The mission of San Diego City Schools is to improve student achievement by supporting teaching and learning in the classroom.
Choose an Article Teacher of the Year Nomination Deadline Approaching British Petroleum (BP) A+ For Energy Free Grant Writing Workshop Student Recognition Ceremony ArtPower! Student Matinee Grant Opportunities U.S. Department of Education Call for Teacher Nominations Ninth Annual "Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year Award Program Blacks in Government Greater San Diego Chapter Scholarship Annual Community Leaders Celebration Last Chance for 2006 Buick Invitational Tickets New on the Web In The News	January 19, 2006 B/W version  Previous Newslines
Teacher of the Year Nomination Deadline Approaching
The deadline to submit your school site's nomination for 2006-2007 Teacher of the Year is Monday, January 23. All nominated teachers will be recognized at a Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, May 9. 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 January 23 deadline. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Zintz in Communications at (619) 725-5568 or lzintz@sandi.net.
British Petroleum (BP) A+ For Energy Grant - Free Grant Writing Workshop
SDCS Office of Resource Development and British Petroleum (BP) are collaborating to sponsor a three-hour grant writing workshop for educators interested in applying for special grants offered under the A+ for Energy program sponsored by BP. The free workshop is being held on Wednesday, January 25, from 3:30 - 6 p.m., at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, Community Forum Room, 1875 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, 92103. For more information, call Aly Evans at (619) 725-7221 or email aevans2@sandi.net. The deadline to submit a registration form  is Friday, January 20 at noon.
Student Recognition Ceremony
On Tuesday, January 24, at 4 p.m., the Student Recognition Awards Ceremony will take place at the Eugene Brucker Education Center Auditorium, 4100 Normal Street, 92103. The Board of Education and superintendent will recognize more than 580 of our students for their outstanding achievements. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Zintz at (619) 725-5568 or email lzintz@sandi.net.
ArtPower! Student Matinee
SDCS teachers are invited to bring their students (grades 6-12) to UCSD for a world class dance performance “EVIDENCE,” an ArtPower! Student Matinee!  Ronald K. Brown’s powerful choreography tackles issues of race, class and gender as he inspires students to look at the entire human community. The matinee will be held on Thursday, January 26, from 11 – 11:50 a.m. at the Mandeville Auditorium on the UCSD campus. Cost is $5.00 per person (student or teacher). Scholarships are available. Transportation can be funded by Arts Bus Xpress. For ticket information, see their Matinee Tix Flyers (front , back ).
Grant Opportunities
• Recognizing a Teacher Who Overcomes Adversity The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation Freida J. Riley Teacher Award annually recognizes an American teacher who overcomes adversity or makes an enormous sacrifice in order to positively impact students. It is given in honor of teacher Freida J. Riley who died of Hodgkin's disease at the age of 31. Maximum award is $10,000. Full-time teachers (grades K-12), in any accredited U.S. public, private, or charter school are eligible for the award. Deadline to apply is Wednesday, March 1, 2006. For information, call (330) 376-8300 or e-mail info@nmoe.org. • Unsung Heroes Awards Program The ING Unsung Heroes awards program recognizes innovative and progressive thinking in education through monetary awards. Maximum award is $25,000 to the grand prize winner. Full-time educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, or classified staff members with effective projects that improve student learning at an accredited K-12 public or private school are eligible to apply. Application  deadline is Monday, May 1, 2006. • Toolbox for Education Program Lowe’s Companies, Inc. is pleased to announce its new Toolbox for Education grant program that will award up to $5 million dollars in grants to schools and school parent teacher groups. A special fund has been designated for parent initiated improvement projects at urban K-12 public schools. Urban school districts may apply for grants of $50,000 to $100,000 for parent initiated projects. Any individual K-12 public school can apply for a grant up to $5,000 for parent initiated modest school improvement projects. A variety of school improvement projects will be considered including landscaping and grounds improvement, library or media center enhancement, science or specialty lab creation or upgrade, and after school or parent education programs. Information and applications are available at www.toolboxforeducation.com . Applications must be received by Wednesday, February 15, 2006, to be considered for funding.
