Monday, February 3, 2025

Second Year of Aspen Challenge Beginning Feb. 4 for San Diego Unified Students

 




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                        Media Contacts:

Mike Murad, mmurad@sandi.net, 619-925-4790                            

James Canning, jcanning@sandi.net, 313-580-2845

Ben Berliner, ben.berliner@aspeninstitute.org

                                                                                     

                                                                                     

SD UNIFIED STUDENTS PUTTING ON THEIR THINKING CAPS FOR SECOND YEAR OF ASPEN CHALLENGE; GRAND PRIZE-WINNING TEAM TO GET ALL-EXPENSES PAID TRIP TO ASPEN IDEAS FESTIVAL IN JUNE

Student-Led Teams to Draw Inspiration From Innovators and Leaders in the Professional World

 

SAN DIEGO (FEBRUARY 3, 2025) – Changing the world for the better is the goal, and finding a way to do it will be the task for more than 130 students from 12 San Diego Unified School District High Schools. For the second year in a row, the Aspen Challenge and San Diego Unified are partnering to empower students to address critical community issues.

On Tuesday, February 4 at Building 177 in San Diego’s Liberty Station, 2875 Dewey Rd, San Diego, 92106, student-led teams and educators will connect with  “Expert Challengers,” leaders, and innovators presenting issues on key topics - including the unhoused community, discrimination against the LGBTQ+ population, ocean pollution, the overuse of technology as it relates to mental health, and more.  

(Editor Note: The best time for media to arrive for a preview interview is 8 a.m. Click on these links to view videos of the 2024 Aspen Challenge, and the eventual Grand Prize winners in San Diego.) 

After receiving their doses of inspiration throughout the day, teams will get their marching orders to come up with a concept, design it, and eventually showcase it at a follow-up presentation - just nine weeks later.

 

“Our students see the Aspen Challenge as a wonderful opportunity to make a difference,” said Fabi Bagula, Ph.D., San Diego Unified School District Superintendent (Interim). “Perhaps it's finding a better way to provide resources for the unhoused, or developing a solution to reducing beach and ocean pollution. The future belongs to the next generation, and there’s never been an age limit on great ideas, so we have no doubt these groups of talented students will come up with many.”

After the February forum, teams will spend the next two months working on their solutions and will reconvene April 15 to present their projects at the Aspen Challenge Solution Showcase. A panel of judges will then select the Grand Prize-winning teams of students, who will then earn the right for an all-expenses paid trip to Aspen, Colorado in June to present their work at the Aspen Ideas Festival.

Last year, three winning teams earned the trip to Colorado: Madison High School for their efforts on reducing the consumption of single-use plastics; Mira Mesa High School for their youth-driven mental health web platform; and San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts for tackling chronic absenteeism contributors.  

“Last year’s experience was incredibly enriching for our students,” Erin Richison, Ed.D., Senior Executive Director, Office of Graduation & High Schools. “They learned so many lessons that will last a lifetime, including the notion that they can impact their local community.”

2025 Participating Schools:

  • Canyon Hills High School
  • Clairemont High School
  • Patrick Henry High School
  • Logan Memorial Educational Campus
  • Mira Mesa High School
  • Mission Bay High School
  • Mt. Everest Academy
  • Point Loma High School
  • San Diego High School
  • San Diego Metropolitan Regional and Technical High School
  • San Diego SOAR Academy (2)
  • Scripps Ranch High School
  • University City High School

Speakers include Jerry Troyer, Urban Street Angels; Aaron Ngan, The San Diego LGBT Community Center; Alex Ferron, Surfrider Foundation; Eisha Buch, Common Sense Media; Courtney Esparza, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). 

The inaugural Aspen Challenge launched in collaboration with Los Angeles Unified School District in 2013. Since its inception, the Challenge has expanded to include partnerships with school districts in Denver, Washington D.C., Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Louisville, Miami, New Orleans, Brooklyn, and Boston. 

To learn more about the Aspen Challenge, click here.


###

 

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

 

Mike Murad

Public Information Coordinator

San Diego Unified School District

mmurad@sandi.net | www.sandiegounified.org

Mobile Phone: 619-925-4790

4100 Normal Street, San Diego, CA 92103

 

 

Posted by at

Statement: Impact of a Day Without Immigrants Protests

 

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

 

Mike Murad

Public Information Coordinator

San Diego Unified School District

mmurad@sandi.net | www.sandiegounified.org

Mobile Phone: 619-925-4790

4100 Normal Street, San Diego, CA 92103

 

 

Posted by at

Saturday, February 1, 2025

CELEBRATE LUNAR NEW YEAR SUNDAY WITH SAN DIEGO UNIFIED STUDENTS & FAMILIES

 

MEDIA ADVISORY 

 

CELEBRATE LUNAR NEW YEAR SUNDAY WITH SAN DIEGO UNIFIED STUDENTS & FAMILIES  

 

WHAT:

2025 Lunar New Year with Barnard Mandarin Magnet Elementary School

  • 2025 is the year of the Snake
  • Lunar New Year is celebrated with the color red, which is associated with luck, blessings and prosperity. 
  • Staff, students, and families from both Barnard Elementary and Pacific Beach Middle School. 

