Dear Parents and Community Members,

June is a month of celebrations, reflections, promotions, and graduations. More than 2300 students graduated from high schools across our district.  Thousands more enthusiastic students were promoted to the next grade or moved ahead to middle school, and our tiniest scholars graduated from preschool, excited to become kindergarteners after summer break.

As the father of two boys, I know the great sense of pride parents have for their children.  During promotion and graduation ceremonies, I had the opportunity to chat with parents and ask them about their son or daughter.  These individuals delighted in sharing their accomplishments and hopes and dreams for the future.  Like all parents, they want the very best for their children.  They want them to find a passion and excel in their work and personal life, to find happiness, and have a strong sense of purpose.

As a parent and educator, I understand that parents are our children’s first and primary teachers.  As parents, our love, care, and support sets the stage for their success.  Children look to us as role models and not only mind our words, but also watch our actions.  The messages we send about the importance of learning and school work are critical.

Poway Unified School District is working very hard to build on the fine traditions that have made it a great school district.  At the bedrock of our success is a wonderful staff and programs that have evolved with much thought and care to better meet the needs of our students.  I believe we are very fortunate to have so many talented and dedicated individuals who love working with youth.  We value the partnership between home and school, which is critical to ensuring each and every child has the opportunity to reach his or her potential.

I received numerous emails and letters throughout the year from many of you, describing how a teacher or staff member touched the life of your child.  I know you join me in thanking our teachers and staff members who go the extra distance to make a real difference for your children.

Congratulations to all of our students as they move to the next grade, level, or graduate from high school. We look forward to the upcoming school year and working with you to help ensure the very best education for your children.

I wish all of you a wonderful summer with your families.

Warm regards,

Don Phillips
Superintendent

STUDENT RECOGNITION

These are examples of the fine accomplishments occurring at our schools every day.

Student Awards for Academic Achievement

Abraxas, Mt. Carmel, Poway, Rancho Bernardo, and Westview High schools conduct awards programs honoring students who have received academic recognition and scholarships. Our students have competed successfully for local and national awards.  The total amount of scholarship money awarded to District students is in excess of $8,589,089. This is an increase over last year’s amount of $6,759,000. Included in this year’s total is $2,200,000 in military appointments, a total of 10 appointments, three more than last year.

·         Anurag Kashyap, eighth grader at Meadowbrook Middle School, earned the first place finish and the coveted title of 2005 National Spelling Bee Champion in the annual Scripps Howard competition in Washington,  D.C. Anurag was recognized by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California Legislators on June 27, 2005. He has been invited to the White House by President Bush.  Anurag also attended Valley Elementary School. Meadowbrook Middle School teacher, Jim Dyer, is Anurag’s Spelling Bee Coach.  

·         Taylor Yi, a sophomore at Westview High School, has been selected as a semi-finalist in the 2005 U.S. Physics Team. As one of the twenty top scoring students from the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) national exam, Taylor was selected to participate at the 2005 USNCO Study Camp at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado in June.  Work at the study camp covers inorganic, organic, physical, analytical, and biochemistry at a second- or third-year college level.  

·         Turtleback Elementary GATE students participated in the regional Destination Imagination competition on March 12 at Aliso Viejo High School.  Fifth grade students Jessica Brown, Brian Castillo, Ayaka Hachisuka, Carolyn Lee, Audrey LeReverend, Adriana Lopez-Esteban, Ashton McClure, Quinn McMurray, Meera Patel, Randy Sutton, and Annie Yu placed first in the Old Time Radio category and second in the Building Bridges competition.  Nance Myles was the volunteer coach.  

·         The Outdoor Education Scholarship Contest, funded by the William E. Van Arsdale Trust, is a county­wide writing competition for fifth grade students.  The winners each receive a full scholarship to the San Diego County Office of Education  Outdoor School program.  Winners from Poway Unified School District  were Nicholas Nguyen from Midland Elementary and Cameron Vinoskey from Sunset Hills Elementary schools.  

·         Christine Sun, third grader at Deer Canyon Elementary School, placed first in the Fifth Annual Water Conservation Poster Contest sponsored by the City of San Diego Water Department. Shoal Creek fourth grader, Cassie Hwang, received a second place; and Sunset Hills fourth grader, Johanna Yen, received a third place.  Winning posters were on display at the San Diego County Fair’s Kids Best Art Exhibit.  The posters will also be featured in the 2006 Water Conservation Poster Calendar.  

