#TeamPUSD
Sharing the Good News and Good Work of Students and Staff
October 2018 Edition
Superintendent's Message
Dear Team PUSD,
Our flags are at half staff following another senseless act of violence against a group of innocent people. What happened at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh over the weekend shows the tragic results of allowing hate to take hold and poison our society. While we are physically removed from the shooting, our hearts ache for the families who lost their loved ones so suddenly.
We as educators and families must come together to choose kindness over hate, teach and model tolerance and respect for our future generations, and remain vigilant against any threats. This work takes courage, empathy, and strong leadership from children and adults alike.
Choose kindness
I saw a quote recently: "Kindness is choosing love over hate, light over darkness, compassion over judgment." As educators, we are in the unique position of being able to teach our young people to choose kindness on a daily basis. October is National Bullying Prevention month. A 2015 study by the National Center for Education found that nationwide, about 21 percent of students ages 12-18 experienced bullying. We know that students cannot learn or achieve to their full potential when they don’t feel safe and secure. Bullied students are also more likely to miss school or drop out of school. And in extreme cases, the results can be tragic, driving teens to take their own lives to end the torment or targeting their bullies with violence. This is unacceptable. We can and must do better. Many people don't realize that one of the reasons I got into education is because I too was bullied for much of my K-12 educational experience. No child should be made to feel afraid or that they don't matter, as I once did.
Teach tolerance and respect
Earlier this month, the Anti-Defamation League of San Diego hosted its annual “No Place for Hate” leadership conference. Schools from across Poway Unified School District sent student and administrator teams to receive training on how to create safe and inclusive campuses free from bias and bullying. Simultaneously, PUSD has partnered with the Sandy Hook Promise Organization to bring the new “Start with Hello” program to our schools, which encourages students to take small but powerful actions to promote connectedness and inclusion, and to identify and help others who are showing signs of social isolation. This builds on the existing work that our schools have been doing with LINK crews and Kindness Campaigns to promote empathy and compassion and “Unity Weeks” focused on bridging differences with understanding and respect. Starting in our elementary schools, counselors focus on “Character Counts” lessons and use a “Second Step” curriculum to focus on the issue of bullying. Our schools are also participating in digital citizenship curriculum which addresses cyber bullying, because we know that bullying can be pervasive online. Our staff is receiving training too, to recognize bullying, take immediate action when needed, and to model respectful behavior.
Remain vigilant
As part of our ongoing efforts to improve school safety and security, we are asking our school community to "see something, say something." Watch this public service announcement with your children. Save the PUSD tipline number into your phone: 844-787-3847 and report any threats to school safety. The tipline is monitored 24-7 by our law enforcement partners.
Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping our schools safe and secure,
Marian
PUSD Podcast Episode 12: Carol Osborne
Student, School, and Staff Achievements
Real Heroes Youth Award
Yearbook Award
Fundraising Goals!
Park Village Goes Gold
Art Honor!
Tribute to Teachers
Sweepstakes Awards for Royal Regiment
Broncos Beach Volleyball Champs
Poway High School - Palomar League Football Champs
Nighthawk Championship Volleyball!
Westview - CIF Champions
Sunset Hills SOARs
Dyslexia Awareness Month
Fun Photo Gallery
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
ASES Carnival
The Meadowbrook Middle School After School Education and Safety program held their Lights On After School Carnival featuring food, games, crafts, ice cream making, and more!
Garden Road Rowing Challenge
Garden Road staff experienced a team building day on the water - participating in a program that fosters a hands-on understanding of how individuals working together in challenging situations can create amazing results.
Tea Time at Adobe Bluffs
Parents and students learned about different teas and how tea spread to other countries around the world in Adobe Bluffs' Mandarin Foreign Language in Elementary School program.
Fall Band Tournaments
Dia de los Muertos
Creative Space
Favorite Book Character Day
Great California Shakeout!
Safari Park Field Trip
Five Senses
Trunk 'R Treat
The Voice
No Place for Hate Annual Conference
College and Career Fair
Finance Park
Valley Volcanoes
Special Visitor
Club Day at Tierra Bonita
Spread Kindness
Pink Day at MBMS
UCSD Tour
8th Grade Band Night
Meet Mac Pham
Westview Homecoming
You Can't Take it with You"
Kindness Campaign
Del Norte Homecoming
Podcasting
Attendance HERO
Team Building
Disney Day
Fun Run
BizTown Interviews
TechCampapalooza
No Excuses
Fall Concert
SSAC
Walk to School Day
Shadow a Principal
Living Laboratory
Morning Creek Fun Run
Character Counts! / Red Ribbon Week
PHS Visits Painted Rock
Character Counts at PUSD
Canyon View Elementary
Oak Valley Middle School
Mt. Carmel High School
Chaparral Elementary
Garden Road Elementary
District Office
Jump for Heart Health
Lei Off Drugs
Ambassador Program
Red Ribbon Rally
Take the Pledge
BMX Bike Rally
PUSD Tipline
November 6, 2018 Election Information
As we approach Election Day, November 6, 2018, voters have an important decision to make, that will directly impact the future of the Poway Unified School District. For our Board of Education, PUSD recently converted from an at-large election system (where board members are selected by voters from across PUSD) to a by-district system (where board members are selected by voters only in the area they represent).
We now have five voting districts, and three of those seats will be up for election this November:
- District B covers north Poway and northeast Rancho Bernardo (Candidates are Ginger Couvrette, Kim Garnier, and Kevin Juza)
- District C covers most of Rancho Bernardo, parts of 4S Ranch, Ranchos Penasquitos, and Carmel Mountain Ranch (Candidates are T.J. Zane, Charles Sellers, and Terry Norwood)
- District D covers parts of Ranchos Penasquitos, Carmel Mountain Ranch, and Sabre Springs (Candidates are Michelle O’Connor-Ratcliff and Stan Rodkin)
If you live within PUSD boundaries, please take a moment to look up your address on the interactive map to find out which district you live and can vote in, and don't forget to vote on November 6, 2018.
Special Education Fall Parent Night
Poway Unified School District
Email: cpaik@powayusd.com
Website: www.powayusd.com
Location: 15250 Avenue of Science, San Diego, CA, United States
Phone: (858) 521-2700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PowayUSD
Twitter: @PowayUSD