Cougar Connection
September 24, 2023
From Principal Celeste Barnette
Dear Diegueño Families,
I hope you're following us on Instagram so you can see all the learning and fun that's taking place on a daily basis at Diegueño! Last week our kids got to chill with the Love on a Leash therapy dogs. We're so grateful to have these furry friends on campus every quarter.
Amidst lots of learning, we are infusing new traditions and building on old ones. Check out the Name That Tune video below. Last week we selected songs from the 1980s to get our kids ready for the "Totally 80's Back to School Celebration" coming up on Wednesday, October 4. Tickets go on sale on Monday, September 25. The $10 ticket price (cash only please) will include a DJ, games, food, and more!! Click here for more information.
If you student rides a bike to school, make sure they've submitted their bike tag application. You're encouraged to submit the application even if they haven't had the chance to meet the safety class requirement yet. We'll be distributing bike tags on Monday during Late Start beginning at 9:00 AM in front of the administration office. Bike tag enforcement will begin on Monday, October 2. Click here for more information.
Kindly,
Celeste Barnette, Ed.D.
Principal
(760) 944-1892 x6683
Pump IT Up Spirit Week - 9/25 - 9/29
PTSA Updates
Flippin' Pizza Fundraiser on 9/27
Wednesday, September 27th is Flippin' Pizza Day for Diegueno. Come get some pizza from the Encinitas location (215 S. El Camino Real) anytime between 11am and 8 pm and 25% of the sales will be donated to our school. You can eat in, pick up or order for delivery, just make sure you mention that you are part of the Diegueno fundraiser or show the flyer. Let's have some pizza and support our school!
Volunteers needed
Do you want to volunteer for campus events? If you’re interested in volunteering and are not already on the volunteer email list, please contact PTSA President, Staci Valdez: stacilaw@gmail.com. There’s lots of fun activities coming up including the Back to School Celebration/Dance, Fall Family Night, Red Ribbon Week, and Poker Night.
PTSA Reflections Art Program
Does your middle schooler enjoy art, music and, dance or have an interest in writing, producing films, or taking photos? Then encourage them to unleash their inner artist with PTA Reflections!
This year's theme is "I am Hopeful Because…".
All students are invited to participate and submit original artwork in one of six areas:
● Dance Choreography
● Literature
● Photography
● Film Production
● Music Composition
● Visual Art
Click HERE for submission guidelines and entry forms (Spanish) or have your student stop by the office to pick one up. Submissions are due to the Reflections box in the Diegueño office by Friday, October 13, 2023. For more information please contact Stephanie Turl at stephanie.turl@gmail.com.
Counselors' Corner
Question of the Month: It’s been six weeks now and my child still hasn’t made a smooth transition to middle school. What can I do?
There are two types of transitions that need to be made when a student arrives at middle school - academic and social. It is not uncommon to see students having difficulty balancing homework, family life, and outside activities as the new school year begins.
- Be sure that your student is organizing themselves for success. Agendas should be filled out daily, backpacks should be cleaned out at least once a week and homework should be done nightly.
- Don’t accept the “I don’t have homework” excuse you may hear. Students should have homework nightly. If your child is struggling with the academic transition, you may need to help them set up some type of organization system and monitor their homework closely.
- Be sure that they are breaking down long term projects into small parts and make sure they are not procrastinating with their assignments. If they are finding the material difficult, encourage them to ask questions, meet with their teacher, attend support during CAT time, or attend after school homework help time.
- Most importantly, be sure to talk with your student’s counselor if your child is experiencing consistent academic difficulty.
The social transition to middle school can often be overwhelming for students. Not only do they have to adjust to a new school with new rules, they are experiencing new social expectations and pressures that perhaps they’ve never dealt with before. If your student needs help dealing with this, please encourage them to come to see their counselor as we have many ways to help. Encourage students to get involved with activities at school, whether it’s attending a dance, joining a club, or participating in a sport through the Boys and Girls Club. These are great ways to meet new friends who share similar interests. Encourage self advocacy by role playing conversations that your student might need to have with their teachers. Work with them on graceful ways of getting out of sticky social situations.
We are available to help with any type of assistance that you may need, so feel free to contact us.