·         Bernardo Heights Middle School seventh graders Julia Brown, Airi Katoh, Heather Lord, Ashley Reichner, Teresa Skelly, Riley Winship, and Ashlee Gilmore have been selected to take part in the San Diego Science Alliance BE WiSE Program (Better Education for Women in Science and Engineering).  The students will participate in one of three BE WiSE overnights at Conservation and Research of Endangered Species adjacent to the Wild Animal Park or at the Mission Trails Regional Park.  

·         Keita Ishibashi, violinist, Rancho Bernardo High School sophomore; Margaret Zhou, cellist, Mesa Verde Middle School eighth grader; and Lisa Zhu, pianist, Westview High School sophomore, performed in the annual Hot Shots contest and earned the opportunity to perform with the San Diego Symphony at Copley Symphony Hall and $300 each from Advocates for Classical Music.  

·         The San Diego Union Tribune newspaper announced its Winning Columnists 2005 for middle and high school students’ articles about their experience volunteering with a community service organization.  The column entitled “Serving others is important part of a seventh grader’s life” by Mesa Verde Middle School seventh grader Hilary Hall appeared in the June 3, 2005, edition of the newspaper.  Winning students received a $100 scholarship and had their column, byline, and photo in print and on the Union-Tribune’s website.  

·         Phillip Willis, Westview High School senior, placed first in the National Bar Association’s Oratorical Contest for Region IX.  Phillip will represent nine western states and Guam at the national conference in Florida in July, where he will compete for a four-year scholarship.  

·         Kezhen “Kate” Feng, senior at Mt. Carmel High School, was selected as a recipient of a 2005 North County Times Student of Merit Award, which was created to recognize North County students who stand out in their schools and communities.  She received a $1,000 award.  

·         Rachel Cheng, seventh grader at Bernardo Heights Middle School, had a short story published in “Anthology of Short Stories by Young Americans.”  

·         Christian Lue Torres, Westview High School senior, was recognized by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation at UCSD for his academics, community service, and accomplishments in journalism.  Christian was awarded the Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards Gold Medallion for Journalism in the amount of $3,000.  

·         Poway Unified students submitted winning essays to the “50 Best Moms” contest, which is presented by Time Warner Communications. The winners included:

Haley Cerruto, fifth grader at Shoal Creek Elementary School
Michelle Michalak, sixth grader at Meadowbrook Middle School
Shuchi Anandpura, fifth grader at Deer Canyon Elementary School
Mandy Gill, junior at Westview High School
Stefanie Sacknoff, senior at Westview High School
Kimberly Woo, fifth grader at Park Village Elementary School
Thuy Tran, sixth grader at Mesa Verde Middle School
JoAnn LeonGuerrero, sixth grader at Meadowbrook Middle School
Emily Mendoza, fifth grader at Garden Road Elementary School
Abby Brown, fifth grader at Tierra Bonita Elementary School

·        Alexandra Berkowitz, a home-schooled high school student from Rancho Bernardo, recently served as secretary general for the Model United Nations Conference for the Rotary International, District 5340, in Mission Valley.  

·         Soroptimist International of Rancho Bernardo sponsors an annual poster contest and this year’s winning design was submitted by Rancho Bernardo High School senior Christian Clemesha. She was awarded a $500 scholarship. Second place honoree Kate Elwell, a senior, received a $300 scholarship; and sophomore Karina Korol received a $200 scholarship.  

·         Ben Wancewicz, grade 7, and Haochi Shi, grade 8, represented Bernardo Heights Middle School at the San Diego County 24 Challenge competition on May 31. Ben was the grand champion of all seventh and eighth grade.  Haochi won a silver medal.  

·         Bernardo Heights Middle School seventh graders Nina Scheepers and Pooja Patel have been accepted to attend the People to People Leadership Forum in Washington D.C. in April 2006.  This forum was initiated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to develop leadership skills for middle school students.  

·         Hannah Salim, a senior at Westview High School, was the first place winner in the César E. Chávez Essay Contest, which included a $1000 scholarship.  Jamie Hill, a junior at Rancho Bernardo High School, received a $150 scholarship and a laptop computer.  

·         Poway High School students participated in the 38^th California Skills USA Competition.  Ken Faverty is their instructor.  Winners included:

·        Poway High School students, Jessica Elkus and Robley Walter, attended LeadAmerica’s 2005 Congressional Student Leadership Conference in Washington, DC.  The conference is a college-accredited, invitational leadership program for academically talented and promising young leaders who have a record of academic achievement and extracurricular or community involvement.  Jessica was recognized for her academic and community achievements, including her leadership in the National Charity League.  Robley’s academic achievements included groundbreaking work on a geometric theorem.  

