(April 3) The San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) issued the following announcement today:

A Distance Learning plan for all students in the San Diego Unified School District is officially set for a soft launch on Monday, April 6.

The district received the final support necessary after reaching a Tentative Agreement with the San Diego Education Association (SDEA). The district now has the full backing of stakeholders to provide all students with the opportunity to finish the school year they started months ago while providing teachers with the professional resources they need.

“This emergency may change the way we operate, but it will not change who we are as educators or who we are as a district,” said Superintendent Cindy Marten. “Our commitment from the beginning of the current health crisis was to find a way to keep students safe, while still providing them the opportunity to continue their education. We made the decision to close schools to protect students -- before the state required us to do so, and from that moment forward, thousands of dedicated professionals in the district have been working nonstop to come up with a plan to connect students with their teachers.”

San Diego Unified is the state’s largest district to announce a plan to return formal grading and instruction. Those changes will take effect following the soft launch period, which runs from April 6-24. Districts around the state are still working to transition to online and graded instruction. 

“This agreement reflects our shared commitment to continue serving students under some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable,” said SDEA President Kisha Borden.

Starting April 6, computers and/or internet access will be provided to all district students who need them, and teachers will begin communicating with students online. For the three-week period between April 6 and April 24, students will be given credit for work that is done, although material will not be graded. On April 27, graded instruction will resume for traditional schools, and May 11 for year-round schools, for the remainder of the academic year.

For students in TK-12 who need a computer, Chromebooks will be available for check-out, depending on where students attend school, at the following high schools: Clairemont, Crawford, Hoover, Lincoln, Morse, San Diego High and Scripps Ranch. Families will receive information this weekend on when and where to pick up their Chromebooks.

The San Diego Unified School District announced today its plan to implement distance learning, beginning on April 6 with full implementation by April 27. Schools will remain closed until further notice.

The announcement from the district is below:

The state’s second-largest school district has announced plans to save the remainder of the academic year, while continuing efforts to protect staff, students and their families from the COVID-19 pandemic. San Diego Unified will return to instruction next month to guarantee students an opportunity to successfully complete the current academic year, even as physical school facilities will remain closed until public health officials determine it is safe for students to return to classrooms ...

“Even as our nation faces a health crisis, we can see the size of the education challenge ahead of us,” said Board President John Lee Evans. “Students are missing out on valuable learning opportunities. The current situation is unsustainable and demands a solution. The solution we are announcing today allows our students to continue their academic journey without the fear of spreading the COVID-19 pandemic.”

President Evans stressed the importance of academic continuity for all students, but especially for graduating seniors and their families. The schedule outlined today by the district will give members of the Class of 2020 the assurance they need that they will graduate, whether or not public health officials approve a return to in-classroom instruction.

The plan outlined by district leaders envisions a gradual return to academic instruction in several phases. Currently, the school district is providing online enrichment activities via the district website and a partnership with public broadcasting. That will change following the end of spring break, on April 6. At that point, teachers will begin receiving training for the move to online instruction, will work remotely with students who are able to participate, and will identify those students who are unable to take part. Work done during this time will not be graded for credit but will contribute towards students’ academic progress in the courses they are taking.

“Partnership and engagement between educators, parents and students will be the key to the success of this transition period,” said Kisha Borden, President of the San Diego Education Association. “Educators understand any solution will not be a substitute for continued classroom learning, where students can benefit from experienced instruction. For that reason, educators will need to play a major role in managing the transition to distance learning for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis.”

“We know our families are eager for their students to continue learning, and our teachers are eager to make that possible,” said Board Vice President Richard Barrera. “The soft launch on April 6 allows teachers and students the opportunity for expanded distance learning, which will grow stronger through the continued collaboration of parents, professional educators and students. We understand how critical these improvements will be, because we know children learn best in a classroom with a qualified educator. This will be a short-term solution until we can return to that best practice.”

A formal return to grading and instruction -- but not a return to the physical school environment -- is scheduled for April 27 for the 90 percent of all district students who attend schools on a traditional academic calendar.

