August 27, 2023
In EUSD, every student is an Empowered Learner!
Just last week, focused students worked on scriptwriting and video editing in Mitchell DeNeve’s B-TV class at Bear Valley Middle School. In this hands-on class, students are engaged as they collaborate with classmates to produce, write, record, and edit content for a daily broadcast.
At Bernardo Elementary, students were encouraged to approach math problems by asking questions and talking with their desk partners. In Elyse Lafargue’s 2nd-grade classroom, students used comparisons and examined data to find the scale and determine the amount. Katherine Broyles’ 3rd-graders tackled multiplication by understanding arrays. A visit to a 4th-grade classroom just after recess found teacher Paul Erickson supporting his students in a conversation about kindness and forgiveness. He then opened the floor for his students to share their free-prompt poetry, telling them: “I love how fearless you are with poetry!” Down the hall, Ty Pitkin’s 4th-graders were enjoying personal reading time, with a book they chose suited to their interests.
All of this is empowered learning.
Students are curious and self-directed, they pursue their goals and interests, and navigate any challenges as they come along. They embrace a growth mindset when it comes to learning. Get to know the whole-learner outcomes and the new EUSD Learner Profile in our Framework for the Future.
Here are this week’s updates and reminders.
Elementary Enrichment Wheel: We are excited for the launch this week of our new exploratory sessions at all 17 elementary schools. Through the Elementary Enrichment Wheel, students in every grade level will explore an enrichment activity – which may include art, theatre, music, engineering, dance, robotics, health and wellness, and photography – with credentialed instructors once a week for sessions that last five to nine weeks, depending on the subject. This program promises to be rewarding for our students as it supports connection to school, and engages them in new learning opportunities. For classroom teachers, the wheel provides collaboration time that will take our lesson designing to the next level, ensuring that the engaging instruction occurring throughout our district is differentiated to meet the needs of every student. Be sure to ask your child about their first exploratory activity!
Back to school nights: Back to school nights are underway around the district. For event times and dates, be sure to check your school’s website or look for a reminder in Rooms on the EUSD mobile app.
Committee vacancies: EUSD is accepting applications to fill three vacancies on the Proposition E Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, which is composed of volunteer community representatives. The oversight committee reviews expenditures related to Proposition E, a $182.1 million bond measure approved by the Escondido City voters in 2014 to modernize school facilities. Additional details and applications for the committee positions are available online. Members serve two-year terms, for no more than three consecutive terms. Meetings are held at 5 p.m. every other month, with no more than six meetings per year. Employees of EUSD, as well as employees of district vendors, contractors, or consultants, are not eligible to serve on the committee. The application is available for download, and the completed document should be submitted by email to eusd_fac_docs@eusd.org.
Family contact information: Parents and guardians are asked during the Returning Student Registration process to update or confirm that emergency contact information is up to date. However, we realize that sometimes changes occur following this process during the school year. If you have any changes to contact names, phone numbers or addresses during the school year, please be sure to provide the updated information to your school office. As the recent tropical storm reminded us, it’s essential to have up-to-date contacts for our EUSD families in the event of an emergency.
– Luis Rankins-Ibarra, Superintendent of Schools