March 2000 News Archive

Tuesday, March 28, 2000

Restructuring of Franklin Elementary School

Preparations are underway to implement planned changes at Franklin Elementary School. The following changes will be in place for the 2000-2001 school year, which begins July 1, 2000:

1. Reorganization of Franklin Elementary School

During the past four years, Franklin has operated as two separate schools: Franklin Primary School and Franklin Intermediate School. The two schools serve a combined total of approximately 820 students in grades K-6. As part of a reorganization plan, Franklin will consolidate to a single-school administrative structure. This change is part of a planning process that began last year.

During the 1999-2000 school year, Viola Garcia has been serving as the interim principal of Franklin Primary, In accordance with the original agreement, established when she accepted the one-year interim post, she will return to her second-grade classroom.

Valery Rivera, principal of Franklin Intermediate School for the past four years, has requested a leave of absence to accompany her husband, a UCSB professor, who will be on sabbatical.

"During the planning period, Vi Garcia and Valery Rivera have done a fine job of preparing Franklin Elementary School staff, parents and students for the transition to a single school. Their teamwork and leadership will provide a solid foundation for the incoming administration team," noted Superintendent Deborah Flores. She continued, "We wish Valery well on her travels and, with Vi moving back into the classroom, we look forward to benefiting from her many years of classroom experience."

2. Changes in the Administration Personnel

The administration structure will change from two principals to one principal and one assistant principal. The new administrative team will be made up of Constantine Colazas, principal, and Carole Cowan, assistant principal.

Constantine "Zan" Colazas will be responsible for administering the educational program of Franklin Elementary School. He will be directly responsible to the Superintendent and will be responsible for the certificated and classified personnel assigned to the school. His major duties and responsibilities will be as follows:

• serves as an administrative and instructional leader of the school;
• provides for continuous supervision and evaluation of the instructional program for the students;
• interprets the school’s programs to the community served by the school;
• assumes responsibility during school hours for the health, safety, welfare, and morale of all personnel (students and employees) assigned to the school;
• consults with pupils, parents, teachers, and staff members in developing and maintaining the orderly operation of the school;
• evaluates classroom instruction for its appropriateness to learning theory and achievement of adopted objectives;
• cooperates the Superintendent in improving the educational content of classes and in providing staff planning and inservice education for teachers;
• cooperates with the Districts’ Division of Business Services in the development of annual budget requirements;
• cooperates with the Districts’ Division of Personnel Services in the recruitment, assignment, evaluation, and termination of certificated and classified employees as conditions require;
• monitors and maintains the physical facility and grounds;
• designs and implements appropriate parent involvement and parent education programs;
• takes the leadership in establishing and prioritizing school goals and objectives in conjunction with all staff, parents, and the community.

Colazas will begin his new position on July 1, however, prior to that date, he will come to Santa Barbara periodically to meet with staff and prepare for the new school year. His annual salary will be $81,552.

Colazas, who is bilingual, is currently a principal at Hawaiian Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles, a position he began in 1995. Hawaiian Avenue Elementary, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, is a four-track, year-round school of 1,300 students. Colazas has been an educator for 28 years and has held a variety of classroom and administrative positions, almost all in the Los Angeles Unified School District: Principal, Forty-Ninth Street School (1994-95); Assistant Principal, Hooper Avenue School (1993-94); Assistant Principal, Stanford Avenue School (1992-93); Instructional Advisor, Administrative Office (1991-92); Assistant Principal, Magnolia Avenue, Hawaiian Avenue (1990-91); Community Relations Advisor, Office of Compliance (1988-90); Outreach Consultant, Wilmington Park School (1986-88); Bilingual Teacher, Wilmington Park School (1983-86); Athlete Transportation Coordinator for the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee (1984); Teacher in the Urban Classroom Program, Manchester Avenue School (1977-83); Teacher, Rancho Lomita School, a private institution (1972-76).

Colazas received a Master of Arts in Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California State University, Dominguez Hills. He received an A.A. degree in English from Long Beach City College. He has a life teaching credential with bilingual authorization and an administrative services credential.