As with students on a traditional calendar, the 10 percent of students in year-round schools will experience a soft launch of the new learning environment following spring break, which for these students ends on April 27. There will be a full return to graded instruction in year-round schools on May 11.

“From the start of the public health crisis, we have been clear about two main commitments: our students will have the chance to complete their academic year, and the opportunity to do so will be available to all of our students, no matter what challenges they face,” said Superintendent Cindy Marten.

Marten stressed that much of the plan to provide all students with the technology they will need to succeed remains in development, but the district has a head start as students already have computers available for use in the classroom. Computers, however, cannot be the whole solution given the large number of students without wifi access at home and other students who are homeless. ...

The integration of both traditional calendar and year-round schools into the return plan is one of the many adaptive challenges schools will face in the weeks ahead, Marten said. San Diego Unified serves a diverse student population, including the second largest number of special education students in the state. ...

Kyla Yu-Swanson brings art to life with her murals

Of all the ways a person can give back to their community, Scripps Ranch High School senior Kyla Yu-Swanson chooses to do so with her paintbrush.

Where others may see a bland wall, Yu-Swanson sees a vast canvas – waiting to be brought to life with a collage of native species and colorful tones thoughtfully crafted in paint.

“Creating public art is Kyla’s quiet yet bold way of changing the world,” said Lois Yu, the artist’s mother. “Her murals beautify and celebrate the communities she created them for. And her designs reflect and raise awareness of something close to her heart: the life and beauty in our natural world.”

Yu-Swanson’s love for working on murals started when her aunt, an artist living in New York, brought together a large group of people to paint beauty into the rusted entryway of a local health center. The family blocked out two weeks to complete the piece, but a multitude of helping hands brought the project to completion in less than four days.

“This is a good experience for personal growth and just seeing what kinds of work that you can do with art,” Yu-Swanson said. “When I was little, I wanted to be an artist, so it’s really interesting seeing how that works because I wanted to pursue that in the future. It’s also a good way to try a new kind of art and give back to various communities.”

From as young as two years old, Yu-Swanson’s mother said even her stick figures looked more advanced than the rest. When she wasn’t actively working toward being an artist, her daughter’s talents shined through, Yu said. 

“It’s something she’s done on her own and I would say it’s something she hasn’t even put a big emphasis on, but she was always very good at it,” Yu said. “She always had a very competent hand in drawing and painting.”

Among her larger pieces is a mural on the face of the UCSD field station in the Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve. Yu-Swanson described this piece as an opportunity to get in touch with her passion for environmentalism, something that inspires a lot of her work. She said it was one of her favorite pieces.

“I got really frustrated about halfway through that project because I don’t have the greatest confidence in my technical abilities. But once I got out of that rut it was actually really fun and I enjoyed especially painting all these little designs in the background,” Yu-Swanson said. “In person, it looks really cool.”

Similar to most high school seniors, Yu-Swanson is awaiting responses from universities she hopes to attend next year. Despite her love for the arts, she plans on studying a STEM-related field.

“I would like to continue doing art as a hobby,” Yu-Swanson said. “If I could find a way to make it intersect with whatever academic area I’m doing, that would be pretty cool.”

In the meantime, she is working on designing her own adult coloring book that she would like to see published sometime in the future. 

Jean Chalupsky, eighth grade English teacher at Marshall Middle School, asked her students to create these cards for those quarantined at MCAS Miramar because of the coronavirus crisis. She dropped them off March 17, St. Patrick’s Day.

Chalupsky started the project with her social justice club, which is called The Just People Club. She then had all of her classes make cards. They made more than 180 cards each time. They wanted to make the quarantine a little more cheerful for those going through the long process.

Zoe Abrahams, a parent, provided all the supplies for the cards.

Team Inspiration, based in Stonebridge Estates, won Inspire Award second place and the Finalist Alliance Award at the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Regional Championship on March 1. Out of 36 teams that competed at the Regional Championship, only three teams advance to the World Championship, and Team Inspiration is one of them. The World Championship will be held in Houston April 15-18. (This championship was scheduled but might be changed based on the coronavirus crisis)

 Not only did Team Inspiration share their experiences and knowledge locally, they shared with students in Benin, Nigeria, and Togo of Africa; and Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay of South America. In addition, they traveled to Benin and Paraguay with FRC Team Spyder to host the first national robotics competition and scrimmage in those countries.

