September 18, 2022
The all-volunteer Escondido Education Foundation spends countless hours supporting the innovative learning happening in our schools, particularly through the annual Dr. Mike Caston Innovation Awards. Over the years, these awards have funded a diverse range of programs created by EUSD certificated and classified professionals, such as Glen View’s “Lunch Bunch” to support positive social interactions through games; Reidy Creek’s “Working Together to Explore and Wonder” to support communication and collaboration as students conduct investigations; Rose’s “Secret Stories” to support phonics patterns in writing; and many more.
Foundation volunteers are excellent friends of education – as well as fabulous hosts of lively, creative fundraising events. I invite you to join me at their next event, Thrift Shop Couture Fashion Show, scheduled for 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, October 1, at Trinity Episcopal Church in the Old Escondido neighborhood. Tickets are $40 or $75 for a pair. For details and ticket purchase, visit the foundation website. Attendees who bring a school supply to donate will be entered into an opportunity drawing. The foundation welcomes parents, colleagues, and community members to this fun afternoon!
Here are this week’s updates and reminders.
Work with EUSD: If you are looking for meaningful work in a vibrant, diverse community, then be sure to save the date for the next EUSD hiring fair on Tuesday, September 27. Human Resources team members will be on hand to guide individuals through the application process for numerous essential full- and part-time positions across the district. The hiring event is scheduled for 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the district office, 2310 Aldergrove Avenue. Applicants may be eligible to receive a tentative job offer at the event, contingent upon necessary prescreening and clearances. Pre-register and get additional details on Eventbrite. On-campus and district office positions include paraeducator, nutritional assistant, noontime supervisor, custodial staff, bilingual school clerk, administrative analyst, licensed vocational nurse, school library technician, orientation assistant fluent in Farsi, Mandarin, or Qʼanjobʼal, bilingual family liaison, teachers, and more. Employees who work more than five hours a day are eligible for enrollment in EUSD benefits and retirement programs. Find details on all employment opportunities here.
App software update: Apptegy, our website and app platform provider, has released a new software update for the EUSD app and communication tool Rooms. The app should update automatically, but based on individual device settings, users may need to go to the Apple App Store or Google Play store to update the app. This software release improves functionality in messages being displayed and fixes issues that resulted in users receiving errors when attempting to send a message. Additional feature requests are still pending, including improved translation for Rooms based on phone settings and analytics. For EUSD families who have not yet connected with Rooms, please contact your school.
i-Ready assessments: i-Ready diagnostic assessments are underway for all students in Kindergarten through 8th grade. i-Ready is an online learning program for reading and math that assists teachers in determining a student’s needs, personalizing student learning, and monitoring student progress throughout the school year. Once students complete the assessments, they receive their individualized learning path that includes learning activities to practice reading and math skills at their level that they can access on their iPad at school and at home. These individualized learning assessments are program-generated according to their progress on previous learning paths and diagnostic assessments. Students participate in i-Ready diagnostic assessments three times during the school year – September-October, December-January, and April-May. The latest results for your student will be shared at parent-teacher conferences in October. This video explains more about i-Ready assessments and customized instruction.
– Luis Rankins-Ibarra. Superintendent of Schools