College Readiness for All
Dear Parents and Community Members,
When we share that our goal is to have every student graduate college ready, what does this mean? By college ready, we mean that students will graduate with a strong foundation in reading, writing, and mathematics and the knowledge and skills needed to be prepared for college or other postsecondary training.
Students in our schools today will likely work well beyond the year 2050. We are absolutely convinced that the changing nature of work in an increasingly complex and global economy will require our children to reinvent themselves multiple times throughout their careers. The best seller by Thomas Friedman, The
World is Flat, describes the changing global economy and the educational skills required for individuals and for our society to remain competitive. We see evidence every day of work being outsourced across the country and to other countries. Telephone assistance for a rental car may come from Bangalore, India, and the McDonald’s order at the call box may be handled at a call-in center located in another state prior to being picked up at the local drive-through window. Our children will need to compete in a national and global world.
Given this emerging reality, we want every child to have as many options as possible, even if some students may not choose to call upon all of these skills upon graduation. We understand that not every student heads off to college upon graduation from high school, and not every student who goes to college graduates with a bachelor degree. However, we are convinced that all students will need some form of postsecondary training, be it technical, applied, or academic in nature. A high school diploma is no longer sufficient to support a family. We also envision ongoing education and training to be even more critical in the future to maintain needed job skills and remain competitive. This will require a strong foundation in reading, writing, and mathematics to support future learning. Strong literacy skills, good study habits, and the ability and desire to learn will be essential regardless what path students take following graduation.
Therefore, when we talk about all students graduating college ready, we place the emphasis on providing opportunities for students to be in a position to make positive choices rather than having limited options due to taking a less rigorous curriculum. We believe that providing electives and career and technical training options that are relevant and rigorous should be part of the experience for students who either don’t see the connection between schooling and the real world, or who have a strong interest in a technical field. As we prepare students for their future, we also need to provide programs in the arts, athletics, community service, and leadership.
We want our graduates to be well prepared for the economic future they will face and to have the skills necessary to become a contributing member of our democratic society. We firmly believe this will require a college education or other form of postsecondary training, and having strong college readiness skills will only open up more doors for a bright future.
Recognition of PUSD Staff
Next month, we will have many opportunities to thank our employees for their dedication and the hard work they do every day to assure our students are receiving a quality education. At the April Board Meeting, the following dates were established for employee recognition:
April 25: School Bus Drivers’ Day
May 1-5: Child Nutrition Employee Recognition Week
May 8-12: Teacher Appreciation Week
May 22-26: Classified Employees Week
A quick note of thanks from you or your child to a teacher or staff member who has had a positive impact on your child’s educational experience would be very much appreciated.
Warm regards,
Don Phillips
Superintendent
These are examples of the fine accomplishments occurring at our
schools every day.
STUDENT RECOGNITION
- Julia Brown, Bernardo Heights Middle School eighth grade student, won the San Diego County Spelling Bee on March 14, 2006. Julia will represent the San Diego Union Tribune and Southern California at the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in Washington, D. C. in May.
- James Vipatapat, Mesa Verde Middle School eighth grader, tied for third place in the San Diego County Spelling Bee on March 14, 2006.
- Poway High School students Allison Barnes (junior), Gary Barnes (sophomore),
Amanda Eldreth (junior), Abigal Frisch (junior), Rebekah Helms (senior),
Karen Hoey (senior), Chase Kassel (sophomore), Benjamin Rollins (senior),
Chris Rossio (junior), and Conor Tibbs (junior) represented Poway High School in the 2006 California All-State Choir in Sacramento on March 11. These students were chosen by audition and represent the largest number of choral singers selected from any high school in Southern California. They are members of the Die Lieder Singers at Poway High. Their instructor is Nancy Gray.
- Twin Peaks Middle School students were selected by audition to participate in the Honor Choirs at the convention of the American Choral Directors' Association held recently in Salt Lake City, Utah. Those selected for the Honor Choir were
Odeliah Dorko (grade 8), Elizabeth Chagnon (grade 8), Logan Nelson (grade 7),
Tayo Grasham (grade 7), Hannah Pond (grade 7), Mia Nitsche
(grade 7), Allison Boyle (grade 7), and Theresa Kesser (grade 7). Twin Peaks music instructor is Nancy Shirley.
STAFF RECOGNITION
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Peggy Brose, Rancho Bernardo High School Athletic Director, was selected as Assistant Coach for McDonald’s High School All-American All-Star Girls Basketball team.
