News You Can Use

•	The Board President's Scholarship Award is presented annually by the President of the Board of Education and California Coast Credit Union to two monthly classified employees interested in becoming teachers. Each year, the California Coast Credit Union donates $2,000 to fund these scholarships. The recipients each receive a $1,000 check that will be presented at an upcoming Board of Education meeting. The Scholarship funds are to be used for tuition, fees or books at any local two- or four-year college or university. The award this year will be announced at the November 18 board meeting. Previous winners are not eligible. Applicants must submit an application form and two applicant reference forms, available on Site Operations Circular #1017 on the district's "For Staff" page. Completed applications must be received by the Board of Education Office, Room 2231, Eugene Brucker Education Center, no later than 5 p.m., October 27, 2003.
•	The Annual Cal-SOAP (California Student Opportunity and Access Program) College Fair will be held on Tuesday, October 21, from 6-9 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Center (1895 Camino del Rio South San Diego, CA 92108) In addition to having more than 100 local, state, and national universities and colleges on hand to answer questions, the fair will provide students and parents access to informational breakout sessions discussing financial aid, California Community Colleges and the transfer process, and college essay writing tips. For more information, contact Cal-SOAP at (858) 569-1866 or email pperry@mail.sandi.net.
•	The 13th Annual SAVY Youth Leadership Conference will be held on Thursday, October 30, 2003, from 8:30-1:30 p.m., at the San Diego Concourse. SAVY (Students Actively Volunteering for You), is a youth leadership program of Volunteer San Diego, comprised of middle school and high school students from around San Diego County. In collaboration with San Diego City Schools, SAVY offers many opportunities for students to become actively engaged in community service and service learning activities. This free conference is open to teachers and students, grades 7-12. It will feature a variety of interactive workshops and presentations in the areas of Youth Service and Volunteerism, Youth Leadership, and Service Learning. Participants will learn how to get involved in service, develop leadership skills, learn how to motivate and involve others, as well as network with youth, adults, and community service agencies. Lunch will also be provided. The registration deadline for the conference is Friday, October 17, and space is limited. To register for the conference online, visit Volunteer San Diego's website at www.volunteersandiego.org. If you have questions or need additional information, please call Jennie Stover, AmeriCorps Promise Fellow at Volunteer San Diego, at 858-636-4139 or Nancy Hemmings, San Diego City Schools Service Learning Coordinator, at 619-725-5597.
•	Schools can now earn cash for paper recycling Your school can now earn cash for recycling paper! Thanks to an innovative contract initiated through our Recycling Department, Paper Depot will collect paper and pay each school directly for its efforts. This program not only provides a new revenue stream for your school, but it could save the district up to $300,000 per year in landfill fees. How does it work? In the coming weeks, Paper Depot will deliver bright blue 3-cubic-yard recycling bins to schools. They will be placed next to the gray trash bins. Encourage your staff to place all types of paper in the bins (anything that tears). Click here for a list of paper that qualifies. Paper Depot will empty the bins when full. Their trucks have the capability to record the weight of the bins, which will be calculated into your school's cash rebate. Payment will be made directly to schools every other month. The price paid per ton is expected to fluctuate based on the market. Currently, the value is $5.00/ton for mixed paper. For reference, a well-packed, neatly stacked 3-cubic-yard bin will hold a half-ton of paper. These numbers, although low by themselves, can add up fast. Also, the district will no longer be charged for paper recycling collection. Building Services Supervisors/Plant Operations Supervisors have been informed of the change. They can still call Bill Causee at (858) 627-7216 with any issues regarding missed pickups and service issues. How can schools implement recycling education programs? The Recycling Department has developed several tools to educate staff and students about recycling and environmental programs: Last year, most middle and high schools created Conservation Clubs to operate beverage container recycling programs. Your school can link paper recycling education to these clubs, or offer the responsibility to another environmental or student club. In October, elementary schools will receive information about how to create a Planet Protector Club to help with paper recycling, education and monitoring. If you have any questions about the district's recycling programs, please contact Andrea Calbow at (858) 627-7376.
•	Borders Educators Appreciation Weekend Borders wants to say "Thank you" to San Diego educators, and all of us who support teaching and learning in the classroom, with an Educators Appreciation Weekend, October 10-12, 2003. The three-day appreciation event offers a 25% discount for all education employees, as well as retired teachers and student teachers. Just bring your district ID or pay stub. The discount cannot be combined with any other discount or coupon, and the discount on electronics is 10%. The discount does not apply to gift cards, periodicals or non-stock special order. Educators will also receive 40% off on any food or beverage item in the café. As part of the weekend events, each Borders store will host a special Community Day, where tables will be manned by local businesses and organizations offering free samples and small items for educators. The first 200 educators at each store's Community Day event will receive a tote bag with coupons, freebies and other samples. Community Days are planned for October 11 for the El Cajon, Mission Valley and Carmel Mountain stories, and on Sunday, October 12, at the Gaslamp store. Additionally, each store will have copies of "Beat the Budget Crisis," a resource booklet for teachers that lists area businesses and organizations that offer either a field trip or speaker or a discount for educators. This booklet is free to all educators while supplies last. For hours, call the Borders location nearest you: Carmel Mountain - 11160 Rancho Carmel Dr. (858) 618-1814 El Cajon - 159 Fletcher Parkway (619) 593-5119 Gaslamp - 668 Sixth Ave. (619) 702-4200 Mission Valley - 1072 Camino Del Rio North (619) 295-2201