Carole Cowan, the newly appointed assistant principal of Franklin Elementary School, has been with the Santa Barbara School Districts since November 1996. Her current position is Coordinator, Special Projects, a post she has held since June 1999. Prior to that post, she was the Coordinator, Academic Volunteer and Mentor Program (1996-99). As an assistant principal, Cowan’s annual salary will be $60,509.

Superintendent Flores stated, "Carole has been a valued member of the Districts’ administration team for more than three years. Her unique abilities, insight, and potential were immediately apparent when she joined us. For the past three years, we have mentored her and prepared her for leadership. She brings special skills to each administrative assignment, as we have seen in her interactions with UCSB’s Gevirtz Research Center."

Cowan received her B.A. in Diversified Education from Mount St. Mary’s College, Los Angeles (1989). While an employee of the Districts, she has been working towards an administrative credential from California Lutheran University, which she expects to complete this summer.

Prior to joining the Santa Barbara School Districts, Carole Cowan taught in the Los Angeles Unified School District, first at Coliseum Street School (grade six, 1989), then at Canfield Elementary School (grade one, 1989) and, most recently, at Glenwood Elementary School (kindergarten and grade three, 1989-95). In 1996, she worked as a case manager with Klein Bottle Youth Programs.

The pairing of Colazas and Cowan at Franklin Elementary School is expected to be a near seamless transition, according to Dr. Flores. "As one team hands the leadership baton to a new, extremely talented administrative team, we are confident that Franklin’s parents and staff will continue, uninterrupted, their momentum in building a strong foundation for student academic achievement."

Friday, March 24, 2000

Lights, Camera, Action! Washington Elementary’s Power Pickles

Science + Cucumbers = Power Pickles. Power Pickles? The story began last summer at Washington Elementary School. As part of a UCSB Gevirtz Summer School science project, taught by Mr. Tae Wook Kim, several students planted a garden of pumpkins and cucumbers. During the summer and fall, the students nurtured their garden. Then the "harvest" came in. With Halloween just around the corner, there was no problem placing the pumpkins in school classrooms. But what could be done with the cucumbers?

It didn’t take long before Mr. Kim and five young 4th and 5th grade bilingual students, most of whom had taken part in the Gevirtz Summer School project – Amber Morales, Denise Santana, Diana Peralta, Gerie Guadarrama, and Ana Cantero – devised a solution: pickles. Under Mr. Kim’s scientific tutelage, the girls used their "crop" of 12 garden-grown cucumbers to make pickles, a process that takes about two weeks. But what could be done with a dozen pickles? Under Mr. Kim’s business tutelage, the girls cut the pickles into spears, priced them at $.40 each, and promptly sold out in the course of one recess period. They were in business.

Learning how to maintain records, these young entrepreneurs used their profits to purchase more cucumbers for their second batch of pickles. Those too sold out during a single recess period. The girls are now on about their sixth batch, eagerly spending recess time and part of their lunch periods, as needed, for this project.

But the story doesn’t end there. Mr. Kim added another dimension to the project, which involved teaching the girls to chronicle their experiences on video. Learning the video process captured their collective imagination. With Mr. Kim’s help, they have learned about story planning, editing, filming, graphics, and the techniques of videography. The girls have used these skills to produce a charming, and amusing, 15-minute video entitled "Power Pickles." "Power Pickles" records the pickle preparation process, outlines record keeping, and culminates in a schoolwide taste testing. All of this artfully done through eyes of 9 and 10 year olds.

"Through this project, Mr. Kim has literally changed the lives of these girls. He has given them a gift. He has sparked their self confidence," stated Beatrice Powers, principal of Washington Elementary School. She went on to add, "The girls were eager to participate in every aspect of this project, which included learning the skills needed to create a video. It was wonderful to watch them as they took turns calling out ‘Lights, Camera, Action’ each time the camera rolled."

Now, the girls use their newfound video skills to create the school’s weekly announcements, aired each Friday morning. During a recent taping, while two fellow students were news anchors behind a desk, one girl adjusted the microphone stand (an inverted plastic glass to which the mic was attached with masking tape), two girls flipped cue cards to prompt the news anchors; a fourth girl adjusted lights, and the fifth girl ran the camera. As filming was set to begin, the most important issue was yet to be resolved; deciding whose turn it was to say "Lights, Camera, Action!"

