The Preuss School UCSD

The Preuss School, located on the University of California San Diego (UCSD) campus in La Jolla, California, is a charter middle and high school dedicated to providing a rigorous college prep education for motivated low-income students who will become the first in their families to graduate from college. As part of UCSD, a major research institution, The Preuss School also serves as a model school to study and develop best practices in the preparation of low-income, urban students for college admission to be disseminated to improve public education. Read more >

Congratulations Ms. Kovacic!!

“All of my students will be the first generation of their families to graduate from college.” — Kelly Kovacic

Kelly is one of five 2010 California Teachers of the Year and was also selected as California’s nominee for the prestigious National Teacher of the Year competition.

Ms. Kovacic has been a teacher for seven years, all of which have been spent at The Preuss School, a charter middle and high school dedicated to providing a rigorous college prep education for motivated low-income students.

"I treat my students as future leaders, because they are," Ms. Kovacic wrote. "As a teacher, I have been blessed with a huge responsibility, one that I eagerly embrace. I must create an environment in which my students realize the vast extent of their abilities and that, with hard work and dedication, they can accomplish great things. My students also need to know that there are people along the way, teachers like me, who are ready and willing to help."

Ms. Kovacic graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Education from Stanford University, where she also received a California Professional Clear Credential.

At The Preuss School, she is the chair of the Social Studies Department. In June 2008, she was selected by the College Board to help read and grade the Advanced Placement United States History Exam. Ms. Kovacic is a 2010 San Diego Unified School District Teacher of the Year.

To read more about Kelly's achievement, please visit the following sites.

UCSD News
NBC San Diego
Fox News San Diego
Sign on San Diego
KPBS
SDNN

H1N1 Flu Information

September 14, 2009

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As you may know, the H1N1 flu virus is present in our community, state and throughout the nation. The Preuss School is working closely with the school district and the County of San Diego Public Health Services to monitor flu conditions to make the best decisions concerning our schools. We are doing everything we can to keep our school open while protecting the health and safety of students, staff and the community. To do this, we need your help. Because all influenza or “flu” viruses can easily spread from person to person, here are some ways to protect you and your family from getting sick.

Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or use a hand-sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol. Adults can set a good example by doing this too. Students may bring small containers of hand sanitizer to school for their own personal use with parent knowledge and permission. Please notify the school if your child has an allergy to hand sanitizer or you do not want your child to use it at school.

Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed cups/utensils, pencils, pens, or cell phones.

Teach your children to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues (tissue should go in the trash after use) or by coughing into their sleeve or the inside of their elbow. Be sure to set a good example yourself. Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth since germs spread this way.

Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Flu-like symptoms consist of fever (100°F and above) with cough. Other symptoms include sore throat, chills, aches, headache, runny or stuffy nose, nausea, and vomiting.

Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after the fever is gone without using fever-reducing drugs. Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected. High-risk students who may infect other high-risk students may have to stay home at least 7 days.

Do not send children to school if they are sick. Children who are determined to be sick at school will be sent home.

Check with your health care provider about getting yourself and your children vaccinated for seasonal (regular) flu soon and H1N1 flu when available.

Pre-plan child care options if your child becomes ill and is excluded from school, or if their classroom or school is closed due to high infection rates.

We will keep you updated as new information becomes available or if there are changes to our school’s guidelines. For the most current H1N1 flu information, please visit the San Diego Unified School District website at www.sandi.net or go to www.flu.gov.

Sincerely,

Scott Barton
Principal/Director
————
14 de septiembre del 2009

Estimados padres o tutores,

Como muchos de ustedes saben, el virus de la influenza H1N1 se encuentra en nuestra comunidad, estado y todo el país. La Escuela Preuss está trabajando muy de cerca con nuestro distrito escolar y con los Servicios de Salud Pública del Condado de San Diego para monitorear las condiciones de la influenza y tomar las mejores decisiones con respecto a las escuelas. Estamos haciendo todo lo posible por mantener abierta nuestra escuela y simultáneamente proteger la salud y seguridad de nuestros alumnos, personal y la comunidad. Necesitamos su ayuda para llevarlo a cabo. Ya que todos los virus de influenza pueden propagarse fácilmente de persona a persona, éstas son algunas maneras de protegerse a sí mismos y a sus familias contra esta enfermedad.

