March 2006 News Archive
San Marcos High School Wind Ensemble to Bring Home the Gold
Six bands from around the world participated, by invitation, in the New York Wind Band Festival in the Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. San Marcos High School’s 75-member wind ensemble, under the direction of Dan Garske, joined bands from Juneau, Alaska to Wales in a program of national and international high school wind ensembles. San Marcos High School was awarded a gold plaque at the Festival.
The San Marcos students will return to Santa Barbara on Thursday, March 30.
Channel 21 Broadcast Dates of the Districts’ String Festival
Following are the dates and times of the Channel 21 broadcast of the Santa Barbara School Districts’ February 9, 2006, String Festival:
- Saturday March 25, 2006, at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
- Sunday March 26, 2006, at 1:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
- Monday March 27, 2006, at 7:00 p.m.
- Tuesday March 28, 2006, at 9:00 p.m.
- Wednesday March 29, 2006, at 9:30 p.m.
- Thursday March 30, 2006, at 6:00 p.m.
- Friday March 31, 2006, at 3:00 p.m.
- Saturday April 1, 2006, at 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
- Sunday April 2, 2006, at 1:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
The event brought together some 300 elementary and secondary students, from several school districts in Goleta and Santa Barbara. Joining the students were a number of community members. The strains of violins, violas, and cellos filled the San Marcos High School auditorium for this unique gathering of local talent.
San Marcos High Mock Trial Team Aces State Championship
Congratulations to the award-winning San Marcos High School Mock Trial team! Over the weekend, the team won the California Mock Trial Competition in Riverside, CA, and they will now proceed to the national trials in Oklahoma City on May 11-14, 2006.
California High School Exit Exam in Full Swing
California High School Exit Exam testing is going on today and tomorrow. Approximately 2,100 students (including sophomores as well as juniors and seniors who have not yet passed the exam) are taking the exam this time.
Elementary GATE Meeting in Mid-April
There will be an Elementary Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) meeting on Monday, April 17, in the Monroe Elementary School cafeteria from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Details will be provided as the program develops.
Rotary Honors Santa Barbara Junior High Teacher Amy McMillan
Santa Barbara Junior High’s Amy McMillan has been recognized as the 2005-06 recipient of the Santa Barbara Rotary Club’s “outstanding junior high school teachers.” She was honored at a March 10, 2006, Rotary Club luncheon.
Adams Elementary and Academy Student Artwork on Display
On the second floor of the District Office, next to the elevator, is wonderful artwork by Adams students. Also, the display case contains some great recreations on where and how early Native Americans lived.
La Cumbre Junior High to Welcome Michael Hingson and Guide Dog Roselle, Survivors of the September 11 Attack on the World Trade Center
Michael Hingson, who has been blind since birth, will be speaking to La Cumbre Junior High School students on Thursday, March 23, 2006, at 9:30 a.m. in Room 123. He will be accompanied by his guide dog, Roselle. Mr. Hingson and Roselle were on the 78th floor of the 110-story north tower of the World Trade Center when United Airlines Flight 11 slammed into the tower on September 11, 2001. The plane hit the tower about 15 floors above him.
Mr. Hingson could not see what had happened but the force of the explosion, flaming debris, and the heavy air of jet fuel told the story. Roselle, a yellow Labrador retriever who had been Mr. Hingson’s guide dog for a mere nine months, immediately responded to his commands. Roselle led him through the devastated office and to a crowded stairwell, where temperatures were climbing. Temperatures in the top floors of the tower were more that 1,000 degrees and the heat was building as people were opening doors to get into the stairwell.
By the time they made their way to about the 50th floor, United Airline Flight 175 hit the south tower. By the time they reached ground level, about 50 minutes had elapsed and breathing had become difficult for both man and dog. It took about an additional 10 minutes to exit the building. They were parched but they continued to walk away from the building. Mr. Hingson and Roselle were about two blocks away from the World Trade Center when the south tower collapsed, “It sounded like a metal and concrete waterfall.” Soon after, the north tower collapsed and they were covered with ash and debris. Roselle guided Mr. Hingson to the home of a friend, where they stayed until trains were running again and they could make their way home that evening.
A California native, Mr. Hingson lives in northern California and now works as the national public affairs representative for Guide Dogs for the Blind. As a puppy, Roselle was trained in Santa Barbara by Kay and Ted Stern.
History Comes Alive in La Colina Junior High School’s Walk Through the Middle Ages
La Colina Junior High School presents its ninth annual living history exhibit, a Walk Through the Middle Ages, on Thursday, March 16, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (students will be at lunch from 12:00-1:00 p.m.), in the school’s west parking lot. A Walk Through the Middle Ages is the culminating event in a unit of seventh-grade study. The students have researched their topics and created museum exhibit displays.
