
Designers' Reminders
November 12, 2023

Weekly Messaging from Design39Campus
Here What's Happening in the Month of November
- November 12: Diwali
- November 14: First Grade Exhibition
- November 20: Transgender Day of Remembrance
- November 20-24: No School (Thanksgiving Break)
- November 24: Thanksgiving
Facilitators' Findings
Last week marked the culmination of our student-led conferences at Design39Campus, and we wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude to each of you for your integral role in this essential conversation regarding your learner's education. On behalf of the LEDs, your presence and active participation not only enriched the conferences but also underscored the profound commitment we share to their ongoing academic and social emotional success. Together, we form a formidable team dedicated to ensuring the success of your child at D39C and throughout their educational journey.
Your continued partnership remains at the core of nurturing your designer's academic and personal growth. Your unwavering care and support in your learner's life serve as a constant source of reassurance.
Once again, on behalf of the students and LEDs of D39C, we extend our sincere appreciation for your invaluable time, dedicated efforts, and collaborative spirit that greatly contributed to the success of student-led conferences. We eagerly anticipate your ongoing collaboration, as it is instrumental in providing the best possible education and support for our students.
Thank you for being an essential part of our learning community.
Our next Designers' Reminders will be sent out on 11/26.
Enjoy your upcoming Thanksgiving Break.
"Come Fall in Love with Music" Concert
Last week, music filled the showcase as students played xylophones, recorders, Boom whackers and buckets in a program entitled "Come Fall in Love with Music". Students from Mr. Beatty, Ms. Kelly, Cole/Ellison, Caraang, Reed/Jenkins and Lamb's entertained us with songs celebrating the season. The middle school band kept the whole thing flowing as we moved from jack-o-lanterns to Diwali. Six more classes will participate in our next show in December, hope to see you there.
Thank you again and again, Ms. Spencer, for your commitment to our young musicians for the myriad opportunities for students, staff, and families to share in their performances.
Check out the clips from concert below.
First Grade Exhibition: Animal Habitats
Animals have super powers? Why, yes they do! We call them adaptations!
Our 1st graders learned about five different habitats and took a deep dive into an animal of their choice. Collaboration, research, and inquiry were the top skills that all 1st grade students worked on these past eight weeks.
Please join us on Tuesday, November 14th at 9:30-10:15am to listen to our animal experts amaze you with their new knowledge of animals and their adaptations! Please check in at the Welcome Center and walk through the double doors on Floor B. You will start in the collab space right outside of Mrs. Vakil & Mrs. Miller’s homeroom and make your way through the halls and exit out of the double doors outside of Ms. Mina’s homeroom.
Essential Question: How do animal adaptations help them survive in their habitat?
Educators from the Korean National University of Education Visit D39C
PUSD and Design39Campus were excited to host visiting educators from the Korean Nation University of Education. Many were able to tour our great campus and other schools across our district. We are proud of our international partnerships and the opportunities to grow in practice as we collaborate with schools around the world.
6/7/8 Dance Information: "A Night in Paris"
On Friday, December 1st, the Lead39 student-led Dance Committee is proud to host the 6-7-8 dance. This year's dance theme is "A Night in Paris." Students received invitations in their homeroom last week. This event will take place from 6:00 PM-8:00 PM at Design39Campus in the Showcase. Dinner, dancing, and games are provided. We also included alternative options for students with dietary restrictions. We suggest your children wear something semi-formal but comfortable at the same time. For example, they can wear picture-day clothes, but they are free to wear whatever they want. Students are encouraged to leave their bags and devices at home. A bag check will be available at the dance. Your children should bring IDs for check-in. If your child loses or does not bring a school ID card, check-in is possible without an ID card, but the card is recommended for expedited check-in. Once students enter the dance, they will not be permitted to leave until 8 p.m.
Students have been asked to RSVP. We kindly ask that you make sure they submit a response of either yes or no by November 11. bit.ly/rsvpdance39
6/7/8 Dance Volunteer Opportunity- If you are interested in volunteering for the 6/7/8 Dance, please see the link below to sign up! There are volunteer opportunities before, during, and after the dance on Friday, December 1st. If you have any questions, contact harshal.purohit@design39collaborative.org. Thank you for your support in making this event a success! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D4CA8AE22A2FB6-45633939-middle#/
We look forward to this wonderful event!
Enjoy Thanksgiving Break
Couraging with Design
Equitable Spaces
Happy Diwali: Festival of Lights
Diwali, the festival of lights, is being celebrated today, November 12th. Diwali, or Dipawali, is India's biggest and most important holiday of the year. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness. Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, typically lasts for five days and is marked by the lighting of oil lamps or diyas, colorful decorations, the exchange of gifts, and the bursting of fireworks. It symbolizes the victory of light over darkness and good over evil and is a time for families to come together, offer prayers, and partake in festive feasts. The specific customs and traditions associated with Diwali can vary among different regions and communities, but the overall theme is one of joy, celebration, and the triumph of positivity. Diwali is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians. Over the centuries, Diwali has become a national festival that's also enjoyed by non-Hindu communities. For instance, in Jainism, Diwali marks the nirvana, or spiritual awakening, of Lord Mahavira on October 15, 527 B.C.; in Sikhism, it honors the day that Guru Hargobind Ji, the Sixth Sikh Guru, was freed from imprisonment. Buddhists in India celebrate Diwali as well.