Sarah Wilhelms (Last names A - G) & Laura Martin (Last names H - Z)
Supporting Your Children in Managing Anxiety This School Year
SDCOE My Voice Counts Series Session 1: Supporting Your Children in Managing Anxiety This School Year
Join the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) as we provide a virtual space for parents and community members to learn strategies to support their children with anxiety. Anxiety is the most prevalent mental health disorder among children and adolescents, affecting 1 in 4 youth over their lifetime. It is important for parents/caregivers to know how to support their children and teens in managing anxiety. The first session of the five-part series is scheduled for Thursday, October 5th at 5:30 p.m. Please see flyer English/Spanish for registration and workshop information.
Spanish Translation/Interpretation is available. Please be sure to specify the language needed when completing the registration form.
Purpose:
This one-hour webinar will unpack the complexities of anxiety and offer coping strategies, tools, and resources to support your children/teens who might be feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious.
Presenter: Heather Nemour, Coordinator-Student Wellness & School. Click HERE to register.
If you have any questions, please contact LaShae Sharp-Collins at (858) 295-8773 or LaShae.Collins@sdcoe.net.
ELAC/Comité Asesor de Estudiantes de Inglés para Padres
The first ELAC meeting of the year will be held on Tuesday, September 26, from 6-7pm in the Learning Commons at Diegueno. During this meeting we will discuss what it means to be an ELAC member, discuss the importance of attendance for students and some of the barriers that they face attending school, and select ELAC and DELAC representatives. Spanish translation will be provided. Additionally, we will need one of our ELAC members to be part of our District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC). If you are interested in joining, please let me know as soon as possible as we do need a parent/guardian to represent us at this meeting. Your participation is greatly appreciated.
Linked here is the Multilingual Program and Resources FAQ Sheet that I passed out to parents/guardians at Back to School Night. It has a lot of information about the ML program at Diegueno and the different support and resources offered. Please reach out with any questions that you may have. Looking forward to seeing you at our first ELAC meeting on September 26!
La primera reunión de ELAC del año se llevará a cabo el Martes 26 de septiembre, de 18 a 19 horas. en Learning Commons en Diegueno. Durante esta reunión discutiremos lo que significa ser miembro de ELAC, discutiremos la importancia de la asistencia para los estudiantes y algunas de las barreras que enfrentan al asistir a la escuela, y seleccionaremos representantes de ELAC y DELAC. Se proporcionará traducción al español.
LCC Friday Night Lights Reminders
From La Costa Canyon High School Administration:
It is a long-standing tradition for middle school students to come to LCC to cheer on our varsity football team on Friday nights. We embrace these community events, and we love our potential future students getting the opportunity to be a part of our campus. While these events tend to go off without much of a hitch, we have encountered a number of challenges regarding middle school students coming to the games unsupervised - often with little interest in watching the game. We have limited security and administrative support at these games, and valuable resources are spent trying to return middle school students to their seats when they are clustering and blocking walkways. We have dealt with violence, theft, and disrespect of our staff from students who do not attend our school.
As we prepare for our next home game on September 29th, we ask our middle school families that you do not send your middle school student unsupervised to our football games. Instead, we ask that if you are going to have your student attend the game, they do so with a responsible adult. This does not mean one parent is bringing in a large group of students. We have seen this happen repeatedly, and it often creates issues. Middle school students need to come with a parent or guardian, and they need to be able to present their student ID when requested. Middle school students who arrive without a parent or guardian are likely to be turned away from the game. We need to focus our attention and energy on our LCC students, and our football team.
We appreciate the ongoing support of our football program, and we look forward to seeing you all at our games in the future.
Upcoming Dates
- Monday, September 25 - Late start (9:45 tardy bell)
- Monday, September 25 - Bike tag distribution before and after school
- Monday, September 25 - Back to School Celebration/Dance tickets sales begin
- Tuesday, September 26 - Spirit Day - Wear neon or a band t-shirt
- Tuesday, September 26 - English Learner Advisory Committee Meeting (6:00 PM in Learning Commons)
- Wednesday, September 27 - Spirit Day - Wear a hat
- Wednesday, September 27 - Fall Club Fair during lunch
- Wednesday, September 27 - Flippin' Pizza PTSA fundraiser (11:00 AM - 8:00 PM)
- Thursday, September 28 - School Site Council (3:00 PM in Learning Commons)
- Friday, September 29 - Spirit Day - Wear blue and yellow
- Friday, September 29 - Lost and found items will be donated
- Monday, October 2 - Bike tag enforcement begins
- Wednesday, October 4 - National Walk & Roll to School Day
- Wednesday, October 4 - Back to School Celebration/Dance!! 3:15 - 5:15 PM
- Thursday, October 5 - DLI Fall Meeting - 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. in Learning Commons
- October 9 - 13 - Red Ribbon Week
- Friday, October 13 - Reflections Arts Program entries are due
How to Get a Bike Tag
Submit bike permit application (including parent/guardian signature) to the assistant principal’s office. Students must submit a new application every year. Submit your application even if you haven't met the safety class requirement yet.
