New Literacy Curriculum Approved

Santa Barbara Unified Families, The Santa Barbara Unified Board of Trustees approved a new elementary English Language Arts Curriculum at the Tuesday, May 9th meeting. The Trustees approved the Wit & Wisdom/Fundations curriculum after going through a thorough process led by Denise Alvarado, Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and a committee of teachers, staff, and administrators. This process has been thorough, with an effort to get feedback from as many groups of teachers, staff, and community members as possible.  This new curriculum is a crucial step to helping us improve literacy outcomes in the District. This is not the only work underway. Teachers across the district are working on developing their expertise in the teaching of literacy in two key ways. We have our first cohort of teachers participating in a two-year training, LETRS, which develops teacher knowledge of evidence-based practices. Similarly, teachers at all schools have been engaging in work around the book The Teaching Reading Playbook, which also supports teachers’ knowledge of structured literacy practices. The new curriculum will be used starting in the 2023-2024 school year. McKinley Curriculum Review Santa Barbara Unified is conducting a curriculum review of its Elementary Dual Language Immersion curriculum. District partners have made the recommendation to adopt new materials for the 2023-2024 school year. The materials selected for review are as follows: Materials from Benchmark and Caminos/CKLA will be available for the public to review at McKinley Elementary and the Education Services Department at the District Office from May 10 - June 10, 2023, from the hours of 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.  If you would like to make an appointment to view the materials, please email Administrative Assistant Maria Nielson:  mnielson@sbunified.org You can also access the curriculum online by accessing the following QR Code: For more information on the curriculum review process, please contact Anna Pilhoefer, Director, Equity and Multilingual Services via email:  apilhoefer@sbunified.org   Secondary Summer School As the school year comes to a close, we are gearing up for the upcoming summer school programs at our high schools. The program is designed to provide students with the opportunity to continue their learning over the summer months to catch up on their studies. Summer school will be offered at each of our high schools and will include opportunities to take English and Math courses to meet the diverse needs of our students.  One of the benefits of our summer school program is that it provides students with a flexible and personalized learning experience. Students can choose to enroll in one or two courses. The Courses will be offered June 12 - June 30, with Morning and/or afternoon offerings. This flexibility allows students to balance their summer learning with other commitments and activities. Please contact your child’s school counselor for more information. Mental Health Awareness Month For Mental Health Awareness Month, we want to share with all students, parents/guardians, and staff about the Mental Health & Wellness Website. Students can find the website on their Canvas app, and parents and staff can go to  bit.ly/MHSUPPORTS . Our hope is that this website can be a valuable tool for everyone to find the local mental health supports available, along with a virtual wellness center and blog.  Know the Value of Face-to-Face Communication Very young children learn best through two-way communication. Engaging in back-and-forth "talk time" is critical for  language development . Conversations can be face-to-face or, if necessary, by video chat with a traveling parent or far-away grandparent. Research has shown that it's that "back-and-forth conversation" that improves language skills—much more so than "passive" listening or one-way interaction with a screen. Employees Honored for Decades of Work at SB Unified At last Tuesday’s Board of Trustees meeting, the District honored its employees that have worked for the District for 25, 30, and more than 35 years. We thank each of them for their decades of dedication to serving our students, families, SB Unified, and the community. Below are the names of the honorees: 25 Years Suzette McCormick Kristi Anderson Kelly Choi Yifat Cummings Scott Guttentag Lucia Duarte Patricia Aguilar Brendan Carroll Barbara Conway Leon Lewandowski James Jackson Belinda White David Delgadillo Tiare Dodson Nathaniel Thompson Steve Thompson Frankianne Gallardo Joyce Adriansen Shannon Hamilton Akin Connie Rodriguez Erika Hargreaves Toni Abayan Christopher Hughes Courtney Brewer  Laura Lewis-Rodriguez Heather Young Juanita Lopez Jaime Navarro Shawn Ricci Hazel Anderson William Dodson  Alma Guss  Raymundo Marin Maria Reynoso Patricia Ruth Jeffrey Sofro Steven Todd Kareem Battle Scott Brennand 30 Years Bard Salcido Jr . Estela Maya Diana Hemsley Camille Stevens Sergio Solis Negin Parvin Melanie Jacobson Cheryl Julio Kayleen Chilton Nancy Lusk 35 Years Karen Dutton Robert Traner-McDermott Lisa-Ann Minotto Janet Hollister Eva Escoto Elias Mendez If you see any of these employees, please joining us in thanking and congratulating them for their decades of service. With gratitude, Dr. Hilda Maldonado Superintendent Know a “Hero?” Nominate them today

