10/1/2019
Dear Wiseburn Families and Friends,
I am excited to share that the first month of school has been a tremendous success. Our teachers and staff members prepared their rooms beautifully to welcome our students to the 2019-2020 school year. I was joined by our Board of Trustees at our Back to School Nights and I am always amazed by the work happening in the classrooms. Every room I visited, and I made it to almost each one, was welcoming and inspiring. Our students are hard at work and being challenged by a group of dedicated educators daily. I would like to extend a very special thank you to our PTAs who presented at their respective Back to School Nights and managed to coordinate the first fundraisers of the year. The Wiseburn Education Foundation was present at each of the Back to School Nights and shared their vision and plans for the year, to include the capital campaign. Our parent groups are second-to-none and help make Wiseburn a great place for students to grow and learn and for educators to work.
This year Wiseburn is engaging in a Long-Range Facilities Master Plan (LRFMP) facilitated by the architectural firm LPA. We will continue to maintain and strive for learning spaces that promote student engagement, inquiry, connectedness, and Future Ready Skills. We know that the jobs of today will not be the jobs of tomorrow and this dynamic time in history requires innovative and methodical approaches to teaching and learning. With a diverse group of stakeholders from our school sites and from the greater Wiseburn community, we can ensure that the future of our district and the future of our students remains strong. In conjunction with the LRFMP, we have also engaged with Actus Consulting to conduct a thorough safety audit of our sites. Mr. David Klug assessed each of our school sites and provided some recommendations that we will include in our LRFMP. As you may have noticed, some of the recommendations have already been implemented such as the Raptor Visitor Entry System and our Mandatory Volunteer Training. I understand this can cause volunteers to spend a bit more time preparing to volunteer on our sites, but please know it is in the best interest of safety for all our students and staff.
On the theme of safety, I would also like to take this time to discuss student safety as it relates to students coming to and from school. The beginning of the academic year is always an exciting time and it is important to ensure our students commute to and from school is just as safe as their time with us during the school day. I am asking for all our families to please exercise an abundance of caution as you approach the school sites by car and by foot. Traffic can be an issue as the school day starts so I encourage our families to plan in advance and prepare as much as possible the night before, so students arrive to their campuses feeling relaxed and ready to learn. Please also share the importance of walking to and from school in pairs or groups and to always be alert. Cell phones and other devices can be dangerous distractors for pedestrians, especially in areas of heavy traffic. Lastly, please encourage any student rolling or riding to school to do so with a helmet.
I appreciate your partnership and wish you a great and safe month of October.
Sincerely,
Blake Silvers, Ed.D.
Superintendent
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Hi. I’m Lorrie Cariaga! I’m so excited to be the COTSEN mentor this year at Cabrillo School focusing on Writer’s Workshop. I’ve been teaching for 18 years in first grade in which 17 years were spent at Cabrillo Elementary. I was a COTSEN fellow in CGI math and when the opportunity came for a second round in Writer’s Workshop, I was overjoyed. I’ve always had a passion for writing but writing in a workshop format really intrigued me. I attended Teacher’s College at Columbia University in New York to receive training from Lucy Calkin’s units of study.
When thinking about my why this year it’s this: To ignite the passion for learning, to build enthusiasm, and perseverance for students, teachers, COTSEN fellows, and for myself. In addition, to use writing as forum for students to reveal their truth, to be vulnerable, and to push for depth. It is a privilege to do what I do here at Cabrillo, and I can’t wait to see what’s yet to come!
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What's Happening at Wiseburn...
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Jennifer Williams Awarded LACOE'S Teacher of the Year!
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We would like to extend our sincerest appreciation and congratulations to Jennifer Williams who was one of the Top 16 Teachers of the Year for Los Angeles County. When asked about receiving her reward, Jennifer Williams said, "I am so fortunate to be a part of the Wiseburn Family. I have grown so much in my years in Wiseburn and I have learned so much from my students and colleagues. It is a tremendous honor to be named one of the Los Angeles County Teachers of the Year but it is not one that I earned alone. I owe everything to the amazing students, teachers, and administration that have supported me along the way. Thank you all for being part of my journey!" Dr. Silvers shared, "Jennifer is an outstanding teacher and educator. She deserved this recognition and we are lucky she shares her gift and love of teaching with the Wiseburn community."
