www.sweetwaterschools.org MAY 2013 SWEETWATER CURRENTS 1

SWEETWATER C U R R E N T S

A SWEETWATER UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT PUBLICATION MAY 2013

Sweetwater Parent Committees

CELEBRATE BILITERACYWith State Schools Chief

PLUS! GRADUATION WORKS DIALOGUE P.9

Chalk Drawing FestivalChula Vista High Student Artists Participate in Street Painting

Students Win Big at Magkaisa/Karangalan Scholarship Conference

Southwest Middle Teachers

Form “Dream Team” for an Inspirational Student

Sweetwater Libraries Where Print Books and e-Books Live in Harmony

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S W E E T W A T E R C U R R E N T S M AY 2 0 1 3

CONTENTS FEATURES KUDOS

07 MONTH OF MAYAsian/Pacific American Heritage Month

Produced by:Grants & Communications

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

Dr. Edward M. Brand Superintendent

03 STUDENTS WIN BIGMagkaisa/Karangalan Scholarship Conference

13 CABE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERSCongratulations to 2013 Winners

16 SWEETWATER LIBRARIESWhere Print Books and e-Books Live in Harmony

19 SOUTHWEST MIDDLE TEACHERSForm Dream Team for Inspirational Student

TWITTERFACEBOOK

23 SUPERINTENDENT’S COLUMNThe Finish Line is Just Ahead

09 MONTGOMERY HIGH ALUMNIHonored at UCSD’s Festival De Las Estrellas

10 NEW CCSS RESOURCESFrom The California Department of Education

09 MARGARET SEDORTo Serve on the NASP Executive Council

21 SCIENCE & ENGINEER WINNERSSUHSD Students Awarded at Fair

08 MICHELLE SPIELMAN& CVH/SCPA Student Artists

19 RON LOPEZAdministrator of the Year Honors

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Rancho del Rey Middle Students Use iPads to Go Global

Students Win Big at Magkaisa Karangalan Scholarship Conference

Sweetwater students participated in the annual Karangalan Magkaisa Student Conference last month at Olympian High School. Karangalan is a Tagalog word that means, “pride, dignity, and honor. The Karangalan Scholarship is awarded to outstanding Filipino American senior

students in the Sweetwater Union High School District who have demonstrated excellence in academics and community involvement.

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Rancho del Rey Middle Students Use iPads to Go Global

$500 Winners:Reece Akana – OLH • Jacob Aquino – MOH • Joanne Daquiog – SUH

Katherine Dumangas – MVH • Alexzander Hurst – ELH • Ashley Mae-Masa – OLH Anna Marie Quenano – MOH • Reymark Vargas – SUH

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Rancho del Rey Middle Students Use iPads to Go Global

$250 Winners:Maren Claire – SOH • Cynthia Kaui – CVH • Riley Mangubat – BVH

Judie Carpio Nazareth – MOH • Danica Mae Pascua – SUHShehara Mae Osea Seapno – SUH

See www.magkaisahsc.blogspot.com for more information.

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Parent representatives from our Sweetwater DELAC and DAC-Title 1 groups recently rubbed elbows with top state education officials. They were invited to receive an award on behalf of

the Sweetwater District for supporting the state Seal of Biliteracy in Sweetwater schools.

Students that graduate with the specific Bilingual academic proficiency requirements receive both the district and state seal of biliteracy. Sweetwater had 35 parents attend this

conference in Long Beach this past February.

The Parent group is pictured here with the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson.

Sweetwater Parent Committees Celebrate Biliteracy with State Schools Chief

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MAY 2013Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

12 Mother’s Day

• See the latest Sweetwater Spotlight

• Read the latest Budget Updates here

• Keep up with the latest Board Updates and recent minutesNNEWS & VIEWS

TWITTERFACEBOOK

School Principal’s Day1

Teacher Appreciation Day7

CBOC Meeting8

School Board Meeting13

Classified School Employee Week19-25

Memorial Day27

School Nurse Day9

First Annual STEAM Summit 6

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Michelle Spielman, CVHS/SCPA Visual Art Teacher encouraged a group of 9 Chula Vista High School Student-Artists to participate in Southwestern College’s Women’s History Month Street painting Festival. See their work here.

