www.sweetwaterschools.org AUGUST 2013 | ISSUE 2 SWEETWATER CURRENTS 1

SWEETWATER C U R R E N T SA SWEETWATER UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT PUBLICATION AUGUST 2013 | ISSUE 2

2013 EDUCATION SUMMITSEPTEMBER 12, 2013 AT CASTLE PARK HIGH SCHOOL

5:00PM - 8:00PM

CURRENTS ON THE GO! SIGN-UP NOW & STAY UP TO DATE WITH SWEETWATER

IN THIS ISSUE!KEEP CALM AND CO-TEACH

HELP SEND EASTLAKE LITTLE LEAGUE ALL-STARS TO THE WORLD SERIES

ROSETTA STONE RETURNS

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S W E E T W A T E R C U R R E N T S A U G U S T 2 0 1 3 | I S S U E 2

CONTENTS4 2013 EDUCATION SUMMIT

5 THE MONTH OF AUGUST

6 KEEP CALM AND CO-TEACH

11 EASTLAKE LITTLE LEAGUE ALL STARS

10 COMMUNITY VOICES

13 THE BUZZ FEED

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NEWS & VIEWS

Board of TrusteesJim Cartmill • Bertha J. López • John McCann • Pearl Quiñones • Arlie N. Ricasa

Dr. Edward M. Brand Superintendent

Produced by:Grants & Communications

TWITTERFACEBOOKCONNECT

W I T H U S

Join our email list to receive every issue of Sweetwater Currents.

Want the 2013-14 Student Calendar at your fingertips? Download it here.

Department webpages have a new look! It’s now easier than ever to

connect with the information you need.

Keep up with the latest Board updates and current minutes

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The 2013 Education Summit is set for

Thursday, September 12, 2013

at Castle Park High

from 5:00 to 8:00 PM.

As we have done in years past, the event will feature updates and presentations on

the latest happenings in the district. This year, the focus of the Summit will be on

school safety and security. We will be working on the format of the event over the

next few weeks and will be asking many of you to participate with us.

In addition, we received positive feedback about last year’s pre-summit student expo

where we featured the work of students from across the district. We’d like to invite all

schools to participate and highlight the good work you are doing.

Look out for an email with details of this.

2013 EDUCATION SUMMIT

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19School Board Meeting

AUGUST2 0 1 3

Superintendent’s Hotline

A reminder that Dr. Brand is accepting calls at the Superintendent’s Hotline on Tuesday,

September 3. If you have a suggestion or concern, call 691-5570 between 2:30 and 4:30

p.m. to talk directly with the superintendent. The hotline is open the first Tuesday of every

month.

September

3

NEW INTRA-DISTRICT TRANSFERS TEMPORARILY ON HOLD

On behalf of the Sweetwater Union High School District, we would like to once again welcome you back

to the 2013-2014 school year!

Now that we have been underway for nearly three weeks, school sites have worked hard to balance their

classes to meet their staffing needs.

In order ensure that our schools continue to hold spaces for resident students and to maintain an overall

stable school environment, the Sweetwater District has temporarily placed a hold on the approval of any new

Intra-District transfers.

We thank you for your continued support of the Sweetwater District. Please continue to check back

with us on the district website for further information and updates.

STAY INFORMED!CATCH UP ON ALL THE NEWS -

VISIT THE DISTRICT WEBSITE

NEWS PAGE

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KEEP CALM AND CO-TEACHSWEETWATER SPECIAL EDUCATION ACADEMIC SUPPORT TEAM TEACHERS

On August 8th 2013, the Special Education Academic Support Team (SEAST) provided a training for Co-teachers in our district, entitled, “Keep Calm and Co-Teach”. The full day training consisted of hands-on activities, modeling, and videos of other co-teachers in our district using best practices.

What is co-teaching? It consists of a special educator and general educator who combine their expertise to

create an environment where students have optimum access to both the general educator’s subject matter expertise, and the special educator’s knowledge of strategies. Combining teacher expertise like this is a way to ensure access for all students. 

It’s all About Teamwork! SEAST teamed with members from the District Wide Academic Support Team

(DWAST-general education teachers) and paired up to present each part of the day’s information as co-teachers. In other words, they modeled exactly what was expected in a co-teach classroom.

Ronald A. Lopez, Director of Special Services for Sweetwater Schools, is proud of the work this team is doing. “The co-teach training is designed to ensure that the general education and special education teachers are equal partners with defined roles in the classroom,” said Lopez. “Each bring a unique set of skills to the table but it is only through genuine teamwork and collaboration that the best of both worlds is packaged up and presented to students.”

There were 36 participants from middle and high schools representing all different subject areas. Classroom teachers who participated in the training found it entertaining and informative. One participant said they appreciated that they had “permission to be uncomfortable.”

Top row (from L-R): Bobbie Sue Collins, Shiela Fernandez, Ronald Lopez,heather Bolles, Michelle Sturm-Gonzalez, Judy HendersonBottom row (from L-R): Daniel Cohen, Christine Fax-Huckaby, Mabelle Glithero, Carla Jacobs

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FREEWAY I-805 TO CLOSE AUGUST 18-19

Traffic alert: On Sunday, August 18, Caltrans will close a seven-mile stretch in both directions of I-805 from SR 54 in Chula Vista to SR 905 in Otay Mesa. The stoppage is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday until 5

a.m. August 19.

During that time, crews will demolish the East Palomar Street bridge, which will eventually be replaced by another bridge allowing direct carpool access ramps, a transit station and park and ride.

Drivers will be asked to take either the I-5 or the SR 125 toll road, also known as the South Bay Expressway, which will be toll-free during that time. Plan ahead as traffic is expected to be congested.

