Students . . . Start Your Engines!

Two students from Crawford High School of Invention and Design (IDEA), Kim Nguyen and Andrew Watkins-Blackshear, spoke to more than 250 attendees at the Jimmie Johnson Foundation Annual Golf Tournament Fundraising Dinner this week.

The students are part of the automotive career paths at IDEA related to transportation and alternative fuels. The school received a $32,500 grant last year from Jimmie Johnson Foundation/Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Champions to learn how to convert gasoline powered engines to operate on cleaner, alternative fuels.

The students brought the engine that was purchased with some of the grant funds to the dinner and explained how they reconfigured it to run on alternative fuels and how they measure the efficiency.

Both students and their teacher were personally invited to be guests of Jimmie Johnson at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Pepsi MAX 400 NSCS Race this weekend. For more information, please contact the Office of College, Career and Technical Education, at (858) 503-1738.

IN THE NEWS: Roosevelt, Mission Bay Receive Three-Year Grant

Roosevelt Middle School and Mission Bay High School received a three-year, $7.5 million grant for their International Baccalaureate programs. Media visited Roosevelt to get the story. Watch video»

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Hornet Cheer Squad Takes Spirit to Knox Elementary

Lincoln's cheer squad pumps up Knox Elementary.

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Lincoln High School cheerleaders and their adviser, Martha Corrales,  recently visited Knox Preparatory School to help launch Knox's "Friday Flag" program.  Knox Principal Garry Rollins invited them get an energetic start to the all-school and community meeting that celebrates perfect attendance and good citizenship.Mr. Rollilns took the opportunity to tell students, parents, and teachers about the need to start early to maintain good grades so that they will be eligible to participate in high school athletics, cheer squad and other extracurricular activities.

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IN THE NEWS: The changing face of kindergarten

One month into the school year, Carter Anderson still spends the first few minutes of any given morning consoling a separation anxiety-ridden, teary-eyed 4½-year-old kindergartner at Perkins Elementary School. Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune»

Treading the Green Path with Cost-Saving Tire Technology

Let's talk tires. The district's Fleet Maintenance Department has a new product that saves tires, thereby saving money and fuel. The product is called Equal, a new substitute for lead tire weights.

Equal has changed tire balancing methods in relation to static and dynamic balancing, while reducing their toxic contributions to the environment. Equal is a dry, granular, polymer mixture that is placed inside the tire. It is non toxic, non hazardous and requires no special disposal. Plus, it can easily be removed when the tire is dismounted.

Since switching to Equal, our district has had zero complaints from drivers of more than 519 buses and 436 maintenance trucks. That number again? Zero complaints. Fleet Maintenance experts say tires wear more evenly, saving in the cost of tire replacement. Equal has paid for itself in terms of labor hours and tire service repairs.

Fleet Maintenance has experienced an improvement on radial force variations and lateral force variations associated with tire shimmy and disturbance.  Since Equal is a free and moving product, it continuously adapts to changing speed and acceleration/deceleration forces. Equal has paid for itself in terms of labor hours and tire service repairs.

Even better than the money savings is the environmental savings. California has banned lead wheel weights. Lead is toxic and those found violating the law with lead weights could face penalties of $2,500 a day for each violation. For information, please contact Keith Salkeld, fleet manager.


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More Resources for Mental Health Programs

New programs aimed at strengthening student mental health and preventing teen suicide are now underway in 15 district schools, and more schools and training are on the way. The program is called SPEAK, Suicide Prevention Education Awareness and Knowledge.

The Mental Health Resource Center (MHRC), in conjunction with the district's Counseling and Guidance Department, were awarded a contract through San Diego County Mental Health to implement a districtwide suicide prevention and education program in collaboration with the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program.

The 15 schools launching the program starting this fall are Crawford Educational Complex, Hoover, Garfield and Mission Bay high schools; Clark, Correia, De Portola, Lewis, Montgomery, Wangenheim and Wilson middle schools; and TRACE.

The launch of the program has already resulted in the formation of suicide prevention specialty teams at each school. All 7th, 9th and 11th grade students and school staffs (including parents/guardians wanting to be involved) will receive training in suicide prevention education over the next five semesters. During spring semester more training and additional schools will be added to the program.

In addition to schools, training has included staff from School Police, Transportation, Mental Health Resources, Behavior Support, School Psychologists, Nursing and Wellness, and Counseling and Guidance departments.
For more information, please contact Jean Foster, SPEAK coordinator, at (619) 523-0708.

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New Online Applications Score a Virtual Success

The first-ever online application process for Free and Reduced Meals proved to be a solid success. In fact, it was a virtual success.

Food Services received 3,200 applications online, accounting for more than 10 percent of the total 32,200 applications received so far.

The program is ongoing. The deadline for students to continue receiving free meals through their previous application status is Oct. 14. After that time, if students don't have their new applications submitted, they will be charged for their meals.

Food Services is asking school staff to encourage student families to complete their applications. It helps the students and the schools too, because Title I funding is allocated based the total count of students who receive free and reduced meals.

For more information, please contact Pam Kowalski, at(858) 627-7332.

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