Obama Speech Lesson Plans

The prez sez do gud in skool.

I was happy to get the call last night from our principal saying they would be showing Obama's speech at PEC on Tuesday. If you've been listening to the public hysteria from local and national news about the speech, you'd think kids were actually going to listen to the speech and not spend the time texting, listening to their iPod or watching the clock. The first time I remember seeing the President on TV was in Ms. Siegel's class in third grade. We watched Carter's inauguration. Through the years, I probably saw every president on TV during the school year, though those were the days when we'd pile into the auditorium to watch it on our one huge color monitor. American government is a part of nearly every grade levels state standards. Here is the link for lesson plans that go along with the speech. Not much about "whine until you persuade your parents to back my health care plan."

EUSD is going green!! (or at leasting trying to save money)

I love the sentiment, but it's not the same thing. This year, families get to print out the myriad of forms required to have their student attend school in the Encinitas Union School District in an effort to save the district money on printing. To 'go green' would be to have all of this information applied ONLINE. Another green effort would be to pass out only one Parent and Student Handbook(which looks AWESOME and will come in handy) per family, maybe just go with the youngest sibling. Maybe next year? All the districts in North County are beginning to implement (if they haven't already) online student management systems. Would you rather access the info online or is paper easier?

Who'd you get?

Class assignments are posted at Central. LOTS of changes in teacher assignments to grade levels. Change is good?! Welcome back teachers, staff and families to another great school year at the greatest school on earth! Enjoy your last rocking weekend of summer, friends, and see you Monday.

Boys in school

A great read in the Huffington Post about what it feels like to be a boy in elementary school. When I was getting my credential ten years ago, I was told 'school's are looking for men in the classroom'. At my first position in Oceanside, I found that to be true. There were at least six of us in a pretty small elementary school. In Del Mar and PEC, not so much. Having two boys in elementary school, much of this article rings true. As a classroom teacher, it pains me there are not more males in the classroom. The comments at conference time are consistent, usually from young female teachers who have no kids of there own, let alone boys. "He has a hard time sitting still." Sounds like the same report my parents got 30+ years ago!

How was your year?

Another school year gone by. It has not been an uneventful one. Adriana Chavarin's first year as principal, the state budget disaster, Mo Muir elected to the school board, Lean King retiring, a new superintendent selected - and just because students are not in school, don't think things won't be happening district wide over the break! How was your year at Central or in the Encinitas Union School District?

Open House 2009

Thank you, students and teachers for sharing your classrooms and work!

Encinitas Environment Day is this Sunday

Encinitas Environment Day is this Sunday at Cottonwood Creek Park. This will be the third year of the event and it is always good fun and educational for the whole family. The Cottonwood Creek Environmental Film Festival is running June 5-7 and has a great lineup of everything from children's films to ocean environmentalism to urban agriculture. This year's event is dedicated to the memory of Bob Nanninga.

Happy Birthday to you. Uh, me. Errr, us!

Alright, it's a little early, but on May 14 of last year, I posted the first entry on this blog. It was after a very disheartening meeting with Lean King, Dan Grider and a group of parents and teachers in the library of PEC to discuss our hopes for a principal. If you were there, you might remember there was some discussion about communication between all of us being a problem. That's where the idea for this blog came from. I appreciate you checking in and commenting over the year. The ranting, not so much. To commemorate a year, I had some work done, a little nip here, a little tuck there, you like? Thanks for spreading the word. Highlights and lowlights of the last year include:

• The hiring of Adriana Chavarin as our principal at PEC. I was impressed early on, and think she can lead this school to more great things.
• The many hours spent at Board meetings on the Hazelton's mismanagement of the Theory into Practice Academy, leading to its shutdown and displacement of a lot of families.
• The election. I supported Skiljan/Page and still think think it was the right choice, but I appreciate Mo Muir's dedication to her constituency: parents who feel they are not being heard by the board. She reminds her colleagues frequently why she is in the chair. Let's see if the board settles in to a working peace.
• Lean King's raise. Followed by his retirement announcement. Hmmmmmm.
• The budget crisis and Abby Saddat's handling of district finances like James Bond in Goldfinger driving an Astin Martin DB5 in a car chase. I wish my school district had it so together.
• How awesome Central School looks and feels with the great work of our principal, PTA, parent volunteers and, of course, students.

What's next?

• Big items for the year obviously start with what looks like the hiring of our new superintendent, Dr. Timothy Baird, and the continuing budget crisis. Special meeting is Monday, May 11 at the DO. A new era in EUSD politics or more of the same?
• I still see equity between schools as being something that we all need to look at. The Del Mar Foundation is now distributing all income equally to all schools. It might knock some people out of donating, but what gets donated will be spread equally. Can we do this with EEF?
• Aligning the ALP programs at Capri and Paul Ecke Central. The board is looking for test scores to improve at both schools. If this alignment goes well, it could make this program a bright feather in the cap of the district. If not, I don't know how long the program will exist.