The San Diego Unified School District announced that it is temporarily closing all schools within the district due to the coronavirus global pandemic (COVID-19) from Monday, March 16, through Monday, April 6. This includes all public schools in Scripps Ranch. Here is the official notice from district Superintendent Cindy Marten:

To All San Diego Unified Families,
The San Diego Unified School District will close all schools effective Monday, March 16. With suspected community spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in San Diego County, it has been determined that closing all schools is a prudent public health and safety measure we hope will help slow the spread of this virus. Classes will resume Monday, April 6, unless conditions call for an extended closure.

This decision was not made lightly, and it is understood that this order significantly impacts our families and stakeholders. We know our schools build and foster community for students, staff, families, and neighbors throughout San Diego. The district is working diligently to develop specific measures to ease the burden on San Diego Unified’s students, families and employees:

• San Diego Unified, in collaboration with community partners, is committed to ensuring a nutritious breakfast and lunch remain available to students who rely on school meals. We are developing a drive-thru/walk-up daily meal distribution service at designated schools to be posted on our coronavirus COVID-19 website. The health and well-being of our students is our top priority, and we want to do our part to keep students well fed.
• We are working with community organizations and districts across the state to provide learning opportunities to students during the closure. We will post information on our website with educational resources by content area and grade level.
• The district understands that many working parents will need child care, and we are working with community partners to offer safe and supervised settings for children to gather.
• Additional details about these programs will be communicated to families through School Messenger.         

In addition to the above actions, public health experts continue to emphasize the critical importance of adjusting personal behavior. Wash hands frequently with warm water and soap for 20 seconds and regularly clean frequently touched surfaces (e.g., door knobs, phones). When soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. At home, try to avoid relying on older relatives or those with underlying health conditions to care for young children who may expose them to the virus. 

Scripps Ranch High School Interim Principal Matt Lawson sent an email message to parents the evening of March 12 stating that the high school will remain open at this time in the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. He referred to health officials when explaining the reasoning for this decision. He stated that high school sports events will continue but will be “fan-free” and also listed the SRHS activities that have been cancelled. His message is below:

Dear Parents and Guardians:
San Diego Unified School District has been monitoring the COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation in San Diego County. We have been advised by public health officials that closing our schools is unwarranted at this time and could create unintended consequences that would hurt their efforts to protect our community. Because schools are considered an essential service providing meals, security and resources to children and families, schools in the District are currently remaining open. With this quickly changing public health situation, this too may be reassessed as necessary, and if so, you will be notified immediately.

We will remain vigilant and ask that you do the same. If you child is sick, please keep them home from school. If your child has respiratory symptoms and/or a fever of >100 F / >37.8 C, they should remain home from school and other activities until they have no fever for 24 hours, without fever medication. In addition, if your child has a severe productive cough (i.e., spewing respiratory droplets) that is not typical for them, they should stay home. If you feel your child may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, please contact your doctor immediately. 

We encourage you to stay informed of the situation by regularly checking updates from San Diego County Public Health Services and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

In the meantime, our focus continues to be on prevention and preparation. We have an inventory of needed supplies, our staff is trained on cleaning and disinfecting classrooms, and our nurse and health technicians are experts in watching for symptoms and providing guidance to families. 

You can support us by following these standard precautionary measures:

• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (60+) when soap is not available
• Avoid touching eyes, nose, and moth and avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Stay home when sick and call your school to report fever and respiratory symptoms
• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, throw the tissue in the trash, and clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces
• Individuals with chronic health issues and/or individuals experiencing severe symptoms should be evaluated by a medical professional.
• Continue to receive an annual flu shot

Effective immediately until April 24, school gatherings of more than 250 people will be cancelled due to concerns over possibly spreading coronavirus. In addition to other activities, this affects assemblies, field trips, conferences and dances, as well as fan participation at sporting events. Our play “Grease” has been cancelled as well as the ROTC formal on March 14th and the Spring Dance for March 21st. All musical concerts for the months of March and April have been cancelled as well. Regarding lunch, we will ask teachers to open up their classrooms for eating so students will be spread out and not together in the quad, lunch tables, gym, or library. Athletic events may continue, but are to be fan-free.