And to think that this newfound passion began with a dozen cucumbers.

Tuesday, March 21, 2000

Board Will Act on the Selection of Robert Gonzalez as Director of Facilities and Operations

Robert Gonzalez of Petaluma, California has been selected to replace Gary Grim, Santa Barbara School Districts’ Director of Facilities and Operations, who is retiring on April 28, 2000. Grim, who joined the Districts in 1992 as Director of Information Technology Services and then, in 1994, was appointed Director of Facilities and Operations, will be relocating to El Dorado Hills in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Pending approval by the Board of Education, expected to take place on March 22, Gonzalez will join the Districts’ staff on April 19, 2000. His annual salary will be $83,144 for a 12-month contract period.

The Director of Facilities and Operations is responsible for the operation of facilities and planning, purchasing, food service, warehouse, data processing and technology support functions for the Santa Barbara Elementary and High School Districts and the classified personnel assigned to those departments. The Director is directly responsible to the Superintendent.

The Director’s major duties and responsibilities include:

• serves on the Superintendent’s Cabinet;
• coordinates with school principals to establish projects and budget for facilities expenditures;
• works with architects, consultants, public agencies, building inspectors, school administrators, contractors and environmental agencies on the design, construction or alteration of schools;
• reviews budgets for all departments under the Director’s supervision;
• directs supervisory personnel in planning and managing their departments;
• makes recommendations for appropriate staffing;
• prepares agenda items and staff reports for action by the Board of Education;
• coordinates joint facilities use issues with the City of Santa Barbara’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Superintendent Deborah Flores stated, "It is going to be hard to replace Gary Grim because he has done a superb job in this position. He is a valued member of the Districts’ team and we wish him well in his retirement." Dr. Flores continued, "We were fortunate to have some highly qualified applicants for Gary’s position and the interview committee felt strongly that Robert Gonzalez brings an excellent collection of experiences that will be especially useful to current and future projects in the Santa Barbara School Districts. We are very pleased to add him to our team."

Educated in this area, Gonzalez attended Moorpark High School, graduating in 1981, and attended Moorpark College from 1981-1983. Since 1993 he has worked in the Novato Unified School District (Novato, CA), serving as their Director of Business Support Services and Director of Purchasing. In that position, he has been responsible for purchasing and warehouse, transportation services, operational services (maintenance, grounds and custodial), nutritional services, and facilities, construction and planning. He is a member of the California Association of School Business Officials and the California Association for Adequate School Housing.

Prior to his work in northern California, Gonzalez was a purchasing technician with the Moorpark Unified School District (1987-1993), accounting clerk with Parker Metal Bellows in Moorpark (1987), and assistant savings supervisor with Mercury Savings and Loan in Westlake Village (1985-1987).

Monday, March 13, 2000

Summer School 2000

The Santa Barbara Elementary and High School Districts’ summer school programs are as follows:

Pre-kindergarten

Before registering for the Pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) Summer School program, parents must go to their designated school site and complete the fall 2000 kindergarten registration forms. Parents will need to provide three items: proof of residence, such as a utility bill; the child’s immunization records; and legal proof of the child’s age, such as a birth certificate. The legal proof of age must verify that the child will be five years old on or before December 2, 2000. Additional Pre-kindergarten summer program information is as follows:

• Pre-kindergarten Summer School will focus on English conversation for incoming kindergarten students;
• the program features the development of English language through drama, big books, tapes, art, music, poetry, stories, book making, science, math, projects, movement, rhyming;
• Pre-K will take place on June 26 through August 9 (closed for vacation on July 3-4 and August 4, 2000);
• the program will be four hours long;
• student: teacher ratio will be 20:1;
• Pre-K will take place at most elementary school sites (Peabody Charter students will attend Roosevelt; Monroe students will attend Washington Elementary School);
• registration will take place March 13-24, 2000, at all District elementary schools.