Thursday, May 18 2023

SB Unified Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) ...

Thank you for taking the time to provide our district with valuable input as we develop our Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), which is the district’s local plan for carrying out the state’s vision that every student and group succeeds at high levels.   Each district is required to develop a plan using a state-mandated set aside of funds to provide increased and improved services for foster youth, Emergent Multilingual Learners (EML), low-income students and other student groups furthest from educational justice, so that these student groups can experience high levels of success. Your input  is crucial and critical to this process and we request your support and partnership in the following ways. Please submit the following  survey  at your earliest convenience but no later than  Monday, May 15, 2023.  This survey will inform our actions and services for foster youth, EML, low-income students and other student groups furthest from educational justice. If you have any difficulty accessing this survey, please contact the Family Engagement Unit at  feu@sbunified.org  or 805-696-2701 Thank you and we look forward to connecting with you soon, Sincerely, SBUnified LCAP Leadership Team

Tuesday, May 09 2023

Mental Health Awareness Month

Santa Barbara Unified Families, May is Mental Health Awareness Month!  Mental health is a critical component of overall well-being and success, and the mental health challenges faced by students can significantly impact their academic and personal growth.  In preparation for Mental Health Awareness Month, we had a healthy “Kognito Kompetition” between sites. The top sites with the highest percentage of staff who completed the Kognito  At-Risk  module will be acknowledged at the May 9 board meeting (SBCA, SBJH, Alta Vista, DPHS).  The real benefit is that students will be on campuses with more adults recognizing the warning signs of a student in mental/emotional distress and having the basic skills to respond.   Staff will continue to have access to all the Kognito learning modules.  The MTSS District Leadership Team has identified the following Kognito modules as high-leverage learning for all staff:   At Risk ,  Emotional and Mental Wellness,  and  Trauma-Informed Practices.  Families also have an opportunity to complete learning modules at sbunified.kognito.com.  Simply select your child’s school, create an account, and then select “parent” for user type.  If you need any assistance, you may contact the Family Engagement Liaison at your child’s school.   Digital Wellness Program We are excited to announce SBUSD’s community digital wellness program. This includes our new  digital safety hub ,  parental control app , and future digital safety learning opportunities. If you missed the Zoom webinar introducing these new resources, please use the link and access code below to watch. Stay tuned for more details regarding the release of this new program. Zoom Video Link:   https://sbunified.zoom.us/rec/share/9UzKYJE_XwjMB_Syo6kJ4jXkYwvXOM7ZhlGnczuCnO7tjCElAQwqZ_zU-rXZEcdZ.Rkw-cwow_0FisTR5 Passcode:  kAKwG0$7 Strategic Arts Plan On Monday, May 1st SBUnified Visual & Performing Arts Leads met to discuss the five-year Strategic Arts Plan & funding to develop recommendations that will be presented to the board during the May 23rd Board Meeting. The goals of this plan are the following: Core Curriculum, Professional Development, Equity & Access, Staffing & Leadership, Facilities & Resources, and Community Ties. The focus of this work is to Improve access to arts education for all students in SBUnified.  Black Grad Celebration On Saturday, May 6, Santa Barbara Unified School District Students will take part in the first-ever Black Grad Celebration hosted by SBCC Umoja Community. The ceremony will celebrate the promotion, culmination, and graduation of Black students in south Santa Barbara County from Transitional Kindergarten through City College.  Middle College Info Night The next Alta Vista Middle College at SBCC informational meeting will be held Tuesday, May 9, at 7 pm in A-160. This is for students looking to earn their high school diploma while also exploring college and career pathways at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC). If you're unable to attend the May 9 meeting, the next opportunity will be Tuesday, May 23 at 6 pm in A-21. Interested students–along with their families–are invited to attend. To learn more about Middle College and RSVP for an upcoming meeting, please contact Regina Freking at 805-897-3561 or  rfreking@sbunified.org .  With gratitude, Dr. Hilda Maldonado Superintendent Know a “Hero?” Nominate them today

