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Megan’s Message Megan Beauvais, Realtor® CalBRE #01426805 Ascent Real Estate
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chool options have always come up as a great, big question mark for people living in the area or investigating moving to Kensington and Talmadge. When my family moved to Talmadge, we did so intentionally due to the proximity to the Language Academy (a tuition-free French and Spanish Immersion K-8 magnet in the College area). The truth is, we have so many options at our fingertips…you just have to know where to look! Although many in years past have not sent their children to our local neighborhood schools, I am seeing an evolution take place currently. I know of several local parents who are getting involved in the schools, from Franklin Elementary to Hoover HS, and reclaiming them as our
local resource for education. Besides the STEAM program at Franklin Elementary (and the newly formed first ever PTA there, thanks to Talmadge resident Robin Taylor), there are public charters, magnets and traditional schools within a short drive – offering an array of specialized curricula ranging from language immersion, multi-media, performing arts, as well as several private schools nearby! I am often asked about schools at the open houses I host and am glad to be able to speak from experience, as well as to have watched many nearby schools flourish over the past 15 years in to true gems. For the record, the charters and magnet schools are most often tuition-free. This is the biggest misconception out there and I want to clear that one up right away. I encourage you to check out all school options within a close proximity to the community as you may well be surprised to see how plentiful your choices are! Two great resources are www.GreatSchools. org, where you can find parent ratings and review as well as district report cards on every school in the area, and www.Sandi. net/schools (this is the San Diego Unified School District where you can learn about all the different school options available at the district level). What a beautiful thing to have not only the ability to take advantage of local traditional schools but also the incredible programs developed at these local magnets and charters too. Kensington and Talmadge really DO have it all!! I know many parents who have had experiences at most all nearby schools and am happy to connect you to them as a sounding board or resource as you may be conducting your research. Give me a call or shoot me an email any time.
Vol.1 No. 9 - March 2016
Meet Your Neighbor(hood) School Franklin Elementary
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uilt in 1926, Franklin Elementary is celebrating its 85th anniversary of serving the Kensington, Talmadge, and City Heights communities. The unique campus features original architecture and tile work, side-by-side with updated facilities and state-of-the-art technology. In 2013, Franklin Elementary was fortunate to be named a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) Magnet School. The focus of the school is hands-on, minds-on, inquiry-based learning, with students engaging in daily exploration, problem solving, and critical thinking. At Franklin, students learn to work collaboratively and diversity is embraced. Core subjects are taught using the design-thinking process and classrooms are alive with students engaged in speaking, listening, reading, writing, computing, designing, and experimenting. The STEAM principles continue after the bell rings each afternoon, with after school science, engineering, coding, chess and drama clubs – all free of charge to enrolled students. In addition to the emphasis on academic achievement, students are treated as “scientist diplomats”, in the tradition of the school's namesake, Benjamin Franklin. They follow the principles of “The Franklin Way”, which includes the development of traits such as: Responsibility, Goal Setting, Respect, Team Building, Innovation/ Creativity, Risk Taking, Problem Solving. Once a month, teachers and students host a "Family Thursday" Open House. Parents are invited to the STEAM library for an orientation on the topic of study, visit their children’s classrooms to observe STEAM learning in action, then wrap up the morning with a debrief on the experience. Family Thursdays are a wonderful opportunity for parents to meaningfully connect with their children’s learning in a tangible way, and also give teachers and administrators the opportunity to share updates with families about upcoming opportunities for involvement. The Franklin PTA is proud to celebrate its second year of existence! -As with any PTA, their mission is to "...make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children." The Franklin PTA has been especially focused on bringing parents and teachers together to volunteer in the children's activities and
advocate on their behalf. Franklin has a very active community volunteer network, which is vital to the health of the school. Membership in the Franklin PTA is only $10, and is open to all community members – regardless of whether they have children enrolled in the school. Become a member today, and make an investment in the future of children in our community! Follow Franklin PTA on social media at www.Facebook.com/FranklinSDPTA and Twitter @ FranklinSDPTA...check out photos of past events! NOTABLES: Garden to Café Franklin Elementary has been certified as a Garden-to-Cafe school by San Diego Unified School District, only the eleventh school out of 266 educational facilities to receive this certification. This entitles the school to serve what is grown on campus in their own cafe. So far, the students have planted, harvested and eaten peas, carrots, radishes, tomatoes, lettuce and cabbage! Leader in Water Conservation Franklin Elementary is one of three schools leading the county in water conservation. Thanks to a partnership with UCSD Rady School of Management and the Israel Rain Harvest Water Project, three stateof-the-art rain barrels were installed on campus. Each barrel is able to hold 300 gallons of water, which will be used to irrigate the vegetable gardens, as well as an endless source of hands-on learning for students. STEAM Maker Champions The Franklin Elementary Bridge STIX team, made up of 3rd-5th grade student scientists, competed against children from ten different schools at the annual STEAM Maker Festival held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The Franklin STEAM Magnet team won the competition with an amazing score of 380 points out of 400! Robotics Competitors Franklin's Robotics Team students competed in a Junior Botball Competition at Hoover High School. In Botball, students use science, engineering, technology, math, and writing skills to design, build, program, and document robots in hands-on projects that reinforces their learning. The Franklin team was awarded 4 pins after successfully completing all 4 challenges they were given.