Elementary District

• the primary focus of Elementary District summer school will be reading intervention with a skills-based approach;
• student: teacher ratio will be 25:1;
• summer school classes will take place June 26 through August 9, 2000 (closed for vacation on July 3-4 and August 4, 2000);
• Elementary District summer school will be a four-hour program (contact the school directly for information on their particular start time);
• a mid-morning lunch will be available through each school’s cafeteria service;
• for more information, contact any one of the District’s elementary schools or call (805) 963-4331.

High School District

At the middle/junior high school level, the summer school focus will be solely on remediation. Students who have been recommended for retention and/or students who are performing at the lowest academic quartile are candidates for the middle/junior high school program. Sixth-grade* students who will graduate from elementary school in June and have been identified as needing academic support are eligible to participate in the junior high summer school program. (*Fifth-grade students who will continue on to La Cumbre Middle School and meet the criteria are also eligible for middle/junior high summer school placement.) Summer school will not be held on the Goleta Valley Junior High School (GVJHS) campus. Rather, GVJHS students will attend La Colina Junior High’s summer school program.

At the high school level, summer school is a critical remediation strategy for academic achievement. While one-third of the course offerings at this level are geared for enrichment, two-thirds of the course offerings are tailored to meet the needs of students who are failing their courses, deficient in units, and/or are in danger of not graduating. Eighth-grade students who will graduate from a middle/junior high school in June are eligible to participate in the high school summer school program. Additional High School District summer program information is as follows:

• High School District summer school classes will take place June 21 through August 2, 2000 (closed for vacation on July 3 and 4, 2000);
• student:teacher ratio will be 30:1 at the junior high level and 32:1 at the high school level;
• in early May, registration will take place on each secondary school campus;
• course descriptions for the High School District’s summer school program will be posted on this Web site and will also be available at each school’s Counseling Office.
• at the high school level, the summer school coordinator will be Mike Grua;
• at the junior high/middle school level, the summer school coordinator will be Janet Goode.

Monday, March 13, 2000

Santa Barbara State Preschool – Enrollment Information

The Santa Barbara State Preschool is enrolling for fall 2000. Additional information is as follows:

• the program is free to eligible low-income families;
• comprehensive educational services are offered;
• staff is bilingual;
• sessions operate for three hours in the morning and afternoon;
• a meal is provided for all children;
• families must provide their own transportation;
• parents are required to volunteer in their child’s classroom (three hours per month).

For more information, contact:

• Helen Santoyo
• 915 E. Montecito Street
• Santa Barbara, CA
• Telephone: (805) 899-4129
• Office hours: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• (closed 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.)

Thursday, March 9, 2000

Bond Passage Will Result in Infrastructure and Modernization Improvements in the Santa Barbara High School District

On Tuesday, March 7, 2000, local voters passed a $67 million General Obligation Bond that will be used for infrastructure and modernization improvements in the Santa Barbara High School District (which includes Dos Pueblos High, San Marcos High, Santa Barbara High, Goleta Valley Junior High, La Colina Junior High, La Cumbre Middle, and Santa Barbara Junior High Schools). Each of the seven middle, junior, and high schools in the District have differing infrastructure needs. Examples of future improvements include: rewire classrooms for computers; repair classroom electrical systems; refurbish athletic facilities; provide handicapped access; replace broken plumbing, gas and heating systems; repair leaky roofs; build new classrooms. Fifty-six portables over 25 years of age need to be replaced with new construction. A list of each school’s infrastructure and modernization needs are found on this Web site.

A year ago, the Board of Education began a process of assessing school facility needs. Master planning committees (made up of parents, school staff, and community members) were formed at every secondary school to assess the facilities and determine school site needs. The Board appointed architects to assist the planning committees. Each committee shared their final report with the Board. As a result, on October 13, 1999, the Board adopted Resolution 99/00-12 to order a March 7, 2000 election for a General Obligation Bond Measure in the amount of $67,000,000.

In addition to the identified infrastructure and modernization needs, there are special needs at Dos Pueblos High School. Dos Pueblos High was established in 1966. Like its sister schools (San Marcos High and Santa Barbara High), an auditorium and a stadium were part of the school’s original construction plan. However, funds were not available at the time to build an auditorium-performing arts complex or complete the athletic stadium at Dos Pueblos High School.