• Enséñenles a sus hijos a lavarse las manos constantemente con agua y jabón, o utilicen un desinfectante de manos que contenga por lo menos 60% de alcohol. Los adultos pueden poner el buen ejemplo al hacer esto también. Los alumnos pueden traer pequeños recipientes de desinfectante de manos a la escuela para su uso personal con el permiso y conocimiento de los padres. Favor de notificarle a la escuela si su hijo tiene una alergia al desinfectante para manos si no desea que su hijo/a lo use en la escuela.

• Enséñenles a sus hijos a no compartir artículos personales como bebidas, alimentos o vasos/cubiertos que no han sido lavados, lápices, plumas o teléfonos celulares.

• Enséñenles a sus hijos a cubrirse al toser o estornudar con pañuelos desechables (el pañuelo debe ir a la basura después de usarlo) o a toser en sus mangas o el doblez de su codo. Asegúrense de que ustedes sean buenos ejemplos. Eviten tocarse los ojos, la nariz o la boca, ya que los gérmenes se propagan de esta manera.

• Conozcan las señales y los síntomas de la influenza. Los síntomas relacionados a la influenza consisten de fiebre (100°F y más) con tos. Otros síntomas incluyen: dolor de garganta, escalofríos, dolores, dolores de cabeza, goteo o congestión de la nariz, nausea y vómito.

• Mantengan a los niños enfermos en casa por lo menos 24 horas después de que desaparezca la fiebre sin usar medicinas para reducir la fiebre. Mantener a los niños con fiebre en casa reducirá la cantidad de personas que se puedan infectar. Los alumnos de alto riesgo que puedan infectar a otros alumnos de alto riesgo podrían tener que permanecer en casa por lo menos 7 días.

• No envíen a los niños a clases si están enfermos. Los niños que se determine estén enfermos.

• Consulten con su proveedor del cuidado de la salud sobre cómo vacunarse a sí mismos y a sus hijos contra la influenza estacional (regular) y la H1N1 cuando esté disponible.

• Planifiquen opciones de guardería si su hijo/a se enferma y es excluido/a de clases, o si su clase o escuela se cierra a causa de altos índices de infección.

Los mantendremos al tanto de cualquier información nueva o si hay cambios en las directrices a seguir en nuestra escuela. Para obtener la información más reciente sobre la influenza H1N1, por favor visite el sitio de la red del distrito en www.sandi.net o visite www.flu.gov.

Atentamente,

Scott Barton
Principal/Director

For additional information, visit the following Websites:
Link to UCSD Website regarding H1N1

Link to San Diego Unified School District Website concerning H1N1

Admission in Fall 2010: We are now accepting applications for Fall 2010 Admission for the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th grades. You may download the application or pick up a copy at the school’s main office. The deadline to apply for Fall 2010 Admission is Friday December 18, 2009 by 4pm. Instructions in Spanish are available here.; Hanna Fekede, Preuss 8th grader shines at IOC Presentation; Hanna went to Switzerland as a squash player to present a case to have Squash as an Olympic sport in 2016. Hanna was extremely impressive during her presentation, so much so that she brought tears to the eyes of the IOC and also received the loudest ovation of the presenters.[Read more...]

UCSD News: Kelly Kovacic, social studies teacher, selected for Teacher of the Year honors.

Each year The Preuss School UCSD nominates a teacher for the district awards. Ms. Kovacic was recognized as runner-up in the district and now goes on to compete at the California State level.

The Preuss School UCSD ranks 10th in the Nation

Public schools are ranked according to a ratio devised by Jay Mathews: the number of Advanced Placement, Intl. Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2008 divided by the number of graduating seniors. All of the schools on the list have an index of at least 1.000; they are in the top 6 percent of public schools measured this way. [Read more...]

UCSD News: Preuss School Principal and Student are Named To Bezos Scholars Program at the Aspen Institute

Scott Barton, principal of the Preuss School at UC San Diego, and Paul Tran, a Preuss School junior, have been selected as 2009 Bezos Scholars, a program which brings together 12 of the nation's top public high school juniors and 12 of the most engaged educators for a weeklong seminar. [read more]

Business Week and Great Schools names The Preuss School as "Best Low-income School" in the State of California. For more information, click here.

: SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced that 200 California schools have been selected for the 2008-09 Title I Academic Achievement Award. They represent 88 school districts in 27 counties. The Preuss School UCSD is among those listed here. The full news release may be found on the California Department of Education website.

: The Preuss School moves up from No.10 to No.8 by U.S. News; The Preuss School UCSD has been ranked the 8th best public high school by US News and World Report in 2008 among 21,000 public schools across 48 states. The top 100 list may be viewed here.
: For more information on how schools were ranked,visit the magazine's explanation of methodology.

The Preuss School UCSD

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