Dear San Marino Unified families and employees,

 

On behalf of the Board of Education, I want to welcome our new families to San Marino Unified and welcome back our returning families. We wish a warm welcome back to District employees as well. We hope that you all had a wonderful summer and are ready for a fantastic 2019-2020 school year.

 

The next few weeks will be busy with back-to-school activities as well as a regularly scheduled Board meeting on Tuesday, August 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the District Board Room. As school will not have yet started, the August 13 Board meeting will address mostly administrative matters. In addition, the Board will be discussing a second reading of the Board Policy regarding Civility, as well as continued discussion regarding potential areas of study by the Academics Advisory Committee. A new item of business will be a proposal by Superintendent Wilson to form a Fiscal Stability Task Force to review, analyze and evaluate the District's current revenue sources and to identify other potential financial options and opportunities. Click here to view the agenda for the August 13, 2019 meeting.

 

As a reminder, all are welcome to attend our School Board meetings, usually on the second and fourth Tuesday in the District Board room at 7:30 p.m. For more information about your School Board members, how to communicate with Board members outside of and during public meetings, and to view past and current Board newsletters, meeting agendas and minutes, please visit the Board's webpage .

 

The Board and the District have been working hard all summer to prepare for the new school year. Here are a few highlights of what happened over the summer:

NEW SUPERINTENDENT DR. JEFF WILSON

Dr. Jeff Wilson started as our new Superintendent on July 1. He has been learning about the District and the San Marino community through meetings with District employees, local dignitaries, and community members and attending numerous District and community events. Dr. Wilson enjoys meeting new people and encourages you to introduce yourself and your students when you see him!

TARGETED VIOLENCE PREVENTION

The District hosted a "Targeted Violence Prevention" all-day seminar with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health on Monday, August 5. Approximately 400 attendees from schools districts and various agencies around Los Angeles County attended this event featuring Dr. Tony Beliz, who specializes in Behavior Threat Assessment, and FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Cugno, the Director of the Threat Assessment Regional Evaluation Team. Attendees, which included some Board members, District administrators, District teachers and staff, and SMPD officers, learned about behavioral indicators of targeted violence, assessment tools, and preventative measures.

CPR/FIRST AID AND DISASTER SKILLS TRAINING

Over 150 District employees and coaches attended training sessions on August 8th and 9th learning CPR and First Aid. The class was led by an experienced trainer and former firefighter who educated the attendees on how to respond to sudden cardiac arrest, use the AED machine, and the bleed kits recently added to the school sites. The attendees also learned disaster skills and the importance of training and preparedness. The District is committed to ensuring that its employees and coaches are trained and prepared.

FACILITIES ADVISORY COMMITTEE

 

The Facilities Advisory Committee met several times during the summer to continue learning about and assessing the capital facilities and deferred maintenance needs of the District. The FAC, consisting of 18 parent/student/teacher/community members, is well on its way towards the goal of reporting to the Board of Education about the District's facilities needs, as well as financing options.

SPECIAL BOARD MEETING

The Board held a noticed and public Special Board Meeting from 3:00 - 9:00 p.m. on Friday, August 9th. The Board participated in Board Governance training with its new Superintendent and started the process of revisiting Board protocols. The Board also heard updates from each Cabinet member in the areas of Human Resources, Educational Services, Business Services and Technology Services.

BARTH ATHLETIC COMPLEX GRAND OPENING

In partnership with the San Marino Schools Foundation, the District celebrated the grand opening of the Huntington Middle School Barth Athletic Complex on Saturday, August 10th. Hundreds of supporters attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony and toured the new air conditioned facility, which consists of a CIF regulation gym, two state-of-the art media classrooms, a fitness facility, and a multi-purpose/wrestling room. Numerous area dignitaries attended the special event, including Congresswoman Judy Chu, Supervisor Kathryn Barger, representatives for Assemblyman Ed Chau and State Senator Anthony Portantino, PCC Trustee Linda Wah, and numerous San Marino luminaries from the City, Rotary, Chinese Club, City Club, and the PTAs/PTSA/PTAffliliates. Generous donors were recognized and thanked, culminating in the ceremonial cutting of the red ribbon by major donors Andy and Avery Barth. As promised during the groundbreaking ceremony on June 5, 2017, the Barth Athletic Complex will be ready for the first day of school, and it was completed $1 million under budget!

The Board wishes you and your family a successful school year filled with renewed excitement for learning, meaningful engagement and realized educational goals.