·         Brian Murray, Mt. Carmel senior, was selected to participate in the 2005 National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, DC.  The theme was The Leaders of Tomorrow Meeting the Leaders of Today.  Brian also has been named to the National Society of High School Scholars.  

·         James Willis, Westview High School freshman, won first place in the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Talent Show earning a $500 scholarship.         

·         Anurag Kashyap, Meadowbrook Middle School eighth grader tied for 11^th place in the California Geography Bee in Sacramento on April 1, 2005. The event is sponsored by National Geographic.  

·         Ryan Murphy, Mt. Carmel junior, won a scholarship from the New York Film Academy.  He also will be attending an invitation-only acting intensive session this summer.  

·         Matthew Waters, Mt. Carmel freshman, was selected to attend the 2005 Congressional Student Leaders Conference (CSLC) in Washington, DC, this summer.  The CSLC is an invitational leadership program for our nation’s academically talented and promising young leaders.  Matthew will be staying at Gallaudet University and will be attending meetings on Intelligence, Diplomacy, and National Security.  

STAFF RECOGNITION  

·         Six Poway Unified teachers received Crystal Apples from the Peñasquitos Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on May 12, 2005.  These teachers have been chosen for their dedication to teaching and the positive impact the teacher’s example has made on the lives of students.

                        Harold Dorr, Mt. Carmel High School, Science

                        Jim Krenz, Westview High School, Mathematics

                        Steve McLaughlin, Westview High School, Physical Education

                        Martha Martinez, Mt. Carmel High School, Music

                        Gail Miller, Mt. Carmel High School, Science

                        Shannon Parker, Westview High School, Physical Education  

·         Five Poway Unified teachers received Crystal Apples from the Poway Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on May 12, 2005.  These teachers have been chosen for their dedication to teaching and the positive impact the teacher’s example has made on the lives of students.

            Teacher Recognition Awards

                        Bill Christopher, Rancho Bernardo High School, Leadership, ASB

                        Cindy Hartley, Rancho Bernardo High School, English

                        Noreen Walton, Poway High School, English

            Special Recognition Awards

                        Curtis Lewis, Poway High School, Social Science

                        Dean Weese, Abraxas High School, Special Education  

·         The Peregrine Falcon website project developed by Lynne Harvey, fifth grade teacher at Rolling Hills Elementary, and her students, will be incorporated into a presentation for the National Educational Computing Conference as an excellent example of connecting reading, science, technology, and motivating projects for young people.  The name of the presentation is “I-TOTEMS:  Seven Essentials of Technology Rich Learning” and will be posted through a link at http://eduscapes.com/activate/.  The website contains student observations and writings, background information about falcons, photographs, and detailed information about the three-year project: http://www.powayusd.com/pusdrhes/5thgrade/falcon2005/intro.htm.

·         The North County Times named their Best of the Rest:  Boys Sports Coaches for this year.  The list includes Gail Miller, Mt. Carmel High School, who won CIF Division II title in wrestling; Sam Blalock, Rancho Bernardo High School, who won CIF Division I title in baseball; and Steve McLaughlin, Westview High School, who won CIF Division II title in volleyball.  

·         Rancho Bernardo High School Student Services Specialists, Carole Morton and Sharon Foley, have been selected to receive the Channel 10 Leadership Award that aired June 1. 

·         CIF San Diego Section recognized the following coaches from PUSD at their awards dinner on May 2:

Peggy Brose, Rancho Bernardo Athletic Director, received a 2005 California CIF Model Coach Award.  Peggy was also honored at the state basketball championships in Sacramento on March 19.  

Coach of the Year - Terry Dockery, girls cross country, Rancho Bernardo High School

Coach of the Year - Wayne Branstetter, wrestling, Poway High School

Coach of the Year - Monique Lamphiere-Tamayoshi, gymnastics, Mt. Carmel High School  

·        Jack Erb, fifth grade instrumental music teacher, received the California Music Educators Association, Southern Border Section, Outstanding Elementary Music Specialist Award for 2005.  

