#TeamPUSD
Sharing the Good News and Good Work of Students and Staff
August 2017 Edition
Sincerely,
Christine Paik, Director of Communications
Class of 2030
PUSD Back to School Video: "Best Day of My Life"
Message from the Superintendent
Welcome Back, Team PUSD!
We are so excited to welcome you back to a new and exciting school year! We hope that you enjoyed our PUSD music video above that was filmed and produced by our very own students. I had the opportunity to visit six of our schools last Wednesday and was very impressed with how hard our staff, teachers, principals, and parent volunteers all worked to prepare for such a smooth first day of school. I want to congratulate each and every one of you on a job well done.
I am so pleased to celebrate my first opening of the school year here in Poway Unified. The anticipation and excitement of watching our children and young adults arrive through the doors of learning with their brand new backpacks, first-day outfits, and nervous smiles always brings joy to my heart! On August 23rd, nearly 4,000 teachers, administrators and support staff, resumed the critical work of educating and caring for our nearly 36,000 young minds that pass through our school doors.
Walking onto each of our campuses we instantly feel the familiar comforts of our homes away from home. Thanks to the efforts of our custodial and maintenance staff over the summer, our facilities and schools look amazing. New facilities projects, including roofs, classrooms, and solar energy panels are complete or are nearing completion. Seven of our schools have new principals, and over 100 new teachers have joined our PUSD family.
As Team PUSD, we are all motivated by the belief that every one of our students deserve a safe environment to learn and opportunities to succeed. Every decision we make, and action we take, must always be focused on what is best for our learners, from our youngest preschoolers to our adult school students. I am reminded of my favorite quote, “Great leaders always have the voices of our children ringing in their ears.”
My vision for the 2017-2018 school year is to propel our District and students forward by leveraging our best practices and developing new educational programs and initiatives that support our District goals. We must expand the way our students learn and the way our teachers teach, to creatively use our resources for maximum impact. This includes:
- Creating personalized learning pathways that allow our students to be competitive in a global society.
- Increasing the educational technology presence in our schools that allow our students to gain experiences and the necessary skills to be successful in college and career.
- Developing and implementing innovative programs and learning experiences that allow our students opportunities to be multilingual, technology savvy, masters of the arts, and proficient contributors in the STEM and STEAM industries.
- Restoring financial stability to the District and growing community trust and support for PUSD’s district mission of college and career readiness for all students.
If you want to learn more about me you can tune into our introductory “PUSD podcast.” (Link here) I look forward to sharing more about my adventures and District news in these monthly #TeamPUSD newsletters.
Finally, as your new superintendent my hope is that this new year brings you and your family hope, inspiration, love, kindness, and many blessings! I look forward to our collaborative partnership in building a stronger and better district together!
Sincerely,
Marian Kim-Phelps, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Student, School, and Staff Achievements
Trisha Rao
Westwood Elementary 5th grader Trisha Rao authored a book titled 'Believe in yourself' that won the Gold Medal for the best independently published children’s book at the IPPY Awards. The book raises money for refugee children around the world. Trisha recently spoke at the Rancho Bernardo library about her passion for helping other children.
Paula Schmidt
Midland Elementary School teacher Paula Schmidt was one of 100 educators from around the world selected to attend the Discovery Educator Network Summer Institute (DENSI) in San Diego on July 16-22, 2017. DENSI brings together Discovery Educators from across disciplines and geography with a common mission to energize their teaching.
Spanish Club
Former students of the Dual Language program at Valley Elementary spent their summer volunteering at Poway library. El Club en español provides fun activities in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics all in Spanish. The program was so successful the library decided to include it in their manuals for all the libraries in the San Diego County System. Pictured: Daniela Garcia 10 (PHS), Myra Ashraf 10 (PHS) Hailey Jose 8 (MBMS), Katie Jose 11 (PHS) and not pictured Enya Lopez 9 (MCHS).
Noelle Betz
Rancho Bernardo senior Noelle Betz won the best documentary award at last June’s Innovative Video in Education contest for students. Her documentary “Unmedicated,” in which she shared her experiences with depression, was also selected to be screened at the All American High School Film Festival, a competition featuring the best high school filmmakers from around the world and held in New York City.
All Academic Team
Principal Magno @Principal_Magno
Tweet: "Congrats to Sundevil Gymnastics! Named the gymnastics All Academic Team (highest team GPA) by CIF!"
Singing with Foreigner
Tweet: "Congratulations to Madrigals who rocked the house and will be performing with the band Foreigner later tonight. @PowayUnified"
The choir won a singing competition for a chance to perform on stage, plus $2,500 for their school!
How Did PUSD Spend Summer Break?
The Solar Eclipse
The Solar Eclipse
The Spirit of the 4th Parade
Friendship Festivals
Ongoing Work and Learning
Construction Projects
Summer Trips
Beginning in 2018, elections for PUSD school board members will be by-district, instead of the current at-large (also known as district wide) elections in which all voters have the opportunity to make a decision on each seat. This means that all voters now vote for the one board member representing the district where the voter lives once every four years. You can read more on this change by clicking this link.
Poway Unified in the News
- PUSD Superintendent excited over job, challenges
- Special education teacher helps student overcome disability
- School year begins for students in Poway Unified
- Poway Unified goes back to school
- Valley Elementary's First Day of School
- Best public elementary schools in San Diego County
- Registration begins at Poway Unified middle and high schools
- Poway Unified buses go high tech
- Apply now for free, reduced-price meals at Poway Unified campuses
- 8-year-old boy raises money to buy bestie a new wheelchair
- Third grader starts online campaign to get friend a new wheelchair
- From prison to graduation, 20 years later he's just getting started
- Local student places at National Junior Olympics in Decathlon
- Local students travel for international contest
- San Diego Special Olympians win gold
- Poway schools welcome seven new principals
- Abraxas High School has a new principal
- Bernardo Heights Bobcats get a new principal
- A high school for Poway (historical society article)
- More San Diego high school students taking ACT test
- Student filmmakers is gaining experience and winning awards
- No challenge could stop this Girl Scout from her goals
- Local girls get exposed to STEM possibilities
- PUSD students return from China music trip
- RB Chorale awards $15,000 in scholarships
- North County science students win awards, excursions
- Child author's book raises money for refugee children
- Poway music video preps students for back to school
- Poway Unified back to school video is adorable
- National Youth Arts Awards presented
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