January 2007 News Archive
Monday, January 29, 2007
Adams Elementary School Principal Zuchowicz to Step Down
Adams Elementary School principal Matt Zuchowicz, has accepted an administrative position with the Santa Barbara County Education Office. He will be the director of their Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment program. The Santa Barbara Elementary School District anticipates that his service at Adams School will continue until mid-April 2007.
Mr. Zuchowicz was selected to fill the principal position at Adams in late January 2005, when Jo Ann Caines moved from Adams to the principal position at La Cumbre Junior High School. His service in the Santa Barbara Elementary School District includes teaching bilingual education at McKinley Elementary School, working as a library media specialist at Peabody Charter, and serving as an assistant principal at Franklin Elementary School. He has previous experience at the county education office, having run their “Computers for Families” program and, at one point, served as their director of instructional media services.
In keeping with the needs of the school, the elementary district will begin the process of selecting permanent leadership for Adams Elementary School and will be involving parents and staff in the selection process. The process that will be followed for hiring a new principal will be as follows:
- The districts’ Personnel Office is advertising for a highly-qualified candidate to fill the principal’s position. The application deadline is the end of February 2007.
- Selected candidates will be interviewed in March by a committee composed of staff member representatives, parent leaders, board members, district office personnel, and one of the districts’ elementary school principals. Prior to the interviews, interview committee representatives will have time to work with school community members (e.g., parent representatives will be liaisons to the parent community; staff representatives will communicate with staff members) to determine the interests of each group.
- The top candidates will be interviewed by the superintendent and the assistant superintendent of elementary education, who will also conduct extensive background checks.
- A committee will then visit the final candidates’ current school site before the superintendent’s recommendation to the Santa Barbara School Districts’ Board of Education.
Once the selection has been made, Principal Zuchowicz and Assistant Superintendent Robin Sawaske will work with the new principal to ensure a smooth transition.
Adams Elementary School is located at 2701 Las Positas Road, Santa Barbara. The school serves approximately 550 students.
Cleveland to Conduct 13th Annual Career Day
Ever wonder what it takes to be a zookeeper? A banker? A bus driver? A horse trainer? A marine biologist? Cleveland Elementary School students will learn about a host of professions during the thirteenth annual Student Career Day on Friday, January 26, 2007. Twenty professionals from throughout the Santa Barbara community will be directing morning seminars that focus on the skills needed to perform their work and how their educational backgrounds prepared them for their careers. More than 350 students in grades K-6 will participate.
Career Day will take place from 9:35 a.m. until 11:10 a.m. Some professionals will speak to students in the classroom and others will be located at outdoor stations set up near the office.
Cleveland principal Michael Vail said, “We want our students to begin dreaming about future career possibilities and to understand the importance of their education to the realization of their dreams.”
Cleveland Elementary School is located at 123 Alameda Padre Serra, Santa Barbara, CA 93103.
California Physical Fitness Test Results
In the spring of 2006, almost 1.4 million fifth-, seventh-, and ninth-grade California public school students were assessed in the California Physical Fitness Test. The test, which is given annually, assesses six major fitness areas, including aerobic capacity (cardiovascular endurance), body composition (percentage of body fat), abdominal strength and endurance, trunk strength and flexibility, upper body strength and endurance, and overall flexibility. A number of test options are provided so that most students can participate.
The following six students are the districts’ six highest scoring students.
Fifth-grade level: Washington Elementary School students Noe Leyva and Yessica Sanchez.
Seventh-grade level: Santa Barbara Junior High School students Jesus Hernandez and Tessa Emerson.
Ninth-grade level: Santa Barbara High School student Martin Hutchinson and San Marcos High School student Apryl Libbey.
Santa Barbara School Districts’ Early Enrollment and Transfers for 2007-08
School year 2007-08 is just around the corner. Beginning in January, and continuing through March 1, it is early enrollment time in the Santa Barbara School Districts. The Santa Barbara Elementary and High School Districts are comprised of the the following 21 schools: Adams Elementary, Cesar Chavez Charter, Cleveland Elementary, Franklin Elementary, Harding Elementary, McKinley Elementary, Monroe Elementary, Open Alternative, Peabody Charter, Roosevelt Elementary, Santa Barbara Community Academy, Santa Barbara Charter, Washington Elementary, Goleta Valley Junior High, La Colina Junior High, La Cumbre Junior High, Santa Barbara Junior High, Dos Pueblos High, San Marcos High, Santa Barbara High and La Cuesta Continuation High.