DISTRICT RECOGNITION  

·         The Poway Unified School District received a 2005 Golden Watchdog Award from the San Diego County Taxpayers Association for saving taxpayers nearly $9 million by accelerating renovations funded by the school construction and modernization bond (Proposition U) that was approved by district voters in November 2002.  Golden Watchdogs are awarded to programs that exemplify efficient use of tax dollars. PUSD’s Bridge Financing initiative as part of the Building for Success program lessens the impact of inflation, ensures needed renovations for district schools, and completes the work sooner than anticipated.  Poway Unified Superintendent Don Phillips, Ed.D., with Citizens’ Oversight Committee Chair Kathy Frost, and PUSD Board members, Andy Patapow, president, and Penny Ranftle, vice president, accepted the award on behalf of the school district at the May 18, 2005, annual San Diego County Taxpayers Association Golden Watchdog and Golden Fleece Awards dinner in San Diego.  

·         Mt. Carmel High School received a California Distinguished School Award on May 20, 2005, in Anaheim.  In order to be eligible to apply, Mt. Carmel had to meet assessment results as measured by No Child Left Behind, Adequate Yearly Progress, and Academic Performance Index. Criteria addressed all areas of a school’s educational program, its learning environment, and the level of public confidence as demonstrated by family and community participation.  The detailed 29-page application was written by Mt. Carmel staff members:  Teresa Palzkill, assistant principal; Karen Shimer, English teacher; and Sarah Ward, German teacher.  Joining them at the recognition ceremony were Jaya Gyandendra, PTSA President; Joan Stewart, past principal; Bill Demos, interim principal; and Penny Ranftle, PUSD Board of Education vice-president.  

·         Black Mountain Middle School finished in third place at the Science Olympiad at Long Beach College on April 16.  The following students placed in their divisions:

·         Mesa Verde Middle School finished in fifth place at the Science Olympiad at Long Beach College on April 16.  The following students placed in their divisions:

·         Rancho Bernardo High School captured both the Inland Division title and the 2005 North County Academic League Freshmen Championship.  Team members are Divya Bhat, Julia Chang, Shashank Churukanti, Brian Contratto, Roscoe Huo, John Jeong, Christopher Kyle, Brenda Lin, Jeffrey Mihalik, Dana Mohammad-Zadeh, Anoop Muniyappa, Michael Shen, Kavita Umdekar, and Tyler Underwood.  Seniors Mary Huang and Becky Rodgers are student coaches.  The teacher advisor-coach is Dan Lutgen.  

·         The Black Mountain Middle School student newspaper, Raider Review, has been named the western regional winner of middle school publications for the 2005 Student Publishing Awards. The announcement was made by The Association of Educational Publishers (AEP), Time magazine, and Time for Kids. Black Mountain’s student staff is led by editor, Alice Main.  Black Mountain received $250 in cash and $250 in educational materials.  The awards presented June 7 in Washington, DC.  Donna Friel is the advisor for the Raider Review.  

·         The Naval Service Training Command presented a Distinguished Unit Award to the Westview High School NJROTC Unit for outstanding performance during the 2004-2005 school year.  This highly-regarded distinction recognizes the outstanding support provided by Westview High School and the overall achievement of the Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps unit during the 2004-2005 school year.  This award authorizes the principal to nominate three eligible NJROTC cadets for admission to the U.S. Naval Academy.  The instructors for the Westview High School NJROTC Unit are Lt. Col. John Theisen and Petty Officer First Class John Prior.  

·         Rancho Bernardo High School was recognized as one of 50 winning schools nationwide in the “got milk?”^® Healthy Schools Challenge because of the school’s nutrition break to keep kids energized.  To reward Rachael Roland, a sophomore, for nominating her school, LA Lakers star Luke Walton visited Rancho Bernardo High School on May 26 to help students raise the school’s Health Schools Challenge banner and present the school with a $1,000 grand to fund their healthy initiative.  

·         Poway High School’s First Robotics Team 1622 achieved the Highest Rookie Seed Award from the Southern California Regional Robotics Competition.  Team members were junior Scott Briscoe, sophomore Matt Howard, junior Joseph Clough, freshman Nick Stark, freshman Kyle Zampell, and Rancho Bernardo High School junior Michele Blinco.  Their instructor was Rodger Dohm.  The team was sponsored by Northrop Grumman, and Sony and the Todd and Mari Gutschow Foundation provided additional funding.  

·         The Western Association of Schools and Colleges has granted Mt. Carmel High School a six-year term of accreditation with a midterm review.  This action was taken after a careful study of the Visiting Committee Report, which noted many laudable aspects of the school.