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 >
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Congratulations Ms. Kovacic!!
"All of my students will be the first generation of their families to graduate from college.” — Kelly Kovacic
2010 National Teacher of the Year Finalists Chosen
Washington, DC, January 12, 2010—A public school teacher from California, Florida, Iowa, or Michigan will be selected this year as the 60th recipient of the nation’s top teaching honor—National Teacher of the Year—according to Gene Wilhoit, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The National Teacher of the Year Program, sponsored by the ING Foundation, is a project of CCSSO.
“At no point in our history has our education system been more critical to children,” said Wilhoit. “Our students are relying on us to provide them the opportunity to be prepared for their future, and our nation is relying on us to maintain America's bright future. Second only to parents and guardians, the single, most critical variable in the formula for student success is the teacher. Congratulations to the four exemplary finalists on their dedication and support of our nation’s students.” Rhonda Mims, president of the ING Foundation adds, “As part of ING’s commitment to education, we’re proud not only to serve the financial needs of teachers across the nation, but also to sponsor the premier program that honors our nation’s teachers and highlights their tremendous contributions to education.”
The four finalists for 2010 are listed below. Each quoted italicized text is an excerpt from that finalist’s National Teacher of the Year application.
Kelly A. Kovacic—2010 California Teacher of the Year
Kovacic is an eleventh and twelfth grade social studies teacher at The Preuss School USCD in La Jolla, California. She has taught a total of eight years, all at Preuss, a school of 819 students.
“Like most teachers I meet people who have a perplexing view of our profession. They understand the importance of education but fail to see the connection between a quality teaching environment, student achievement and a healthy nation. They expect professional performances by teachers but don’t view them as full-time professionals. They entrust their child to teachers throughout the most formative years but don’t encourage that child to choose teaching as a viable and meaningful career. At my school I have seen the power of a functioning educational system that can transform a student from one who has all but given up to one whose passion to learn is ignited and whose future is reclaimed. We have the power as teachers, administrators, parents and community members to make that difference, but must model what we ask of students through the efforts we exert, funding we support, academic rigor we instill and the standards we fulfill.”
Megan Marie Allen—2010 Florida Teacher of the Year
Allen is a fourth grade teacher at Cleveland Elementary School in Tampa, Florida. She has taught for five years, the last four at Cleveland Elementary which has 343 students.
“As a country we need to provide good teachers with the ability to prepare students to compete in a global market. We need to forge ahead on education reform discussions, realizing that differences in opinions can bring us closer to finding solutions and remembering the innovative ideas often come out of civilized debate. We need to work together as states, creating focused, unified common standards and smarter assessments so teachers will have more pointed focuses for instruction. We need to work smarter, as partners in accountability and not as competitors. Within common standards we need to remember the requests of our children in keeping standards high enough to prepare them for global success. If we work as a community of advocates, helping our students succeed and putting our students’ needs first, then our students, the souls of our communities, will fulfill their dreams and achieve success.”
Sarah Brown Wessling—2010 Iowa Teacher of the Year
Wessling is a tenth through twelfth grade English teacher at Johnston High School in Johnston, Iowa. She has taught at this school of 1,250 students for ten of her eleven years in the education profession.
“The challenges in front of us are as poignant as ever and are creating a sense of urgency in teachers that ‘the time is now’ for creating more authentic learning experiences, for preparing students to compete in a global economy, for cultivating professional learning communities that nurture deliberate decision-making, for ensuring that we use assessment for learning. And time has become the teacher’s most precious commodity. Educators have the uncanny ability to find time in its best hiding spots and create moments of great purpose and clarity. Instead of lamenting that there is never enough time, I see teachers creating the kinds of lessons that make students say, ’Time just flew by!’ Instead of complaining that they can’t find the time, I hear teachers asking, ‘What time did you go to sleep last night?’ Teaching today requires a breadth and depth of commitment that we ask of only our most essential professionals.”
Robert L. Stephenson—2010 Michigan Teacher of the Year
Stephenson is a third grade teacher at Wardcliff Elementary School in the Okemos Public Schools of East Lansing, Michigan. He has been an educator at Wardcliff, a school of 240 students, for all fifteen of his years as a teacher.
“One of the things that sets the United States apart from other countries is our innovation and creativity which is fostered by the dedicated educators within our schools. Even during the most difficult times in our history, people knew that the United States had the limitless potential to reinvent itself, create new professions, and lead through perseverance and imagination. Our ‘forward-thinking’ attribute has been instilled in our education system since its inception. In the 21st century it is imperative that we continue to honor this ideal within the classroom in order to meet the future demands for originality in the work force. Innovative classroom experiences foster higher student achievement. Students become flexible, motivated, independent thinkers who are capable of reasoning and solving unfamiliar problems. In this day of streamlining the curriculum for efficiency and ensuring Adequate Yearly Progress, we have to be cautious not to lose that which makes us unique.”
A panel of educators, representing the 15 largest national education organizations, chose the finalists from the 2010 teachers of the year representing the U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions, and will select the 2010 National Teacher of the Year. Recognition by President Barack Obama of the national honoree and the state representatives is tentatively scheduled to take place during the week of April 26–30, 2010.
The organizations represented on the National Selection Committee are: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, Association for Childhood Education International, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Association of Teacher Educators, National Association for the Education of Young Children, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Association of State Boards of Education, National Congress of Parents and Teachers, National Education Association, National Middle Schools Association, National School Boards Association, and National School Public Relations Association.
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
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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.
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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
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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]
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Business Week and Great Schools names The Preuss School as "Best Low-income School" in the State of California. For more information, click here.
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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.
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The Preuss School moves up from No.10 to No.8 by U.S. News
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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.
