April 28, 2024
In EUSD, every student experiences learning that is authentic! Authentic learning can happen anytime and anywhere. It sparks collaboration, and is grounded in real-world experiences.
We could write a novella highlighting authentic learning experiences from just the past week while visiting schools, where we stopped by classrooms where students were designing items for 3D printing in a STEM lab, learning a famous guitar riff in a music class, building strength in a fitness lab, examining the components of a successful farm to school program, learning to assemble words into sentences, applying geometry concepts to a social studies assignment, and so much more.
School gardens have been a part of our campuses for years, and our Nutrition Services team does an incredible job of incorporating locally sourced fruits and vegetables in our cafeterias daily, as well as bringing hands-on farmers markets to our elementary schools. Recently, a new community partner has joined our ongoing efforts to help students connect environmental science and healthy eating.
We are thrilled that the nonprofit Community Health Improvement Partners has chosen EUSD as a partner in its new initiative, the Farm to Institution Center. Once a week for five weeks, a Farm to Institution educator visits a school to teach lessons on nutrition, food supply, school gardens, and more. Students are fascinated as they learn about important elements of the food supply, such as food miles – the distance it takes for food to get from its origin to consumers – and water usage.
KPBS News joined the Farm to Institution Center at its final session with Bernardo Elementary 4th-graders this week, and produced an excellent feature. You can check it out online here!
Here are this week’s updates and reminders.
State assessments: We appreciate your support in ensuring student success as the annual CAASPP testing continues in EUSD schools. Remind your students to prepare for daily, on-time school attendance by getting a good night’s rest, eating a healthy breakfast at home or at school, and bringing their fully charged iPads to class. Students in grades 3 through 8 take the computer-based California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, or CAASPP, which measures each student’s progress in English language arts and math. Students in grades 5 and 8 also will take a science assessment.Each school develops its own testing schedule, and the testing window is open through May 17.
Summer Math Academy: Our neighbors in the Escondido Union High School District are hosting a Summer Math Academy for incoming 9th-graders who will be attending an EUHSD school – Del Lago Academy, Escondido High School, Orange Glen High School, or San Pasqual High School. To participate in this free program, complete this form by Wednesday, May 1. The half-day program is a great way to keep math-reasoning skills in shape over summer, and activities include engineering and math projects, as well as a college field trip. The academy will be held from June 7 through June 28 at Orange Glen High School. Breakfast and lunch are included, and participants will earn five elective credits for high school. View this flyer for complete details, or contact EUHSD Math Content Specialist Renee Sherry-Farrell at rfarrell@euhsd.org or 760-291-3003.
Enrollment and registration: Save the date! Returning Student Registration and New Student Enrollment opens Tuesday, May 14, for all grades 2024-2025 school year. Visit the Enrollment and Registration webpage to access the appropriate links and review important information for this process – whether you are a current EUSD family or new to the district, for students incoming in Transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade. In addition:
To find your neighborhood school of residence, use our online school locator tool.
For the 2024-2025 school year, children are eligible for full-day Transitional Kindergarten if their date of birth is between September 2, 2019, and September 1, 2020. For full-day Kindergarten, eligible students must be age 5 on or before September 1, 2024.
Returning families will receive a letter by U.S. Mail with instructions for accessing the parent portal. It is essential that all returning students register through the online process in order to update essential information.
Preschool applications: EUSD State Preschool will begin accepting online applications for the 2024-2025 school year on Wednesday, May 1. Visit the preschool website to access the application beginning Wednesday. Applications will be accepted for children who will be age 3 by August 20, 2024. If your child will turn 3 during the 2024-2025 school year, you can apply on or after their birthday. Preschool classes are available at seven EUSD elementary schools: Central, Juniper, Glen View, Lincoln, Oak Hill, Pioneer, and Rose. EUSD Preschool is offered through the California State Preschool Program and licensed through the California Department of Social Services. Eligibility for the program is based on household income. To learn more, visit the EUSD Preschool website or email preschoolenrollment@eusd.org. For Special Education Preschool options, including our responsive interventions and inclusive programs, contact the team at spedsupport@eusd.org.
Expanded learning: EUSD will continue to offer a range of before- and after-school expanded learning opportunities to all of our families next school year. These no-cost programs provide a safe, nurturing environment in which students thrive before and after the academic school day. The Before and After School Program Interest Form for 2024-2025 will be available on May 1 on the Extended Learning webpage. The program is available to students in TK through 8th grade who attend in-person schools. Families must submit a separate form for each eligible child. Please visit your school office if you need assistance with the form. The deadline to submit an interest form is 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 22. Enrollment is subject to space available. A lottery will be conducted if interest exceeds available space, and students will be added to a waitlist.
Celebrating school libraries: April is School Library Month! We are grateful for our library staff members, who serve every single student on our campuses. As of April 16, EUSD libraries have circulated more than 334,400 library books across the district, making critical contributions to our families' literacy journeys. School libraries not only provide essential literacy support; they are key places of social and emotional support in a school community. Read our News article here about the great things happening in EUSD libraries.
City library programs: Star Wars Week at the Escondido Public Library kicks off on Monday, April 29, and with daily, no-cost activities for all ages through Saturday, May 4. Visitors can build a droid, join a story time, create an art project, pick up a comic book, and more. View this flyer for complete details.
STEM Challenge Day: We can’t get enough of STEM Challenge Day, and so we are excited to share a recap video of our 2024 event! Follow this link to check out the video on our YouTube channel. In case you missed it, read our News article here.
Concert season: Thanks to everyone who came out to support our middle school musicians at their annual concert on Tuesday in the professional setting of the Concert Hall at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. Our students and band directors presented an excellent show! Save the date to support our elementary school bands, whose concerts are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, May 14 and May 15. The concerts are open to the public, and admission is free. Visit the Events section of the arts center website to reserve your tickets.
Rugby spotlight: As we have shared previously, the professional SD Legion rugby team has generously partnered with EUSD to bring co-ed flag rugby to our students, with our inaugural season concluding last month, with hundreds of students participating. For SD Legion’s April 21 home game at Snapdragon Stadium, the team extended a special invitation to EUSD flag rugby participants – to play a scrimmage on the big field during halftime! District staff members and families were in the stands to cheer on the kids and the pros! Some 40 EUSD rugby players split up into two teams for the scrimmage. Project Specialist Jo-Ann Fox shared, “You would never know that flag rugby was a new sport to many kids in EUSD, as they showed off the skills and teamwork they learned in our Expanded Learning after-school flag rugby league.”
ACSA honors: We are thrilled to congratulate two EUSD educators as recipients of the inaugural Awards for Leadership, presented by the Association of California School Administrators Region 18 Northern Consortium. Reidy Creek Intervention Teacher Kellie Stawicki and Glen View Dual Language Impact Teacher Teresa Lucero were among six North County educators honored for demonstrating leadership, equity, and a support for community learning. ACSA is an advocacy group supporting public school students and school leaders.
– Luis Rankins-Ibarra, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools