• February 12: Lincoln's Birthday

• February 13: Prospective Family Tours at 9:30 am and 5:30 pm

• February 14: Valentine's Day

• February 16: Coffee with the Design Facilitators

• February 16: Interest List for the 24-25 School Year Closes

• February 16: Continuing Enrollment Survey Due
  

• February 19-23: President's Week (non student days)

• February 20: Washington's Birthday/President's Day

As we write this week's Facilitators Findings, we're savoring the erratic syncopation of the box of rain falling atop our roof and splatting against the Welcome Center windows. We imagine that perhaps Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann are settling in for a seemingly never-ending Drums/Space. We went to sleep each evening yearning for blue skies and only a touch of grey, only to awaken and realize the rain is gonna come; oh, it surely looks like rain.

Now, brace yourselves for an unexpected, and dare we say, heartbreaking revelation: Tony! Toni! Toné! misled us. Yes, you read that right—it rains in Southern California! Despite the surprising amount of wet weather, we applaud the resilience of our students, LEDs, Motion Managers, custodial staff, and families for navigating the past two weeks with grace and patience. In the wake of the flood, all the moisture has left us singing, "Here comes sunshine, here comes sunshine." We learned quite a bit from this round of storms, so I guess, well, bring on the second set.

We will get by. We will survive.

We thought often this week about our 6th-grade campers, who got their fair share of cold rain and snow. We are thankful for the staff at Cuyamaca Outdoor School and our own D39C LEDs for ensuring a safe, memorable, and fun camp experience. We hope that in the attics of their lives, the memories of this experience will last an eternity.

At Design39Campus, our school day commences with a song, and for this academic year, we've chosen "Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra. We trust that the lyrics of this fantastic tune will resonate with you tomorrow as we prepare to embark on a new and drier week:

"Sun is shinin' in the sky
There ain't a cloud in sight
It's stopped rainin', everybody's in the play
And don't you know
It's a beautiful new day...

Mr. Blue Sky, please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long (so long)..."

And yes, February 29th IS a school day. Apologies for any confusion.

SAVE THE DATE for Coffee with the Design Facilitators at 9:30 am on Friday, February 16th in the Gallery. Come caffeinate, collaborate, and conversate.

Please use this Google Form to provide potential topics for our conversation.

Today through Friday, March 1st, Poway Unified will be conducting our Family Engagement and Accountability survey to gather input from all families of English Learner students. This survey helps shape the District’s goals and guide priorities for the 2024-2025 school year. Your feedback is extremely helpful as we continue to seek ways to better our English Learner program. Please click HERE to complete the survey.

To ensure you're informed, you can also stay up-to-date through the Design39Campus 2024-2025 Enrollment section on our website. Click the button above to access this information directly.

The Interest List for the 2024-2025 school year is live and will close February 16th. Please check the PUSD D39C Enrollment Page for additional details.

Design39Campus will offer multiple in-person tours for prospective 24-25 families. These tours begin in the Showcase and are adult only. The last tour date is:

• February 13: 9:30 am and 5:30 pm

Every year, we kindly request that you share your enrollment plans for the upcoming school year. This information is crucial for our enrollment and staffing planning. We specifically invite families with students in grades TK-7 to participate in the survey, encompassing all students associated with D39C. Your input is invaluable, and we appreciate your cooperation.

Kindly complete the survey by February 16, 2024.

To complete the Returning Student Survey for the 2024-2025 school year, please click HERE.

Thank you for your prompt response and collaboration, and for helping us prepare for the 2023-2024 school year!

**This survey is not Continuing Student Registration for the next school year. Continuing Student Registration will take place in March**

Althea Gibson, born on August 25, 1927, in Silver, South Carolina, was a trailblazing African-American athlete who made history in the realm of tennis. Breaking through racial barriers in the 1950s, Gibson became the first African-American woman to compete at the U.S. National Championships (now the U.S. Open) in 1950. Her achievements soared in the mid-1950s when she claimed numerous singles and doubles titles, including back-to-back wins at the French Open and Wimbledon in 1956 and 1957, making her the first African-American to win these prestigious Grand Slam events.

Beyond her athletic prowess, Gibson played a pivotal role in challenging segregation in the world of tennis, paving the way for future generations of African-American athletes. Her impact extended beyond the tennis court, as she later ventured into professional golf and became the first African-American woman to compete on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour in the 1960s. Althea Gibson's enduring legacy is not only marked by her exceptional athletic achievements but also by her contribution to breaking down racial barriers in the world of sports.

The AVID Tip of the Week is participating actively in AVID tutorials.

AVID tutorials stand out as an effective educational tool due to their emphasis on collaborative learning and critical thinking. The program provides students with a structured environment where they work together in small groups to discuss challenging academic concepts, ask questions, and collectively solve problems. This collaborative approach not only nurtures a supportive learning environment but also encourages students to learn from their peers, fostering a sense of community and shared academic responsibility. Through interactive discussions, AVID tutorials promote active engagement with the material, enabling students to deepen their understanding and develop valuable critical thinking skills that extend beyond the classroom.

Moreover, AVID tutorials play a crucial role in skill development, offering students a platform to enhance essential academic capabilities. The program addresses fundamental skills such as note-taking, organization, time management, and effective communication. By focusing on these foundational skills, AVID tutorials empower students to navigate complex coursework successfully. The scaffolding provided in the tutorials allows students to break down challenging concepts systematically, ensuring a thorough understanding before moving on to more advanced topics. This student-centered approach not only builds confidence but also equips students with the necessary tools for long-term academic success, aligning with AVID's broader goal of preparing students for higher education and future career endeavors.

February Parent Education Courses

• Help Your Children Manage Stress and Anxiety – TK -5th Grade
• Are You Tired of Your Child Saying “No”? 6th-12th Grade NEW
• * Scholarships available for families that may be in need.
  

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

We kicked off Black History Month! Designers explored the question, “what would you risk your life for?” They investigated stories about black Americans who have fought hard to break down barriers, obtain equal rights, and make our world a better place.

The Design39Campus student blog is a vibrant hub where designers share their experiences, ideas, and unique perspectives on Design39Campus. It offers a firsthand glimpse into student life, showcasing creativity and the power of student-led initiatives within the educational sphere. Reading this blog provides a direct connection to the student community, fostering empathy, understanding, and a glimpse into D39C.

Please click on the button above periodically to see what is happening around our learning facility.

Attendance and OCIS Contracts: 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 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.

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 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.

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.