Community Partnerships for Student Wellness
Partnerships are essential to our success in Carlsbad schools. We are fortunate to have the outstanding support of the city, county, and community as, recognizing the social emotional needs of our students, we aim to provide a safe and nurturing place where each and every student can thrive.
Carlsbad Unified schools offer programs, such as Sanford Harmony, that teach students ways to build strong relationships, solve problems, and develop healthy social emotional attributes. We are a Kids For Peace district, and believe that Kindness Matters. But we also understand that there are threats to the safety of our students—violence, isolation, negative social media, vaping, drugs—and that we need access to all of the resources and expertise of our community to protect our students.
The City of Carlsbad and the Carlsbad Police Department work with us to provide School Resource Officers to keep our campuses safe. Our School Resource Officers, the San Diego County Office of Education, and the Vista Community Clinic provide presentations on the dangers of vaping to students in 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th grades, and offer training to their parents.
Many of our parents are rightly concerned about the dangers that lie in our children’s electronic devices. Cyber expert Jon Moffat offers parent workshops with up-to-date information on online safety—including trends, new apps, social media—to protect children. Additionally, we’ve implemented the Common Sense Media curriculum for digital citizenship for all students.
Our schools also work actively with the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce. Several students who have overcome obstacles to achievement have already been honored through the Chamber’s new Rising Star Student of the Month program.
As another layer of community support, Interfaith Services provides a network of assistance in North County. It funds a case manager on site at Carlsbad High School to help provide resources for students facing individual problems including social emotional issues, homelessness, and academic performance. North County Lifeline provides training for our students on suicide awareness and prevention.
In its “Start With Hello” program, Sandy Hook Promise trains middle school students to make positive connections and to build a culture of inclusion at school, in order to protect children from negative behaviors and gun violence.
Our Live Well partner, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, brings a broad range of health and social services to our campuses, and will be holding a Carlsbad Community Connect event in March for administrators, counselors, psychologists, and key student leaders.
MiraCosta College (MCC), Cal State San Marcos (CSUSM), and our other higher education partners provide outstanding educational opportunities for our high school students. They go the extra mile to offer support such as free tuition (MCC), guaranteed admission for students meeting certain criteria (CSUSM), campus tours, college and career awareness, and other supportive services to help students succeed.
The Rotary Club is another valuable partner. It supports AVID students with a seminar at the Carlsbad Sheraton Resort Hotel, where students enjoy breakfast with Rotary members and learn about leadership and careers; and it hosts an annual Christmas Party for elementary principals and selected students. The Rotary also gives scholarships to deserving students.
Similarly, the Carlsbad Parks and Recreation Department and the Boys and Girls Club run the fun and exciting Mini March Madness basketball tournament for 5th grade boys and girls. The Boys and Girls Club also offers a variety of other positive activities for students. And the New Village Arts theater, through a grant from Wells Fargo and in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club, invites middle and high school students to attend theatrical productions and learn about theater careers.
We appreciate all that these and many other community partners do to help our students with the challenges they face. Our world will be the better for these connections.