More than 80 students are about to transport Scripps Ranchers to the hallways of Rydell High thanks to an upcoming production of “Grease,” set to open on March 5.

Expect to see the musical – put on by the Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) Falcon Playhouse – like it’s never been done before, complete with 1950s cars at the show’s entrance.

The musical will feature classic songs such as “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’,” “It’s Raining on Prom Night” and “Alone at the Drive-In Movie,” according to the show’s description.

SRHS theater directorPatrick Garcia said the students aspired to express their own unique take on the production of “Grease,” which is one of the nation’s most popular musicals. This includes never-before-seen dance moves.

“Our choreographer has made a point of trying to choreograph all the dances without using some of those moves that you might see in the movie or Broadway production,” Garcia said. “It’s like, no, we’re making this ours with my actors.”

Garcia said the show is also made unique by its many moving parts.

“Everything from the actual Rydell High to Marty’s bedroom to the diner, burger place,” Garcia said. “Everything moves in and out from the stage to make it dynamic.”

The production features a cast full of Scripps Ranch High’s finest thespians, led by leads Samantha Duggan and Dylan Darwish acting as Sandy Olsson and Danny Zuko, respectively.

For Duggan, the opportunity marks her first lead.

“This is her first big role and she’s done a fantastic job with it,” Garcia said.

Garcia added that he has worked very hard to inspire students to make the most of their roles by making them their own.

“That’s the biggest thing I tell them … they have to breathe life into this character based on what they’re bringing to it as actors ... and how they see the actors and how they interpret it,” Garcia said. “So, we hope it comes across that way.”

For those looking to attend, tickets can be purchased in advance for $10 or at the door for $13. There is also a $15 VIP ticket option, and Garcia said it’s well worth the upcharge.

“To be honest with you, they’re the juicy seats where you are just at that right eye level where you can see the most,” he said.

An early morning incident involving a youngster who ran onto campus exhibiting unusual or threatening behavior at Marshall Middle School this morning, Feb. 27, during drop-off was defused by school staff. Here is the message sent to parents today by Marshall Middle School vice principals:
… we wanted to inform you about an incident on campus this morning. A student’s sibling ran onto campus and approached several students and staff members. The student was not under the influence of substances and did not have a weapon. At no time was there a threat to the safety of any students or staff members. The student’s presence did create a great deal of confusion as students were arriving on campus. We are proud of the way Marshall students followed directions and maintained calm throughout the situation. Staff members resolved the situation as quickly and efficiently as possible. No one was injured. We appreciate your support and understanding with this matter. Student safety is always our top priority.
Sincerely,
Kate Moffatt and Steve Olds
Vice Principals

Five Scripps Ranch schools grow and maintain gardens as part of San Diego Unified School District’s (SDUSD) Farm to School Program, which started 10 years ago and has become one of the most progressive Farm to School programs in the nation.

“This is a program that connects schools and local farms with the objective of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias,” said the district’s Food and Nutrition Marketing Coordinator Tara McNamara, adding that the intent is to “improve student nutrition, provide agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities.”

Throughout SDUSD, 104 schools have gardens, and 38 of those schools participate in the Garden to Café program, which allows the district to work closely with the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health to help schools establish and maintain gardens. 

“School gardens are an important component of our Farm to School Program,” McNamara said. “The Garden to Café program helps increase school meal participation because students are more excited to take from the salad bar, and actually eat what they grew.”

In Scripps Ranch, Dingeman, Jerabek, Miramar Ranch elementary schools, as well as Marshall Middle School and Scripps Ranch High School, have school gardens.

Growing, harvesting, preparing and eating their own food allows students to connect with local farmers and have a deeper appreciation of where food originates.

“At its core, this program is about establishing relationships between local foods and school children by way of including local products in school meals, incorporating food-related curriculum in the classroom and providing development and experiential learning opportunities through school gardens, farm tours, virtual farm field trip videos and nutrition education,” McNamara said.

