006. All nominated teachers will be recognized at
a Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, May 9, 2006. Nominees will also
have the opportunity to apply to the district-level competition. Further
information is included in Administrative Circular 48, Attachment 1 (Nomination Form) and Attachment 2 (Application). Sites should work with their SDEA representative to coordinate a decision before the deadline on January 23, 2006. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Zintz in Communications at (619) 725-5568 or lzintz@sandi.net.
Support
PE/Health/Athletics, Attend the 2006 Buick Invitational
As a fundraiser, the district’s P.E./Health & Athletics Department is selling tickets to the 2006 Buick Invitational PGA Golf Tournament, taking place January 23-29, 2006, at Torrey Pines Golf Course. Tickets are currently available for purchase until January 22, 2006. For more information, see the flyer or call (619) 725-7126.
New Discover Course Explores Online Resources
A new course, “Professional Tools: Online Resources” will be offered by the district’s Discover Program. The class will explore the electronic online resources available to you and your students in the district's Online Resources Package. This hands-on research process will teach you how to access, evaluate, discard, select and use information from multiple sources.
The one-credit course will be held Thursdays, February 23 through March 23, from 4-7 p.m. at the IMC Horizon Lab. For more information or to register, go to http://216.122.44.192/sandinetdiscover/ . For questions about the course, call Martha Karanopoulos at (858) 496-8439.
Annual Community Leaders Celebration
The Administrators Association of San Diego City Schools (AASD) will host its Annual Community Leaders Celebration on Wednesday, February 8, 2006, at 7:30 a.m. at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in Mission Valley. Guest speaker, Superintendent Carl Cohn, will address the topic: “Our Plan” to Move San Diego City Schools Forward. Cost is $26.00/person, which includes breakfast and validated parking. Contact Linda Crout-Hamel, AASD office manager, at (619) 295-2118 or via e-mail at linda@aasdcs.org for a registration form or additional information.
Free Teacher Workshop Presented by the International House of Blues Foundation (IHOBF)
“Learning about American Culture through Blues Music and Folk Art” will
be presented by the International House of Blues Foundation (IHOBF) on
Saturday, January 7, 2006, from 9 a.m. to noon at the House of Blues,
1055 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, 92101. This free workshop introduces teachers
to an innovative model that calls upon blues music and folk art to teach
students about aspects of American history, provide a greater understanding
of contemporary culture, increase awareness of the social significance
of the arts and inspire interest in exploring and expressing individual
creativity. Content and learning activities align with California state
educational standards. For information or to register, email ihobfsandiego@hob.com or call Melanie Searles at (619) 525-1982.
Kyoto Scholarships 2006-07 for High School Seniors
The Inamori Foundation of Kyoto, Japan, and the San Diego Foundation invite all high schools in the City and County of San Diego (public and private), as well as Tijuana-area high schools, to participate in the 2006-2007 Kyoto Scholarships. The program is limited to high school seniors. Six recipients will be selected and will receive a scholarship with a value of up to $10,000. The application deadline is Friday, January 27, 2006. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 18, 2006. Scholarship/application information is available in English and in Spanish. For more information, contact Stephanie Kellems, (619) 235-4542 or skellems@alarus.biz.
Helpful Tips: Proposition MM Ribbon Cutting Events
Is your new Proposition MM building or library nearly complete? If so, consider hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate with your staff, students and parents! Ribbon-cutting ceremonies are a celebratory way to showcase your new facility and thank your community for supporting Proposition MM. (You can even host a ribbon-cutting ceremony up to 12 months after the opening of your facility.) For more information on how to plan your event and for a helpful checklist, click here.
Grant Opportunities K-12
Applications are due Thursday, January 19, for Toyota Tapestry grants, sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc, and administered by the National Science Teachers Association. Fifty grants up to $10,000 each will be awarded to K-12 science teachers in the areas of environmental science education, physical science applications, and literacy and science education. For information, click here.
District Students Win Playwriting Contest
Three district students will see their plays presented by Playwrights Project in Plays by Young Writers at The Old Globe Theatre, January 13-22, 2006. The production features winning scripts from the California Young Playwrights Contest, now in its 21st year. Julianne Athon (University City HS) and Emily Bookstein (La Jolla HS) will receive full productions of their scripts, Tripping and Spanish Rhapsody, respectively. Stephen Whiting (High Tech Middle School) will see Joe the Tomato performed as a reading, the highest honor given to entrants under age 14. Public performances run January 13-22, at the Cassius Carter Centre Stage, The Old Globe, Balboa Park. Each performance features 3-4 plays. For production schedule and ticket information you can visit the Playwrights Project website or call (619) 239-8222.
Parent
Voices For Education
Parent Voices for Education (PAVE) is a growing district wide partnership of parents working together to understand education policies and to ensure that those policies support the achievement of all children. Through parent forums, PAVE aims to create a broad-based, informed voice so parents can become thoughtful participants in the decision-making processes related to the education of children in San Diego. Although PAVE operates independently of the school district, it is the group’s desire to work closely with district leadership to ensure that all decisions be made in the best interests of our children.
The next parent forum English / Spanish is scheduled for Wednesday, February 1, 2006, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Harold J. Ballard Center, 2375 Congress Street in Old Town. The topic will be “What Does It Take to Educate a Child Well?” and will be presented by Dr. Carl Cohn, SDCS superintendent; Geno Flores, SDCS deputy superintendent; and Dr. Joseph Johnson, director of the National Center for Urban School Transformation at SDSU. Child care, Spanish translation and refreshments will be provided. Seating is limited. RVSP by Friday, January 27, at paveparents@sbcglobal.net.
8th Annual San Diego Multicultural Festival
On Saturday,
January 14, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. the 8th
Annual San Diego Multicultural Festival will
take place along the Martin Luther King, Jr. Promenade (across from the
San Diego Convention Center, between Fourth Avenue and Market Street
on Harbor Drive). Festivities include free hands-on children’s activities,
two stages featuring multicultural performances, food booths, community
information, free opportunity drawings and merchandise from around the
world. For information, visit www.ccdc.com or
call (619) 235-2222.
New on the Web
The 2005-2006 SIS Annual Calendar
is now available. To view the calendar click on the link 'For District Staff' and choose the link for 'Student Information Systems (SIS) Annual Calendar' listed under 'Calendars.’
At 6 a.m. on Friday, December 16, KUSI (Channel 9/51) Reporter Rafer Weigel visited the district's Maintenance & Operations (M&O) crew in Kearny Mesa, where employees were busy stuffing 100 giant baskets full of food as part of their second annual M&O Holiday Hope Drive. The baskets were later delivered to families of SDCS students in need. Rafer interviewed employees on the "food basket assembly line," each of whom donated a couple hours of vacation time to participate in the activity.
On January 1, the San Diego Union-Tribune featured alumni who are working to rebuild their alma mater, Lincoln High School in southeast San Diego. According to the article, “former Lincoln Hornets have had a hand in virtually every aspect of building the campus – from the chief architect to the laborers. In addition, there is an unprecedented showing of minority employees and minority-owned firms working on the project.” In fact, the project boasts the highest minority outreach statistics of any project in the county.
SDCS Construction Management Director Steve Bovee was profiled in a San Diego Union-Tribunepiece about his passion for model railroads. In addition to overseeing “hundreds of millions of dollars in construction projects for the district, juggling a stream of cell phone calls while tooling around in a beat-up truck,” Bovee is part owner of Reed's Hobby Shop in downtown La Mesa.
Are there any other topics on which you'd like an update? Send a "Newsline Idea"
email to communications@sandi.net.
and Attachment 2 (Application)