Help E.B. Scripps Elementary Get a $10,000 Grant; Vote Online

Ellen Browning Scripps Elementary is a finalist in the Pepsi Refresh Project, proposing the $10,000 grant go to fund the school's first Family Science Night. Parent Seema Moorjani is hoping everyone in San Diego will go to the contest's website, http://www.refresheverything.com/family-science-night, and vote for EB Scripps. You will have to register or login using your Facebook account.

Good luck to EB Scripps Elementary!

For more information, contact Gregory Collamer, principal, Ellen Browning Scripps Elementary, at
(858) 693-8593.

Science Scholarships go to La Jolla High Students

By Katie Allen
Reporter, Hi-Tide, La Jolla High School

Four La Jolla High School students have won $1,000 scholarships from the Green Skills Competition, where participants were asked their ideas on how make the military more green, the only scholarships awarded to San Diego County students.

The winners, sophomores Joshua Marsters, Maya Laksham and Ulysse Carion, and senior Shauna Jellison, were asked to describe a way that they could reduce their impact on the environment in their daily lives. Students were given a choice of artwork or a video.

The La Jolla High students involved became aware of the competition through their physics instructors and the school Science Team and won the only cash prizes -- the $1,000 scholarships -- that were awarded to San Diego School county students. Both girls (Jellison and Laksham) were given the prizes for their artwork, while the boys (Carion and Marsters) were rewarded for their work in video production.

The students will be awarded their scholarships this Saturday, Nov. 5, at the at the Fame Gala taking place at the San Diego Air and Space Museum.

IN THE NEWS: Halloween Costume Contest at Pershing Middle School

Watch video from Fox 5 San Diego»

IN THE NEWS: Crawford High worked its magic on him

After his first two years of teaching, Jonathan Winn was sure he’d chosen the wrong profession. He didn’t feel supported, and he had no control or management over his students. So, he spent some time in Thailand to simplify his life, moved back to San Diego and cashed out his retirement, and tried to figure out what to do next. To make enough money to pay bills, he did a bit of substitute teaching, which led him to Crawford High Educational Complex. That’s when things changed. Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune»

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Watch video on Jonathan Winn

Project Ujima Welcomes SDUSD African American Families for the Third Year

Harris family at event

Project Ujima opened its third year with 60 parents and 45 children at the Tubman Chavez Center in Southeastern San Diego on Thursday, October 13, 2011. Participant reactions during the first few minutes ranged from “first-timer curiosity” to “old-timer” jubilation — all woven together with welcomes, hugs, high fives, and ear-splitting smiles. As program instructors, childcare staff, translators, community members and Center staff bustled about making sure everyone registered, received course materials and settled in for the family style dinner, it was clear that program participants felt they were “returning home” or receiving a warm “first-timers” welcome into the Project Ujima family.

Project Ujima has something for the entire family. The typical program goes like this. After sharing dinner together, parents and children go their separate ways. Children go to supervised childcare that includes educational activities; youth go to the computer lab or designated homework stations to do schoolwork; and parents and community members settle in with

Project Ujima instructors to discuss the evening’s topic. The program ends with closing activities that usually result in parents obtaining educational materials for themselves or their children.
No matter the subject under discussion, seasoned Project Ujima parents walk through the door of the Tubman Chavez Center ready for an interactive learning experience that reaffirms their value as their children’s first teachers and equips them with additional resources to help promote the academic achievement of their children.

 Take the Harris family, for example. Michelle and Corwin came to opening night at Project Ujima prepared to reunite with members of the Project Ujima family and ready to help new participants settle in. In between getting caught up with friends and chatting with instructors, community members and new attendees, Michelle slipped off to the classroom to stake out two seats in the front row. Having participated with her family in Project Ujima’s fieldtrip to USC, Michelle knew the importance of sitting in the “T Zone” — the instructor’s immediate line of vision in the front of the classroom—and she and Corwin not only reminded their children to sit in the “T Zone” in their classes but also modeled this behavior in Project Ujima classes.

