South Bay Union School District
Community Newsletter
March/April 2018
Superintendent's Message

Dear South Bay Parents/Guardians and Community Members,

We are excited to announce that South Bay Union has entered into a partnership with United Through Reading (UTR) to be a host site for their program. Please click here for more information about UTR, which offers military service members - parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts - who are deployed or otherwise separated from their families, the opportunity to be video recorded reading a story aloud to their children. The recording session is then burned onto a DVD and given to the family so it can be watched whenever the children need some focused time with their loved one. Imperial Beach Charter School is only the second elementary school to act as a host site for UTR.

UTR is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public benefit organization that has served military families for more than 28 years. UTR's mission is to unite military families facing physical separation by facilitating the bonding experience of reading aloud together. UTR offers service members the opportunity to be video-recorded reading storybooks to their children at home which eases the stress of separation, maintains positive emotional connections, and cultivates a love of reading and early childhood literacy. Since inception, more than 2 million military parents, spouses, and children have benefited from the program.

If there is a service member in your family who will be deployed or otherwise separated soon and would like to take part, please email the following information to acooper@sbusd.org :
  • Parent Name
  • Student Name
  • Student Home School
  • Parent Phone Number
You will be contacted by our parent coordinator, Amy Cooper, to arrange a filming session not to exceed thirty minutes. There will be assorted books available to choose from for reading, but you are free to bring a favorite book from home. Filming will always be done in private, and will take place in the Imperial Beach Charter School Library.

We are pleased to offer this opportunity to our military families. Thank you for your service and support of South Bay!

Sincerely,


Katie McNamara
Katie McNamara, Ed.D.
Superintendent 
Nutrition
My Plate: A Guide for Healthy Eating

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) created MyPlate to help us make healthier food choices. The goal is to get people to think about building a healthy plate with more nutritious, balanced meals . The colorful plate illustrates the 5 food groups that are the building blocks for a healthy diet: vegetables, fruits, grains, protein foods, and dairy.



Vegetables have many of the vitamins and minerals kids need for good health, are naturally low in calories, and contain fiber . For best nutrition, serve a variety of vegetables to your family each week. You can use fresh, frozen, or canned veggies.

Fruits contain necessary nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. You can use fresh, frozen, or canned fruit - packed in juice rather than syrup. Choose 100% fruit juice.

Grains include any food made from wheat, oats, cornmeal, barley, or other grain. Bread, tortillas, cereal, rice, and pasta belong in this group. At least half of the daily grains kids eat should be whole grains.

Protein Foods help us build and maintain body tissues. Protein-rich foods include beef, poultry, seafood, dry beans and peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds. Soy products like tofu and veggie burgers are also good sources of protein. When eating meats, choose lean or low-fat options.

Dairy include milk and other dairy products, such as yogurt and cheese, and calcium-fortified soy milk. Dairy products have vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium for healthy bones and teeth.
 
How to make it work for you
When you look at MyPlate, you notice that vegetables and fruits should take up half the plate and grains and protein foods take up the other half. But you might be wondering: do I have to serve all the food groups at each meal? Do I have to give my kids veggies for breakfast? After all, it might be hard enough to get kids to eat them at lunch or dinner. If breakfast or lunch do not include a veggie or fruit, try giving them at snack time. The goal is to think of the plate as an entire day's worth of food. So, throughout the day, try to make half of what your kids eat vegetables and fruits, and the other half grains and protein foods. And remember that MyPlate is not just for kids, but for adults too - and kids who see their parents eating better are more likely to do so themselves.
School Highlight - Emory

Dream, Create and Give Back Project
Students in Mr. Kinnamon, Mrs. Pehrson and Mrs. Perkins' classrooms dreamed and created inventions to make our world a better place and to give back to the community.  Students considered the needs of animals, humans, the environment, and the unknown future to create a "Care Cart" that doubles as a tented bed designed to support people without homes, "PocSocks" socks with a built-in pocket to store money and valuables, "Listerclean" a refined mouthwash bottle designed to minimize the spread of germs, as well as numerous other projects meant to clean our ocean, drinking water and air. The goal of the event was to create sparks of imagination, promote innovation happening in and around our school, our town, and our world.
 
Travel the Silk Road
Students in grades K-3 had the opportunity to Travel the Silk Road with Emory 6th grade students as their guides. Thanks to support from the SBUSD Education Foundation, students created camels, ships and costumes. The event brought to life the stories of the people who traveled from Asia to the Middle East. Kudos to teachers Mr. Benson, Mrs. Major, Mrs. Molina and Mrs. Valdivia for providing this opportunity for the Emory community.

     
Keep in Touch!
Information and Events

South Bay has many ways for families and community members to learn about District and school news, events, announcements, meetings, and much more!  
You may also access the social media accounts for individual schools:
South Bay's Got Talent
District Event

South Bay's Got Talent is on Friday, May 18 at 6:00 PM in Burress Auditorium at the District Office.  The event is made possible through the generous sponsorship of the SBUSD Education Foundation.
 
The evening will include student performances from every school, displays of visual artwork, food, and much more.  Please save the date for this wonderful showcase of student talent and celebration of the arts!

 
 
Important Dates

April 19 - School Board Meeting
May 10 - School Board Meeting
May 22 - Retirees/Service Awards
May 24 - School Board Meeting/Distinguished Scholars
May 28 - Memorial Day (No School)
June 5 - Last Day of School
Contact:
Amy Cooper
acooper@sbusd.org