Welcome Back!
With great enthusiasm I welcome the Carlsbad Unified school community—students, teachers, staff, and families — to the 2018-19 school year, as we spark curiosity, ignite passion, and unleash genius.
Our theme this year is Learner-Centered Innovation, which reflects our school district’s commitment to its North Star—our Vision and Graduate Profile. We are a mission-driven organization, and our more than 1,000 staff members are driven to continuously find ways to improve the educational experience and outcomes for our 11,500 students.
We are proud of our 2017-18 successes in academics, athletics, visual and performing arts, and school awards. Once again we have been named to the Advanced Placement Honor Roll for maintaining high AP Test passage rates while expanding access to the AP Testing program to our students. In 2018, Pacific Rim Elementary School was given the National Blue Ribbon Award; Aviara Oaks and Pacific Rim Elementary Schools received the CA Distinguished Schools Award; Kelly Elementary School was honored with the NCSSE Excellence in Special Education; Calavera Hills and Valley Middle Schools won Classroom of the Future Foundation awards; Sage Creek High School was named to the US News and World Reports list of Best High Schools; and Carlsbad High was named by Varsity Brands as the Most Spirited High School in the Nation. And so much more.
We have been hard at work over the summer, attending great trainings on expanding access to technology for teachers and students, creating hands-on lessons based on the Next Generation Science Standards, and promoting Project-Based Learning.
In addition, we conducted a safety audit in the spring, and have been implementing the audit’s findings. We collaborated with the Carlsbad Police Department on an active-shooter exercise in August at Calavera Hills and have provided safety training for all teachers and staff at Back to School Professional Development in-services. We are working to bring consistency to school safety plans district-wide, with ongoing safety training and infrastructure upgrades.
One important news item from this summer concerns money for school facility repairs and updates. As you know, CUSD has provided a world class education to students in our community since 1958. But some of our schools were built more than 50 years ago and lack the modern classrooms, science labs, and instructional technology that our students need. Our older schools need upgrades to meet the same academic and safety standards as newer schools, so that all students can continue to achieve success in college and careers. As state funding for school improvements is limited, the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to place a school bond on the ballot with the goal of maintaining high-quality education and safety in our schools. Measure HH will be on the November 6, 2018, ballot to generate up to $265 million for facility repairs and updates. More info can be found here.
I hope you had a satisfying summer, and have returned to the new year refreshed and recharged. Let’s all work together to make 2018-19 the best year ever!