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Maile Anderson, County Probation Officer, was recently selected as the Truancy Intervention Program “Employee of the Year” for the Community Partnership and Planning Division Service Award. Officer Anderson is a County Probation Officer and has been contracted by PUSD for the past three years to assist with the attendance and truancy program. This past year, she was also awarded Probation Volunteer of the Year for STAR-PAL, a law enforcement organization that provides sports training and recreational activities for youths in the community.
SCHOOL RECOGNITION
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The Rancho Bernardo High School Madrigals and the Rancho Bernardo High School Advanced Women's Ensemble received First Place and Gold Medals in their respective divisions at a national choral festival held in Virginia on March 24, 2006. Both groups also received the outstanding choral ensemble awards. Lisa Fredericks is the Rancho Bernardo High School music instructor.
Rancho Bernardo High School
Madrigals |
Rancho Bernardo High School
Advanced Women's Ensemble |
Juliet Acosta
Hannah Al-Sodani
Alicia Bell
Janelle Berg
Chris Boniwell
Chris Cialeo
Hillary Claspill
Jana Drake
Daniel Ehlers
Pedram Farjad
|
Hannah Jang
Henry Liu
Ron Mitchell
Kayla Ross
Alize Rozsnyai
Alyssa Salindong
Veronica Schneider
Jeremiah Seefeldt
Ted Sengpaseuth
Jason Yeh
|
Sara Abi-Hashim
Haruka Adachi
Taitu Asfaw
Taryn Bates
Tiffany Bevan
Gloria Choi
Ciara DeCastro
Brianna Feenan
Jennifer Foster
Lynora Garner
Iris Han
Emily Hsu
Amanda Jones
Rachel Jones
|
April Kilbourne
Mary McClay
Mindy Nguyen
Endora Pan
Amy Rodriquez
Claire Sampankanpanich
Carolanne Smith
Kurstin Strange
Ruth Tang
Melanie Ulaszek
Tiffany Wen
Gillian White
Jacqueline Wu
Jennifer Yoon
|
- Poway High School’s Music Department was recently notified it was selected as a 2006 GRAMMY Signature
School and awarded a $1,000 grant. After a screening by top music educators and industry professionals, the award is
given to schools for their excellent performance ensembles and high quality instruction in multiple musical genres including
choir, band, orchestra, and jazz band.
TEACHERS OF THE YEAR 2006-2007: DAN LUTGEN, MARISSA OCHOA, AND
LEONORA PERSICHINA
The Poway Unified School District is proud to announce that
Dan Lutgen, Rancho Bernardo High School; Marissa Ochoa, Valley Elementary School; and
Leonora Persichina, Bernardo Heights Middle School, have been chosen as Poway Unified School District Teachers of the Year for 2006-2007.
Dan Lutgen, Rancho Bernardo High School, AP European History Teacher
The Advanced Placement class is difficult, with clear and focused high expectations for students, and yet it is one of the most highly requested courses on the Rancho Bernardo High School campus. The teacher always arrives impeccably prepared, bringing with him the sheer force and excitement needed to persuade all students that history is really interesting.
Dan Lutgen is that teacher. He is personally responsible for the growth of the Advanced Placement European History (APEC) classes from two sections with 60 students to seven sections with 250 students. Dan has accomplished this while still maintaining a high pass rate from his students.
“His course is one of the most requested on campus. The students like to be in Dan’s presence; he truly is a kid magnet and a great role model,” said Jeff King, Rancho Bernardo High School principal.
Dan currently teaches Advanced Placement European Civilization (APEC). In addition, he is the Social Science Department Chair and the Academic Team coach. As one teacher noted in his nomination, “Mr. Lutgen is universally respected by the staff and adored by his students.”
Dan is a lifetime learner. He believes passionately that education is a profession and treats it as such. He continually reads books on art, music, etc. that would enhance content knowledge of periods of history for his APEC classes. Using technology in the classroom, he implemented LCD Cornell note-taking strategies for the students to learn, a model helpful in other courses as well.
“My students are assured of cognitively working every moment of the hour,” said Dan who is very proud that despite the difficulty of an Advanced Placement course for sophomores, his students want to be in his classroom.
Dan has been teaching at RB High for 16 years. He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from California State Northridge in Social Science and a Masters Degree in Educational Technology from National University.