For more information about the upcoming closures go to: www.keepsandiegomoving.com/steerclear

ROSETTA STONE RETURNS FOR SUHSD EMPLOYEESParlez-vous Frances? Parli Italiano? Rosetta Stone and SUHSD

are partnering once again to offer Rosetta Stone online subscriptions to all SUHSD employees at a discounted rate of $79! SUHSD employees will gain online access to all levels of

any language offered by Rosetta Stone for one year.

If you are interested, please contact Crystal Robinson in the Adult Ed Department for more info: (619) 796-7200. The

deadline for payment is Monday, September 30th.

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STAY INVOLVED AND SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE SWEETWATER COMMUNITY

SWEETWATERCHULA VISTA

NATIONAL CITYIMPERIAL BEACH

EVENT CALENDARS {

FOLLOW OURBOARD MEETINGSLIVE AND DIRECTtwitter.com/SUHSD

SWEETWATER DISTRICT NIGHT AT PETCO PARK

Celebrate the end of Summer, and the start of a new school year!

$18 tickets in Right Field Upper Reserved, Includes two (2) drink

vouchers! (Good in Upper Right Field Patio only) We’ll see you at

the Upper Right Field Patio, by the Flag Court!

Click here for more information | Padres Ticket Order Form

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KUDOS!Eastlake Little League All-Stars Heading to Little League World Series!Eastlake will participate in the Little League World Series this Friday against the Grosse Pointe Woods-Shore Little League All-Stars from Grosse Pointe, Mich., in South Williamsport, Pa.Their story has been featured all over local and national media including 10news.com, NBC7SanDiego.com, and UTSanDiego.com.

KUDOS!Sweetwater District Nurses

Sweetwater District nurses Brenda Bird, Jean Quillin,

Roxanne Michaud and Anita Holt volunteered at the

Southwest Sports Wellness Foundation event at

Olympian High School on July 27th.  This event ran

concurrent with the SAVE A Life Foundation that

screened students for heart disease.   Though not all

the school nurses were able to attend, they are

always hard at work to support our students,

community and SUHSD district. 

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NOTICE ANYTHING DIFFERENT?We’re giving Sweetwater Currents a facelift!News travels fast these days and it’s our mission to bring you the most current news and announcements from Sweetwater schools and our surrounding communities.

From now on you can count on not one, but TWO issues per month.

Superintendent Dr. Edward Brand is among those excited for the facelift, saying “keeping families and communities connected to the classroom is key to our success at every Sweetwater District school.”

Sweetwater Currents has always been available to the public via sweetwaterschools.org, but now anyone and everyone are welcome to sign-up to receive issues in your inbox. Plus, if you follow us on Facebook and Twitter, you’ll be “in the know” on a daily basis.

Let us know what you think about the changes using the hashtag #sweetwatercurrents in your Facebook and Twitter posts.

VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY

AUGUST FACEBOOK POLL

Stay connected to what’s trending at Sweetwater! Each month, we will be posting a

poll on the Sweetwater District Facebook page.

Take the poll here and share your comments and stories.

Fall sports are on their way! How

important do YOU think athletics are

in a student’s overall academic

success?

This month’s question:

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HELP SEND THE EASTLAKE LITTLE LEAGUE ALL STARS

TO THE WORLD SERIES!The Eastlake Little League All-Star team has “made a way” to the Little League World Series held in

Williamsport, PA. In order to get our players families there, they need your help.

The Eastlake Little League All-Star team 12 boys and their families have dedicated their entire summer to baseball, crisscrossing Southern California and hitting it out of the park at every ball field

along their incredible 18-1 winning record to date. The honor to play in the World Series comes with great expense to the families of these All-Stars and they are hoping that through the

generosity of the community and businesses like yours, they will be able to raise money to offset the cost to send them to Williamsport, PA to support their boys for this once-in-a-lifetime event.

The Eastlake Little League team is 100 percent self-funded. They are recognized as a 501-C (3) tax-exempt organization, and all donations are tax-deductible. Contributions of any amount are

welcome. Donations larger than $2,000 will be recognized on their website along with a banner at the Eastlake Little League field.

Eastlake Little League’s All-Stars would like to thank all supporters in advance for joining them on this historic journey. Click here for donation information.

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PEERSSweetwater Schools Special Service’s Autism Team is

excited to be offering the PEERS program to students with autism and their parents. Last years participants were

wholeheartedly pleased with their experience in taking the PEERS course. While PEERS has been taught through out

the world in private practice, Sweetwater is one of the few districts to offer this program to it’s students and parents.

WHAT IS PEERS?Developed at UCLA for teens with Autism, PEERS is a social skills training intervention that includes

teens and parents. PEERS teaches teens how to interact socially and develop and maintain friendships.

Teens and parents attend a one night a week for 14 weeks training where they learn ecologically valid

social skills. Research has shown the importance of having friends as it helps with increasing

independence, coping with stressful life events, increased self-esteem and reducing anxiety and

depression.

Topics covered in the PEERS training include but are not limited to ; Choosing Appropriate Friends,

Entering Conversations, Exiting Conversations, Trading Information, Two-way Conversations, Good

Sportsmanship and Appropriate Use of Humor.

If you know a student who would benefit from the PEERS program,

contact Lorna McMurray at Lorna.McMurray@sweetwaterschools.org

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LIVESDEPEND

ON IT

SCHEDULE A BLOOD DONATION TODAY

CHULA VISTA ADULT SCHOOLParking Lot 1034 4th Avenue

Chula Vista, CA, 91911

Wednesday Aug 28, 2013

8:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Sponsor Code: CVASClick here to make an appointment

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