Dear Parents and Community Members,

We are looking forward to a very positive 2005-06 school year.

Academic Focus Results in Significant Gains in Student Achievement
Our academic focus on literacy in reading, writing, and mathematics has resulted in four years of consecutive districtwide gains on the California Standards Test (STAR). In addition, increased numbers of high school students are taking the SAT college entrance exam, participating in Advanced Placement courses, and completing college entrance course work. These increases reflect our college readiness initiative, which strives to prepare our students to succeed in college if they choose to attend. Preparation for success in these classes and tests begins in preschool and builds over time.

Building for Success, Proposition U Bond Program
Significant progress has been made in the last twelve months in the Building for Success program for modernizing our older schools and constructing new schools. Westwood Elementary is undergoing a complete modernization effort and opened this fall with new classrooms. Midland Elementary School will have an entirely new school facility this winter. Mt. Carmel opened this September with many totally renovated classrooms. At Poway High, all of the underground utilities have been completed, and construction for a new 80,000 sq. ft. facility has begun. These new and modernized facilities are going to help support our educational mission well into the 21st century.

Hurricane Katrina is the latest in a series of factors that have led to increased construction costs. The cost of all petroleum-based products is rising significantly due to an increase in the cost of petroleum. The cost of lumber and cement has already shown a spike as efforts to rebuild the Gulf Coast get underway. We are working hard to secure additional funding to support the building program and to meet all of the commitments we made when the community passed Proposition U. We are committed to providing first-rate educational facilities for our students.

Parent Partnership with Schools A Key to Student Success
On the educational front, we want to foster an active partnership between home and school. We encourage you to work directly with your students’ teacher(s), principal, school administrators, and counselors. We know that your involvement in school makes a big difference in how well your child performs in school.

In the spirit of building this partnership, I have included a “Top Ten” list for parents compiled by the three 2005 San Diego County Teachers of the Year and recently printed in the San Diego Union-Tribune. I hope you find them helpful.

Top Ten List For Parents:

• Talk to your child daily about what he or she is doing in school.
• Make homework an important part of “home talk” and reinforce good study habits.
• Limit the amount of TV/Play Station/Nintendo time.
• Read to and/or with your kids every day.
• Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
• At home, get your child to be physically active and provide healthy snacks – a healthy kid equals a better learner at school.
• Meet your child’s teacher(s) the first week of school; attend “Open House” or “Back-to-School Night.”
• Ask the teacher how you can help your own child at home to succeed, and continue this constant communication all year long.
• Send a note to the teacher in the beginning of the year with your email address or best times to call. Good communication between teacher and parent is key.
• Volunteer any free time you have at the school; become a strong advocate for school improvement; give opinions about the operation of the school. If you speak a language other than English, know that you can find someone to help translate at the school, and don’t let that stop you from becoming an active participant in your child’s school life.

STUDENT RECOGNITION

These are examples of the fine accomplishments occurring at our schools every day.

·      2005 San Diego County Fair Results

Many Poway Unified School District students exhibited their work in the 2005 San Diego County Fair. The competition in some of these categories also includes work from community colleges as well as high schools throughout San Diego County.

The following students received top awards for their projects:

Fine Art

Pastel – Best in Class
   Westview High School: Daniel Olivas
      Instructor: Keith Opstad
Oil – Best in Class
   Westview High School: Julia Zhu
      Instructor: Keith Opstad
Tempera – First Place
   Twin Peaks Middle School: Louis Alcorn, John Eyer, Taylor Hartman,
   Jessa Tremblay
        Instructor: JJ Barlow
Tempera – Best in Class and Best in Show
   Westview High School: Caroline Shevlin
      Instructor: Keith Opstad
Tempera – Best in Class
   Twin Peaks Middle School: John Eyer
      Instructor: JJ Barlow
   Westview High School: Sarah Rose
      Instructor: Keith Opstad
Watercolor – Best in Class and Best in Show
   Westview High School: Chia Wei Chang
      Instructor: Keith Opstad
Mixed Media – First Place
   Twin Peaks Middle School: Danielle Matonis
       Instructor: JJ Barlow
Mixed Media or Other – Best in Class and Best in Show
    Westview High School: Samir Dalal
      Instructor: Kim Curler
Mixed Media or Other – Best in Class
   Westview High School: Zachary Peterson
      Instructor: Keith Opstad
Printmaking – Best in Class
   Westview High School: Keith Gross
      Instructor: Kim Curler
Other 3-D – Best in Class and Best in Show
   Westview High School: Greyson Darrow
      Instructor: Keith Opstad