What do you remember from the last year? What do you hope to see in the next?

4/21 Board Meeting Roundup

Last week's Board meeting was chock full o' information, and mostly good.

1. Congratulations Sue Liesegang, Central Teacher of the Year and Amy Leon, Central Classified Employee of the Year!

2. Superintendent search continues

• Public comment definitely hopes for parent involvement in the process.
• Mo Muir doesn't feel the consultants report was comprehensive enough.
• Cathy Regan firm that this was the job board members were elected to do.
• Debate most likely won't continue as site visit of future superintendent tentatively scheduled for next week.

3. Proposed alignment of Capri and Central Bilingual programs to move forward. More than a few parents confused, but pleased, at the district's about face on this one.

4. Technology Refresh

• Comprehensive district wide evaluation of what we have with technology versus where we are going. Technology Committee meets on Tuesday, April 27. Email Dan Grider if you are interested in participating. I am impressed with what the district has done since I've been a parent at PEC, and especially the rapid improvements in many areas since I started this blog last year. For those of you that remember the computer lab in the broom closet attached to the library in 2005, you know what I mean. Teachers are in the trenches with driving this progress, and the support of Lean King, Dan Grider and the board make it possible. In his first year in the technology position, I really believe Mike Guerena is turning it up to 11 (which is one louder than ten). Look for great things in the Encinitas Union School District with where we are headed with integrating technology into classrooms.

County Office of Education Swine Flu Information

The White House Garden

The students of Bancroft Elementary School help First Lady Michelle Obama plant the White House vegetable garden. It is great to see more and more educators nationwide getting students of all ages out into the garden. With a little water, sun and TLC the First Family's garden might look as good as our two awesome gardens at PEC!

Third time the charm?

The garden that greets students, staff and visitors walking into Central School has had a few makeovers since it was put in last fall. This time, though, it looks like the garden might actually survive direct sunlight through the day. Thanks to Mrs. Chadwick's hard working third grade class and a few awesome parent volunteers   (full disclosure - I'm married to one of said awesome parent volunteers) the  west side of the garden has been weeded and replanted with plants more adapted to the climate. Next up, the east side of the garden which will be completed by another classroom. Awesome work third graders!

Earth Hour - Live Feed

Homework: Bringing families together.

I'm no fan of homework and have posted about my disdain for homework before. I don't give it out as a teacher, and don't expect it to come home with my kids. My feeling is, if I'm not getting it done with students in the classroom, then I need to look at my use of time when I'm teaching. When I was teaching sixth grade a few years ago, I had many conversations with my colleagues about my reasons for not giving homework. They felt I was not preparing my students for the rigors of middle school. My response was that I'm preparing students for the curriculum of middle school, not building up their endurance for homework. As a result of those conversations, I ended up spending a day observing at a local middle school to see just what the expectations for homework were. Talking to some of my students who had moved on to seventh grade, many informed me that their homework was in fact less than it was in sixth grade. In speaking to the principal, he said the San Dieguito Union High School District was beginning (this would have been three years ago) to have teachers look at the necessity of the homework they were assigning. To quote this principal "We just aren't sure than students need to color in a map for social studies every night." For those of you who haven't, read The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn. This post was sparked by this article in the LA Times today on homework. Advocate for your kids. Despite what many of my colleagues might say, there is a difference between study skills and homework.

Superintendent Forum Tonight!

There will be an open forum at the EUSD DIstrict Office tonight. Rene Townsend and Mike Caston of the consultant firm Leadership Associates are heading the search. You can email Rene Townsend at renetown@cox.net and Mike Caston at mwcaston@cox.net with your hopes of what you want in a superintendent if you can't make the forum.

A parent spoke at last Tuesday's board meeting about her concern about the lack of transparency in the superintendent selection process, and specifically her concerns about contributions made by Rene Townsend to sitting board members campaigns possibly leading to Leadership Associates hiring. Whether those allegations are true, I don't know but I do know Del Mar Union School District went through the same process last year, and the process is the same. One of the board members at the February board meeting said something to the effect of "This is the main job the board is elected to do." The process needs to be timely and effective. My district went almost a year without a superintendent, which is possibly the reason why the budget is hitting us so hard. Make the forum if you can, definitely email your hopes and expectations, and expect our elected officials to keep our kids best interests as their top priority.

Pink Friday, March 13 - Wear pink to show support for your school!

I heard district wide Encinitas is giving 'pink slips', basically layoff notices, to 18 teachers. Three of them are at Paul Ecke Central. That is actually a very low number compared to the rest of the county and state. In Del Mar alone, 75 teachers district wide are receiving pink slips. These are dark days for education as the economy continues to slide. Wear pink to support your school and teachers. Do what you can to help keep programs in our school and remember this mess on election day!
Find more videos like this on Pink Friday

Board Meeting Tomorrow Night

It looks like EUSD board meetings are about to get exciting again, kind of like the good ol' TIP days. Lean King has announced his retirement. Though I have my issues with Dr. King, the timing of switching superintendent's mid-stream during a very dire budget crisis could have waited maybe a year or two. On the other hand, maybe this tough economy is going to drive a new kind of superintendent right into the arms of the district. If  you haven't been happy with the way the way the district has been run, now is the time to let the Board know what you are looking for. I can't imagine they are happy with King's decision at this critical time, and hopefully will also be open to change rather than more of the same. For me, equity continues to be the number one issue that this district needs to address. King has been content to let school's be their own fiefdom with varying practices of standards and priorities. Randy Goodson, president of the Encinitas Educational Foundation has outlined perfectly what many of us have felt in dealing with 'the King' over the years. I have posted his email below. 


Hi Everyone,

I am writing to encourage you all to show up on Tuesday evening, 6pm, at the EUSD Board Room to briefly share your thoughts on your hopes for the new Superintendent (or offer support for others who speak). I understand that Dr. King may be heavily involved in the selection of his replacement and strongly believe that this would be a missed opportunity to return the District to a spirit of openness with a fiscal focus on the students...NOT THE PARENTS!

As President of the Encinitas Educational Foundation over the past two years, I have found myself at odds with the Superintendent and District over funding and fiscal issues, and have heard many stories that should concern every parent in the District.

For example:

- The District instituted a policy requiring all consultants hired by either EEF or PTA's to be paid the same rate of about $30 per hour, even when some were hired and agreed to work (for music or P.E. classes) for less, often half as much. Now, those schools may be forced to terminate the services because they can't afford this bureaucratic bonus dictated by the Disctrict.

- The District also asked EEF to pay teacher overtime for non EEF events because money was in the account.

- The District has notified EEF that some schools will be required to pay for all pencils and supplies because the District (with 27 administrator's or so) does not have the money.

- Dr. King has repeatedly told the PTA and EEF that it needs to be prepared to carry a much higher financial burden because the State is going to be reducing it's budget. This is not and was not actually TRUE because most of the District's funding comes directly from local property taxes rather than from State funding. While property tax receipts are expected to be going down, Dr. King only focused on getting parents to lobby the Govenor for more money by providing false and/or misleading information to EEF and the PTA.

Dr. King has created an environment that freezes concerned parent's, and often teacher's too, out of any involvement or participation in the discussions necessary to make sure the best decisions are considered when our children's education is concerned.

While I think that the Board of the EUSD has the best intentions, there is only so much they can do when the information necessary to make decisions is controlled so tightly and open discussion is prevented and even squashed. Anyone who has ever attended a "meeting" with Dr. King knows how difficult it is to do more than listen. In fact, the monthly PTA President's meetings have turned into talk show host presentations, now that no issues can be raised that have not been placed on the agenda by Dr. King. In fact, seven of our nine Principles have left the District in the past couple of years and some of the replacements are less than stellar but had the necessary resume of being loyal friends of Dr. King (and they will be achieving tenure within the next year).

Many of us have been resigned to doing the best we can under the circumstances while hoping to avoid being ostracized by our school's administration. NOW, THE KING IS LEAVING AND WE ALL HAVE THE CHANCE TO MAKE A CHANGE.

Please show up and tell the Board what you want for your children and the District. Please forward this email to all the parent's you know.

Sincerely,

Randy Goodson


ps. Dr. King left the District because after having worked for EUSD for four years he can retire, since he is now 62, and receive his full salary for life. We know who is paying this bill...our children!

Please spread the word about the EUSD Observer blog and comment or email me with your thoughts. The EUSD administration reads the blog and wants to know what parents and teachers want in a superintendent.

Thank you, Bob Nanninga

As I drove down the coast this morning looking for surf, I drove past the farmer's market setting up at Central School, Cottonwood Creek Park, the new library, Milk playing at the La Paloma and the SRF. All the while thinking, is there a better place to live? Got some fun waves this morning and came home. My wife told me the news about Bob Nanninga passing. He is one of the many great people in our community that was never satisfied with the status quo. Thank you Bob for working tirelessly for the kids and residents of Encinitas. Think globally, act locally!

A Poem by Central mom Celia

From Orpheus Park

Once upon a time, not too long ago
At Orpheus park where us young moms would go
We’d stand ‘round lamenting about the day’s heat
Saying,“When these trees grow up tall, this place will be neat!”

And those lame sticks grew into some lovely shade trees
And provided such coolness and swayed the breeze
Then the City came in with it’s big buzzing saws
Without any consult, without any pause

And cut ten of our trees without our consent
Though the neighboring people knew just what it meant
Claiming no prior knowledge of the felling of trees
“Well, gee what a great view… 180 degrees!”

