February 2018 Guest Post: Amy Coval, Carlsbad High School

February 2018 Guest Post: Amy Coval, Carlsbad High School

Each month, a student from one of our high schools will write a guest post for the Superintendent Blog. The students will be asked to reflect on one of the characteristics described in our Graduate Profile. This month, Carlsbad High School student Amy Coval reflects on the characteristic of “Lifelong Learner.”

Carlsbad Unified Graduate Profile: Lifelong Learner

“Graduates have the passion and vigor for learning that will fuel them through new opportunities and challenges.”



Throughout my time at Carlsbad High School, I have learned a plethora of new ideas and information. In my honors Biology class freshman year, I learned DNA replication. In AP European History, I learned about some of the greatest thinkers, artists, and scholars to have ever lived. In my journalism class, I discovered my passion, and learned what I wanted to do for my career. All these ideas are undoubtedly valuable to my education. However, the common theme between the entirety of my classes was the many ways they taught me to forever be a student.

The first day I stepped up to the podium in Mrs. Padilla’s English 2-H class, I was mortified. 40 kids sat before me, 80 eyes blinking at me, waiting to hear me speak. Her class was (and still is) based strongly upon a foundation of public speaking, something that made my whole body feel like Jello. With a shaky voice (and even shakier knees) I discoursed a quite short presentation on our class novel.

Flash-forward to senior year, and I have had Mrs. Padilla for every consecutive English class yet, and I have never been more comfortable speaking in front of a group of people. Despite the fact that the presentations consisted of analysis of Romeo and Juliet or To Kill a Mockingbird, I attained lifelong speaking skills as well as a newfound sense of confidence.

When I look back on past courses I have taken, I realize just how much I absorbed outside of the curriculum. I adopted critical thinking and communication skills; I l developed time management and organization. These crucial aspects of my education have provided me the opportunity to learn far beyond the classroom, whether it be a university, career, or foreign experience. My teachers have laid the foundation for the ways in which I gain and retain information. My peers have taught me to never become complacent in my pursuit of education, to always be curious. My counselors and the administration have given me a platform to interact with those above me, and they taught me to ask for help.

Outside of my education, I have played varsity water polo for three years of my high school career. The experiences I have shared with my team have been the most rewarding and profound I have ever had. Aside from skillwork and conditioning, the sport gave me opportunities to adopt ways to be a lifelong learner. Being a part of a team, you learn how to rise and fall together; you share the mood-boosting wins as well as losses which bring the toughest blows to team morale. Through all of this, I have learned the concepts of dependability, responsibility, and respect. The girls on the team showed me collaboration and friendship, but also kept me accountable and prepared. All of these ideas have prepared me for life after high school, and I am forever thankful for the lessons they have taught me.

All of these skills have prepared me for life beyond high school. Carlsbad High has provided me with an unparalleled pathway to becoming a lifelong learner, surrounded by people who have each contributed to my abilities, in their own unique way.

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Amy Coval is a senior at Carlsbad High School. Next year, she plans to attend a 4-year university to study journalism. She has been on the Lancer Express staff for three years and is currently the co-Editor-in-Chief.

Superintendent's Message to Community Following Florida School Shooting - February 20, 2018

Superintendent Message - February 20, 2018
Superintendent's Message to Community Following Florida School Shooting

Dear Carlsbad Unified Parents, Staff and Community,

Our thoughts are with the victims and their families in Parkland, Florida.

This tragedy highlights the critical importance of ensuring that Carlsbad schools remain safe places for our students and staff. In the aftermath of this traumatic event, the National Association of School Psychologists notes there are effective ways to talk with students, including:

• create a sense of safety by returning to normal, predictable routines as soon as possible
• listen to their concerns and feelings
• suggest they limit their use of media to lower their stress and to maintain balance and perspective, and
• realize that sleep difficulties are common and can lead to fatigue and poor school participation

When these events occur, it is important that we review our own policies and procedures and ensure that we are as ready as possible in the event that a similar incident occurs in our schools. Carlsbad Unified School District is currently reviewing our state of preparedness at each site, and we are collaborating with the City of Carlsbad, the Carlsbad Police Department, the Carlsbad Fire Department, and the San Diego County Office of Education.

