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September 2002 News Archive

News Archives

Wednesday, September 25, 2002

Students Ace Governor’s Reading Award

Recently, winners of the Governor’s Reading Award for 2001-2002 were announced. The purpose of the program is to encourage recreational reading. Seven schools in the Santa Barbara Elementary School District each qualified for the $5,000 site awards by reading the following number of pages:

The seven schools celebrated the contributions of all students who participated in the program.

At Adams Elementary School, a first-time participant in the program, each month students who met the state standard of 30 books (or 330 pages) were recognized at a schoolwide assembly and they also received a free book, donated by the Rotary North. Each reader in the school’s 29 classes (grades K-5) received a reading medal. In addition, the top reader at each grade level received an engraved trophy to recognize their accomplishment. Grade level winners were: Ruth Laraway, kindergarten; Elizabeth Rodriguez, first grade; Jordan Vail, second grade, Crystal Guzman, third grade; Keaton Hudson, fourth grade; and Sarah Aidnik, fifth grade.

At the Santa Barbara Community Academy, the District’s newest elementary school, students, parents, and staff, celebrated their third win in a row. The Academy’s top readers were: Christopher Platt, kindergarten; Parker Woodward, first grade; Christopher Mendoza, second grade; Isabel Mendez, third grade; George Croton, fourth grade; and Bryan Munoz, fifth grade. The top readers received prizes donated by local businesses.

Tuesday, September 17, 2002

Deborah Toups Begins Work as Director of Student Services

Deborah McDonald Toups brings 25 years of experience to the position of Santa Barbara School Districts’ Director of Student Services. Ms. Toups begins her new assignment on Monday, September 16, 2002. Ms. Toups replaces Diana Rigby, who is now the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education.

"I look forward to being part of the programs that are in place here and joining the people who provide services for special needs students. In order to help students meet their full potential, I expect to focus on assessments that identify areas of concern, develop staff training, and work closely with school site personnel on existing and new intervention opportunities," said Ms. Toups. She continued, "The identification of students, cost of service delivery, shrinking budgets, and increased expectations are currently at the forefront of discussions about special education encroachment. It is more important than ever that school districts look at priorities, focus on student needs, and work together to address those needs."

Superintendent Deborah Flores noted, "Debbie Toups brings a wealth of experience to this position. In her work in the Poway Unified School District, she successfully demonstrated her ability to administer, coordinate, and evaluate special education programs. We are fortunate to have her on our team."

Among the major duties of the Director of Student Services are the following:

Ms. Toups was previously employed with the Poway Unified School District as the assistant director of special education (2000-present), program specialist (1997-2000), and school psychologist (1990-1996). From 1977-1990, she worked as a school or staff psychologist in school districts and governmental agencies throughout Texas.

Ms. Toups annual salary is $101,764.

Wednesday, September 11, 2002

List of "Don’t Forgets" and "Remembers"

The cousin of a teacher in the Santa Barbara School Districts perished in Tower One of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The victim was the mother of a 3-year-old. The family wishes to remain anonymous.

The victim’s sister is a teacher in New York. That teacher’s third-grade class wrote this poem:

List of "Don’t Forgets" and "Remembers"

We were eight.
 
Before September 11th, we would wake up with a list of "Don’t Forgets"
Don’t forget to wash your face
Don’t forget to brush your teeth
Don’t forget to do your homework
Don’t forget to wear your jacket
Don’t forget to clean your room
Don’t forget to take a bath
 
After September 11th, we wake up with a list of "Remembers"
Remember to greet the sun each morning
Remember to enjoy every meal
Remember to thank your parents for their hard work
Remember to honor those who keep you safe
Remember to value each person you meet
Remember to respect other’s beliefs
 
Now we are nine.

