Superintendent's Update
MESSAGE FROM SUPERINTENDENT, DON AUSTIN
My wife and I recently attended the Golden Gate Theatre performance of Anastasia. As always, my mind drifted to our students and the opportunities they have in our system. I loved seeing pure joy in the faces of the performers, including the conductor and pit orchestra. I am also mindful that for every person on stage, there are countless people working behind the scenes to make it all possible.
At some point, each performer had a conversation with their peers and families about their desire to pursue acting. Most of the actors likely performed in high schools, whether it was singing, acting, or playing an instrument. Some advanced their training in college as theater majors, while some went straight to acting as professions. What if someone told them not to follow their dreams? What if their schools didn’t have programs that matched their aspirations? What if their parents steered them in a different direction? Who knows what paths were possible, but we sure enjoyed seeing them on stage and they looked happy!
We have a high-performing school district with an emphasis on measuring outcomes. I want to protect space for students to also share their talents in creative and less measured areas. Success is not defined the same for all students or families. It is important that we maintain a perspective that our role is to help all students find their own paths. If we create space, they will often exceed our wildest expectations!
LATE START LEGISLATION SB 328
With legislation sitting on the governor’s desk, PAUSD will likely need to begin discussions regarding our start times in the near future. If signed into law as expected, our schools will have until the start of the 2022-2023 school year to adjust our schedules to conform. The mandate may also provide an opportunity to explore other issues tied to secondary school schedules. We will put together groups of stakeholders to look at ways we may streamline and align our schedules to better utilize resources and potentially share teachers, staff, and students between schools. The transition period may prove to serve as an opportunity to improve our system in ways beyond start times and we will not miss the chance to explore options. A recent article in Ed Source captures the proposed law nicely for those desiring more information at: Ed Source – Late Start.
PAUSD WORKFORCE HOUSING
The Board of Education will discuss the possibility of creating workforce housing at their regularly scheduled meeting on October 15th. The District owns property at 525 San Antonio Blvd. that could serve as a site for a future housing project. No vote or action is anticipated in the near future. Instead, the Board of Education will have several sessions to examine the issue from multiple angles.
Gunn High School Self Shelf
In SELF, our 9th, 10th, and 11th grade SELF cohorts are all beginning new 8-week units:
9th: Finding Balance
10th: Exploring College and Careers
11th: Goal Setting/Future Planning
9th grade students will be focused on how schoolwork, extracurriculars, technology and free time can be more effectively balanced in a high school context through a more mindful approach to focusing and planning. They will discuss different techniques for improving focus and time management, and discussing tools that can be helpful in feeling healthier and more efficient in their approach to their academics.
The 10th grade unit on college and career exploration, which was added as a direct result of feedback gathered from SELF students and an advisory panel of older students, will begin with the first of several self-assessments around interests, personal strengths and preferences that might help them better understand what careers might be fulfilling to them someday.
Finally, in the 11th grade cohorts, as part of an exploration into understanding how people find satisfaction in their careers and broader life choices, students will be watching an award-winning documentary this week and next about a famous New York Times photographer, Bill Cunningham. According to his passions, talents and idiosyncrasies, the film shows how Cunningham documented changing fashion trends in New York City across many decades and became a beloved figure in the global fashion scene, all while leading a startlingly simple lifestyle.