CA 92130
What’s Inside:
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What’s Happening Now The skillful incorporation of technologies into the instructional process has dramatically enhanced the lives of our students and teachers.
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Here’s How
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Now That’s Wow!
Learning spaces come alive!
DMUSD students ranked at the top among the 1,000 districts in the entire state!
May 2016 Issue 1
Del Mar Schools Mission Statement Del Mar Union Schools provide a nurturing, inspiring, and rigorous educational program for each of our students. With a collaborative community and dedicated staff, we continually evolve to develop: •
Well-rounded and fulfilled individuals.
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Motivated lifelong learners.
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Future leaders prepared for the challenges of a changing world.
We Teach the Future Now
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his Del Mar Union School District Report to the Community is intended to provide interesting and timely information about our school district. Del Mar Union School District is a widely recognized leader in education, serving a preschool through sixth grade population of nearly 5,000 students at eight school sites within the 92014 and 92130 zip codes. Our community places a high priority on education and the importance of a firstclass educational system. We are ambitious, and we take the responsibility of educating our children seriously. We are steadfast in our commitment to students’ mastery of core academic content, critical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to communicate and collaborate effectively. A strong academic program, coupled with
powerful learning environments, provides the blueprint for success. When learning environments are ideal, schools are places where students’ ideas, dreams, and talents take flight. DMUSD is renowned for the exceptional educational experiences it provides children. Our students are among the highest achieving students in the entire state of California, as was demonstrated in 2015 by top state test scores showing peak levels of achievement statewide in mathematics, literacy, and science. We are proud to serve this outstanding community! Holly McClurg, Ph.D. Superintendent Del Mar Union School District
Tech Savvy
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hroughout the past several years, DMUSD has conducted a number of smart, welldesigned pilot programs that have been grounded in sound research. The aim is to better understand how to select digital tools to leverage educational benefits for our students. We have done this through the skillful incorporation of technologies into the instructional process. This has dramatically enhanced the lives of our students and teachers, enabling greater classroom vitality and academic performance of our children.
Innovation at Our Fingertips
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ith the touch of a finger, we are connecting our students to the world beyond their classrooms! Teachers and students use tools that are interconnected, bringing learning to life through rich multimedia sources. Students and teachers seamlessly project images, documents, and information from any device - iPad, laptop, Chromebook, smartphone. Our upgraded projection systems have taken us from outdated document cameras and projectors to iPads and 80” monitors. The implementation of this technology comes together using Haiku, a single online learning management system. This is the future of education now!
Smart Technology
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n every moment of our 21st century world, knowledge is at our fingertips in the form of a smartphone, iPad, computer, or any other device with access to the Internet. Providing our students with the right technology tool is an essential component of our instructional model. More than just a clever gadget, technology is used as a tool to expand learning beyond the classroom. Del Mar’s focus on learning guides every decision involving technology. As a result, our focus on written communication led to the use of Chromebooks in every 3rd through 6th grade classroom as a tool for writing, research, and analysis. Using Chromebooks, our students engage in real-world problem solving and continue to make consistent and dramatic progress in the area of writing! Our kindergarten through 2nd grade students are at different stages of development as readers and writers. With a laser focus on learning, we seek to find the very best tool to promote high levels of success. iPad Minis, iPads, and Chromebooks are being used by our youngest scholars, and we are thrilled to provide our students with greater access to a wide variety of texts and educational resources. We ensure our students have the right tool at the right time for their learning!
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DMUSD Report to the Community
Quick Facts: 4C’s
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ational survey of 2,115 CEOs and managers concluded that “Employees must be able to think critically, collaborate with others, work creatively and communicate much more effectively at every level in the organization.” American Marketing Association, 2010: Study on What Employers are Looking For. Today’s students are moving beyond the basics and embracing the 4C’s - “super skills” for the 21st Century! Partnership for 21st Century Learning.
Classroom Apps for Students: www.dmusd.org/students to access a variety of website links and resources.
avvy
Evolving Classroom Space: Modern Learning Studios
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his is not your parents’ classroom! The traditional K-6 classroom design is based on educational spaces that first appeared in schools over 100 years ago. Our challenge is to deliver a classroom that responds to today’s learners while being sustainable for our future learners. In six of our current classrooms we are previewing what future classrooms will look like. Our six Modern Learning Studios (MLS) are a platform for the way children think, process, communicate, collaborate, create and, most importantly, work. Long gone from these studios are bulky bookcases and stationary desks. Those are
replaced by flexible furnishings allowing for student choice and powerful learning. These studios permit mobility, flexibility and opportunities for engagement at the highest levels. While technology is not the star in these new spaces, each Modern Learning Studio is equipped with two 80” monitors, an Apple TV, Chromecast, iPads, Chromebooks and an audio system all synced together to allow inner and inter connectivity. This provides a learning experience never before realized. Modern Learning Studios - Coming to a DMUSD school near you!
