East Side Connect

Dear East Side Community,

Whether you’re new to our district or joining us for another school year, I want to give you a warm welcome to the East Side Union High School District and to the 2023-2024 school year. I am looking forward to uniting and building community as we engage with each other to bring about success for our students.

Each year our staff works behind the scenes for our return to school. This year, all staff from our teachers to our food service professionals were deeply engaged in planning meetings and professional development before the school year. The peer-to-peer collaboration that happened during these sessions was inspiring and essential to welcoming students to the year.

This year our district's student-centered priorities remain steadfast: building equitable communities, increasing college and career readiness, and providing a safe and welcoming school environment for all.

As we work to have all of our students prepared for college and career - I want to re-introduce you to the Spartan East Side Promise. The Promise is an agreement between San Jose State University and the schools of East Side Union School District, that any student who meets the A-G criteria with a total GPA of 2.5 or higher and applies to San Jose State University before November 30 is guaranteed admission. It is a unique and powerful promise for our students and I encourage you to take advantage of it.

We will also be hosting a district wide College Fair taking place September 18th at Independence High School. Here we will provide valuable information and connections to post-secondary education and career pathways - I invite you to join us.

I am confident that, together, we can make this school year one of growth, achievement, and inclusivity. I look forward to a successful and fulfilling academic year ahead!

Sincerely,

Glenn Vander Zee

Superintendent

Among the business discussed during the Board Meeting on August 17, 2023, the Board of Trustees:

• Welcomed Emily Hsu, Student Governing Board Representative
• Received a Presentation on Child Nutrition Services

Note that at each Board meeting, there are live Spanish and Vietnamese translation services available. Simply follow the instructions on the main page.

Tenga en cuenta que en cada junta hay servicios de traducción en español. Simplemente siga las instrucciones en la página principal.

Xin lưu ý tại mỗi cuộc họp hội đồng quản trị đều có dịch vụ phiên dịch trực tiếp tiếng Việt. Chỉ cần làm theo hướng dẫn trên trang chính.

View the Full Board Agenda

The Board of Trustees received a presentation on Child Nutrition Services from Julie Kasberger, Director of General Services. Among the highlights are:

• Daily participation in meal services has increased significantly from pre-COVID
• ESUHSD has received $3.2 million of grant funding to support healthy student meals
• This funding has been used to bring freshly cooked new meals - including new salads and parfaits pictured below

See the Full Presentation

View the Lunch Menu and Nutrition Information

Help Expand Food Services by Filling Out an Income Eligibility Form

In Fall of 2022, 658 students from the Class of 2022 enrolled in San Jose State University through the East Side Promise Program. You can be one too!

The Spartan East Side Promise Program is a collaboration between ESUHSD and San Jose State University to offer guaranteed admission to San Jose State University for students from East Side Union High School District who meet eligibility requirements.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to qualify for the Spartan East Side Promise Program, students must meet all of the following criteria.

• Attend an Eligible School in East Side Union High School District

• Complete All A-G Requirements with a C- or Better

• TIP: See sjsu.edu/admissions for more information about your A to G course requirements or speak with your high school counselor.

• Meet or exceed the CSU Eligibility Requirements

• Apply to SJSU at calstate.edu/apply/freshman by November 30 of Senior Year

• TIP: Apply early - applications open October 1!

Learn more at San Jose State University's Website.

On September 18, 2023 Independence High School will host a districtwide College Fair.

All high school students and their parents are welcome to attend.

Meet college representatives and attend workshops!

Monday, September 18, 2023

5:00 - 8:00 PM

617 N. Jackson Ave.

San Jose, CA 95133

bit.ly/23CollegeNightESUHSD

This summer, Access East Side, ESUHSD’s free community Wi-Fi network, expanded to include Mt. Pleasant and Silver Creek zone of attendance. This free network was funded by the 2014 Measure I Technology Bond and from matching investment from the City of San Jose. Free Community Wi-Fi is now available near:

• Andrew P. Hill High School

• Independence High School

• James Lick High School

• Mt. Pleasant High School

• Oak Grove High School

• Overfelt High School

• Silver Creek High School

• Yerba Buena High School

ESUHSD students and parent can log on directly to the network with the ESUHSD Login!