911 Poem

Monday, September 9, 2002

A 9:11 a.m. Moment of Silence on 9/11

A variety of activities are being planned to commemorate the first anniversary of the September 11, 2001 tragedy. Flags will be at half-mast on that day. There will be a Districtwide moment of silence at 9:11 a.m., and a variety of activities at the District Office, each school site, and the 7:00 p.m. meeting of the Board of Education, such as:

During the Day

District Office:
At 9:00 a.m., District Office, Research and Evaluation, and Maintenance and Operations personnel will gather in the Board Room at 720 Santa Barbara Street. The 30-minute memorial tribute,"United We Stand," will focus on the importance of family and community. "United We Stand" will include the reading of "A List of ‘Don’t Forgets’ and ‘Remembers’," written by a third-grade class in New York City (their teacher’s sister perished in Tower One of the World Trade Center); a reading of the Gettysburg Address by Rod Lathim; celebration of the "Heroes Among Us," recognizing Santa Barbara Police Officers Rashun Drayton and Kenny Kushner for a local act of courage and honoring local graduates who serve in local law enforcement. [Note: at the time of this news release, the presence of fire department personnel had not been confirmed.]

As part of "United We Stand," District Office, Maintenance and Operations, and Research and Technology employees will participate in a one-day canned food drive, benefiting the Unity Shoppe.

Adams Elementary School:
It will be Red, White, and Blue Day at Adams, where students and staff will be encouraged to wear those colors. Schoolwide activities will center on the Honor America theme. Over the intercom, Principal Jo Ann Caines will deliver a verbal tribute to the 9/11 victims and Mr. Gary Smith, vocal music teacher, will sing "God Bless America." A moment of silence will be observed at 9:11 a.m. There will be age-appropriate class discussions about 9/11 and children will be reassured that they are safe at school. Most lower grade students will read a book in class: kindergarten will read America the Beautiful, first grade will read a book entitled The Pledge of Allegiance book. Upper grade classes will do journal writing as a follow-up to classroom discussions.

Cleveland Elementary School:
9:00 a.m.: Schoolwide memorial assembly in honor of Americans who gave their lives on September 11th. In a ceremony sponsored by Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, students will plant a tree with the name of one of the fallen Americans.

Harding Elementary School:
It will be Red, White, and Blue Day at Harding, where students and staff will be encouraged to wear those colors. Following the 9:11 a.m. moment of silence, students and staff will sing patriotic songs. There will be a variety of age-appropriate classroom activities during the day.

Franklin Elementary School:
It will be Red, White, and Blue Day at Franklin, where students and staff will be encouraged to wear those colors. At 8:50 a.m., there will be a schoolwide assembly on the front lawn of Franklin. A student representative from each class with march in with the American flag to begin the assembly. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, the national anthem will be sung, followed by "Let There Be Peace on Earth." Several classes will work together to create a banner. Other classes will conduct individual classroom activities.

McKinley Elementary School:
Students and staff will gather at the flag pole to sing patriotic songs.

Monroe Elementary School:
Monroe will conduct a morning assembly at 8:20 a.m. There will be age-appropriate discussions in the classrooms.

Open Alternative School:
"Peace" is the Open Alternative School theme for the week. All classes will have a variety of activities, discussion, read alouds based on the "Peace" theme. On September 11, at 9:11 a.m., the entire school will have a moment of silence in their memory circle. Each student will add a link to the OAS chain of kindness and hope for peace.

Peabody Charter School:
Dressed in red, white, and blue, students with gather at the flag pole. The Pledge of Allegiance and patriotic songs will be part of their ceremony.

Roosevelt Elementary School:
At 8:05 a.m., a Cub Scout troop will lead the flag ceremony, with all students and parents invited.

Santa Barbara Community Academy:
It will be Red, White, and Blue Day at the Santa Barbara Community Academy, where students and staff will be encouraged to wear those colors. At an 8:25 a.m. morning assembly, September 11 will be memorialized by the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of "My Country Tis of Thee." Each classroom is planning age-appropriate activities.

Washington Elementary School:
It will be Red, White, and Blue Day at Washington Elementary School. Each classroom will participate in age-appropriate activities.

Goleta Valley Junior High School:
Goleta Valley Junior High School has planned a week of activities. Beginning on September 9th, there will be a week-long canned food drive. On September 9, students will write their personal sentiments and messages about the tragedy and on September 10-13, that schoolwide collection of thoughts will be displayed throughout the campus. On September 11, following the moment of silence, there will be one-minute reflection or comment read over the school’s intercom, with a different one-minute reflection read at the beginning of each class period throughout the day. Also on September 11, students will weave red and blue ribbons into the chain link fence at the front of the school.