Friday, May 05 2023

Anti-Blackness/ Racial Climate Report Recommendations

Santa Barbara Unified Families, Attached is this week’s Santa Barbara Unified Families Newsletter highlighting the Anti-Blackness/ Racial Climate Report Recommendations. With gratitude, Dr. Hilda Maldonado Superintendent Know a “Hero?” Nominate them today

Friday, Apr 21 2023

Daisy Estrada Ochoa Named Permanent Principal at McK...

McKinley Families, We are excited to announce the Santa Barbara Unified Board of Trustees unanimously approved the appointment of a new principal at McKinley Elementary School. Daisy Estrada Ochoa is taking over permanently after spending the past month in the role on an interim basis. This is a homecoming for Ms. Ochoa, who spent  five years as a 1st and 3rd-grade teacher at McKinley Elementary early in her career. McKinley is known for its  Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program in Spanish and English. Ms. Ochoa is a longtime SB Unified Employee who most recently served as  Director of Early Childhood and After School Programs since July 2022. Before that, she spent seven years working  as an After School/Expanded Learning Program Coordinator and the Early Childhood Education Administrator. Ms. Ochoa was also a Dual Language Immersion teacher at Cesar Chavez Charter School in Santa Barbara. One of our goals at Santa Barbara Unified is to educate the next generation of leaders and scholars. Daisy is a shining example of that as someone who came up through our school system. We are so proud to see her grow with the District and give back to the community through her service as an educator. She’s a Santa Barbara native, graduating from Monroe Elementary, La Cumbre Junior High, and San Marcos High School. Ms. Ochoa is also a graduate of UCSB, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Masters in Education, along with a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. Thank you, Dr. Hilda Maldonado Superintendent

Wednesday, Apr 19 2023

Curriculum Adoption Update

Santa Barbara Unified Families, This week’s Santa Barbara Unified Families Newsletter is attached, highlighting the literacy curriculum adoption process. With gratitude, Dr. Hilda Maldonado Superintendent Know a “Hero?” Nominate them today

Friday, Mar 24 2023

Secondary Summer School Updates

Santa Barbara Unified Families, Attached is this week’s Santa Barbara Unified Families Newsletter highlighting some updates to the Secondary Summer School schedule. With gratitude, Dr. Hilda Maldonado Superintendent Know a “Hero?” Nominate them today

Thursday, Mar 02 2023

Incoming Storm Update

Santa Barbara Unified Families, Attached is this week’s Santa Barbara Unified Families Newsletter highlighting advisories for the incoming storm. With gratitude, Dr. Hilda Maldonado Superintendent Know a “Hero?” Nominate them today

Friday, Feb 24 2023

Discrimination, Harassment, Intimidation & Bullying ...

Santa Barbara Unified Families, Attached is this week’s Santa Barbara Unified Family Newsletter. With gratitude, Dr. Hilda Maldonado Superintendent Know a “Hero?” Nominate them today

Thursday, Feb 16 2023

New Content Filtering Service for Student Devices

Santa Barbara Unified Families, Attached is this week’s Santa Barbara Unified Families Newsletter highlighting a new content filtering service and honoring staff members stepping up to serve our students. With gratitude, Dr. Hilda Maldonado Superintendent Know a “Hero?” Nominate them today

Wednesday, Feb 01 2023