As a district, we have a number of programs in place to help minimize threats on our campuses. A few examples include:

• Comprehensive School Safety Plans: As an Education Code requirement under 32280-32289, these plans are approved annually for all sites. All Comprehensive School Safety Plans are reviewed by local law enforcement agencies. 
• Annual Tabletop Training Exercise with the City of Carlsbad’s Department of Emergency Preparedness: While trainings each year cover a variety of topics, the site and district administrator training held on February 15, 2018 (and scheduled prior to the tragedy in Florida) dealt specifically with active assailants on campus and reunification of students and families following an emergency event.
• Site-Based Trainings and Drills for Students and Staff: each school site practices safety drills annually. As drills and training have proven to save lives, we are currently reviewing our policies and procedures and expect to implement additional trainings and drills in the future.
• WeTip Anonymous Crime Reporting Hotline: If any community member wishes to submit an anonymous report, we use the WeTip Hotline online at https://wetip.com/ or on the phone at 1-80-78-CRIME.

Safety is always a top priority at Carlsbad Unified School District. As always, please remind students: if you see something, say something.

If you or your student has any concerns or questions about their safety on campus, please contact your site administrator immediately.


Sincerely,

Dr. Ben Churchill

Superintendent


Additional resources:

• The National Child Traumatic Stress Network: “Talking to Kids about the Shooting”
• The National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at the University of Southern California: “Talking to Kids about Tragedies (Such as Shootings and Terror Attacks) in the News”
• The American Psychological Association: “Talking to Kids about School Shootings”

February 2018 Message from the Superintendent

Moving School Facilities into the Future: CUSD’s Long Range Facility Master Plan

Schools are not just buildings. Schools are the talented teachers who help kindergartners learn to read, help sixth graders write poetry on chromebooks, and help tenth graders develop and promote their own businesses. Schools are the students who gather around a strawberry to extract its DNA or hoist a camera to produce a segment for this morning’s broadcast. Schools are the counselors who help 8th graders select their high school courses and help high school seniors write their college applications. Schools are the staff, the parents, and the leadership who support learning and innovation. But schools are also buildings. And our priority is that our school buildings be safe, secure, and well-maintained places where students can learn what they need. It is our mission to ensure that every student receives an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment.


It is clear that our schools, some built more than 50 years ago, do not always offer the modern learning spaces or instructional technology infrastructure that students need today to be successful in the jobs of the future. It is crucial that we have an on-going plan to update schools in need of modernization.


So last year our district began a conversation about our long range facility needs. Our Board of Trustees approved a contract with WLC Architects to conduct a Facility Condition Assessment and an Asset Inventory, and then a Long Range Facility Master Plan. Under the direction of our professional consultants, stakeholders from across the district have invested their time and tapped their creativity to envision the Facility Master Plan to modernize our schools for the next 15 to 20 years and beyond.


I appreciate the excellent work of those who contributed so valuably and diligently to the Facility Master Plan—our professional consultants; our school site principals, staff, teachers, and parents; our district staff, including Maintenance & Operations, Grounds, Custodial, Child Nutrition, Purchasing, Personnel, and Fiscal Services; the City of Carlsbad Fire, Police, and Transportation representatives; and other members of the Carlsbad Unified community. I am grateful for the leadership of our Board members, who have asked the tough questions and encouraged high quality work throughout this process.


The Long Range Facilities Master Plan is not a design solution or an implementation plan, or a wishlist of every possible improvement we could think of. Nor is it a funding document—while cost estimates are attached, funding sources have not yet been identified. Instead, the Master Plan is a roadmap that describes a 15-to 20-year vision for the future of our schools.


The plan lays out a set of guiding facilities principles or key ideas, including Energy Efficiency and Sustainability; Flexible Learning Spaces; Libraries as Innovation Centers; STEAM Labs and Makerspaces; and Ubiquitous Technology.


We’ve taken stakeholder feedback to heart, including elements specific to the needs of staff and students at each individual site. There are many things to get excited about in the plan. For example, we’ve included a proposed installation of solar and battery storage that will allow us to generate an amount of energy equal to the amount we use annually at each site.


We brought the final version of the Master Plan to the Board on January 17, and the Trustees voted unanimously to approve it. The plan is posted on the Board's webpage, and can be accessed here. Now that the plan has been approved, the Board will begin the challenging task of determining priorities, timelines, and funding sources for its implementation.


We believe that this plan, if funded and executed, will serve students, staff, and our community for the next 20 years and beyond. In Carlsbad, we know that extraordinary schools improve our quality of life and keep our community strong.