KUDOS!Michelle Spielman & CVH Student Artists

AS SEEN IN THE SWEETWATER SPOTLIGHTCommunity Bridge Dedication at BVMBonita Vista Middle School recently hosted an inauguration event to commemorate a new pedestrian foot bridge that connects the community with athletic fields. “This bridge is an important symbol of our partnership with the community,” said Board of Trustees member Jim Cartmill. “This renovation and inauguration was long overdue.”

Read the full story in the Sweetwater Spotlight here.

See the great things that happening across Sweetwater School Campuses. Sign up to receive the Sweetwater Spotlight in your inbox at

www.sweetwaterschools.org/spotlight

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Graduation Works DialogueSAVE THE DATE! Wednesday, May 29, 2013 7:45am to 11:30am

SUHSD Professional Development Center680 L Street, Suite C, Chula Vista, CA 91911

Mayor Cheryl Cox invites you to join members of our community to discuss literacy in Chula Vista at the

fourth Graduation Works Dialogue.

Among other activities, the event will include:• Networking breakfast• Screening of the 15-minute documentary Voices and

Faces: Literacy in San Diego, featuring the stories of adults who were illiterate for most of their lives and how their lives changed in their quest to read

• Interactive panel discussion by individuals featured in the film

• Spotlight on local efforts to teach both children and adults to read, and how the community can support and engage in this important work

Look for an invitation and registration information in your email soon!

KUDOS!Montgomery High School Alumni Montgomery High School alumni were honored at UCSD’s Fiesta De Las Estrellas! Honorees were Marcela Alvarez - Class of 2012 - Salutatorian and Loreno Real - Class of 2011 -Valedictorian.

KUDOS!Margaret Sedor

Congratulations to Margaret Sedor, who has been elected as a National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Delegate Representative and

will now serve on the NASP Executive Council. Margaret will provide leadership to all of the delegates from the Western region in all decision-

making and policy development of the NASP governance.

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NEW CCSS RESOURCES

Common COREner

Opportunity to Participate: What Do YOU Think about the

Draft Mathematics Framework?The California Department of Education (CDE) is pleased to announce that the draft Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (Framework), and the online survey have been posted for public review and comment on the Mathematics Curriculum Framework Web page.

The draft Framework incorporates and supports the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM). The draft Framework and online survey will be available online through June 17, 2013. The online survey allows you to respond to as many or as few of the questions as you choose and to provide comments on the draft chapters.

You also may e-mail more extensive comments on the draft Framework to MATHFRAMEWORK@cde.ca.gov. You may view the attached flyer for more information. The field review and survey results will be collected and presented to the Instructional Quality Commission.

Mathematics Professional Learning Module Webinar

On Thursday, April 25, 3:30 p.m., the California Mathematics Project will present a detailed outline of how potential leaders and professional development providers can facilitate a session or series of sessions using the K–12 Standards for Mathematical Practice Professional Learning Module.

The webinar will include an overview of the module, overview of the instructional guide for facilitators, and materials available for use. Please see the attached flyer for information about participating in this webinar.

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Final Next Generation Science Standards Now Available

On Tuesday, April 9, the final Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) – a new set of voluntary, rigorous, and internationally benchmarked standards for K–12 science education – were released.

The standards identify science and engineering practices and content that all K–12 students should master in order to be fully prepared for college, careers and citizenship. The NGSS and supporting Appendices can be found on the Achieve, Inc. NGSS Website.

New California science standards, based on the NGSS, will be presented to the State Board of Education (SBE) in July 2013, with adoption in November 2013 pending SBE approval.

For more detailed information about the development process and timeline for adoption of new science standards in California, please visit the CDE NGSS Webpage. To join the CDE NGSS electronic mailing list, please send a blank e-mail to join-ngss@mlist.cde.ca.gov.

New CCSS for Mathematics Publishers’ Criteria for High School

and Revised Criteria for K-8The lead writers of the CCSSM have released High School Publishers’ Criteria for the CCSSM. This document – developed by the CCSSM writing team with review and collaboration from partner organizations, individual experts, and districts using the K–8 criteria – aims to support faithful CCSSM implementation by providing criteria for materials aligned to the CCSSM.

The K–8 criteria have also been revised based on helpful feedback contributed by partner organizations and individual experts over the past six months, including practical feedback from districts working with the criteria. You will find both sets of criteria posted on the CDE CCSS Mathematics Resources Webpage.

To view past CCSS Updates, please visit the CCSS Resources Listserv Archive.

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SUHSDSTEAM SUMMIT

Sweetwater Union High School District is pleased to present the first annual STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math)

Summit on May 6, 2013. The purpose of the STEAM Summit is to recognize, highlight, and promote STEAM learning and innovation in

SUHSD.

The Summit will also showcase the use of iPads by teachers and students in middle schools as well as the use of iPads in

school robotics programs, the Mayor's Cup Cyber Challenge and Visual and Performing Arts projects integrating art, music, and

technology.

This event is FREE for the entire community including families and students who will enroll in SUHSD for the first time in July.

WHEN & WHEREOtay Ranch High School1250 Olympic Parkway Chula Vista, CA 91913

Monday, May 6, 2013 from 3:30 PM to 7:00 PM

(PDT)

REGISTER HEREhttp://suhsdsteamsummit.eventbrite.com

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Congratulations to our SUHSD CABE Scholarship Winners

When’s the last time you got Great news over the phone? Winners of the 2013 CABE Scholarship Awards have all received a very exciting personal phone call informing them of

their prestigious award.  Awards will be presented later in May at the CABE Scholarship breakfast.

All scholarship winners will be asked to give a 1 minute inspirational message to all the incoming 7th graders when they receive their award.

Each Scholarship winner also named their most inspirational educator; those educators will accompany the student who nominated them on stage to receive their award. 

Congratulations to Sweetwater staff winners for your dedication to our students! It is truly an honor!

Click here to see a full list of Students Scholarship recipients and inspirational educators.

SUHSD Students VolunteerThe American Lung Association (ALA) sponsored a 5K Run or DYE event on Saturday, April 6.

Led by Gale Marshburn, TUPE brought 2 busses of over 100 student volunteers from all 25 SUHSD schools.

The SUHSD volunteers’ hard work earned the ALA $8,000 to go towards lung cancer research. Our students worked well with volunteers from all our sites and the community. They relied on leadership skills to use their own initiative and help out before, during and

after the 5K that brought in 13,000 participants to the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot.

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On Friday, May 3rd, the San Diego Padres and the San Diego County Office of Education will be honoring the local teaching profession with the 12th annual

Teacher Appreciation Night at Petco Park.

All of San Diego County's newly named District Teachers of the Year, as well as the reigning 2012 San Diego County Teachers of the Year will be recognized on the

field prior to the ballgame.

In addition, the Padres are offering a special discount and Drawstring Backpack giveaway to all faculty and staff from San Diego County schools who purchase

tickets with a Group Sales Executive or through this page by entering the promotional code: TEACHER.

You can purchase tickets through www.padres.com/teacher and enter PROMO CODE: TEACHER.

For groups of 20 or more, contact Padres Group Sales at (619) 795-5010 or groupsales@padres.com. 

For more information click here. We look forward to celebrating the evening with you!

12th Annual Teacher Appreciation Night at Petco Park

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Staff Soccer LeagueIf you’ve been near the Borderview YMCA Soccer field on a Friday afternoon this past month, you saw a real Sweetwater sight! An impromptu, just-for-fun soccer

league has propped up, and the real news is who the players are.

Principals and staff from across Sweetwater are hanging up their business suits and professional-wear and donning soccer shorts to engage in a little healthy

competition. Participating staff hail from SOH, SUHI, MVH, OLH, MAAC and others.

Apparently there is much debate over who are the reigning champs. According to SOH Prinicpal Lee Romero, there is no doubt that the SOH staff team reign. Of course,

MVH principal Wes Braddock and other players don’t quite agree. According to sources, Romero is even considering purchasing and presenting a trophy to himself.

AS SEEN IN THE SWEETWATER SPOTLIGHT“U.S. News & World Report” Names Sweetwater Schools among Best of 2013Annual Study Ranks America’s Best High SchoolsIn its annual ranking of schools, U.S. News & World Report magazine has named the best schools in the nation. For the second year in a row, all 12 of the Sweetwater District’s comprehensive high schools were named Silver Medal winners, placing them among the top 10 percent of over 18,000 eligible schools in the U.S.

Read the full story in the Sweetwater Spotlight here

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Sweetwater Libraries: Where Print Books and e-Books Live Together in Harmony

Check out more artwork from our talented students here.

As e-books have become more available, Sweetwater librarians have been adding

electronic books to their collections.  All district libraries recently acquired a reference e-book collection from Gale Publishing Group that includes over 100 volumes of reference

books that support the curriculum in different subject areas. 

e-Books and print books are not at odds; they coexist peacefully together in our libraries.  A

recent study found that only one in ten people with e-readers abandon print books entirely; those who have e-readers tend to read more books (both print and electronic) than those

without.

Research shows that print books and e-books are enjoyed for different reasons.  e-Books are

preferred for being able to get a book quickly, and print books are preferred for sharing books with other people. So whether you read an electronic or print book, visit your school

library (or virtual school library) to find your next favorite book soon!

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Community Opportunities San Diego Fallen Agents Memorial Run 2013

The 2013 San Diego Fallen Agents Memorial 5K run and Kids 1 Mile Fun Run (formerly known as the Roberto Duran Run) is an easy course that winds along the international border

access with views of normally restricted areas along the U.S. and Mexico border. This fun, family-oriented event is hosted by the Roberto J. Duran Scholarship Foundation and will

feature the following:

• Micro-chipped timing.

• Race results will be live, online and will include photos & video of runners at the finish line.

• The ability to receive updates on athletes as they cross points on the course and have those updates sent to Facebook, Twitter and mobile phone.

• Awards will be given to the top 3 runners in all age divisions.

• A law enforcement expo of horses, ATVs, canines and much more!

When: Saturday, June 8, 2013, 5K begins at 8:00 am, 1 mile Kids Fun Run begins at 9:00 am. 

Where: Las Americas Premium Outlet Center,4445 Camino De La Plaza #350, San Ysidro, CA 92173

www.sdagentmemorialrun.com

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Community Opportunities Young Latino Journalism Scholars Program

Accepting ApplicationsU-T San Diego is now accepting applications for its Young Latino Journalism Scholars

Program, which will provide selected high school students with a paid summer mentoring program.Please share this opportunity with your teachers and staff so that they may pass it

along to the students. Applicants should be 16 years old by April 24, 2013.

Applications and additional information are available at: www.utsandiego.com/younglatinojournalism.

If you have questions, please contact blanca.gonzalez@utsandiego.com or at 619 293-1241

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Southwest Middle School Teachers Form “Dream Team” for an Inspirational Student

How far would you go to turn someone else’s dream into a reality? Southwest Middle School English teacher Dianna Talbott is leading that charge along with over a dozen SOM staff, otherwise known as the Dream Team.

Recently, Talbott received a letter from former student and current SOH senior Ruben Vega. Vega will attend either Princeton or Yale and was recently named an NBC 7 Inspirational Student of the Month. His letter inspired Talbott to appeal to her SOM colleagues and the Dream Team was born.  They have already raised over $300 and will be presenting him with the donation in May.

Upon reflecting on the accomplishments of her former student Talbott says, “Ruben’s achievements are a reflection of not only his serious effort but also of the effort of all the teachers he has had throughout his ten years here in the United States.”

The money will provide living expenses in support of Ruben’s hard-won dream of attending an Ivy-league University. Want to be part of the Dream Team? To contribute to Ruben’s dream, email esther.parrena@sweewaterschools.org or call (619) 628-4000. Deadline for donations is May 15th.

KUDOS!Ron Lopez

Congratulations to Ron Lopez, Director of Special Services. Ron was named among the Administrators of the Year by the Association of California School

Administrators, Region 18.