La Colina Junior High School:
At 9:00 a.m., speeches will be made by Principal David Ortiz and the Associated Student Body President, followed by a reading by a La Colina Junior High student. Patriotic music will be part of the program.

La Cumbre Middle School:
A schoolwide moment of silence at 9:11 a.m.

Santa Barbara Junior High School:
It will be Red, White, and Blue Day at Santa Barbara Junior High School. The Honor Society will be handing out red, white, and blue stickers for students to wear. Following the moment of silence, there will be a reading over the school’s intercom. The school newspaper, The Condor, will publish a variety of articles that focus on the day.

Dos Pueblos High School:
The Dos Pueblos High School student leadership class has planned the day’s activities. Following the Districtwide moment of silence, there will be a ringing of four bells to commemorate the four planes that went down on September 11, 2001. The Greek Theater will be the site of lunchtime activities: Bruce Springsteen’s "Rising" will be played; there will be a moment of silence; the Dos Pueblos Choir will sing the national anthem; a poem will be read by leadership students; a plaque recognizing the heroism of New York’s firefighters will be presented to Goleta firefighters; and students will have the opportunity to sign a banner that will be sent to New York City, just as they did last year.

La Cuesta Continuation High School and Community Day School:
All sites will offer lessons from a historic perspective. The "Families and Work" website at www.families and work.org offers curriculum for grades K-12 on "9/11 as History." Teachers are extracting lessons from this information.

San Marcos High School:
The video production club is producing a five-minute video to be shown before the Districtwide moment of silence. The video will include a dance performance by the San Marcos High School Marquettes. Classroom discussions will take place following the moment of silence.

The leadership class has been hard at work, preparing their school’s noontime activities on September 11. From Noon-12:30 p.m., in the San Marcos High School Greek Theater and Quad areas, a fireman’s boot will be available for donations, with the donations going to the local fire department. Additionally, pre-cut 4" x 4" red, white, or blue paper hearts will be available for students to pen their personal messages. The hearts will be affixed to a 15’ wide x 9’ high backing to form an American flag, which will be on display in the Greek Theater for the remainder of the week.

Santa Barbara High School:
At 9:00 a.m., a newly-installed stone plaque, located near the flag pole, will be dedicated. The plaque was funded by the Santa Barbara High School Associated Student Body, honoring the heroes of September 11. Members of Santa Barbara’s police and fire departments have been invited. Students and staff have been organizing a campaign to wear red, white, and blue.

During the Evening

Board of Education:
At 7:00 p.m., following the Pledge of Allegiance, Santa Barbara High School senior Dana Musgrove will sing the "National Anthem" and "America the Beautiful." There will be a recitation of the Gettysburg Address by a San Marcos High School student. Superintendent Flores will share a poem written by a third-grade class in New York City. Adams Elementary School’s vocal music teacher, Gary Smith, will lead the five-member Board and the audience in two patriotic songs.

September 4, 2002

Dear Parent/Guardian:

The previously scheduled September 25, 2002 public hearing on the proposed calendar for school year 2003-2004 has been changed to Wednesday, October 9, 2002. The schedule change was made to give our feeder school districts additional time to share this proposal with their respective parents and staff. For your information, the timeline on this matter is as follows:

Board of Education meetings begin at 7:00 p.m., and are held in the Board Room at 720 Santa Barbara Street. If you are interested in following the discussion, but unable to attend, Board meetings are taped and then aired on Channel 18-beginning at 5:00 p.m.-on the Saturday following the meeting. Please check local television listings.

I would like to emphasize that a decision has not been made about the calendar. The reason we are engaging in this process is to provide the Board of Education with as much information as possible when they consider and decide whether or not there should be a change in our current calendars.

The proposed calendar for 2003-2004 has generated discussion on both sides of this issue. I would like to respond to some questions and concerns that have been raised, particularly about the August 15 letter sent to parents, and extend an apology for any misunderstanding or confusion that it may have created.

What is an Extended Calendar?

By law, California requires a 180-day school year. In the Santa Barbara Elementary and High School Districts, those 180 learning days are configured in three separate ways:

The extended calendar does not include additional school days. Rather, while schools on the traditional calendar start after Labor Day, three schools in our Elementary District that are on the extended calendar start a week before Labor Day and end the school year one week later than schools on the traditional calendar. In addition to starting earlier and ending later than schools on the traditional calendar, schools on the extended calendar have one extra week off during Winter Break and one extra week off during Spring Break.

