Cougar Connection
December 3, 2023
ENCINITAS HOLIDAY PARADE
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Understanding Our Students' Experiences
On Friday, Diegueño students will take a very brief survey to help us better understand how our kids are feeling about their connection to the school and their sense of safety. Specifically, students will indicate their level of agreement with the following statements:
- I feel like I am part of this school.
- I try hard to make sure that I am good at my schoolwork.
- There is a teacher or some other adult from my school that really cares about me.
- Overall I expect more good things to happen to me than bad things.
- How safe do you feel when you are at school?
We are administering a form of this survey four times this year. At Friday's Principal's Coffee, we analyzed last year's results compared to our students' October responses. We used a data processing tool called "I See, I Think, I Wonder" (Dr. Catlin Tucker). Our staff will engage in a similar process next week. I will share more here once we have our results from Friday's survey, but we're very pleased to report an increase in two of our most important connectedness/safety metrics. Last spring, 60% of our students agreed with this statement, "There is a teacher or other adult from my school how really cares about me." In October, 69% of students agreed. That is a significant increase. In regards to safety, last spring 54% of students stated that they feel safe at school and in October, that percentage increased to 75%. That's a HUGE leap. We still have work to do, but we're pleased with the improvements towards our goal of ALL students experiencing Diegueño as a safe and caring place to learn.
As always, this Friday's school climate survey is anonymous and confidential. No one will be able to connect an individual student with their answers. The survey is voluntary, meaning students do not have to participate, but the answers will be very helpful to us as we work to improve school climate. If you do not want your child to participate, please email me.
Kindly,
Celeste Barnette, Ed.D.
Principal
(760) 944-1892 x6683
NEW NEWS
Ronald McDonald House Toy, Clothing & Art Supply Drive
We are collecting new clothing for babies and kids, toys, and Crayola art supplies for the Ronald McDonald House at Rady Children's Hospital. Shop our Amazon wishlist by clicking on the button below or you can send and new items to school with your student. Items will be collected through your student's fourth period class from Monday, December 4 through Friday, December 8. Thanks for helping us spread the joy of art and helping families and patients of Rady Children's Hospital.
Amazon wish list *These are merely suggestions. Any NEW items are greatly welcomed
PTSA Happenings
Kendra Scott Fundraiser
Shop Kendra Scott this holiday season and 20% of the proceeds will benefit Diegueño Middle School! You can either shop at the UTC store on Sunday, December 10 between 4:00 and 6:00 or shop online on December 10th or 11th and use this code: GIVEBACK-FQJOW. Email stacilaw@gmail.com with questions.
Membership Drive Raffle Winners!
Congratulations to the PTSA Membership Raffle Winners. Students will be called to the office to collect their prizes. Thank you to all the families who joined PTSA! Your generosity and involvement have helped us provide additional support inside and outside of the classroom!
Counselors' Corner
Career Exploration
Last week, the counseling department went into all history classes to meet with students to begin the career exploration process. SDUHSD uses an amazing program called "Thrively" as a tool to help students discover their strengths, profile their interests, and come up with career pathways that best fit their individual goals. Please ask your student to log into their Thrively account at www.thrively.com at home with you and review your student's results from this week. Our Diegueno 7th graders took the Strengths Assessment, and our 8th graders took the Interest Profiler Assessment. Your students will enjoy sharing their results with you.
Opportunity to Help Diegueño Families
As the holidays approach, for some of our students, this may be an especially difficult time of year for many reasons. This may be the first holiday since the death of a parent or a parent may be absent from the home. Parents may be out of work and so this will be a very different holiday for many students. The Counseling Department is aware of some students and families who may be in need this year, and we would like to provide some sort of happiness for the holidays. We are hoping to collect a variety of gift cards for our families, so that they may be able to have a wonderful meal or provide a special gift for their kids. We are asking for gift cards to Walmart, Target, Trader Joe’s, and Grocery Stores. We are hoping to provide a gift basket with the cards for approximately 10 families. Any amount would be greatly appreciated by our families during these tough times. Please turn in any gift cards to the Counseling Office no later than December 21. As always, the counseling office appreciates your support.
Sarah Wilhelms (Last names A - G)
Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Fridays
Laura Martin (Last names H - Z)
laura.martin@sduhsd.net Counselor H-Z
Mondays - Fridays
Carlos Fletes (Student Support Facilitator)
Mondays, Wednesdays & Thursdays
UPCOMING DATES
- Monday, Dec. 4 - Dec. 8 - Rady Children's Toy, Clothing and Art Supplies Drive
- Wednesday, Dec. 6 - Drama Night 6:00 PM in Cougar Hall
- Thursday, Dec. 7 - Spelling Bee during CAT
- Wednesday, Dec. 13 - Winter Band Concert 6:30 PM in Cougar Hall (with OCMS Band)
- Friday, Dec. 15 - PTSA General Meeting 8:30 AM in Learning Commons
- Thursday, Dec. 21 - 1st Semester Ends - Minimum Day (12:25 dismissal)
- Friday, Dec. 22 - Jan. 9 - Winter Break (No School)
- Wednesday, Jan. 10 - FIRST DAY OF SPRING SEMESTER (Single Period)
- Thursday, Jan. 11 - 1, 3, 5, periods
- Friday, Jan. 12 - 2, 4, 6 periods
- Friday, Jan. 12 - PTSA General Meeting 8:30 AM in Learning Commons
- Monday, Jan. 15 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (no school)
REMINDERS
Attendance Office Reminders
A friendly reminder that you must make arrangements, in advance, for all off-campus passes. To request an off-campus pass for medical appointments or for going out of town, you must call or email at least 48 hours in advance and include:
- Your student's first and last name
- Time and date for the pass
If you are picking up during nutrition break or lunch time, please remind your student to meet you in the attendance office for check-out. Your student is responsible to picking up their off-campus pass in the attendance office before school on the day of pick up.
Email: DGAttendance@sduhsd.net
Phone: (760) 944-1892 x6607
8th Grade Yearbook Recognition Ads
8th grade parents - It's time to order your recognition ad in this year's yearbook for your promoting 8th grade student. Recognition ads are only $40. Orders must be placed by Feb. 1st.
DISTRICT & COMMUNITY NEWS
Big 8 Winter Sport Tryouts
Any student wanting to try out for a sport, MUST register before they try out.
Boys Basketball - December 4, 5, & 7
Girls Field Hockey - December 4, 5, 7, 11, 12 & 14
Running Club - First day December 5 (No Cuts)
High School Campus Tours
La Costa Canyon (LCC) campus tour dates
San Dieguito Academy (SDA) campus tour dates
Canyon Crest Academy (CCA) campus tour dates
Torrey Pines (TP) campus tour dates
FFEE December Newsletter
Highlights include:
- Cultural calendar
- Local events
- How to have respectful conversations about uncomfortable topics
SDUHSD Part Time Job Opportunities
San Dieguito UHSD has part-time opportunities available for Special Education Instructional Assistants, Bilingual Instructional Assistants, and Nutrition Services Assistants. Please visit the link below for a list of all available positions.
STAY CONNECTED TO DIEGUEÑO
During the school year you will receive this Cougar Connection newsletter every week. This is an important way to stay updated about what’s happening on campus and to learn how to set your child up for success. Other ways to stay connected include:
Bookmark our school website
Subscribe to the Diegueño events calendar
Follow the official Diegueño Instagram account
Follow the official ASB Instagram account
Download the Parent Square app to get his newsletter sent directly to your phone (Apple App Store; Google Play)
Download the Membership Toolkit app to access the private school directory if you joined PTSA (Apple App Store; Google Play)