Marissa Ochoa, Valley Elementary School, Fourth Grade Teacher
Marissa Ochoa knows that her students can benefit from education that goes far beyond their school facility. “The classroom goes far beyond its four walls, and for many students we must be the ones who take them beyond those walls,” said Marissa, a fourth grade teacher at Valley Elementary School.
Integrating technology into the curriculum, students in Marissa’s class participate in author chats and write to prominent figures. They increase their communication and computer skills as they work on projects independently and as a team. PowerPoint presentations and recorded CD’s of poems and songs offer the students motivation and a love of learning, as well as evidence of their learning throughout the year.
“Marissa has demonstrated creativity and dedication since she came to Valley Elementary School as a student teacher. She has high expectations for all her students and is continually looking for ways to assist her students,” said Sue Smith, principal of Valley Elementary School. “Marissa provides a program for the whole child including art, drama, and music. When she decided to loop up with her students from third to fourth grade this year, her students and parents were ecstatic.”
Marissa is Valley’s GATE coordinator and the Student Site Council chairperson. She will become co-coordinator for English Language Learners (ELL) for the 2006-07 school year.
Marissa has been a teacher in the Poway Unified School District for four years. She received the Virginia Reid Scholarship award from California Association of Teachers of English. Marissa was also invited to attend the Scholastic Forum in New York City to evaluate the use of web publications and applications in classrooms. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychobiology from UCLA and her Masters Degree in Educational Technology from National University.
Marissa has worked as a facilitator with the Latino Family Literacy program, where she has trained parents to help their children understand stories better when they read books together in Spanish. She has also volunteered to work with the Los Angeles International Film Festival to promote awareness of Latinos in the film industry. Marissa’s students sold homemade bookmarks for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, and they will be participating in the Race for Literacy in Balboa Park.
Leonora Persichina, Bernardo Heights Middle School, Critical Skills, Special Education Teacher
The students in Leonora Persichina’s middle school special education classroom work hard every day in an environment that incorporates academics, positive reinforcement, classroom organization, communication, and personal choice.
Leonora Persichina is passionate about her role as advocate for her students. “Since starting in the field (of special education) as a classroom aide, I have grown to love and respect the field and use my outspoken voice and passion for what I do to represent my students and their needs,” said Leonora. She teaches students with severe learning disabilities at Bernardo Heights Middle School. “In giving my students the respect and dignity that they deserve and in teaching others not to be fearful of what they do not understand, I feel I have accomplished the small steps needed to bring awareness to those around me.”
Leonora’s message about her students is a powerful one: Special education students work just as hard as
all other children. Although they may not be dealing with the same curriculum, their effort and need to learn is exactly the same.
“Leonora is an outstanding member of our special education team and an integral part of our Bernardo Heights team. She is a caring and committed teacher who creates realistic learning opportunities for her students,” said Elaine Johnson, Bernardo Heights Middle School principal. “Miss P., as her students fondly call her, has become involved in campus-wide activities as a means of helping her students. The students feel comfortable attending dances, assembly activities, and evening events because they know Miss P. will be there.”
Leonora has developed a motivational and behavioral program that has resulted in meaningful learning skills for her students. Students earn points as a result of their schoolwork, behavior, and choices during the day. The points can be turned into classroom money and spent in the classroom store. The money can be saved for a group trip or activity decided by the class, or for an auction. Teaching opportunities have included working in the class store, bank, and recycling center. The program grows and changes as the needs in the classroom grow and change. Students are learning the concept of how their actions (choices) ultimately dictate their rewards and consequences.
Leonora has been teaching for six years, and has taught in Poway Unified since 2002. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from San Diego State University and a Masters degree in Special Education from National University. At Bernardo Heights Middle School, Leonora is a team leader and has started a color guard team. She has organized walk-a-thons to raise money for occupational therapy equipment at the Stein Education Center, and has participated in various walks to help build awareness and raise funds for research for autism, multiple sclerosis, and cancer.
The selection of the Teachers of the Year involved an application and panel interview process. Special thanks is extended to the following panel members:
Carolyn Epple, PTA Representative; Greg Franzen, Director, Human Resources;
Keith Koelzer, Rancho Bernardo High
School; Blanca Labunog, Valley Elementary School, Eric Lehew, Director, Learning Support Services;
and Kenneth Matson, Mt. Carmel High School.
All of the finalists were outstanding candidates, representative of the high caliber of professionalism
and commitment that is characteristic of Poway Unified School District teachers. The finalists included:
