CARLSBAD UNIFIED CONNECTIONS
NEWSLETTER - May 2022
Superintendent's Message: Partners in Education at Carlsbad Unified
Here at Carlsbad Unified, parents, businesses, and community members are critical partners in education. They provide opportunities to interact with an array of community resources as our students explore their passions, learn about what’s available here in North County, and enrich their lives through the artists, scientists, and leaders they meet. COVID might have limited in-person interactions, but we were able to continue to connect via virtual field trips and guest speakers. Now our campuses are once again busy with excitement as we welcome back our invaluable partners in person.
Parent volunteers, book fairs, ice cream socials, and field trips are now back as we return to normal. Our partners are again participating and contributing – organizing career days, family picnics, and other special activities on every campus.
For instance, on Compassion Day at Kelly Elementary School, experts and parent volunteers helped students rotate through stations where they experienced what it feels like to have a disability. Students tried decoding messages in Braille, endured a sensory overload room, tried to function wearing blindfolds, and attempted to run on the field with yardsticks taped to their legs. Then, in a student-run center, they wrote notes about kindness to create a beautiful mosaic.
At the Sage Creek High School PTSA’s JIVE event (Jobs, Internships, Volunteers and Education), parents and community members helped students get information about possible jobs and internships. Local businesses such as Handel’s and Chick-Fil-A set up tables and shared information about jobs and summer internships.
Booster club members are now making hot dogs and selling tickets to sporting events, working backstage at musical and theater performances, and raising money for competitions, travel, and sports equipment. Tutors are giving needed help to students in danger of falling behind.
Our Carlsbad Educational Foundation (CEF) and its partners facilitate a multitude of community-based programs for Carlsbad Unified students. Lego Robotics; Agua Hedionda Lagoon field trips; Coastal Roots Farm visits; Junior Achievement BizTown curriculum and field trips; Nordson Corporation’s Tech Time Challenge; Science Days with volunteers from Thermo Fisher; Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation’s Environmental Stewardship initiative; the Science Olympiad supported by Viasat; and Junior Achievement’s Finance Park – these are some of the many initiatives and programs supported by CEF and its partners.
And, in the field of Career Pathways, our business, industry and community partners are providing vital support. Overseeing these important relationships is our own Nicole Moersch, K-12 Pathway Coordinator. She was just named the 2022 College & Career Pathways Educator of the Year by the Classroom of the Future Foundation for her commitment to innovation in education.
Our Pathways are guided by the expertise of the District Career Pathways Advisory Committee and other business partners who collaborate with career pathway teachers in aligning curriculum, software, and equipment with industry standards. These volunteers from the business and industrial community also offer internships, feedback on student projects, mentorships, guest speakers, and other hands-on experiences for students.
In addition, our partners at the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce offer their Rising Stars student recognition program, scholarships for high school students, and exposure to the world of work.
We are indebted to all of these partners for their generosity of time and resources to ensure that our students have an educational experience that prepares them for a successful future. Partners – we couldn’t do it without you!
Spotlight on Schools:
Renewal At Buena Vista Elementary School
Happy to Have Parents Back on Campus
Students ran and ran and, as they sprinted past, parents sprayed them with cool mists from squirt bottles. There were giggles where iridescent bubbles from a bubble machine filled the air, and lots of hugs at the finish line where tired runners celebrated their accomplishments. It was Jog-a-thon Day at Buena Vista Elementary School.
It had been more than two years since the school could welcome parents and families to campus, but on Jog-a-thon Day 2022 the whole Buena Vista community was together again, enjoying the day and basking in the warm spring sun. The Dolphins are back!
Now, Buena Vista is once again hosting family-focused events, and parents are back on campus, volunteering in the classrooms, organizing fun events, and planning end-of-the-year activities. School is in full swing,
Jogathon
Buena Vista’s jogathon was the first in-person event held for all parents and families on campus since the beginning of the pandemic. Although technically a fundraiser, this year’s event took on a larger meaning – bringing families onto campus together, celebrating the students, and serving as a morale boost for the entire school community.
Preschoolers through 5th graders had a fun day of jogging and spending time with classmates and families. Last year’s collaborative art project – large colorful wings – was finally rolled out for the community to photograph and enjoy.