U.S. Department of Education Call For Teacher Nominations
The U.S. Department of Education plans to again honor outstanding classroom teachers through the American Stars of Teaching program. The Department's Teacher-to-Teacher initiative is seeking nominations and information about teachers who are improving student achievement, using innovative strategies in the classroom, and making a difference in the lives of their students. Teachers across all grade levels and disciplines will be honored this fall as 2006 American Stars of Teaching. Parents, students, colleagues, school administrators and others can nominate an exemplary teacher who they believe has the qualities to be an American Star of Teaching. One teacher will be recognized from each state. To learn more or nominate a teacher to become an American Star of Teaching, please visit the Teacher-to-Teacher  initiative web site. All nominations must be completed by Saturday, April 15, 2006.
Ninth Annual Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year (SAMMY) 2006 Award Program
America’s Milk Processors and USA TODAY are sponsoring the SAMMY 2006 Award Program to recognize outstanding athletes in grade 12. Twenty-five winners will be selected. Each winner will receive a $7,500 college scholarship, an invitation to attend (with parents and/or guardians) a SAMMY 2006 weekend at Disney World scheduled for June 23-25, 2006, and an opportunity to be pictured in a special congratulatory ad in a June 2006 edition of USA TODAY and other national magazines. Students can be nominated by teachers, coaches, principals, counselors, parents, relatives, or themselves. Application deadline is Friday, March 3, 2006. For official rules and application, visit WhyMilk .
Blacks in Government Greater San Diego Chapter Scholarship
Blacks in Government, a non-profit organization for federal, state, county and local government employees, is offering a $500 scholarship to African-American students from within the City or County of San Diego who will be attending their first year of a four-year college or university in the fall of 2006. Deadline to file an application  is Saturday, April 22, 2006. For more information, contact the scholarship committee chairs, Mr. C.C. Smith at (619) 264-9130 or Mr. George Lindsay at (619) 479-2560.
Annual Community Leaders Celebration
The Administrators Association of San Diego City Schools (AASD) will host its Annual Community Leaders Celebration on Wednesday, February 8, 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.
Last Chance For 2006 Buick Invitational Tickets
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 Sunday, January 22. For more information, see the flyer  or call (619) 725-7126.
New on the Web
New Bulletins and Circulars • Site Operations Bulletin 6: “Mandated Campus Security Assistant Training” – 01/16/06  • Administrative Circular 56: “Choice, Magnet, Voluntary Ethnic Enrollment Program (VEEP), and Program Improvement School Choice (PISC) Wait Lists for Second Semester” - 01/11/06  • Administrative Circular 55: “K-3 Class Size Reduction (CSR)" - 01/10/06  New Policies and Procedures • The 2006 Policy Manual  • Administrative Procedure 2165:Collections or Refunds for Damaged or Lost Instructional Materials  - Revised 12/15/05
In The News
Last week, students at Pershing Middle School demonstrated their energy knowledge to a reporter and photographer from Bungei Shunju, a Japanese magazine. The magazine features a piece on “Energy Education in the World” in each issue; the issue featuring Pershing will hit newsstands in the spring. As students and staff of Brooklyn Elementary and Porter Elementary returned to class on Tuesday, January 17, after Intersession, they returned to brand-new, state-of-the-art schools. Brooklyn Elementary is now on a new school campus in Golden Hill. Porter Elementary moved out of the old Kennedy Elementary campus to a new school next door. The schools were built with Proposition MM funds. The new school openings garnered a lot of media coverage: -- Both new schools, along with the new Mead Elementary which opens in March, were featured in an article  in The San Diego Union-Tribune. -- Television media also covered opening day at Brooklyn and Porter elementary schools. Fox 6, NBC 7/39, Channel 8 and KUSI 9/51 did live broadcasts as students and teachers arrived at the new campuses. -- Tom Fudge, radio host of KPBS' These Days, interviewed Bob Kiesling, chief facilities officer, about the new school openings. Kiesling talked about the challenges involved in opening new schools and the overall status of the Proposition MM program. Listen  to the radio interview.
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