East Side Connect - October

Among the business discussed during the Board Meeting on September 26, 2023, the Board of Trustees:

• Adopted Instructional Materials and Updated and New Courses

• Approved the Receipt of the 2023-2024 Unaudited Actuals Report

• Plan for Convening Task Force on Safety

• Moved Forward with Plans to Develop a Facilities Master Plan

View the Full Board Agenda for September 26, 2023

Among the business discussed during the Board Meeting on October 19, 2023 the Board of Trustees:

• Recognized Ritwin Narra and Kaylee Nguyen for Obtaining a Perfect Score on Calculus BC

• Recognized Leena Guttal for Receiving the Yale Educator Award

• Principal Mary Pollet Provides Presentation on School Site Progress and Program Highlights

View the Full Board Agenda for October 19, 2023

The Instructional Policies Committee (IPC), comprised of teachers, site administrators, subject area coordinators, and district office staff presented their recommendations on curriculum and instruction. The presentation provided an update on the actions and work undertaken by this committee. Among the recommendations from the IPC were to approve courses and instructional materials for mathematics, a pilot extension for a course in Data Science, science courses aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards, English textbook adoptions, Career Technical Education (CTE) courses, Social Studies courses including a pilot for a Law Pathway, and updates to visual arts courses. The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve these recommendations.

See All Courses and Textbooks Adopted

Superintendent Vander Zee presented ESUHSD plans to convene a Task Force that will aim to address issues related to safety and impacts for the community.

The Task Force will have representatives from key partner groups including:

• Teachers and teacher representatives (East Side Teacher Association (ESTA))
• Students
• Parents
• School Site Administrators (Principal(s) and Assistant Principal(s))
• Classified school site staff (e.g., Campus Monitors) and classified staff representatives (California School Employees Association (CSEA))
• Superintendent & Superintendent’s Council
• Board members

The Task Force meetings will be facilitated by an outside, independent facilitator and first convened in October. Final findings are expected to be presented to the Board of Trustees for action in December 2023.

See the Full Presentation

The Board of Trustees voted to move forward with A Facilities Master Plan (FMP) which was last formally updated in 2017. The updated plan will provide an appropriate framework to continue school facilities modernization and execute it efficiently. The timeline for the Facilities Master Plan will be as follows.

The Board of Trustees recognized Ritwin Narra and Kaylee Nguyen for earning a perfect score in AP Calculus BC - an amazing feat given that only 16 students in the world accomplished it - and two were from Silver Creek. Both students were taught by Leena Guttal, who also was recognized for receiving the Yale Educator Award, which recognizes outstanding educators from around the world who have supported and inspired their students to achieve at high levels.

Principal Pollet provided an overview of the Yerba Buena High School’s programs and progress on student achievement. Among the highlights, Yerba Buena is improving student success through:

• Parent Conferences and Parent Workshops
• Academic School Counseling meetings
• Advisory periods for tutoring and elected Student Senate per class
• Summer school offerings for credit recovery
• A focus on welcoming students into the classroom and school

See the Full Presentation

Current ESUHSD students are guaranteed admission to SJSU if they meet the eligibility criteria! Click on the video above to hear from ESUHSD graduate Azusena Reyes about her experience and to learn more about the program criteria. The deadline to apply is November 30, 2023 so move quickly!

Find out more about the Spartan East Side Promise Program at bit.ly/eastsidepromise

Traci Williams, a dedicated educator and distinguished community leader, was honored with the prestigious Dr. TJ Owens Education Award at the 68th Annual Freedom and Friendship Gala hosted by the NAACP San Jose Branch at the Hayes Mansion.

Read the Full Story

In 2023, approximately 136,000 students took the AP Calculus BC Exam worldwide and only 16 got a perfect score. Two of those students were taught here in San Jose by Silver Creek High School’s AP Calculus Teacher, Leena Guttal. Guttal shared “the probability of getting a perfect score is extremely low and these two students from the same school did it!”

Read the Full Story

On October 2, 2023, Nancy B. Gutiérrez, graduate of W.C. Overfelt High School, launched her new book “Stay and Prevail” at W.C. Overfelt High School. Nancy is president and CEO of The Leadership Academy, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization focused on building the capacity of education leaders to make sure children of every race and culture have access to the learning opportunities they need to thrive.

The Mineta Transportation Institute of San Jose State University has launched an Essay Contest which allows students nationwide (grades 6-12) to propose and explore a solution to a problem in transportation. This year’s theme is #VisionZero2030.

For the contest, students in grades 6-9 will write a 500-word-limit essay while those in grades 10-12 will write a 1000-word-limit essay in response to ONE essay prompts of their choosing. Winners will receive $500 and $1,000, respectively, as well as certificates of achievements.

Essays are due on January 29, 2024. More information on the essay requirement, judging criteria, and important dates can be found on the Mineta Transportation Institute website.

Join the ESUHSD Student Services team and Dora Dome Law on November 15th from 6:00 - 7:00 PM in a webinar on school discipline. As a parent/guardian, you may have questions about how school discipline works - this webinar is meant to help answer some of those questions.

Register Today!