Lincoln High Area District E Parent and Community Forum

Join Shelia Jackson, District E Board Member and Board President, in a discussion of school issues. 6 p.m., Monday, October 12, at Porter South Elementary School, Auditorium, 4800 T Street (92113).

First Five Gives Reprieve to Adolescent Pregnancy and Parenting Program

Thanks to last-minute funding from the First 5 Commission of San Diego County, the San Diego Adolescent Pregnancy and Parenting Program is fully funded for the current school year.

The program had been in jeopardy when the state eliminated its funding as part of this year¹s budget cutbacks, but First 5 stepped up with funding to carry the program through the current school year. The program provides case management, counseling and parent child attunement and interaction therapy services to pregnant and parenting youth residing throughout San Diego County.

During the 2008-09 school year, 92 percent of eligible participating students graduated. Congratulations to the students and congratulations to SANDAPP staff for your hard work and dedication to San Diego's pregnant and parenting teens and thanks to our local First 5 commissioners and staff for allowing this important work to continue. For more information, please contact Cindy Grossman at cgrossman@sandi.net.

For more district news, subscribe to the Superintendent's Friday Notes.

H1N1 Update: District Activates Special Info Phone Line

San Diego Unified parents and employees can now call (619) 260-5409 with general questions about the H1N1 flu virus.

The new H1N1 Information Phone Line is set-up to take messages, which will be answered by a school nurse within 24 hours. With more urgent health-related questions, call the Nursing and Wellness Program Office at (858) 627-7580. For non health-related district H1N1 issues, please email H1N1@sandi.net.

The district continues to maintain an H1N1 webpage with the latest information. For H1N1 issues not specific to San Diego Unified, call 211 or visit www.flu.gov.


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High School Science Student Achieves Another First

Patrick Henry High School senior Anna Simpson is the first high school student ever to have an article published on the LiveScience website.

Anna describes first-hand her experiences doing research in a UCSD chemistry lab and presenting her award-winning mobile autonomous chemical-detecting robot at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair as well as the California State Science Fair last spring.

For more information, contact Pat Crowder, principal, at (619) 286-7700 ext. 2208.


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IN THE NEWS: Crawford IDEA in "School Spotlight"

With a limited field-trip budget, auto shop teacher Carl Kingsbury decided to bring an automobile exhibit to the kids at Crawford. Earlier this week, the Model T Ford Club of San Diego and the Mossy Automotive Group brought 10 cars to the campus to show students the history and technology of personal transportation. Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Watch video from KNSD-TV.

UC High and Scripps Health Form Partnership

Thanks to University City (UC) High School instructor Ellie Vandiver, a new partnership has been formed that will benefit students interested in pursuing health careers. Scripps Health has agreed to accept UC High students for clinical internships at Scripps Memorial Hospital, surrounding Scripps Clinic medical offices, and possibly Scripps Green.

Currently, UC High has more than 60 students enrolled in the Health Essentials Course, a class comprised mostly of seniors who are anxious to have "hands-on" experiences in a hospital setting. This is UC High's first year participating in the Project Lead the Way Biomedical Sciences program, which is designed to introduce students to health sciences and allied health careers.

Project Lead the Way has been working closely with the Regional Occupational Program to expose students to the many career opportunities in health sciences. For more information, please contact Ellie Vandiver at evandiver@sandi.net or (858) 457-3040 ext. 150.

For more district news, subscribe to the Superintendent's Friday Notes.

Annual Facilities Inspections in Progress

The annual Williams Legislation and School Accountability Report Card (SARC) facility surveys are taking place across the district.

The surveys inspect eight major areas, including plumbing, electrical, heating and ventilation systems, and overall site cleanliness and safety. Williams inspections are conducted by an independent, third-party; SARC inspections are conducted by Physical Plant Operations (PPO) staff.

Physical Plant Operations will use the Williams and SARC facility inspection results to determine where change needs to occur. Comparisons from previous year\'s Williams/SARC facilities inspection results will be analyzed to help focus our business practices and improve customer service.

For more information, please contact Tracy Higgins, support services supervisor, at (858) 627-7151 or thiggins@sandi.net.