Follow these instructions to learn more.

Among the benefits of being on Access East Side are:

• It’s completely free!

• ESUHSD’s Access East Side Network has a 99.975% up-time!

• With a 25 MB download speed, Access East Side is 2.5x faster than the City internet

If you live out of the service area but still need WiFi, please connect with your school counselor to see if you qualify for a WiFi hotspot.

Have students in Elementary School Districts? They can connect too! See the flyers below for more information:

• Alum Rock (Spanish | Vietnamese)

• Berryessa (Spanish | Vietnamese)

• Evergreen (Spanish | Vietnamese)

• Franklin McKinley (Spanish | Vietnamese)

• Mount Pleasant (Spanish | Vietnamese)

• Oak Grove (Spanish | Vietnamese)

• Orchard (Spanish | Vietnamese)

Each year, the Association for California School Administrators (ACSA) recognizes one student from each geographic region for overcoming the odds and achieving success.

Congratulations to ACSA Region 8 Every Student Succeeding winner Caleb Barefield! Caleb is a senior at Santa Teresa High School Senior and is part of the Silicon Valley Career and Technical Education Program at the Metro Education District.

Caleb’s love of baking started at a young age. Despite facing challenges due to his autism diagnosis, Caleb enrolled in the culinary program at Silicon Valley Career Technical Education. In the chaotic and bustling kitchen, Caleb initially struggled to adjust to his new environment. But with the support of his educators and classmates, he gained confidence and independence. Through hard work and perseverance, Caleb accomplished his goal of passing the food safety certification. His dream is to pursue a career in the culinary industry. Congratulations on the award Caleb!

On Friday, July 28, Andrew Hill High School held a Freshman Orientation and Welcome Rally for the Class of 2027! Students from ASB led peers on a tour of the school while parents were able to attend a parent orientation.

Santa Teresa welcomed 578 students in the Class of 2027. These are some pictures from orientation.

EVHS hosted its 8th annual Welcome Rally welcoming 660 new students to campus. Each student was paired with about 10 students in their grade and met with those students on the first day of school during lunch. 94% of 9th graders participated in the welcome/orientation event at Evergreen Valley High School - a record!

Piedmont Hills used a PEP (Pirates Encouraging Pirates) Board that is in their Main Hallway to ask: “What is your TOP TIP for a successful school year?”Every month a new question is posted and students and teachers write answers on post-it notes to encourage each other.

W.C. Overfelt High School was highlighted by CBS News Bay Area for their efforts to address student mental health. Wellness Center Social Workers and their work in supporting Cassandra, an Overfelt student, shows the impact of strong and positive mental health programs provided to students in the first days of school.

Student wellness is a priority for ESUHSD. Each school offers a Mental Health and Wellness Center which provide a number of free and confidential services and supports to the school community including:

• Calming & De-escalation spaces
• Crisis intervention, educationally related mental health counseling services, support, and case management
• Building trusting relationships with students, families, and school personnel
• Maintain the confidentiality of students and families
• Home visits to understand and address barriers to learning
• Linking students and families with school and community resources

Students can walk in to any Wellness Center to receive services or be referred by a friend, staff, or family member. Click here to submit a referral. Referrals are prioritized by urgency.

Learn more about Wellness Resources.

Thanks to local community support of ESUHSD bond measures, Silver Creek High School celebrated the opening of their newest building - a 17,810 square foot building that brings 10 new classrooms in a state-of-the-art environment.

The Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) held their quarterly meeting on June 28th. Among business conducted at the meeting, the CBOC:

• Approved the CBOC Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2021-2022 which details how community tax dollars have been used to prepare ESUHSD campus communities for success.

• Received a presentation from Chief Technology Officer, Randy Phelps on Information Technology improvements

• Received a presentation from Senior Manager of the Bond Program, Julio Lucas on Capital Construction Projects

Website: https://www.esuhsd.org/
Location: 830 North Capitol Avenue, San Jose, CA, USA
Phone: 408-347-5000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eastsideunionhsd