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Facilities Master Plan Committee
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The Facilities Master Plan Committee (FMPC) is a group that consists of a broad representation of key stakeholders in the District and our local community. The committee will assist in developing the visioning concepts, guiding principle themes, input on the conceptual school site master plans and prioritization of proposed projects to bring forward to the Board of Trustees as a recommendation. On September 16th, the FMPC met with our architectural team from LPA for the first of five committee meetings. The committee will meet monthly with the final meeting at the end of March. For the first meeting, the architectural team explained to the committee the goals and structure of the Facilities Master Plan process and asked for input on the initial visioning concepts and goals for the plan.
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As the Wiseburn Unified School District gears up for another outstanding school year, student engagement through the lens of STEM education remains a focus. STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning offers the potential for innovative ways to inspire students through Robotics, Hackathon Challenges, Girls Who Code and Society of Women Engineers organizations, and the Vex Tower Takeover challenge. The energy surrounding STEM education is electrifying. Students are thrilled to learn about robotics and engineering as an exciting way to utilize mathematical and design processes while collaborating with their peers, each relying on the other as they work together through productive struggle and shared successes.
With volunteer support from Chevron, the Boeing Corporation, the Wiseburn Education Foundation, DaVinci Science Robotics Team Outreach, parents and staff, each of these STEM opportunities provide transformative learning experiences for WUSD TK-8 students. Each event creates an engaging, hands-on environment that
empowers students in developing the knowledge and skills they need to thrive and further supports real-world learning.
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Hello Wiseburn Family! The CARE Team has been busy getting our new, evidence-based, tiered counseling model set up and we are excited to say that it is up and running! We are identifying and implementing supports at three different levels: school-wide (Tier 1), selected students who benefit from additional skill-building (Tier 2), and students who benefit from more intense services and resources (Tier 3). Our process began with reaching out to parents of students who were receiving services last year and holding meetings at each elementary school to introduce ourselves to parents and caregivers. Since school has started, we have been building relationships with teachers/staff, students, families, and community members; attending school events like Back to School Night, and addressing student concerns through our updated counseling referral process. We are well on our way to promoting a fun and healthy school culture, where all students learn and thrive!
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Anza held their Annual Pizza Picnic Family Night on Friday, September 27. Families were invited to bring blankets, chairs, and anything else needed to relax on this fun family night. This was a great opportunity for the Anza community to come together, to eat and dance. Entertainment was provided by Christy Lane. She encouraged dancing by teaching students, parents and teachers different dances of the decades. Next month, Anza will continue to enhance student safety, by having an anti-bully awareness campaign. Students will also participate in The Great California Shakeout , and Red Ribbon Week.
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Burnett Elementary School
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Burnett Elementary has kicked off the school year with a focus on educating the whole child and finding innovative ways to make learning relevant and meaningful. Teachers have been diligent in creating optimal learning conditions for all students. Everyday, teachers are developing critical-thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills that students need to succeed in both school and career. As cold season approaches, attendance has become a priority at Burnett, and we have set a goal to reach 98.5% daily attendance in the month of October. As a reminder, make sure to drink lots of water and wash your hands.
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Cabrillo Elementary School
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Baby Sharks and Parent Nights
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From baby sharks to parent nights to celebrating amazing teachers -- this has been an incredible (and busy!) month at Juan Cabrillo Elementary! We began the year by learning that our very own TK teacher Deb Davis had been named Wiseburn Teacher of the Year. This was just after learning that our assistant principal, Jennifer Williams, was announced as one of LA County's Teacher of the Year for her previous Cabrillo teaching experience! We are glad that our talented Cabrillo staff is being recognized and celebrated for all the exceptional work that they do! Within the classrooms, instruction quickly got underway this year, as teachers thoughtfully explained on Back to School Night. Our teachers and students have also been raving about the wonderful new music class that all Cabrillo Cubs are now able to enjoy. Furthermore, throughout September our amazing PTA was hard at work supporting many events, including Back to School Eve, CGI Math Night, a restaurant night, and most importantly, our recent Baby Shark Jog-a-thon! The jog-a-thon was a tremendous success on all counts, thanks to the countless hours spent by parent volunteers and the support and collaboration provided by our teachers. Over $29,000 was raised for PTA, which will be used to directly support student projects, programs, and field trips. And things are not slowing down! October promises several more important events, including a book fair, literacy night, family technology night, Red Ribbon Week, and the kick off of our Watch D.O.G.S. program. Fall promises to be full of activity at Cabrillo!