Why is Connectedness Important?
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onnectedness isn’t simply about grabbing the latest device. Nor is it merely purchasing 3,000 iPads or Chromebooks. Enabling digital connectivity for students and teachers requires purposeful planning; it is delivering to classrooms the right tech tool at the right time. It is ensuring that student learning is supported by technologies that properly develop analytic reasoning, extend creative thinking for testing hypotheses, and spur communication of innovative ideas that foster real-world application of knowledge.
Meeting the educational needs of students now and for their future adult years demands an integrated strategy for the sensible use of technology—a blending of “old-school” technologies with selective adoption of tested cutting edge tech innovations. In DMUSD, the educational focus is on bringing together world-class instructional practice, rich multi-media experiences and powerful diagnostic mechanisms that enhance the way teachers teach, and enrich and embolden the way our students learn. We celebrate the stellar academic achievements of our students and the dedication of our professional educators. “It means equipping teachers to not only innovate, but also share their best practices and create a network of innovation among themselves… For the next century, the students who will be the most empowered are those who are incredibly creative in the arts, humanities, and sciences and can draw connections between them…Technology is a tool that can enable many of these innovations.” Sal Khan, Founder The Khan Academy
DMUSD Report to the Community
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Full STEAM+ Ahead!
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MUSD children experience extraordinary learning opportunities that advance students’ thinking through stimulating engagement in the educational program. DMUSD STEAM+ environments are alive with standards-based learning encounters that teach our children to think, innovate, create. Today’s students must possess certain knowledge and skills to thrive. These essential skills define what students need in order to realize their potential, to be innovative global thinkers, and to be poised for success in their chosen careers. Students must be comfortable taking risks, adept at collaboration, confident in the face of
“STEAM+ is really fun! Every school should have it.’’
significant challenges, and skilled at carving out unique solutions.
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In the Del Mar Union School District, STEAM+ provides robust and engaging opportunities for students to experience an interdisciplinary approach to learning. We are preparing our students for the future! Dynamic learning environments support strategic thinking, innovation, and collaboration. Students who are prepared for their futures must be able to connect experiences from a variety of disciplines and think about problems from various perspectives. Science and engineering concepts fuse together with technology and art! Physical education and music intersect in ways never before imagined!
“What I love about STEAM+ is that it lets you be creative, and you can learn different skills.”
Support for STEAM+ reflects the Del Mar Union School District commitment to the education and development of the whole child. We are in relentless pursuit of creating experiences where every student has opportunities to develop their individuality and learn to communicate their thinking while gaining an understanding of the world around them.
Del Mar Schools Education Foundation (DMSEF) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) agency that establishes links with community leaders and business partnerships to offer access to cuttingedge resources that support STEAM+ instructional programs that support and enhance classroom learning.
“I think STEAM+ is amazing because it helps us learn more subjects, and it opens our minds to other topics and activities.”
www.dmsef.org
California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP)
Perseverance Pays Off!
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hen Del Mar students sat down to participate in the new Smarter Balanced statewide testing last spring, they were ready! The new computerbased, adaptive tests were administered to all students in 3rd through 6th grade in mathematics and English language arts/literacy. The test required that students think critically and apply concepts learned throughout the year. As a result of hard work and the perseverance of students and staff, test results were at the top in the state and students continue to demonstrate high levels of classroom performance each and every day. Approximately six years ago, DMUSD embarked on a journey to teach children to become prolific communicators by learning how to write well and skillfully communicate in a variety of formats. On the heels of that work, we began a clear focus on teaching children to think conceptually in mathematics; to become fearless mathematicians who have the skills and grit to tackle any problem put before them. We continue to focus on literacy development and
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DMUSD Grades 3-6 STATEWIDE
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44
30
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33
Math
English Language Arts
84% of Del Mar students met or exceeded the mathematics standard versus 33% statewide.
87% of Del Mar students met or exceeded the English/language arts literacy standards versus 44 % statewide.
are implementing an interdisciplinary approach via STEAM+ learning that makes strong connections among science, technology, engineering, the arts, mathematics, and all other areas of the curriculum. Quality teaching and learning is evident in every classroom, and test results are another measure of our students’ success!
Del Mar Union School District, 11232 El Camino Real, San Diego, CA 92130 4
DMUSD Report to the Community
www.dmusd.org
Phone: 858-755-9301
Fax: 858-755-4361