And people are saying things about our tree sitter
Oh, “He’s a big liar.” or “He is a quitter.”
He’s a wonderful man who got up in our tree
And took on our issue in our absentee

And whether he’s crazy, a liar or not
The point’s that OUR people don’t like us a lot
My faith in my city has really been marred
For them to treat us with such ill disregard

And speaking of Andrew he taught my young girls
That beliefs stand for something in this unfair world
About peaceful protest and keeping up hopes
And even a little ‘bout climbing up ropes

He welcomed the kids in his sweet little fort
To and from school they’d hold Tipu tree court
Reading books, eating fruit and discussing “green” things
Wonderful, happy Orpheus kings and queens

Please, he’s not the bad guy, stop pointing those fingers
When he is forgotten the stink will still linger
As the problem lies here in our own paradise
With leaders that long ago fixed their own price

And perhaps maybe this time it wasn’t your cause
About which the council made up some new laws
And with the exception of the new gal, Ms. Barth
They relished in playing their big bully parts


After laughing at us and our tree loving ways
When your time comes, not a finger they’ll raise
You’ll see that these people who represent us
Will, in their own interest, throw you under a bus.

It’s sad that their using this to make us take sides
When we’re all Encinitans and have great city pride
A sad lesson for kids about having no voice
But trust me, they’re learning ‘bout candidate choice

Well, the big storm came in and the rain poured from heaven
And they showed up on Monday and took number eleven
And now, to be honest, my heart hurts inside
Some sad disappointment replacing some pride

And the Orpheus Park sweat that dripped down our backs
Is back once again due to our city hacks
The condos are happy that they have their view
And though kids lost their shade, at least they had Jru.

Happy Birthday Abe and Charlie!

Sixth grade parents be afraid.....be very afraid.

I bear not think about what '.ings' will be going on when my 6 year old starts high school. Ugh.

The Milagro Tipu Tree War

Wow. I cut down a tipu in my yard a while ago because I was worried it was going to break into my septic tank. Good thing I kept it on the down low. Central kids are getting a first hand and hands on lesson in civil disobedience from Andrew. I think it's awesome that teachers took classes up there. That is called a 'teachable moment' in edu-speak. Unfortunately, Lean King wasn't too happy with the use of time, saying "that students can learn about community activism but can't join a rally on school time." Hopefully he wasn't too hard on the PEC administration and staff. This ongoing episode is reminding me of The Milagro Beanfield War. 

Character Counts

I got to attend the Character Counts award assembly on Friday. This month's theme was 'fairness' and one of my boys was recognized for being fair!  Character education is required curriculum in California and different organizations offer different materials for it, the Seven Traits of Character being one of them. With all the weight put on kids, teachers, schools and districts to get those test scores up and meet NCLB, character education often gets left in the dust. Just ask Bernie Madoff's teacher. I was especially impressed with Principal Adriana Chavarin's presence and clear enjoyment of getting to reward PEC kids for their effort. To close the assembly, teachers joined in with students to do the character counts song. PEC then made the local news later in the day when students visited a tree sitter protecting a Tipu tree set for removal in Orpheus Park, a park much of the school community walks through and that classes visit regularly. The comments from the article in the UT are pretty funny. I was stoked my oldest son came home and said they got to sing some Dylan songs with Jru today. Time to bust out Dr. Seuss' Lorax for a reread.

Digital Natives pt. 19

Great article in the New York Times on how kids use YouTube and whether or not it is the next Google. Though I don't let my kids use it unsupervised, we also use YouTube for a million and one things now, and not just watching what you can do with Mentos and Coca-Cola. Current events, how-to's and definitely, as the article demonstrates, how to use YouTube to research getting past the next level of Super Mario Galaxy on your Wii!

PEC garden: Take two

From PEC garden take 2

From PEC garden take 2

From PEC garden take 2

Back in early October I posted about the garden on the entry into PEC. I thought the plant selection was not thought out and anticipated it wouldn't last. I was right and thought it didn't seem possible at the time, the new choice is even worse. It looks like the new garden will be juniper and that succulent/weed that fills medians in every punchout development in southern California. Doesn't a school as unique (oldest, only school that can smell seawater, stones throw from the old train depot aka Panikkin) deserve something a little more, well, Leucadia? Maybe the third attempt will be all varieties of poinsettia, furnished by the Ecke estate! 

January 13 Board Meeting Agenda/December Meeting Minutes

Feliz Año Nuevo!

Despite my optimism for regime change in the new year, Governor Schwarzenegger's budget plan released last night called for $5 billion (that's the illion with a B) in cuts for public education, including cutting the school year by 5 days. At the last Board meeting, the news from Abby Saadat, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, was that the worst is yet to come. Well, here it comes. Stay tuned and make sure your voice is heard.