In the elementary district, enrollment packets are now ready for kindergarteners, students selecting a school of choice (at any grade level), or students applying for a transfer to any other school within the district. Please contact the schools directly for information on school tours and open houses.
In the secondary district, serving grades 7-12, junior high school open houses will be held in February for new students and incoming seventh graders. High school open houses for incoming ninth-graders and new students will also take place in February. Contact the school for open house date and times.
Choice is an important option and, from January through March 1, the Santa Barbara School Districts are accepting intra-district transfer agreement applications for the coming school year. To begin the transfer process, parents who live within the districts’ boundaries must obtain a transfer application from their school of residence.
Parents of students residing outside the Santa Barbara School Districts, who wish to enroll their child in school in either the Santa Barbara Elementary or High School Districts, must complete the inter-district transfer application at their respective district of residence by March 1, 2007. Transfers applications must be renewed every year.
For more information on the intra-district or inter-district transfer process, please call the Santa Barbara School Districts’ Office of Instructional Support Services, (805) 963-4338, extension 276 or extension 278.
San Marcos High School Fundraising Drives Net Over $70,000
The Unity Shoppe was the beneficiary of two San Marcos High School fundraising events. Aaron Solis and his Associated Student Body students raised and donated $17,500 in a penny drive this year. Jaime DeVries’ economic classes raised more than $53,000 for their commitment to “Kids Helping Kids.”
Santa Barbara School Districts Mourn the Death of Washington Principal Beatrice Cordeiro
The Santa Barbara School Districts mourn the loss of Washington Elementary School principal Beatrice Rubio Cordeiro. Principal Cordeiro passed away on Friday, January 5, 2007. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cordeiro family. Mrs. Cordeiro was the wife of Superintendent Paul Cordeiro, Carpinteria Unified School District.
Principal Cordeiro will be remembered for her commitment to academic excellence for all students, strong leadership skills, dedication to her staff and colleagues, and warm sense of humor. These were attributes that she demonstrated throughout her 34 years in education, primarily in Santa Maria and Santa Barbara.
During her two-year illness, she exemplified tremendous courage and determination when she continued to work, briefly as a district-level administrator before returning to the principal position of her beloved Washington School, a job she began in 1996. As an educator, Principal Cordeiro’s actions were guided by a belief that every day is a new day of learning and discovery. She was committed to fostering students’ growth as responsible, productive citizens; lifelong learners; and meaningful contributors to society.
There will be two services for Principal Cordeiro. The first will be a funeral mass on Friday, January 12, 2007, at 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 3175 Telegraph Road, Ventura, CA. The second will be an outdoor memorial service on Saturday, January 13, 2007, at 10:30 a.m. at Washington Elementary School, 290 Lighthouse Road, Santa Barbara (on the Mesa). Carpools are encouraged. The memorial will be on the playfield; guests are encouraged to bring a blanket and beach chair(s). In the event of rain, the memorial will be held in the auditorium at La Cumbre Junior High School, 2255 Modoc Road, Santa Barbara, CA.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Washington Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization or the American Cancer Society.
Today, elementary students in the Santa Barbara School Districts returned from winter break. Counseling support is being provided to Washington’s students and staff, as needed. Pat Morales, former principal of Peabody Charter School, is serving as Washington’s interim principal.
OAS Physical Education Volunteer Retires
For the past 13 years, Diane Jones, a retired physical education teacher, volunteered at Open Alternative School (OAS). Throughout that time, she worked with students in grades K-5 on a regular basis. The OAS community celebrated “Diane Day” on Thursday, December 14 with gifts, cards, and student entertainment. Ms. Jones will be remembered for her generosity of spirit and her mantra: Play Fair, Play Safe, Play Hard!
Harter and Malakoff Now Lead the School Districts’ Board of Education, 2006-07
At their December 2006 meeting, the Santa Barbara School Districts’ Board of Education elected Nancy Harter as board president and Laura Malakoff as vice president. Officers serve for a period of one year.
A single Board of Education, made up of five elected representatives, governs the Santa Barbara School Districts. The districts serve more than 16,000 students and employ approximately 1,800 certificated and classified staff.
The board’s regularly scheduled meetings are generally held on the second, fourth, and fifth Tuesdays of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Administration Center, 720 Santa Barbara Street, Santa Barbara. Board meeting agendas are posted in the display case outside the front office of the districts’ administration office. Regularly scheduled meetings are generally aired on government access Channel 18 the Saturday following the meeting. Special board meetings are aired when space is available on Channel 18’s schedule. Viewers should check the station’s web site for details: http://www.citytv18.com.
In accordance with the California Education Code, the board operates independently from the city or county governments.