CARLSBAD UNIFIED CONNECTIONS
October 14, 2022
STAFF SPOTLIGHT:
Angie Ragg - Nutrition Services Lead I, Jefferson Elementary
“Oh, we have a latecomer!” said Angie Ragg to a concerned looking TK student. “Come on, Emma, let's get you some food.” Ms. Ragg led the little one through the food line and exclaimed, “Look! It’s blueberry muffin day!” Emma responded with a big smile.
Last year Angie Ragg joined Jefferson Elementary as its Nutrition Services Lead I, and her hungry customers are thrilled to have her. She learns every student’s name, and she recognizes and acknowledges every child coming through the food line.
And Angie is a proactive problem solver. Since COVID requirements had changed the regular cafeteria routines, she immediately set to work on a plan to deliver students’ snacks directly to their classrooms. When those restrictions were lifted, she saw that students sometimes had to wait in a long food line and didn’t have enough time to eat. She worked with the teachers to devise a way to make the cafeteria more efficient so that students could get their food faster and have more time to sit and enjoy it.
Angie’s first job in Nutrition at Carlsbad Unified was working the morning shift at Sage Creek High School from 8 to 10 am. Once she made sure that her high school students had eaten their breakfasts she was happy to substitute at any other campus that might be short-handed for the lunch shift. She has now worked at every school in the district except Valley Middle School.
“She is amazing!” says Carla Bos, principal at Jefferson. “Kind, friendly, and always with a smile. As soon as she arrived here she became an integral part of the staff. She makes sure that every student gets a little extra love.”
“Angie is kind-hearted and hard working,” reports Kristy Stevens, Nutrition Services Operations Supervisor. “She is very organized as well. She gets along with all of the staff, and the students really like her too. She is a true asset to CUSD.”
Michelle Johnson, Interim Director of Nutrition and Purchasing Services, supervised Angie when she was first hired. She says, “Angie impressed me with her positive attitude. She worked well with the students and was always eager to learn more, improve her skills, and advance to a higher level position.”
“What can I say?” asked Angie, “I love my job, and I love these kids. I would not be able to do my job well without being surrounded by the most thoughtful and supportive staff at CUSD– from my family in Nutrition Services, my new friends at Jefferson, and support from the District Office. It's an honor to work here. And it’s pizza day–It’s going to be a very busy one!”
SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT:
Kelly STEAM Lab
The Think Tank
Kindergartners are circled around tables, building ramps to learn about force, gravity, and motion. First graders are examining plants, describing and making observations on their external structures. Second graders have read the fairy tale The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and now are working in teams to try to recreate and redesign a safer bridge to cross the stream so the troll will not eat them. And students in third through fifth grades are learning about manufacturing engineering by creating a system that measures out precise amounts of a product.
Welcome to the Think Tank at Kelly Elementary School! It’s a Makerspace, a discovery place, a STEAM lab. It’s a place where students come together to define a problem, brainstorm potential solutions, select and build a prototype, test it out, and refine it. It’s a center for innovation.
The bright and spacious room looks like organized chaos. On the tool wall, hammers, screwdrivers, and pliers are arranged neatly. Brightly colored bundles of pipe cleaners hang nearby. There are shelves full of construction materials that might be “just the thing” that young creators need to complete their project. Large bins hold egg cartons, legos, stacks of colored paper and cardboard, and, of course, duct tape.
“Students are working in collaborative groups using the Design Thinking method of problem solving,’ explains principal Emma Cobb. “Instruction begins in the classroom, based on grade-level standards. Then the Think Tank gives students the opportunity to apply what they have learned—a hands-on experience.”
“In these small groups every student gets a chance to collaborate, communicate, and come up with solutions. Each student has an important role to play. Our students with disabilities thrive in this inclusive, hands-on setting. All are engaged in planning, designing, creating, testing, and identifying what didn’t work and fixing it. Students are learning to work in teams and developing critical thinking skills.”
In the words of a student group describing their Think Tank project, “...but it didn’t work. We made a mistake, but that’s OK. And then we tried again, and it worked! We were so scared it would fall over and we would have to rebuild it. Now it worked.” Proud smiles all around.
These hands-on experiences also have had a real-world impact on instructional improvement. Kelly reports gains on their Percent Proficient in Reading over the last two years, from 71% proficient (a 1.6% improvement) in 2020-21 to 74.4% proficient (a 3.7% improvement) in 2021-22.