Students display booths focus on areas such as: daily life in a castle, the power of the Catholic Church, growth of cities, food of peasants and food of nobility.
An important element of this project is parent participation. Parents support students in many phases of the project, they help paint background scenes, sew brightly colored banners, and make costumes.
Students involved in this integrated unit of study are members of English and social studies classes. Teacher Jose Marquez is coordinating this year’s event.
La Colina Junior High School is located at 4025 Foothill Road, Santa Barbara.
Goleta Valley Junior High Students to Perform The Boyfriend, a Musical Romance
Goleta Valley Junior High’s spring musical, The Boyfriend, will open on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Performances will also be held Friday and Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students.
The Boyfriend is a set in the 1920s at a finishing school on the French Riviera. The school’s purpose is to educate young women on the art of “marrying well.” The Boyfriend, a musical romance, was written by Sandy Wilson.
Goleta Valley Junior High School is located at 6100 Stow Canyon Road, Goleta, CA 93117.
Santa Barbara School Districts’ Upcoming GATE* and Advanced Learning Information Night
The Santa Barbara School Districts will hold a “GATE and Advanced Learning Information Night,” on Thursday, March 16, 2006, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The meeting will take place in the Marjorie Luke Theatre, Santa Barbara Junior High School, 721 E. Cota Street, Santa Barbara. The presentations (and speakers) will be as follows:
Welcome and Introductions (J. Brian Sarvis, Ed.D., Superintendent)
Overview of GATE and Advanced Learning (Jan Zettel, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education)
GATE Identification/Placement (Sandra Robertson, GATE Coordinator)
GATE Classes, Junior High (Marilyn Garza, Santa Barbara Junior High GATE Science Teacher)
GATE Classes, High School (Jerolyn Fikes, San Marcos High School Math Teacher)
International Baccalaureate Program (Karen Beckstead, Dos Pueblos High School)
Advanced Placement Classes (Patty Ruth, Santa Barbara High School English Teacher)
Addressing the Needs of Under-represented Students (Vicki Hanes, San Marcos High School)
Questions or Concerns (Sandra Robertson, GATE Coordinator)
Spanish translation will be provided at the meeting. For more information about this event, please call the districts’ secondary GATE office at (805) 730-7775.
[*GATE is the acronym for Gifted And Talented Education]
Upcoming Community Meetings Regarding the Santa Barbara School Districts’ Possible Plans for the Hidden Valley and Tatum Properties
The Santa Barbara School Districts will be holding meetings to update the community on the status of possible plans for two sites, Hidden Valley and Tatum, and to get community input. The primary goals behind selling or developing these sites are to provide funds for educational programs, provide funds for building and/or site improvements, and/or to provide reasonably-priced housing for employees.
Three different meetings, each covering the same materials, will be held in order to accommodate as many people’s schedules as possible. Members of the public are encouraged to participate in whichever meeting is most convenient:
Friday, March 17 at 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Santa Barbara Junior High/Globe Theater, 721 East Cota Street, Santa Barbara
Saturday, March 18 at 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
San Marcos High theater, 4750 Hollister Avenue, Santa Barbara
Monday, March 20 at 7:00-9:00 p.m.
La Cumbre Junior High theater, 2255 Modoc Road, Santa Barbara
The meetings will include a presentation that will summarize the following: the purpose and goals of the feasibility analysis; the information that has been gathered to date regarding market issues and development constraints on the sites; and potential uses for the sites. The meetings will also provide an opportunity to discuss, in a small group setting, “big picture” issues regarding development of these properties, including: the need for providing additional revenue sources to the districts to maintain and/or expand educational programs; the need for reasonably-priced, high-quality housing for employees of the districts; characteristics of a healthy and vibrant community, and how they should be factored into the development equation; and the impacts of development on the community and how they may be addressed.
Current and future employees of the districts, neighbors of the properties, and others interested in providing greater fiscal stability to the districts and/or reasonably-priced housing options to local employees are encouraged to attend one of the meetings.
For more information call David Hetyonk at (805) 963-4338, extension 238.
Santa Barbara School Districts to Celebrate 140th Birthday
Formed on June 6, 1866, the Santa Barbara School Districts will soon be 140 years old. Plans are underway to commemorate the birthday. Information will be forthcoming when the details are finalized.
Did you know that...
Santa Barbara’s educational tradition is one of the oldest in the state. Its traditions are rooted in the 18th
century Spanish era where historical records indicate that in 1795 Santa Barbara had the second school in Alta California
(San Jose had the first, which was opened one year earlier). Santa Barbara’s first school was located at the
Presidio. The teacher was paid $125 per year; each soldier of the Presidio paid a tribute of one dollar toward the
teacher’s salary.
