CARLSBAD UNIFIED CONNECTIONS
NEWSLETTER - January 2022
Superintendent's Message: Kindness Matters Everywhere
It’s the Great Kindness Challenge Week, and Carlsbad Unified is abuzz with kind words and thoughtful acts.
The Great Kindness Challenge, presented by Kids For Peace, was started right here in 2011 by Carlsbad parents and students, and is now observed around the world. Seventeen million students – attending 33,000 schools in 110 countries – participated last year, registering 843 million acts of kindness. It’s what the world needs now.
Carlsbad Unified is committed to promoting social-emotional wellness and safe and healthy schools, so every CUSD school has been planning fun and meaningful activities to celebrate The Great Kindness Challenge. Spiritwear days, door decorating, kind messages, and acts of generosity are bringing compassion to the forefront on campus.
Spotlight on Schools:
Valley Middle School: A School To Watch
Right before winter break, the announcement was made – Valley Middle School was designated as a state and national School to Watch. This impressive accomplishment places Valley in a special group of high-performing middle schools that are “academically challenging, developmentally responsive, socially equitable, and organized and structured for continuous improvement.”
The California League of Schools and the California Department of Education, the lead agencies in making the designation, had sent a visiting team to Valley in early December to validate its application. But what did the Schools To Watch visiting team see that made Valley truly stand out among thousands of very good middle schools? Principal Nicole Johnston reports that, homing in on one of the Valley Vikings’s areas of strength, they had discerned how Valley’s students felt connected, supported, and engaged on campus. Valley’s welcoming Villages, its ASB leadership, WEB program, After-School Peer Tutoring, and Counseling office all contribute to making the school a place where students feel valued.
Valley’s Villages
The transition from elementary school, where “everyone knows your name,” to a large, unwieldy, and sometimes impersonal middle school is challenging for an 11-year-old. Recognizing this, Valley Middle School organizes itself into “Villages,” or smaller, more personal groups of teachers and students – home bases, where students have a place where they belong.
Vikings ASB Leadership
Associated Student Body (ASB) student leaders at Valley do not view their leadership role as simply that of event organizing;they see their job as building a school culture that focuses on making connections so that all students feel welcome and included at Valley. This year all ASB events are taking place outside, and the student leaders planned accordingly. Aiming to offer something for everyone, ASB held a club fair to get students excited about becoming involved in clubs and extracurricular activities. They also hosted a fall festival as well as ongoing lunchtime socials, crafts, and games. In addition, the ASB teamed up with the counseling department to promote the Start with Hello campaign, which encourages students to acknowledge each other in the hallways and on campus. And many ASB students serve as after-school tutors. ASB advisor and English teacher Ms. Willenbrink says, “We have such a strong group of empathetic student leaders. I’m proud of how willing our students are to put others before themselves, providing safe and fun activities and stepping up to help kids be kids after such a tough year.”
WEB - Where Everyone Belongs
The WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) team consists of 41 eighth-grade leaders who mentor Valley’s sixth graders as they make the adjustment from elementary to middle school. These WEB leaders visit sixth-grade Advisory classes armed with lessons on building empathy, self and social awareness, and making friends. They also organize after-school team-building events, such as dodgeball, and volunteer as tutors. Math and Science teacher Mr. Bentley and Science teacher Ms. Murphy serve as WEB advisors, and also train students involved in after-school tutoring. “Advisory classes give students a place to communicate and build relationships, and our eighth grade WEB leaders’ visits to support the sixth graders has meant a great deal to them,” says Ms. Murphy.
After School Peer Tutoring
Another standout program at Valley is After School Peer Tutoring. Each Village has at least one teacher who oversees a group of tutors one day per week. Over 40 students – from ASB, WEB, or honors classes – stay after school to serve as volunteer peer tutors, providing one-on-one support for students slipping behind in their classes. “I am amazed by the students’ good instructional practices,” says Ms. Murphy, one of the tutor trainers. “These students are patient and consistent, and want to help others on campus.”
Counseling
We all know that the disruptions and separations due to the pandemic have been real and have had an impact on students. Valley students enjoy the benefit of two dedicated school counselors, Ms. Schroh and Mr. Mensalvas, who visit and support Advisory classes. “We create lessons on topics such as careers, study skills, and empathy, and sometimes we play games and activities, such as Kahoot, with the students,” says counselor Mensalves. “We support students’ Academic, College and Career, and Social Emotional Learning needs, helping students to feel accepted and heard.” Current Advisory lessons concern timely topics – “Stress Management” and “How to Keep Up If You are Missing School.” The counselors provide additional support, as needed, for small groups and individual students.
Valley Middle School deserves congratulations for being named a School To Watch – and for creating a lively, student-centered campus Where Everyone Belongs.
PTA's Reflections Art Program
We’re fortunate to have the support of dedicated PTAs and PTSAs in Carlsbad. The National PTA's Reflections art program provides opportunities for recognition and access to the arts, which boost student confidence and success in the arts and in life.
Each year, over 300,000 students in Pre-K through Grade 12 create original works of art in response to a student-selected theme. This 50+ year-old program helps them explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas, develop artistic literacy, increase confidence and find a love for learning that will help them become more successful in school and in life.
Congrats to all our student artists who participated in this year’s PTA Reflections Art Program sponsored by the Carlsbad Unified Council of PTAs (CUC PTA). Our 2021-22 Reflections Art Exhibit featured 125 pieces created by our amazing CUSD students. Nineteen top artists moved on to countywide competition, with two artists moving on to the statewide competition. You can view all Carlsbad Unified entries here in the categories of photography, literature, film, music, dance, and visual art.
Thank you to our district's Reflections Chairperson, Renee Sanchez-Bujewski - and all of the Reflections site chairs and parents that helped. And thank you to our kids for sharing their brilliant work with us!
Career Pathways in Carlsbad Unified
Carlsbad Unified’s Career Pathways programs provide students opportunities to discover their future through rigorous academic courses, early access to college credits through partnerships and articulation agreements, and personalized workplace learning experiences. It presents students with programs of study that are researched, relevant and tied directly to post secondary options and opportunities.
Career and technical education (CTE) teaches students core academic, employability, and technical job-specific skills needed to pursue certifications, degrees, and high-wage opportunities for both college and a career.
Career readiness education is critical in schools because it prepares students for life as they begin their careers, equipping them with the skills necessary to navigate the workforce.
Learn more about our district's Strategic Plan for Career Pathways at the link above, and see some of the pathways in action, in grades K through 12, in the video below.
CUSD Showcase: Choose Your Path
Board Meeting Wrap Up - January 19, 2022
- 2020-2021 School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs) - Approved
- 2021-2022 School Plans for Student Achievement (SPSAs) - Approved
- FMP Phase 2 Modernization Project Final Design: Valley Middle School - Approved
- Substitute Teacher Compensation Schedule - Approved
- Updated Procedures for Public Participation at Board Meetings - Approved
- Resolution No. 27-2122 Continuing Board of Trustees Authority To Hold Virtual Meetings Pursuant to AB 361 - Approved
More information, including slide decks and copies of approved resolutions, can be found here or by clicking the button below.
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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