Reasons for Consideration of a Calendar Change
The impetus for raising this issue stems from concerns that parents and school staff have expressed over the past two years about the impact of the Districts’ three separate calendars on learning and on families. Schools have asked that the District review the calendar because they believe that there are potential educational benefits with the extended calendar. Because there is a correlation between academic achievement and time on task, the exploration of how the calendar configuration supports student learning is in keeping with our Districts’ focus on student achievement. Once this matter reaches the Board of Education on October 9, the Board will be evaluating all information to determine if the educational benefits warrant a calendar change. As you are aware, the Districts have been dealing with critical budget issues and a cost/benefit analysis will be used to examine the economic impact of a calendar change.

Last spring, every school was asked to bring this matter to the attention of parents and staff, which was accomplished through presentations at PTA meetings, school newsletters, and/or phone-out messages. The response at that time was positive, suggesting that the matter warranted additional consideration. District staff have also raised concerns about the impact of the three calendars on time management and resource allocation (e.g., scheduling of staff development, food services, gardening services, maintenance of buildings). The extended calendar merits review if it can help improve schedule compatibility, support academic achievement, and bolster improved attendance. Dramatic improvements in attendance, particularly following the Winter Break and Spring Break, have occurred in District schools that are on the extended calendar.

Survey Tabulation
The August 15 letter was intended to survey parent interest by identifying the number who are in favor of or opposed to changing the calendar as well as the number who did not respond at all. That information will be added to feedback gathered at the school sites, phone calls, and e-mails. The Board will also consider the opinions of our feeder school districts and the cost/benefit analysis associated with a calendar change. In our quest to encourage a timely discussion of this important matter, the August 15 letter and survey included a statement that non-response would be interpreted as support for the proposed calendar for 2003-2004. I understand that statement was offensive to some, and for that I apologize. Our intent was to be sure that everyone who had an objection would make his/her views known. Please rest assured that the information that will be reported to the Board on October 9 will focus on the number of parents who are in favor of the calendar change and those who are opposed to the calendar change. The total number of surveys that were distributed will also be reported to the Board. However, I will emphasize that there may be a number of reasons why some surveys were not returned (e.g., change of address, recipient may not have an opinion either way) and that a lack of response should NOT be interpreted as support for the calendar change.

Potential Challenges and Adjustments to an Extended Calendar
An August school start date would change a longtime tradition in our Elementary and High School Districts of starting classes after Labor Day. However, in recent years, five elementary schools asked for (and received) Board approval for school calendars that are different than the traditional school calendar. Those schools moved to either a year-round or extended calendar. While there are tradeoffs in every calendar configuration, I am pleased to report that those five schools are operating smoothly and, for the most part, parents and staff have adjusted positively to the change.

Some people have asked about the impact of the extended calendar on student testing and, at the secondary level, end-of-semester finals. The extended calendar would not conflict with the California achievement testing schedule. High School District end-of-semester finals would occur within two weeks after students return from Winter Break. Not all classes have end-of-semester finals. For those that do, teachers would continue to ask that assignments be completed prior to the Winter Break or that students have specific material to review over the Winter Break in preparation for the regularly scheduled end-of-semester exams.

Others have asked about schedule alignment with Santa Barbara City College (SBCC), since a number of our high school students take classes there. We are engaged in dialogue with SBCC staff regarding calendar alignment, in the event that this proposal is adopted by our District.

It is my hope that this letter has addressed the questions and concerns that have been raised. We welcome your feedback. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Deborah A. Flores, Ph.D.
Superintendent

P.S. – Given the change of date in the public hearing, if you have not yet returned your survey, we encourage you to do so. In order for us to process the handwritten comments, we are asking that you return the survey to us on or before September 30.

Please share your views on the proposed extended calendar by sending an e-mail, preferably by September 30, 2002, to: Barbara Keyani. Your e-mail will be shared with the Board of Education.

Wednesday, September 4, 2002

Back to School Night in the Santa Barbara School Districts

The bell has sounded for school year 2002-2003. All classes are back in session. Back to School Night will soon be taking place on local campuses. Following is a schedule of Back to School dates and times: