Superintendent's Message
Dear South Bay Parents/Guardians and Community Members,
Like many districts throughout the state, South Bay is struggling with the financial implications associated with declining enrollment. Meanwhile, our expenses (pensions, utilities, etc.) continue to rise. As you can imagine with your household budget, this is an unsustainable situation. Our leadership team is working to right-size our multi-year budgets to align our funding with our resources. The Board is holding a Budget Study Session on Monday, October 21 at 4:00 at the Education Center (601 Elm Avenue in Imperial Beach) to discuss the District budget and provide direction for necessary adjustments. Representatives from the San Diego County Office of Education will be joining us for this discussion. I encourage everyone to attend this public meeting. Your voice is important and our Trustees highly value feedback from our community.
 Last week, we launched the South Bay Spotlight, a new initiative to spread the word about the great things happening in our District. The Spotlight is modeled on a student news broadcast and future segments will feature students, staff, parents, and community members. The September edition highlighted Imperial Beach Charter School and included a Superintendent's welcome message, an interview with Assistant Superintendent Marking, and student discussions. A big thank you to our Technology and Learning & Innovation teams for their leadership and collaboration on this project.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I can be reached by
email
or by phone at (619) 628-1605. Best wishes for a wonderful Fall Break. We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Monday, October 7, which will be a minimum day.
 Sincerely,
Katie McNamara
Katie McNamara, Ed.D.
Superintendent
|
|
Congratulations
At the Board Meeting on August 22, Berry and Imperial Beach Charter Schools were celebrated for their outstanding achievements in improving attendance during the 2018-2019 school year.
Both schools were recognized for improving daily attendance by nearly 1% and for an over 5% decrease in chronic absenteeism. The school teams received certificates and both schools received a plaque, which will be displayed in the office. The plaque honors the site's dedication and commitment to parent involvement, student learning, and creating a culture of student success. Congratulations!
|
|
|
Pictured L-R: Teacher Dan Anthony, Teacher Leda Davenport, Teacher Ron Wagner, Attendance Secretary Carmen Lopez, and Teacher Liliana Galiano.
|
|
|
|
Pictured L-R: Principal Melissa Griffith, Attendance Secretary Monica Santos, and
Assistant Principal Ted Rexall-Scott
|
|
Grant News
This summer, the Bayside STEAM Academy
received a grant from the McCarthy Foundation to launch an after-school Drone Club. The Club's activities will support the school's STEM curriculum and will enhance student creativity, collaboration, and hands-on learning.
Imperial Beach Charter received a grant from the Best Buy Foundation for an after-school Coding Club. Students in the Club will program robots, engage in critical thinking, explore the engineering design process, and apply their learning in mathematics, science, and technology.
Sunnyslope School is partnering with SDG&E to bring learning about energy conservation to the site. Part of the partnership includes a grant, which will be used to develop the school's Dual Language program.
Pence School
received a grant from the South County Economic Development Council and the Samsung Corporation for technology. Two 65" and two 55" televisions will be installed in the library and classrooms to enrich learning.
|
September is Attendance Awareness Month
|
Get to Know our Teachers
Kia Williams
is a sixth grade teacher at Berry School. Kia was born in Chicago and attended Valdosta State and Kennesaw State Universities. She has been teaching for six years and holds degrees in Early Childhood Education. She became a teacher because she loves helping children learn and exposing them to new things that they thought they could never do. When she is not in the classroom, Kia enjoys dancing, travel, and spending time with her dog, Ace. Fun Favorites: Movie (Little), food (nachos), and books (Tuck Everlasting, Eerie Elementary, and Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events).
 Kelly Christensen
teaches fourth grade at the Bayside STEAM Academy. She was born in Chula Vista and attended United States International University on a Soccer Scholarship. She has degrees in Elementary Education and Education and holds an Administrative Credential. All of her 28 years in education have been in South Bay. She followed both of her parents into the teaching profession. She has three children, aged 17, 23 and 24. Kelly is also mom to two dogs (Bebe and Chico) and a cat (Minnie). When not teaching, she enjoys jigsaw puzzles. Fun Favorites: food (oysters and shrimp), books (the Twilight series and Stolen Lives), and movie (Shawshank Redemption). Kelly is pictured with her daughter, Dylan (who teaches sixth grade at Imperial Beach Charter), and Christine Hertz, one of the authors of Kids 1st from Day 1.
Jackie Uribe is a second grade teacher at Oneonta. She is a San Diego native and attended school at San Diego State University. She has a BA in Liberal Studies and a Master's Degree in Pedagogical Studies. She has been teaching for 22 years and has always worked with children. She held her first job at 17 as a Camp Counselor. Jackie shares her life with her two children (aged 13 and 16) and two cats, Ella and Black Kitty. She loves anything sweet and all historical fiction. Her favorite movie is Marie Antoinette. When she is not working, she enjoys walking on the beach.
|
Technology News
Digital Content at South Bay
Over the last few years, South Bay has curated digital applications which provide opportunities for students to critically think, be creative, and collaborate. In our Learner Profile, we want our students to be Global and Digital Thinkers, Collaborative, and Critical Thinkers among others. We believe we've chosen software that promotes these beliefs.
- G Suite (formerly Google Apps for Education) is a suite of productivity tools which allows students to access their work from anywhere, work collaboratively with students and teachers, and create meaningful products to show their learning. Teachers use Google Classroom to create assignments and manage their classwork which fully integrates all of the apps in the Google Suite.
- ST Math, or Jiji as it's commonly called by students, is a math program developed by the Mind Research Institute which includes no language in the activities. An all visual game provides great support for all learners and most notably our English Learners. This application focuses on math concepts versus drill and kill activities. Students may feel a little frustrated, but productive struggle is important for learning the concepts. We don't recommend students attempt new concepts at home, but they can access material they've already conquered.
- DreamBox is an adaptive math application which supports kids where they are. Student progress is measured daily through assessment and lessons. DreamBox is a great tool to use at home instead of drill and kill activities.
- Wixie is a creativity tool and is available for grades TK-2 and our SDC classrooms. Students can draw, type, record their voice, take pictures, and create evidence of their learning.
- Thrively provides a way for students to learn about their strengths and interests. The application starts with an interest inventory, and then provides pathways for students around careers and local ways to pursue their interests and strengths. Our libraries will be using this tool to focus on digital citizenship, research skills, and strengths and interests.
- BrainPop is a great way for students to learn from the animated characters Tim and Moby. Students have access to BrainPop, BrainPop Jr., BrainPop Espanol, and BrainPop ELL. Students can use their Google logins to view animated content. Teachers can provide assignments and track what students watch.
- Imagine Learning is a tool available to English Learners. Principals make the determination who at their school site will use the tool to support language development.
|
 South Bay offers many ways that parents/guardians can get involved in not only their child's education, but also to become collaborative partners in the functioning of schools and the District.
Each school has a Parent Teacher Association (PTA) that supports the campus, organizes events, and manages fundraising activities. In addition, South Bay has a PTA Council, comprised of Association leaders from every school in the District. For information on joining PTA, you may visit this webpage.
Each school also hosts an English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) to advise the District on programs and services for English Learner students. The District English Learners Advisory Committees (DELAC) is comprised of representatives from each ELAC. DELAC provides a meeting place to share regarding programs, new initiatives, and other current issues of importance to the education of students. If you are interested in joining ELAC, please contact your School Principal.
The School Site Council (
SSC) at every site is comprised of administrators, teachers, parents, staff, and community members. SSCs help to
develop, review, and update the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) required at each school. The SPSA includes g
oals to improve student outcomes; e
vidence-based strategies, actions, or services; and budget considerations. If you wish to join your site's SSC, please contact your School Principal.
The Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) Advisory Committee is a District-level group of parents and staff that are responsible for reviewing and commenting on the LCAP, which guides the work and priorities of the District. If you are interested in serving on this Committee, please send an email here.
There is an opening on the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee for a parent of a currently enrolled student. This group reviews and informs the public on expenditures related to Proposition X, Proposition Y, and Measure NN bonds. If you are interested in serving on this Committee, please send an email here.
|
September 23-October 4 - Fall Break
October 10 - Board Meeting
October 15-25 - Parent/Teacher Conference Days
October 18 - No Students Conference Day
October 25 - Report Cards
October 25 - District Champions
November 11 - Veteran's Day Holiday
November 14 - Board Meeting
November 25-29 - Thanksgiving Break
December 13 - District Champions
December 19 - Board Meeting
December 23-January 10 - Winter Break
|
|
|
|
|
|