 

WHEN: 

Sunday, February 2, 2025 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

 

WHERE: 

Pacific Beach Middle School

4676 Ingraham St., San Diego CA 92109 

 

ACTIVITIES:

  • Performances
  • Information booths
  • Food trucks

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Media Contact: James Canning, 313-580-2845, jcanning@sandi.net 

                            

###

 

 

James Canning (He/Him)

Executive Director, Strategic Communications & Information

San Diego Unified School District

jcanning@sandi.net | www.sandiegounified.org

Mobile Phone: 313-580-2845

4100 Normal Street, San Diego, CA 92103

 

 

Note: I may send and respond to emails outside of my normal workday or workweek. Please do not feel obligated to reply outside of your normal work schedule. Thank you.

 

Posted by at

mailman.sandi.net mailing list memberships reminder

This is a reminder, sent out once a month, about your
mailman.sandi.net mailing list memberships. It includes your
subscription info and how to use it to change it or unsubscribe from a
list.

You can visit the URLs to change your membership status or
configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery
or disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on.

In addition to the URL interfaces, you can also use email to make such
changes. For more info, send a message to the '-request' address of
the list (for example, mailman-request@mailman.sandi.net) containing
just the word 'help' in the message body, and an email message will be
sent to you with instructions.

If you have questions, problems, comments, etc, send them to
mailman-owner@mailman.sandi.net. Thanks!

Passwords for communications50.mailman@blogger.com:

List Password // URL
---- --------
media@mailman.sandi.net cZ7pHjZy
http://mailman.sandi.net/mailman/options/media/communications50.mailman%40blogger.com
Posted by at

mailman.sandi.net mailing list memberships reminder

This is a reminder, sent out once a month, about your
mailman.sandi.net mailing list memberships. It includes your
subscription info and how to use it to change it or unsubscribe from a
list.

You can visit the URLs to change your membership status or
configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery
or disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on.

In addition to the URL interfaces, you can also use email to make such
changes. For more info, send a message to the '-request' address of
the list (for example, mailman-request@mailman.sandi.net) containing
just the word 'help' in the message body, and an email message will be
sent to you with instructions.

If you have questions, problems, comments, etc, send them to
mailman-owner@mailman.sandi.net. Thanks!

Passwords for communications50.mailman@blogger.com:

List Password // URL
---- --------
media@mailman.sandi.net cZ7pHjZy
http://mailman.sandi.net/mailman/options/media/communications50.mailman%40blogger.com
Posted by at

Friday, January 31, 2025

Post Notice and Agendas

 

PLEASE NOTE:

Please forward to staff and as appropriate, print agenda and post in a prominent, publicly accessible location at your site.

 

Thank you.

 

Martha Corrales

Confidential Admin Assistant II

Board Services Office, San Diego Unified School District

619-725-5551

mcorrales@sandi.net

 

Do the best you can until you know better.  Then when you know better, do better.  -Maya Angelou

 

Posted by at

Media Advisory: 200 Students to Raise Black History Month Flag on Monday

 

MEDIA ADVISORY 

 

200 STUDENTS TO GATHER TO CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH WITH SPOKEN WORD, FLAG RAISING

WHAT: Student-led Black History Month Flag Raising and Program  

 

WHY: Two-hundred students from Black Student Unions throughout the District will be attending to express what the month means to them, and their stories, before proudly elevating the Black History Month Flag.  

 

WHEN: Monday, February 3, 2025, 10:15 a.m.

 

WHERE: Eugene Brucker Education Center flagpole, 4100 Normal Street, San Diego, 92103

 

WHO:   Brooklyn Burnett, Pershing Middle School (emcee)

Malachi Conners, Gage Elementary School (speech)

Maliah Mims, Patrick Henry High School (poem)

Kirena Godwin, University City High School (speech)

Chris White, Correia Middle School teacher (song) 

 

SCHOOLS ATTENDING: Pershing Middle School, Patrick Henry High School, Morse High School, School of Creative and Performing Arts, Point Loma High School, Mira Mesa High School, Canyon Hills High School, University City High School, Hoover High School, and Crawford High School.

 

VISUALS: Student speakers, song by teacher, student-led flag raising.

 

MEDIA PARKING: Parking lot in front of flagpole, 4100 Normal Street, San Diego, 92103 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Editor note: Early media interview availability with a district representative beginning at 9:45 a.m.