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Dolphins Help Dolphins
Find A Way
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Welcome back Dana Dolphins! Our campus has been going nonstop since the first day of school. WEB leaders have welcomed our new sixth graders with open arms and inviting lessons. Our newest Dolphins are getting into the groove of things at Dana, and we are excited for them to
Find A Way
, the theme for this year. The sixth and seventh graders are also getting to know their newest mini teachers in their math classes. The mini math teachers is a new program in which Dolphins help Dolphins develop their math skills in class. We showed off our P.R.I.D.E. as we welcomed sixth, seventh, and eighth grade parents back to school! Teachers were excited to meet their students' parents, and we are sure parents were excited to be back in a school desk reliving their student days. As October approaches, we are excited to travel up to the San Bernardino mountains with our sixth graders to show them just how Dolphins adventure and flourish in the mountains. Then we return to get our spook on this year with PTSA at Spooktacular!
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Wiseburn Child Development Center
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Fall is here! The WCDC had a great start to the year. Thank you for your support during this first month of school. Students are having fun, and we are looking forward to watching your children learn and grow throughout this year!
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Upcoming Site Specific Events
Anza WCDC:
Pre-K Field Trip
We are excited to be taking our Pre-K students on their first field trip of the new school year. We will be taking them to Scooter’s Jungle for a morning full of fun.
Before and After School Yoga for Kinders:
We are excited to be starting our yoga program for kinders this month. We will be working on stretching, breathing and calming techniques.
Pre-K and Before and After School Fall Festival
On Thursday, October 31st, we will be having our annual Fall Festival. There will be food, dancing, music, games and the Pre-K program will walk in the Juan de Anza Elementary Costume Parade.
Cabrillo WCDC:
Preschool Program
The preschool program is excited to join the Cabrillo School Halloween Parade on October 31st at 10:30 AM.
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Meet Melanie Mack,
Executive Director of the
Wiseburn Ed. Foundation
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Melanie Mack is the CEO of Identity Management, LLC. She has more than 20 years of experience as a fund development professional and project manager/producer of intimate to large scale events having worked for several organizations including Union Rescue Mission, Weingart Center Association, New Directions for Veterans, and Angels Gate Cultural Center. Melanie has an unwavering passion for service to underserved communities (particularly women and girls) and entertainment. She has a practical understanding of challenges and daunting responsibilities of implementing and executing a vision while delivering measurable results. She has raised $12 million through her sphere of influence. Her duties in leadership include involvement in creating and facilitating strategic plans, soliciting major gifts, and marketing/ rebranding.
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Please click on the flyer to register for the Stargazing Night event.
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Please click on the flyer above to download the form.
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October 3:
- Cabrillo Family Literary Night, 6:30 PM
October 4:
- Burnett Movie Night, 6:00 PM at the Brann Center
- WEF Stargazing Night, 6:30 PM at Dana MS
October 9:
- Wiseburn USD Board Meeting, 7:00 PM at the District Board Room
October 10:
- Cabrillo Family Tech Night, 5:30 PM
October 16:
- Da Vinci Schools Board Meeting, 6:00 PM at the District Board Room
October 21-October 25:
- 3rd-5th Grade Parent-Teacher Conference
October 24:
- Wiseburn USD Board Meeting, 7:00 PM at the District Board Room
October 25:
- Dana PTSA's Annual Spooktacular Event, 5:30 PM
October 31:
- Burnett Halloween Parade, 9:00 AM
- Cabrillo Halloween Parade, 10:00 AM
- Anza Halloween Parade, 10:20 AM
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WISEBURN UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
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