- Welcome to the first board meeting of 2017! Thank you, Principal Ulloa, for hosting us at Eastlake Middle School. We appreciate the coordination between your staff and Ms. Vicedo to ensure all technology is up and running. If you recall, we are taking five board meetings this year out to our trustee area schools. ELM is in Area 3 which is Trustee Tarantino’s area of representation.
- Our first day back in 2017, we hosted a first-ever event planned by teachers for teachers – SweetPD 17. It was a huge success according to the feedback we received from staff. Approximately 2000 teachers, counselors, classified staff, and administrators attended one of 65 sessions taught by our own teachers, a few professors from SDSU, and a few social service providers. The strands included technology, interdisciplinary, college and career readiness, equity and culture, instructional strategies. One session was offered by a group of high school students from CPH. We appreciate all the teachers and partners who prepared and presented to colleagues. Overall, it was a great day in Sweetwater!
- The first week back I received two emails from teachers in our district that I wanted to share with everyone.
- The first teacher wrote that she wanted me to know that “hope (our strategy of breaking down barriers for student learning) is alive and well in our district.” She went on to share that on the same day of SweetPD 17 she received an email from a former biology student who is now attending UCSD as an Earth Science major. The former student wanted her to know how much she impacted his life; how much she listened to him, was honest, and told him what he needed to hear – good or bad – even though he struggled in her class and admitted he acted out. It’s so great when teachers hear from former students about the good work they do and that the time a teacher takes to listen and understand made such a difference.
- The second teacher wanted to share what happened because of wearing his “Putting Students First” t-shirt. He said he wanted to share because wearing the shirt “had some side effects that were pretty cool/funny.” He talked about going into the Post Office after work on the day he wore his shirt where a parent and grandparent asked him to talk about what the t-shirt was all about. After they heard, they said it was nice talking to him, especially since he taught at their student’s school. Then, this same teacher went to Sprouts on 3rd and J St. While he was shopping, he saw another teacher wearing their shirt – hers was red and his was blue. They chatted about which “site they taught, how the year was going, how second semester started, and wished each other good luck.” He said he “had a smile when leaving Sprouts.” He finished his email with “it’s a nice side effect I think that the community and others are taking notice of each other and of education.”
- January 23 -27 is the Great Kindness Challenge (GKC) Week! This week is devoted to performing as many acts of kindness as possible on campus. GKC is presented by Kids for Peace, a global nonprofit that provides a platform for young people to actively engage in socially conscious leadership, community service, arts, environmental stewardship and global friendship. At the heart of GKC is the simple belief that kindness is strength. They also believe that any action that’s repeated over and over becomes a habit. “As kindness becomes a habit, the culture is shifted and peace becomes possible. This is a grassroots movement to make our schools, communities and world a kinder and more compassionate place for all.” Although this is a student kindness challenge, I encourage all adults in the Sweetwater community to set the example and model deliberate acts of kindness, too. Here are some of the examples on the GKC app: smile at 25 people, slip a nice note in your friend’s backpack, compliment 5 people, recycle your trash, show appreciation to someone, stand up for someone in need, hold the door open for someone, create your own kind deed!
- The GKC movement takes me to the amazing, worldwide women’s march. Over the weekend, millions of women, children, and men marched in this grassroots effort for human and civil rights. In addition to the March in Washington, D.C., there were 673 Sister Marches in US cities and cities all over the world. In our own San Diego county, it was reported 30 – 40k people showed up to demonstrate their support and march in solidarity inspired by the Women’s March on Washington. The vision of the Women’s March is: “We stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families – recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country.” The message is about “practicing empathy with the intent to learn about the intersecting identities of each other.” This message of working together with a common purpose is a powerful way to move forward with hope! Their message is not unlike our own district’s message of the board of trustees’ most recent resolution of advocating for students and staff and our LCAP Goal 2 of creating a safe and healthy learning environment for each student by building a culture of equity and a positive climate that promotes excellence. Later in the agenda we will listen to LCAP Goal 2 update by Dr. Fulcher.
- Finally, hopefully many of you have heard we are hosting an Inaugural State of the District event on February 11, 2017. The event will be held at Montgomery High’s new gym from 10:00am – Noon. Our goal is to have 500 – 600 staff, students, families, and community members attend and participate. Our purpose is to share how Sweetwater is student-centered and student-focused. You won’t want to miss this opportunity! Please check our district’s website to register. We are Sweetwater Strong!