We will affix a bike tag to your bike (beginning on Sept. 25).
Provide proof of having attended a bike safety training. Some options include:
Enforcement will begin on October 2. Click HERE for additional information.
Questions? mallory.reeves@sduhsd.net
Dual Language Immersion Parent Meeting
Join us for Diegueño's Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Program Fall Meeting on Thursday, October, 5 from 6:00 to 7:00 PM in our Learning Commons.
Chrome Book Insurance
Families who purchase device insurance will be able to return their device to the District and receive a replacement device at NO CHARGE. The cost for this optional Chromebook insurance will be as follows:
Families will pay $44/year, per student. The current insurance being offered will provide coverage from August 8, 2023, to August 7, 2024. Insurance for the previous school year does not carry over to the current school year.
Click here for more details about the optional Chromebook insurance.
The deadline to sign up for the optional Chromebook insurance for the 2023-24 school year is October 31.
Please note that the insurance does not cover accessories (charger/Stylus).
Download the flyer (link to the flyer: English/Spanish) and/or visit SchoolDeviceCoverage.com for more information on signing up.
Families that choose to not purchase insurance may need to replace a device that is broken, in the same manner that a damaged textbook requires replacement. Repair costs are for damages beyond normal wear and tear and are based solely on the cost of parts.
Sorry! We Can't Accept Food Deliveries
Please understand the challenge it presents when parents drop off fast food or have food delivered to their students (from Grub Hub, Door Dash, Uber Eats, etc.). This tends to cause issues between students and creates more work for our front office staff. Fast food dropped of by parents will be held until the end of the school day and meals from delivery services will be refused.
Our strong preference is that students bring a meal with them from home or choose from our menu of free breakfast and lunch offerings (September menus; October menus)
Thank you for your cooperation.
Attendance Reminders
Please report all absences by sending an email to dgattendance@sduhsd.net or calling 760-944-1892 ext. 6605.
If your student needs to leave campus during school hours for any kind of appointment (medical, dental, orthodontist) or simply going out of town, you need to request an off-campus pass at least 48-hours in advance through email or phone.
- To minimize classroom interruption, please remind your student to pick their off-campus pass before school on the day of their appointment.
- If your pick-up time is during break or lunchtime, please remind your student to meet you in the attendance office for you to sign them out.
- For the safety of our students a Parent or Guardian will always need to sign-out their student at the attendance window in the administration building. Students cannot walk or ride their bikes/e-bikes off campus during the school day without a guardian signing them out first.
- Anyone picking up a student is required to show a government-issued photo ID.
How to Order Your Yearbook
Don't wait. Place your yearbook order now! Click HERE to order online.
SDUSHD Job Openings
Help us spread the word. We’re hiring an additional campus supervisor who will work M - F from 11:00 - 3:00. Starting pay is $19.37. EdJoin Application Link
Do you know a current college student who wants to earn some extra cash? Our College Readiness Tutor position is a great first part time job ($17.97/hr). EdJoin Application Link
Be A Crossing Guard
Help protect Diegueño bike riders and pedestrians!
All City Management Services is actively recruiting crossing guards in the Encinitas/San Dieguito area. You'll only work 2 hours per day (one hour in the morning and one in the afternoon), but you'll be paid for FOUR hours (including bonus) at $18/hour, for up to $72 per day! If you'd like to join our Team in "Keeping Kids Safe," contact:
All City Management Services
Jim Liuzzi
714-234-1690
Community News
Special Education information Sessions and Family Events
Did you know that SDUHSD hosts monthly parent collaboratives for families receiving special education services as well as informational sessions related to all things special education?
Please click here for more information on our informational sessions or to access the SDUHSD Special Education Family Resource Webpage.
SDCOE Computer2Kids Event
The San Diego County Office of Education and Computers2Kids are hosting an event for families to purchase affordable computers on Saturday, Oct. 7 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at San Marcos Elementary School 1 Tiger Way, San Marcos CA 92069 (Drive Thru Event). Click on this link for details.
Stay Connected
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)