August 2016 Message from the Superintendent

Summer Preparations for a Successful School Year

Dr. Ben Churchill

Carlsbad Unified School District

We look forward to welcoming our CUSD students back to school on Aug 30th.  It has been a busy summer for our district staff as we prepare for the opening of school.

Over the last few weeks I have had the chance to visit campuses and to meet many members of our CUSD team.  I continue to be impressed by this outstanding district, and my family and I are pleased to be settling in here in Carlsbad.

This summer we broke ground on two large projects: the Sage Creek Performing Arts Center, to be completed in the winter of 2017; and the Valley Middle School PE locker room and Science classrooms, which should be ready by the end of next summer.

As is the case every summer, our facilities staff and custodians have been busy on our campuses--cleaning, painting and repairing--so that each school ready for the arrival of students in a few weeks.

In addition, over 70 teachers participated in the three-day AVID Summer Institute with teams from their schools. There, they sharpened their instructional skills and learned new classroom methodologies.  

The Math Strategies Committee also has been working this summer on a plan to roll out the new Go Math elementary curriculum in the 2016-17 school year. New instructional materials are already arriving at the schools. Go Math will give CUSD a cohesive K-12 math curriculum aligned with the new state standards and the Smarter Balanced assessments (SBAC).

Meanwhile, Personnel Services has been busy interviewing and hiring nearly 40 new teachers and three administrators. One of these administrators is Nicole Johnston, CUSD’s new Valley Middle School principal. Ms. Johnston comes to Carlsbad from Cupertino Union School District, where she served as the Director of Assessment for two years, and Principal at Kennedy Middle School for five years. We welcome Nicole and all of our new teachers, administrators, and classified staff to Carlsbad Unified School District.

All teachers will be back in full force on August 25--with an optional professional development day on August 24--to meet, collaborate, and prepare for the arrival of students.

Enjoy your last few weeks of vacation. We are excited to see you soon.

June 2016 Message from the Superintendent

Student/Superintendent Advisory Council

Oh the places you’ll go...

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself

Any direction you choose. 

--Dr. Seuss

The 2015-16 Student/Superintendent Advisory Council (SSAC) provides a forum where students can participate in the important decisions and processes that affect their education. Fourteen students, representing CUSD’s three high schools, come together monthly to talk about current topics facing the Board, and issues and concerns that the students bring forward.

Last Friday the (SSAC) held its final meeting of the year.  It was time to honor our graduating seniors for all they contributed to the Council, and to talk about their future plans. Here’s what four of our of our students shared:

Ally Hatter wants to be a middle school math teacher. She will be attending Cal Lutheran in the fall, studying Math and Pedagogy. Ally also loves animals, so she is currently volunteering at Ivey Ranch, in their Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program for special needs children.

Garrett Henkel played baseball for CHS for four years, and was a Royal Lancer. Now he is following his dream to attend UCSD and play Division 1 baseball. He will be studying international business, and is also interested in public health, nutrition and fitness. He is going off to Europe with his family this summer after graduation.

Shakiba Mashayekhi will be attending MiraCosta College for one year, and then, with credits from her AP classes, plans to transfer to UC Berkeley or UCLA. In the fall she will be working as an intern in the office of California Assemblyman Rocky Chavez. She is planning on a double major in International Relations and Philosophy, with a minor in Spanish. After college she hopes to go to law school, specializing in human rights law.

Israel Tribby graduated in March from Carlsbad Village Academy, and is now manager of the Coolbeans Skate Shop in San Marcos. Israel started working at the shop when he was 16, and is now starting his own line of high end street wear. His is interested in taking business management, graphic design and art classes at MiraCosta or Palomar College.

At our end-of-the-year meeting the students took some time to talk about how they had benefited from being a part of SSAC and what they had learned from their experience. 

Here are some of their comments:

“SSAC gave me a voice, and my ideas made a difference when decisions were made.”

“I connected with people I would never have had the opportunity to talk with, and I gained new perspectives from these new connections.”

“I got a feeling for how much the district helps students learn, and helps us through our careers as students.”

“I want to work in a school district, so it's very relevant to me to learn how they work.”

“I gained so much knowledge about all that goes into running schools--so many people working together for us.”

“You don't need to be a certain age to make a difference.”

“I learned how to hold a conversation with someone who can really help me in the future, and how to speak confidently with adults.”

“We got to take part in several events. I had the opportunity to speak at the State of the District event, which was inspiring--all of these great people from the city, the business, education, and community leaders, were there to support the District.”

“I liked being a part of the State of the District event, and working on the District’s new mission statement.”

“I gained confidence talking with the other members of the group and Dr. Lovely. At first I didn’t expect to fit in, but I made friends, and became part of a new community.”

“I learned so much about leadership skills and public speaking.”

It has been inspiring for me, as superintendent, to work together with these talented young people. Their futures hold great promise. I’m looking forward to hearing about their successes in the lives and careers they pursue.