More than 70% of voters passed Tuesday’s General Obligation Bond. (The law stipulates that a two-thirds majority vote must occur for bond passage.) During the past five years, the local community has invested in three bonds that benefit the Santa Barbara Elementary and High School Districts. In addition to the passage of this $67 million General Obligation Bond, on June 2, 1998, a $25 million bond was approved to construct four permanent libraries, remove and replace portables that were more than 20 years old, and improve the infrastructure of schools in the Elementary District. Additionally, in June 1995, a $6 million bond was passed to rebuild Roosevelt Elementary School.

Thursday, March 9, 2000

SBHS Multimedia Academy Enrolling for Fall 2000

The Multimedia Arts and Design Academy at Santa Barbara High School is now accepting applications for the fall of 2000. The Multimedia Arts and Design Academy is a high school program that offers career-specific classes in multimedia, art, English, history, and science. Math and foreign language classes are conducted at Santa Barbara High School. Class sizes are limited to 25 students. Students can earn Santa Barbara City College credit for the Academy’s "Introduction to Multimedia," "Digital Imaging," "Adobe Premiere," and "Animation 1" classes.

Academy students learn to create presentations in multiple software applications, such as Photoshop, PowerPoint, Flash, After Effects, Dreamweaver, Premiere, Illustrator, etc. Depending on their grade level, students have opportunities to create original animated movies, broaden their understanding of graphics, digitize and manipulate images, and create multimedia presentations within the parameters of a real-world setting.

Enrollment is open to Santa Barbara High School District students in grades 9-12. Applications can be obtained from the Academy through the following means:

• pick up an application at the Academy or Counselor’s office, Santa Barbara High School, 700 E. Anapamu;
• call (805) 966-7918;
• e-mail

Priority deadline for completed applications is April 15, 2000.

Thursday, March 2, 2000

Santa Barbara High PTA Hosts a Spring Open House

Prospective students and their parents are invited to Santa Barbara High School’s Spring Open House 2000. The event will take place on Wednesday, March 8, and begins at 5:30 p.m. The Open House is designed to provide incoming students with the opportunity to:

• get a head start in planning for the fall semester;
• meet Principal J.R. Richards;
• meet the school’s guidance counselors;
• tour the campus with student guides;
• talk with student activity and club representatives.

The Santa Barbara High Jazz Band and Salsa Band will provide entertainment.

Santa Barbara High School is located at 700 E. Anapamu Street.

Thursday, March 2, 2000

All City Honor Band 2000

More than 250 young musicians from throughout local public schools will gather on Thursday, March 9, 2000, for a performance of the All City Honor Band. The performance will begin at 7:00 p.m. It will take place in the La Cumbre Middle School auditorium. La Cumbre Middle School is located at 2255 Modoc Road. The public is invited to attend. Admission is free.

The concert will include performances by elementary, middle/junior high, and senior high school students from the Santa Barbara Elementary and High School Districts. At the elementary school level, the majority of students are in the 5th and 6th grades. Students from Adams, Cleveland, Franklin, Harding, McKinley, Monroe, Roosevelt, and Washington Elementary Schools will perform. The elementary school portion of the program will include The Can Can, What a Wonderful World, Rings of Saturn, and The Mango Walk. Karen Dutton, Nancy Mathison, Mike Nunn, and Carl Lockwood, music teachers that serve the Elementary District, will conduct.

The Junior High School Honor Band, directed by James Mooy of Santa Barbara City College, is comprised of students from Santa Barbara Junior High, La Cumbre Middle School, La Colina Junior High, and Goleta Valley Junior High. Their program will include Pictures At An Exhibition (Moussorsky); Bryce Canyon Overture (Williams); Puttin’ On The Ritz (Berlin); Sousa Spectacular (Sousa).

For the tenth consecutive year, Dr. Charles Wood, Santa Barbara City College music instructor, will return to the podium as guest conductor of the All City High School Honor Band. The High School Honor Band is made up of students from Dos Pueblos High, San Marcos High, and Santa Barbara High. The High School Honor Band program will include Into The Storm (Smith); Air for Band (Erickson); Homage (Vanderroost); First Suite in E Flat, Movement 3 March (Holst).