Diwali is a reminder that each of us has the power to bring light to the world, whether here in America or across the globe. May all who observe Diwali enjoy the chance to celebrate and connect, to feel the pride of community, belonging, and to remember the power in the gathering of light.
AVID Tip of the Week
Our AVID tip of the week is the use of Graphic Organizers.
Graphic organizers are a powerful tool for organizing information, using words and symbols to identify and clarify patterns and relationships. Graphic organizers can help students focus their thoughts for planning, decision making, and writing. They help students see connections, patterns, and relationships. They can also help students show understanding of the “big picture” from a lesson or book. The decision about which type of organizer to use depends on the purpose of the learning task. In almost all cases, graphic organizers are most powerful when they are generated by students. Although they use different terms for the specific organizers, AVID recommends the use of Thinking Maps, along with a few other organizers. Thinking Maps can and should be used to reinforce specific thought-processes, regardless of content or task. Task-oriented graphic organizers should be used when the task itself is part of understanding the content. There are many different types of graphic organizers used in the AVID Elective.
Counseling Connections
Caring Connections
Alba Madrigal is one of the Bilingual Parent Liaisons at the Caring Connections Center! Her job is to provide free assistance and guidance and connect PUSD families with the resources they need.
Caring Connections happy to support by providing information concerning all aspects of student life. They can offer supplemental support in navigating a new system for parents, setting up and explaining how ParentVUE accounts work, and helping during registration time.
Check out the brochures offered in English and Spanish!
Our Outstanding Team
Matt Bibby (last names A-I): mbibby@powayusd.com
Jennifer Asmann (last names J-R): jasmann@powayusd.com
Andrea Guevara (last names S-Z): aguevara@powayusd.com
Traffic Update
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not use Fairbanks Terrace as a cut through when departing Design39Campus. This is a senior residence and private property. Let’s be good stewards to our community and keep everyone safe.
Lofty Ideas
In an effort to empower our designers with the tools they need to navigate library services, we have begun the monumental task of cataloging our collection here in the Loft. Upon completion, designers will be able to search for a book in our collection from anywhere using a device. They will be able to log their reading selections and create wish lists. The database and tools we’re employing are used by all students in PUSD.
Redundant Repetitious Reiterating Repeated Recurrent Routine Reminders
Yes, You Have Seen This Before
Fire Season and Emergencies: With fire season upon us we want to assure parents and guardians that we have appropriate response systems in place when emergencies arise. Our first priority will always be the safety of our students and staff on campus.
When Design39Campus becomes aware of any incidents in the geographic area of the school site, we will focus first on the safety of our campus while working with law enforcement, emergency responders, and the District for guidance and support for communication. Communication with parents is part of the response plan, but will be secondary to immediate safety. As soon as we can, we will message families with details of school-wide incidents such as lockdowns or evacuations. Please ensure your contact information is up to date in ParentVue in the “My Account” section.
Finally, we have been asked by first responders to remind our families NOT to come to campus in times of emergency – there have been several instances when officers, firefighters, and their ability to respond to the emergency have been hindered by parents rushing to the scene. We will send out messages about dismissal or reunification procedures for families when first responders indicate it is safe to do so.
Cuyamaca Outdoor School (6th Grade Camp): February 5th through the 9th, 2024. Detailed Camp Packets will be coming home soon. Please take a look home soon! For information on camp, please check out this movie, or this slideshow, or you can go to their website. It is the best week of middle school!
It is never too early to begin preparing for one of the most momentous events of middle school, 6th Grade Camp. D39C 6th grade students will be attending Camp Cuyamaca February 5th through the 9th, 2024. This is not a dusty tent camping experience in the wilderness. Camp Cuyamaca is a fully accredited outdoor school run by the San Diego Country Office of Education based in our local mountains. Students will engage in science and problem solving activities and also enjoy hiking, rock climbing, and so much more!!!
The cost of the five-day program will be $455***; which includes transportation, food, lodging and medical insurance. It is an incredible experience and we are so excited to offer this opportunity to all students in PUSD.
You have two payment options:
- Cash
- Check (made payable to PUSD; please write your child's name in the memo line)
***Scholarships are available. Please see you LED for additional information***
Attendance and OCIS Contracts: With the holiday season rapidly approaching, we often have families who choose to take time off from school to travel. While we strongly encourage families not to miss school days, I also want to make you aware of our policy if you choose to take time off.
If you have a student who will not be in class for 5-14 days, please notify the office so we can have the parents fill out an OCIS contract for their child. The forms will have to be completed and signed by parents 5-10 days in advance of the absence. Click here for a link to the OCIS Contract.
Parents are required to give 5 days notice for absences up to 5 days, 10 days notice for absences more than 5 days.
Prepping work for students who are absent is an incredible amount of work for our teaching staff and we ask that you give your child’s teacher as much advance notice as possible beyond the above guidelines.
We do not write contracts beyond 14 days. If you plan to be away for 15 or more days please contact the Welcome Center for the necessary procedures.
Would you like to become a part of the Design39Campus Team? Do you like to be outside and work with children? If so, we are looking for a few quality Motion Managers to help support our designers during body breaks and lunch during the middle of the day. Possible times are 10:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. or 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. If interested, please apply through Poway Unified School District at the this link.
Attendance: To report your child's absence or early checkout, please email the attendance office at d39cattendance@powayusd.com before 10:00 am on the day of the absence. Please include your child's name, homeroom/grade, dates of absence, and reason for absence. We kindly ask that you avoid checking out your student during the lunch period from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. Please refer to the attendance section of our Design39Campus website for protocols regarding reporting student absences and requesting early release for your student.'
California Education Code 48205 states that a student may be excused legally from school when the absence is due to:
- Personal illness or injury
- Quarantine under the direction of a county or city health office
- Medical, dental, or chiropractic services
- Attendance at funeral services for a member of the immediate family
- Justifiable personal reasons, including, but not limited to, an appearance in court, observance of a holiday or ceremony of his or her religion, attendance at religious retreats, attendance at an employment conference, when the pupil's absence has been requested in writing by the parent and approved by the principal or designated representative
- For the purpose of serving as a member of a precinct board for an election
- Exclusion for failure to present evidence of immunization
- Exclusion from school because student is either the carrier of a contagious disease or not immunized for a contagious disease
Communication with your Designer: If there is a need to communicate with your child during the school day, please send a message to your child’s LED or the Welcome Center. Please refrain from communicating with them directly through text messages or phone calls as it disrupts their learning.
Personal Items: For equity reasons, we are asking that students keep their personal playground equipment at home or in their backpack. Our wonderful Collaborative supplies us with enough funding to ensure that there is enough equipment during recess and lunch.
The D39C Collaborative
The D39C Collaborative is a 100% volunteer-run foundation designed to be responsive to the needs of students, parents, and learning experience designers of Design39Campus. Their mission is to expand and enhance the educational experience of every student attending Design39Campus.
Thank you, D39C Collaborative, for the wonderful pizza celebration this week. It was a nice treat for our students as the exited the campus on Tuesday.
What's Up With Poway Unified?
PUSD Substitutes Needed: With flu, cold, and COVID season upon us, we are once again in need of qualified substitutes to support PUSD and our campus in the event of an LED absence.
If you or someone you know are interested in applying to become a substitute teacher with Poway Unified School District, please click here.
EmpowerED Digital Magazine: We are excited to debut the first-ever edition of our new EmpowerED Digital Magazine, to highlight all the ways you are empowering world-class learners every single day! We want to share with each other and the rest of our community what makes Poway Unified students, staff, and families so special in this visually pleasing, multi-media platform moving forward.
Click here or anywhere on the below image to be taken to a flipbook to enjoy the magazine. You'll see slideshows, links, and videos embedded in the pages. We hope you love it as much as we do! Feel free to share it with your family, friends, alum, retirees - anyone who might enjoy it too.
Parent Education Courses: PUSD is excited offer several Parent Education courses each month. Families are able to enroll and pay online at via Poway Adult School on their website linked HERE. You can search for the course you are interested in and enroll directly from the site.
November 2023 Parent Education Courses:
- Help Your Teen Manage Stress and Anxiety – 6th -12th Grade NEW
- Early Childhood Development: Language is a Cognitive Super Power TK-3rd Grade NEW
- Help Your Children Manage Stress and Anxiety – TK-5th Grade
Please note, scholarships are available to parents who may be in need. Parent can contact the Caring Connections Center for more information.
Thank you for supporting our PUSD Parent Education and for all you do for our students and families! May you have an amazing 2023-2024 school year!
Food and Nutrition Updates and Reminders: School breakfast and school lunch are FREE for all enrolled students, every school day. Meals must still be entered into the cafeteria computer by individual student account.
Even though meals are free, families are still highly encouraged to complete the application for free and reduced-price meal eligibility. School site funding depends in part on the number of students eligible for free/reduced-price meals. Families that qualify for free/reduced-price meals may qualify for other benefits, as well. The meal application is available online at MySchoolApps.com.
Printer-friendly PDF menus are available on the PUSD Food and Nutrition webpage. At the top of the page, click or hover over School Menus + and then Printable PDF Menus.
Interactive, web-based menus containing nutrient and allergen details are available at MySchoolMenus.com, as well as via links from the F&N webpage.