Family Picnic & Open House
Before Open House, hundreds of students, preschool through 5th grade, and their families gathered for the Buena Vista Family Picnic. El Puerto was set up on the playground to sell dinner, Handel’s was on hand to sell ice cream, and some families brought their own food. After the picnic, families visited their children’s classrooms. Many parents had not been in their child’s classroom for more than two years, and kindergartners and first graders had never hosted their parents in their classrooms.
Students and teachers worked hard to decorate their classrooms with new artwork and other displays of students' skills. Students were proud to introduce their families to their teachers, show off their work and their classrooms, and tour them around the campus. Some classrooms even organized a scavenger hunt for students and their families. Students and teachers alike relished the school spirit and community building -– the normalcy.
And what’s coming up? The Dolphins are looking forward to Teacher Appreciation Week, Science Day, Dr. Bronner’s Snow Foam experience, and fifth grade promotion.
“Our pandemic experiences taught us to appreciate the events we share together,” said Principal Marie Giordani. “It also forced us to take a new look at the way we always did things. Our promotion traditions have now changed permanently. It’s so nice to hold our promotion ceremony outside. And we love having our families back on campus.”
Buena Vista Elementary . . . developing global awareness and responsibility through quality education, in-depth understanding, and inspired action.
Great Things are Happening at Jefferson Elementary School
More Honors
Jefferson again has been recognized by the California Department of Education as a California Green Ribbon School. The 2022 award represents the third year in a row the school has been so honored. Jefferson also was just named a 2022 California Pivotal Practice School for demonstrating innovation and exceptional work during the pandemic for its distance learning programs.
Science Day
At their All School Science Day on April 12, the Jaguars demonstrated their science skills with lots of beakers, wires, poster boards, and creativity – and plenty of parental involvement and community support. Jefferson’s students and teachers are thrilled to have parents and community members back on campus to join in the fun of learning.
After School Clubs
Jefferson students love their clubs! After-school activities on campus give students a chance to explore their passions, make friends, and build school spirit. Current clubs include Embroidery, STEAM, Art, Sports, Legos, Guitar, and Yoga. There are also two Book Clubs, a Runners’ Club, and a Dance Team. The clubs are run by Jefferson’s amazing teachers and specialists. This year’s fourth and final session of after-school clubs is now underway.
In addition, through a partnership with the City of Carlsbad Cultural Arts Department and New Village Arts Theater, Jefferson has formed a new year-long Theater Club, giving students opportunities to learn everything it takes to put on a theater performance. The students will be putting their skills to use when they perform The Wizard of Oz at the end of May.
Workout of the Day
The Jaguars start their mornings with a fun and active Workout of the Day, full of stretches, games, cardio, and lots of positive affirmation. Once they have warmed up their bodies and brains, and gotten their wiggles out, they are ready to settle into their reading, science, and math academics. Jefferson is, of course, Carlsbad Unified’s International Baccalaureate elementary school.
Support for Families
The Jefferson Elementary School community knows that food insecurity, health problems, language learning, and other challenges outside the classroom can have a negative impact on a student’s ability to learn efficiently at school.
The school’s Community Liaison, Angela Palacios, helps streamline the delivery to students and families of many important services:
The TrueCare program’s big bus provides wellness and medical services, on campus, to students and their families.
On Tuesdays, 150 boxes of fresh, healthy food, assembled by +BOX Pack Out volunteers, are distributed for food-insecure students and their families.
On Thursdays, 150 boxes of shelf-stable food are delivered to families through San Diego’s Got Your Back.
The Latino Literacy Project was inaugurated to promote family literacy for English-learning parents and their children as they learn English together. Offered in English and Spanish, the program fosters reading in the home by supporting parents and their school-age children to have fun together developing literacy skills and learning English vocabulary.
“I continue to be so proud to work alongside such a dedicated staff that always puts students and their families first and always does whatever it takes. In addition to providing a rigorous, transdisciplinary IB education, Jefferson meets the social and emotional needs of our students and families by building relationships and providing them opportunities to feel connected to the school community and to Carlsbad as a whole.” says Principal Carla Bos.
Board Meeting Wrap Up - May 11, 2022
- 2022-23 Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) Aligned to Actions and Services - Approved
- A-G Completion Improvement Grant 2022-23 - Information/Discussion
- Measure HH Bond Program Update - Information/Discussion
- Revision of Board Policies - 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