The Harris family also modeled being prepared to learn by coming to class armed with a knapsack filled with course materials designed to “let the learning begin.” Mom and Dad were clearly ready for what Michelle gleefully described as “the first day of school for parents.” The knapsack contained, among other things, a Project Ujima binder of course materials and readings from the previous year, pens and pencils, and a stack of credits that had earned them cash for summer learning activities with their children.

But what was opening night like for newcomers? One first-time attendee wasn’t convinced that taking parenting classes was her “cup of tea.” The participant just knew that if Project Ujima really was an opportunity to connect with other grandparents and great-grandparents who found themselves raising school-age children again long after their grown children had moved out of the house, she was “willing to give these parenting classes a try.” While she was somewhat curious about what the instructors could teach her about how to be a more effective parent, she was more interested in spending time with other grandparents and parents who knew what she was going through because “they found themselves in the same place. “ Within minutes, the participant was overheard telling her table-mates that she felt “rejuvenated … [and] welcome here … like family.”

The opening exercise for the October 13th class, advertised as “Project Ujima 101,” revolved around a practice known in the African American community as “Who’s in the House?” or “Who Are Your People?”—a series of questions that enables participants to determine the level of disclosure they want to have with other participants as they get acquainted with each other. Following the opening exercise, participants were introduced to the guiding principles of the program, information on how they could receive computers and internet access for their homes, and information on upcoming classes, as well as information on educational and social resources for parents.

A highlight of the evening was the disclosure by presenter Rachel Evans of the San Diego Futures Foundation that her own mother, an educator in the San Diego Unified School District, was a participant in the class. Rachel’s description of her mother’s role in helping her succeed academically served as a springboard for Rachel to commend all of the Project Ujima parents for “continuing to educate [themselves] about the educational system and ways to promote education in [their] families.” Rachel shared examples of how things her mom stressed to her as a child growing up still informed her adult decision-making and her commitment to giving back to the community through her work with the San Diego Futures Foundation.

Project Ujima is free and open to any parent in the San Diego Unified School District. The next class will be held on Nov. 10, 2011 from 5:30pm (dinner) to 7:30 p.m. at the Tubman Chavez Center, 415 North Euclid Avenue. The topic for the class is “An African American Perspective on Preparing for Parent-Teacher Conferences.”

For more information, visit the program's website.

Partnership Helps Save Money, Environment

By partnering with the local vendors Hunter, Rainbird and Hydroscape Irrigation and Spears a Glue and PVC Piping Manufacturer, San Diego Unified's Landscape Department is able to take advantage of current trade standards and learn of new water wise products in an effort to realize savings and mitigate storm water runoff.

Proper PVC pipe gluing techniques and hydraulic functioning of valves were just a couple of the subjects presented. The hosted irrigation training included other trades, like plumbers and steamfitters, who dusted off old skills and gained new ones.

Professional development through partnerships expands our ability to more efficiently provide a safe environment in which students learn and play and also expands our limited resources.  The landscape department recognizes the need to provide continuous opportunities for knowledge and skills that will provide quality service to our sites and be good custodians of public funds.

More training opportunities will be presented in the future and will include all disciplines of the trade.  For information contact Jonel Smith, landscape services supervisor for Scripps Mesa Zone at (858) 627-7222 or jsmith7@sandi.net.

Clairemont High Students Intern at District Bus Yard

Transportation Services Department has partnered with Clairemont High School for the fifth consecutive school year to provide students with a job-study option and a window into the potential career path of the automotive repair industry.

A total of 20 students have participated in the intern program since its inception in the 2007-2008 school year. Technological advances in the automobile industry mandate auto technicians be highly knowledgeable and technically skilled in order to repair today’s automobiles.

The student curriculum created by the Fleet Maintenance staff at Transportation promotes student learning and achievement through student shadowing of District automotive repair technicians, parts suppliers and tire specialists. Students gain knowledge through hands-on training in engine diagnostics, diesel mechanics, upholstery, glass repair, tire repair and state inspections.

For additional information contact Gene Robinson, director of transportation and distribution services, at (858) 496-8710 or grobinson@sandi.net.