According to Farm to School Program Educator and Specialist Janelle Manzano, there is also a YouTube channel “where most of our consistent Harvest of the Month produce have a featured virtual field trip video that showcases the farm and interviews the farmer. Teachers are encouraged to show this to their students in the classroom.”

Manzano believes that the resources available to students participating in this program will develop a healthy curiosity for food.

“Our nutrition education program benefits students by giving them the basic tools and knowledge to better connect their food to their health – not only in the school café – but wherever and whenever they make food choices,” Manzano added.

Since 2010, nearly 4 million pounds of produce has been purchased from San Diego farms, and last year alone, SDUSD purchased more than $128,000 worth of local produce and an additional $1,575,963 of California produce outside of San Diego, McNamara said.

In addition to daily salad bars filled with local produce, every Wednesday schools feature a special Harvest of the Month item from a specific San Diego farmer – such as organic kumquats, persimmons and Minneola tangelos.

The district’s Farm to School program is unique and progressive, McNamara said, adding that it allows local students of all ages to discover the “bounty of this region.”  

Parents of students received an email notification on Monday morning, Jan. 27, announcing that Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) Principal Nicole DeWitt will leave SRHS on Feb. 18 to begin a position as an Interim Instructional Support Officer for the Office of Leadership and Learning with the San Diego Unified School District. Dr. Matt Lawson will serve as interim principal, according to the message.

Here is the text of the email from DeWitt:

Dear Falcon Families,
Over the past few years, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the parents, students, and staff of Scripps Ranch High School. Scripps Ranch is an amazing place and I am truly honored to work with such a passionate community committed to providing the best possible education for our students. 

Beginning on February 18th, I will continue to support SRHS, as well as other school sites, as an Interim Instructional Support Officer for the Office of Leadership and Learning. The Interim Instructional Support Officer position is a temporary position that I have been asked to fill until a formal candidate search can be conducted. In this role, I will primarily be assisting all of the high schools in San Diego Unified and will use the knowledge I have gained as the principal of Scripps Ranch High School to collaborate with my colleagues as we work to create safe and inclusive schools where all students can learn and thrive.​​

During this time of transition, Dr. Matt Lawson will serve as interim principal. Vice Principal Roldofo Parra will continue to oversee his same responsibilities for students with last names A-L, while educational specialist, Amy Hines, will serve as an interim Vice Principal for students with last names M-Z.

The decision to move into this temporary role for the district was an extremely difficult one, however, I do look forward to continuing to support SRHS as an Interim Instructional Support Officer and will be visiting the campus throughout the remainder of this school year to assist the admin team.

Thank you for your support, kind words, and faith in my leadership. I wish all of you the very best and will continue to be part of your Falcon family!

Go Falcons,
Nicole DeWitt
Principal

Beginning this fall, Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) classes will start at 8:45 a.m., according to a message e-mailed to parents from Principal Nicole DeWitt on Jan. 15.

The San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Board approved Healthy Start Times which are now mandated by California Senate Bill 328 requiring all California high schools start classes after 8:30 a.m. Middle schools may not start before 8 a.m. under the new state law. A new start time for Marshall Middle School had not been announced as of press time.

SRHS is not the only high school affected by this ruling. SDUSD requires Healthy Start Times to begin at all high schools for the 2020-21 academic year.

The law was passed based on scientific research on teens and sleep. Studies indicated that later start times are linked to increased student attendance, improved academic performance and health. Insufficient sleep among teens has been associated with a wide variety of adverse outcomes, according to DeWitt’s message.

The memo from Principal DeWitt requested that parents of students who will attend SRHS next year start planning for the change by coordinating carpools and considering before- and after-school arrangements. The adjustments families must make range from minimal to substantial. Families in which both parents are employed may have to make considerable adjustments to ensure their students arrive to school for the new class starting time. Initial reaction from SRHS parents filled local social media pages with comments and questions.

Principal DeWitt’s message indicated that she and her staff will work with school committees to determine the end time for the school day and any altered bell schedules for the 2020-21 school year. She stated that more information will be announced in upcoming weeks.