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VAPA EVENTS CALENDARVisual & Performing Arts Department

MAY

SCPA Drama Spring Showcase

SCPA Chula Vista Foundation Honors3

District Orchestra Concert7

Mariachi Spring Concert17

SCPA Spartan and Gospel Choir Concert

SCPA Senior Recital23

SCPA Dance Concert

Digital Media Showcase2

1-2

SCPA House of Guitars in Concert8

SCPA Spartan Bands Concert10

15-16

22

SCPA VMA Concert(Vocal Music Association)24

SCPA Spartan Orchestras Concert30

Visit the VAPA Calendar page for more details.

AS SEEN IN THE SWEETWATER SPOTLIGHTThree Sweetwater Schools Named California Distinguished SchoolsEvery two years, the state of California honors the top middle and high schools by naming them as Distinguished Schools. This year, the Sweetwater Union High School District had three schools named among the 218 schools honored across the State and the 19 in San Diego County. They are: Bonita Vista Middle School, EastLake Middle School and Eastlake High School. Read the full story here.

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Apple & DELL Employee Purchase Program Now Available

DELL ComputersPurchase information is available on the Fiscal Services webpage.

Apple ComputersPurchase information is available

on the Educational Technology webpage.

Sweetwater Student Award winners from the

2013 Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair

Check out the list!

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Hilltop Middle School’s teacher librarian, Erin Southam, on behalf of teacher Maria Murphy and the students from Monmouth Beach School in Monmouth, New Jersey would like to thank the following donors for providing the funding to ship 12 boxes of books collected at the recent joint book drive between Otay Ranch High School and Hilltop Middle School from Chula Vista, CA to Monmouth NJ:

Pablo Garcia-Ibarra (Hilltop Middle School), Gloria Benitez (San Diego Customs Brokers Association), and a special thanks to San Diego Customs Brokers Association and Clara Ruvalcaba.

$180 was raised to ship these books across the country. More than 650 books will be headed to Monmouth Beach School to help reopen their school library. Monmouth Beach School was destroyed during Hurricane Sandy and is scheduled to reopen in June.

Special Thanks from Hilltop Middle Book Drive

Damian Zabe, 9, from right, works on his math during class March 14 at Frank Antonides School in West Long Branch, N.J. His fourth-grade class at Monmouth Beach School is attending the school after their school was heavily damaged in wake of Hurricane Sandy.(Photo: Mary Frank, Asbury Park, N.J., Press)

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Superintendent | Dr. Edward M. Brand

S U P E R I N T E N D E N T ’ S C O L U M N

The Finish Line is Just Ahead

It’s hard to believe that the end of the school year is only a few weeks away. First of all, I want to thank you for all of your hard work during the CST testing period. I have no doubt that we will once again show that our schools are continuing their movement up the scale.

This time of the year is great, as I talked about it in an earlier column this year, it’s “Banquet Season” – that time of year when we celebrate the accomplishments of our students, our schools and our staff.

Each year, Sweetwater doesn’t fail to disappoint. Out of only 1,000 students in the entire U.S., our district has at least five Gates Millennium Scholars. These students are the best of the best. In the coming weeks we will continue to hear about the great accomplishments of our students and the new and exciting paths that they will be taking next year.

Our staff has continued to perform on the highest levels possible. Next week we will name our district employees of the year and we hope that they will continue on in the County and State recognitions. Our own Ron Lopez, Director of Special Services was named among the administrators of the year by the Association of California Administrators.

We were recently made notified that the Sweetwater Union High School District had three California Distinguished Schools, Bonita Vista Middle School, EastLake Middle School and Eastlake High School. They were named among the 218 schools honored across the State and the 19 in San Diego County.

In addition, US News & World Report just named all 12 of our comprehensive high schools as Silver Medal winners for the second year in a row, placing our schools in the top 10 percent of all schools in the entire nation.

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Superintendent’s Hotline

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

Tuesday, May 7. 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.

As a district we’ve taken on some tough challenges and strived for new heights. We’ve continued our commitment to improving school facilities and are close to opening new facilities at Montgomery Middle and breaking ground on new projects at Montgomery High and National City Middle.

As we head into the home stretch, I know that we will continue to achieve at an amazing pace. I look forward to joining you in celebrating our collective and individual successes at our school promotion and graduation ceremonies.

It’s great to be in Sweetwater!