Fitness and Health Awareness to be Celebrated at Cleveland Elementary School’s First Annual Health Day
Last fall, fifth-grade students Michael Lopez and Luis Cruz approached Cleveland Principal Michael Vail, asking how they could go about selling healthy snacks at school. That inquiry, and the discussions that followed, led to what would become the first annual Cleveland Health Day, scheduled to take place on Friday, March 10, 2006. Health Day, which begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 2:10 p.m., will be comprised of two components: the Nutrition Decathlon and the Moving On Fun-A-Thon.
As part of the Nutrition Decathlon, which will take place in the center section of the campus parking lot, students will participate in an apple toss, strawberry relay, carrot hop, citrus hike, pepper toss and an apple tasting.
The goal of the decathlon, organized by the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, is to increase awareness about the importance of eating more fruits and vegetables and engaging in at least 60 minutes a day of physical activity. Decathlon organizer, Jeri Waite of the health department, noted, “The new dietary recommendations suggest we find a balance between food and activity.” She went on to provide six healthy recommendations:
- Move more. Aim for at least 60 minutes of activity everyday or most days.
- Make half of your grains whole. Eat six ounces of grain every day.
- Vary your veggies. Eat two cups of vegetables daily.
- Focus on fruit. Eat two cups of fruit daily (look for a rainbow of colors).
- Get your calcium-rich foods. Choose three cups of non-fat or one-percent milk daily.
- Go lean with protein. Choose five ounces of lean meat or beans daily.
As part of their Santa Barbara Smiles program, members of the Assistance League of Santa Barbara will be at Cleveland’s Nutrition Decathlon to distribute Smiles Kits. It is the League’s a way of helping local children and families learn about good dental care practices and healthy eating. Stuffed with bright green shark-themed contents, the kits contain toothpaste, a two-minute timer, floss, a tooth brush, and a list of tips for a healthy smile. The Assistance League’s Public Relations Chairman Mary Jane Cooper expects to distribute more than 400 Smiles Kits at Cleveland.
Students will quickly move from the Nutrition Decathlon to the school playfields, where they will join in the hour-long Moving On Fun-A-Thon. Four hundred students in grades K-6 will be directed by their teachers and volunteers from the Community-Based English Tutoring Program, through a variety of aerobic, agility, and strength exercises. Principal Vail says the Moving On event will raise monies for the school’s educational programs, but more importantly, “ We want to instill in our students a sense of the vital importance of developing a healthy lifestyle that incorporates daily physical activities with sound eating habits.”
In addition to the Santa Barbara County Health Department Children’s Dental Disease Prevention Program and the Assistance League of Santa Barbara, Cleveland’s community partners in this event include UC Cooperative Extension Power Play, Gold Coast Collaborative, and Partners for Fit Youth, Santa Barbara City College, Adult Education and the Community Based English Tutoring Program. Fidelity Title is assisting in Cleveland’s Health Day by donating 350 bottles of water.
Cleveland Elementary School is located at 123 Alameda Padre Serra, Santa Barbara, CA.
Honor Band to Perform on March 8, 2006
The Santa Barbara School Districts’ Honor Band will perform on Wednesday, March 8, at 7:00 p.m., in the Marjorie Luke Theater, located on the Santa Barbara Junior High School campus, 721 East Cota Street, Santa Barbara.
Auntie Mame at Dos Pueblos High School
Dos Pueblos High School will perform the comedy Auntie Mame in the little Charger Theater at 7:00 p.m. on March 8, 10, 11, and 12. There will be a Saturday matinee on March 11. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Tickets available through the school’s Business Office, open from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Dos Pueblos High School is located at 7266 Alameda Avenue, Goleta, CA.
This Week In The Districts: STAR Writing Test
All fourth- and seventh-graders in the Santa Barbara School Districts will take the STAR writing test on Tuesday, March 7, 2006. Make-up tests will be held on March 8.
California High School Exit Exam in March
Tenth-grade students will take the exit exam on March 21 and 22, 2006. Students in grades 11 and 12 who have not already passed part of the exam will also have the opportunity to re-take and pass the exam.
CBEDS, October 2005
On the second and fourth Friday of each month, the Office of the Superintendent issues a report to the board called the Board Brief. This is a collection of reports and articles on school and district matters. A copy is on display in the District Office reception area or can be provided through the Superintendent’s Office.
The districts’ October 2005 CBEDS enrollment trends were reported in the last Board Brief. Elementary enrollment continues to decline, albeit only slightly. This year’s elementary decline, which includes charters, slowed to one percent as compared to the previous year’s decline of 2.5%.
Secondary enrollment has plateaued and is now declining slightly, the first decline in many years. This year’s decline was very slight, only 3/10 of one percent.