The Think Tank receives additional funding from the Carlsbad Educational Foundation and Kelly’s PTA. This supplemental support pays for an Innovation Instructor, whose presence allows every class to visit the lab for 45 minutes each week, and also provides instructional materials.
At Kelly, they echo the words of Ben Franklin: “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn.”
Red Ribbon Week - October 24-28, 2022
Carlsbad Unified School District will be taking part in a week long, district wide program called Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon Week was designed to create an awareness concerning the problems related to the use of tobacco, vapes, alcohol and other drugs and connecting young people to their schools and community.
On Tuesday October 18, 2022 at 5:00 p.m., we will join the Carlsbad Mayor, City Council, City Manager, and Principals at City Hall to receive the Ribbon Week Proclamations for all schools in Carlsbad.
Red Ribbon Week started in 1985 as a means of honoring D.E.A. agent Enrique Camarena who lost his life in the line of duty. Today Red Ribbon Week has grown and is recognized nationally as a time for schools, communities, and local businesses across the nation to come together to support our young people in making healthy choices.
In Carlsbad Unified we will focus on the many aspects of health and safety. You can take advantage of this time to open dialogue at home and in school to discuss issues like peer pressure, social media, integrity, and character as well as making the right choices for a healthy future. We encourage you to virtually support the special activities that each school will offer during this week. Please decorate your driveway or neighborhood, make some chalk art on the ground, take family walks, or have family dinner discussions.
The following Businesses support the Carlsbad Unified School District efforts of making Healthy Choices during Red Ribbon Week by supporting students and families with the following discounts. This is an opportunity to have a meal together and discuss the reasons why it is important to stay healthy, connected and focused on your future. (The student needs to mention their school, Red Ribbon Week and have their Carlsbad Red Ribbon Week wristband.)
Al's Cafe in the Village
795 Carlsbad Village Dr
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 729 - 5448
Kids 10 and under eat free every day with a paying adult
Bistro Kabob
2519 Palomar Airport Road #101
Carlsbad, Ca. 92011
(760) 431- 0055
Kids eat Free Tuesday from 3-8 pm
Gregorio’s Carlsbad
300 Carlsbad Village Drive, Ste. 208 Carlsbad, Ca. 92008
760 720-1132
Free desert with any paying meal
Hennessey's Carlsbad
2777 Roosevelt St
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 729 -6951
Tuesday buy one burger get one free
Jersey Mikes Sub’s
2604 El Camino Real, Suite C-4
Carlsbad, CA 92008
760-730-7300
Free Mini Sub with order of Regular Sub
Jersey Mikes Sub’s
5620 Paseo Del Norte
Suite C-127
(760) 585 - 2281
Carlsbad, CA 92008-4466
Free Mini with order of a Regular Sub
Knockout Pizza
2937 Carlsbad Blvd.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 434 – 4468
Bring a friend in for Lunch - BOGO - Buy 2 slices and a drink – get two slices and a drink for your friend.
Knockout Pizza
401 Mission Ave b120,
Oceanside, CA 92054
(760) 722-8888
Bring a friend in for Lunch - BOGO - Buy 2 slices and a drink – get two slices and a drink for your friend.
Lola’s 7 up Market and Deli
3292 Roosevelt Street
Carlsbad, CA 92008
760-434-2191
$.50 off a Burrito all week (not good with any other discount from the store)
Noodles & Company
Palomar Carlsbad Commons
2521 Palomar Airport Road,
Carlsbad, Ca 92011
(760) 930-1369
15% discount off any item
Ruby’s Diner
5630 Paseo Del Norte #130D
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 931-7829
Kids eat free Tuesdays after 4PM
Strawberry Shack Carlsbad
2906 Carlsbad Blvd.
Carlsbad, Ca. 92008
(760) 458 0734
Any Purchase over $5.00 get a free kid’s cone
That Pizza Place
2622 El Camino Real Suite B
Carlsbad, Ca. 92010
(760) 434 3171
Free Cinnamon Sticks with any food purchase
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Carlsbad Unified School District
Email: cusd@carlsbadusd.net
Website: https://www.carlsbadusd.k12.ca.us
Location: 6225 El Camino Real, Carlsbad, CA, USA
Phone: 760-331-5000
Facebook: facebook.com/CarlsbadUnifiedSchools
Twitter: @CarlsbadUSD