 

Please RSVP: James Canning, jcanning@sandi.net, 313-580-2845. 

                            

###

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

 

Mike Murad

Public Information Coordinator

San Diego Unified School District

mmurad@sandi.net | www.sandiegounified.org

Mobile Phone: 619-925-4790

4100 Normal Street, San Diego, CA 92103

 

 

Posted by at

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOLS OUTPERFORM CALIFORNIA, BIG CITIES ACROSS U.S. IN READING AND MATH ON NATION’S REPORT CARD

Good morning, if you are interested in doing interview about this, please let me know, and we cab arrange for someone from San Diego Unified to speak with you.  Thank you, James

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                              Media Contacts:

                                                                                      Mike Murad, mmurad@sandi.net, 619-925-4790

                                                                                      James Canning, jcanning@sandi.net, 313-580-2845

                                                                                     

SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOLS OUTPERFORM CALIFORNIA, BIG CITIES ACROSS U.S. 

IN READING AND MATH ON NATION'S REPORT CARD

District Scores Among Highest Performing Urban Districts Nationwide

San Diego Unified School District Called "Top Performer" by Council of the Great City Schools 

 

SAN DIEGO (JANUARY 29, 2025) – San Diego Unified School District remains one of the top urban school districts in the country, as shown by results released from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), considered the Nation's Report Card. 

 

The report, from the U.S. Department of Education, shows San Diego Unified 4th grade math scores improved since the last evaluation in 2022, while 8th grade math scores and reading scores for 4th and 8th grades remained largely unchanged. Furthermore, although San Diego Unified's reading scores remained flat, they contrast to declining reading scores nationwide.

 

"These results illustrate the hard work being put in by students each day, and the support they're getting from our district and their families," said Fabi Bagula, Ph.D., San Diego Unified School District Superintendent (Interim). "Our educators do incredible work every day for our students. Their unwavering dedication, expertise, and compassion form the foundation of our shared success. Together, we are making a lasting difference in the lives of our students, and for years we have been among the top urban school districts in the country academically, and all involved should be proud of their efforts to remain so. I couldn't be prouder of progress we have made as a team, but there is more work to be done. 

In math, District 4th graders went from 34% NAEP-proficient in 2022 to 41% in 2024; in 8th grade, NAEP proficiency rates changed from 28% to 31%. In reading, district 4th graders went from 37% to 39% NAEP-proficient and 8th graders went from 34% to 37%. The district's results mirror its California state testing results where math increased modestly more than reading.

 

Raymond C. Hart, Executive Director of the Council of the Great City Schools, reviewed San Diego Unified's NAEP results and singled out many of the highlights.

 

"San Diego Unified School District continues to be a top performer in all tested areas on NAEP, leading all large cities that participate in the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) program in both fourth and eighth grade reading performance nationally. The district also had the second-highest eighth grade mathematics scores and the sixth highest fourth grade mathematics scores among all large city TUDAs," said Hart.

 

"Notably, the District's gains in fourth grade mathematics from 2022 to 2024 were greater than the gains made by California, and their scale score in 2024 was significantly better than California in fourth grade mathematics. Between 2022 and 2024, San Diego Unified School district maintained steady performance in all other tested areas, and in three out of the four tested areas, the district's 2024 scores were not significantly different from 2019 pre-pandemic scores. The district's strong performance on NAEP is a testament to the board, administration, and staff remaining steadfast in the pursuit of their goals for improving outcomes for all students in the district."

 

 

 

Source: National Center for Education Statistics
"Large City"—public schools in large cities, population >=250,000 

"California"—public schools in the state of California

"National Public"—public schools across the nation

NAEP results are in alignment with the on-going work in the district to develop specific and measurable goals for student achievement. The NAEP results provide an additional indicator of how students are performing in reading and math and also provide opportunities to examine overall performance for key demographic groups, change over time, and comparisons to the nation, states, and urban districts. 

 

NAEP is a congressionally mandated assessment overseen by the U.S. Department of Education. NAEP results are available for the nation, the 50 states plus Puerto Rico and Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) and selected urban districts participating in the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA). In 2024, NAEP TUDA had 26 participating districts including San Diego Unified. NAEP proficiency rates are based on NAEP achievement standards which are not aligned to state standards. In addition, NAEP proficiency does not equate to meeting grade-level standards.

 

The Nation's Report Card, first administered in 1969, is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nation's students know and can do in subjects such as mathematics, reading, science, and writing. Standard administration practices are implemented to provide a common measure of student achievement.

 

To learn more about San Diego Unified's scores, and others in California and across the country, click here.

