Designers' Reminders
December 3, 2023
Here What's Happening in the Month of December
December 3: International Day of Disabled Persons
Evening of December 7--December 15: Hanukkah
December 15: Coffee with the Design Facilitators
December 22: Minimum Day
December 25--January 5th: District Recess
December 24: Christmas Eve
December 25: Christmas Day
December 26--January 1: Kwanzaa
December 31: New Year's Eve
There is nothing in the world quite like a middle school dance. Literally, nothing. The energy and enthusiasm that filled the Showcase for a Night in Paris on Friday evening was palpable. Witnessing our students, staff, and parents join forces to create such an enjoyable event was awesome. From the captivating dance moves to campus favorite Taylor Swift, to the organized foot stomping to the “Cha Cha Slide,” every moment was fantastic.
I want to commend our incredible LEAD39 student-led dance committee for their outstanding organization and planning of this fantastic event. You did the real work selecting a theme, organizing a food menu, arranging for an amazing DJ, decorating, and everything else ensuring the success of the dance. Your commitment to putting together a world-class event was evident throughout the planning and especially on Friday night.
Moreover, we want to extend our deepest appreciation to our dedicated LEDs, staff, Collaborative members, and other parent volunteers for their hard work and commitment in helping organize, supervise, and clean up after the event. Your dedication to our students' well-being and enjoyment is commendable and appreciated.
To the parents and guardians, thank you for entrusting Design39Campus with the opportunity to create safe, fun, and memorable experiences for your designers. Your ongoing support and partnership is everything.
Once again, thank you to everyone involved for making A Night in Paris a resounding success. We are already looking forward to our next opportunity to come together and celebrate the awesomeness of our school community.
And now that it's December, don't forget to put on some flannel, find your portable CD player, load up the Counting Crows second album (Recovering Satellites), skip to track 13, crank it to 11, and sing along with Adam Duritz: "A long December and there's reason to believe/Maybe this year will be better than the last."
It will be.
Happy [long] December from your D39C Design Facilitators.
As we plan our Community Maths Night, here is a survey to collect empathy from our families. We are asking for responses to be completed by December 8th.
A quick shout-out to Langston Hughes. Hughes frequently referenced dreams in his poetry. In the poem below, he describes a dream where the world has embraced equality and love. There’s no more racial inequality, everyone is free, and there’s peace. While Hughes was American, his vision applies to the whole world.
"I Dream A World" by Langston Hughes
I dream a world where man
No other man will scorn,
Where love will bless the earth
And peace its paths adorn
I dream a world where all
Will know sweet freedom's way,
Where greed no longer saps the soul
Nor avarice blights our day.
A world I dream where black or white,
Whatever race you be,
Will share the bounties of the earth
And every man is free,
Where wretchedness will hang its head
And joy, like a pearl,
Attends the needs of all mankind-
Of such I dream, my world!
Our AVID tip of the week is practicing the Pomodoro Technique.
Based on the principle of dividing tasks into manageable segments, typically 25-minute focused work sessions followed by 5-minute breaks, this technique optimizes concentration and efficiency. The Pomodoro Technique stands as a highly effective method for enhancing productivity by employing structured intervals of work and rest. By compartmentalizing work into these bite-sized portions, individuals can maintain a heightened level of focus while avoiding burnout and mental fatigue. The periodic breaks serve as crucial moments for rejuvenation, enabling the mind to recharge and sustain productivity throughout the day. With its emphasis on rhythm, balance, and incremental progress, the Pomodoro Technique not only improves time management but also bolsters motivation through a sense of accomplishment after completing each focused session.
Want to try it out? CLICK HERE to use a 25-minute timer.
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
According to the United Nations, “One in every five women is likely to experience disability in her life, while one in every ten children is a child with a disability.” In honor of International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, we read and discussed these two books. We seek to learn about and celebrate our differences and abilities in an effort to work together and become a stronger community of inclusive designers.
Book Donation
Chloe Jung, a second grade designer participated in the Children’s Environmental Drawing Contest sponsored by Human in Love. As a winner of this contest, Chloe received and donated several new ocean books to our Loft. Way to go Chloe!
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.
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.