###

 

 

James Canning (He/Him)

Executive Director, Strategic Communications & Information

San Diego Unified School District

jcanning@sandi.net | www.sandiegounified.org

Mobile Phone: 313-580-2845

4100 Normal Street, San Diego, CA 92103

 

 

Note: I may send and respond to emails outside of my normal workday or workweek. Please do not feel obligated to reply outside of your normal work schedule. Thank you.

 

Posted by at

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

SD UNIFIED WORKS TO CHANGE CULTURE WITH REPORTING MISCONDUCT, NEW LEADERSHIP DELIVERS UPDATE AT BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                       

 

Media Contacts:

James Canning, Jcanning@sandi.net, 313-580-2845
Mike Murad, Mmurad@sandi.net, 619-925-4790

 

Link to New Title IX Informational Video: https://youtu.be/y5h5I50nWDY?feature=shared  

 

SD UNIFIED WORKS TO CHANGE CULTURE WITH REPORTING MISCONDUCT, 

NEW LEADERSHIP DELIVERS UPDATE AT BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING

 

SAN DIEGO (JANUARY 28, 2025) – Two years ago San Diego Unified School District began to overhaul its approach to receiving and responding to reports of sexual harassment (Title IX), civil rights violations and safety, officials from the District’s new Office of Investigations, Compliance and Accountability (ICA) delivered an update at the Board of Education meeting Tuesday night on their progress.

 

ICA serves as a centralized resource for students,  parents, and employees to report concerns and complaints, ensuring that every report is evaluated, documented, and addressed in accordance with District policies and procedures.

             

“We are making it easier for our staff and students to report incidents with a new online reporting tool that previously did not exist,” said Farshad Talebi, Esq., Executive Director, Office of Investigations, Compliance and Accountability, on Tuesday night. “Our Title IX Officer now has the support of an expert team that promptly evaluates, investigates and sees each case through until there is an outcome and resolution.” 

 

“The changes we have made are helping us to build trust amongst parents, students and staff,” Talebi continued. “We take privacy and confidentiality very seriously. People now feel safe, and better supported in speaking up when they feel misconduct has occurred.”

 

Talebi told the Board of Education that his office has received more than 3,500 reports since 2023 through ICA’s online Ethicspoint Reporting System. All reports are assigned an investigative specialist, who documents, tracks and ensures the report is addressed appropriately before being closed in their database. 

 

In addition to the Ethicspoint Reporting system, ICA has established other systems and procedures to specifically address Title IX, Bullying and Harassment, and Uniform Complaint reporting. Similarly, the Title IX Officer and other staff evaluate and record all of these reports, and ensure they are addressed in strict accordance with District policies. ICA’s role providing oversight helps protect students and staff, while upholding the District commitment accountability. 

“Our school district has a responsibility to ensure every student and staff member feels safe, respected and protected,” said Fabi Bagula, Ph.D., San Diego Unified School District Superintendent (Interim). “Sexual harassment and misconduct is absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.  We are working to maintain a culture of accountability, proactive prevention, and deliver unwavering support for any who are impacted. We have made great progress,  and I believe we’re headed in the right direction.” 

Education & Information is Ongoing

To maintain this culture of accountability and support in San Diego Unified, ICA is continuously advancing opportunities to educate and inform staff, students and families. Some of these activities include: 

  • Working group with District leaders, student advisory boards and groups
  • Working with the District’s family engagement departments and PTAs
  • Professional development and training for administrators 
  • Internal and external communication through district communication channels, including videos, pamphlets, websites, newsletters, publications, and partnering with community organizations   

Superintendent Bagula and Talebi emphasize if there is an incident, it should be reported immediately. Ways people can report include: 

 

To learn more about San Diego Unified School District, click here.

 

###

 

 

James Canning (He/Him)

Executive Director, Strategic Communications & Information

San Diego Unified School District

jcanning@sandi.net | www.sandiegounified.org

Mobile Phone: 313-580-2845

4100 Normal Street, San Diego, CA 92103

 

 

Note: I may send and respond to emails outside of my normal workday or workweek. Please do not feel obligated to reply outside of your normal work schedule. Thank you.

 

Posted by at

Friday, January 24, 2025

Post Notice and Agendas

PLEASE NOTE:

Notice Link:  https://www.sandiegounified.org/common/pages/DisplayFile.aspx?itemId=207399578

Open and Closed Session Board of Education Meeting Information: https://sandiegounified.org/about/board_of_education/meeting_information

Public Testimony:  https://www.sandiegounified.org/about/board_of_education/public_testimony_request

Please forward to staff and as appropriate, print agenda and post in a prominent, publicly accessible location at your site.

 

Thank you.

 

Martha Corrales

Confidential Admin Assistant II

Board Services Office, San Diego Unified School District

619-725-5551

mcorrales@sandi.net

 

Do the best you can until you know better.  Then when you know better, do better.  -Maya Angelou

 

Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)