District News

“We believe in empowering students to take ownership of their education and school experience,” said Campbell Union School District Superintendent Shelly Viramontez. 

Through the district’s Innovation Grant program, 10 student teams are using the design-thinking process to generate, test and implement ideas for two areas identified in our student survey data as needs: campus cleanliness and building a sense of belonging at their schools. 

“When we provide them with real-world challenges, our students see the connections to what they learn in school and recognize they have the ability to make a difference in their everyday lives,” Viramontez added.

Here are stories of progress at two schools.

Sherman Oaks Dual Immersion School

Two teams at this dual immersion, TK-8 school are working on ways to improve outdoor spaces for students to gather on campus. “We talked to a lot of students and staff and had a lot of ideas to start with,” said Yatzil, one of the 6th graders on the Innovation Grant team. More seating and shade—especially in the courtyard—topped the list, she added.

As they work with teachers Efrain Hernandez and Jamie Strand, and District Construction Manager Doug Williams (photo, center), the students are finding that state and local school safety requirements, maintenance, and costs mean reevaluating and generating different ideas to test. The solutions are becoming more clear. “We’re going to look at how to add seating to areas that already have shade, and what priority to give the other ideas,” said team member Alitzel.

Campbell School of Innovation

CSI’s student team has been working with Library Technician Sunny Huong to enhance the library experience for all students and making the “Think Tank” a welcoming space for students in the upper grades. The grant is making it possible to keep the library open during lunch for the upper grade students, holding book club meetings and community events, and eventually offering it as a study hall space after school on Wednesdays. 

At a recent meeting of the book club, pictured here, student leaders, Lyla B. (gr 6) and Miles V. (gr 8), explained why they chose to pursue the Innovation Grant. “I wanted CSI to offer more clubs and more books,” Lyla said. “I just want more people using the library, and more Uptown students using it,” Miles added. All of the students at the club meeting agreed that they enjoy reading, in general, and like having a physical book to read.

Library Tech Sunny Hong noticed that many students were not familiar with how to use the library When students returned to learning on campus. “They were good at computer searches and scrolling, but didn’t know how to select books in the library,” she said. She created book showcases and shared book recommendations by students’ peers, and sought ways to give students more experiences in the library. “It has made a difference,” she added.  “A lot more upper grade students are coming into the library.”

Next Week: Rosemary and Castlemont schools

By design, students throughout Campbell Union School District are stepping up to make a difference at school. Through the Innovation Grant program, 10 student teams are using the design-thinking process to generate and implement their innovative ideas. This year, the teams’  ideas are responding to feedback from the district’s survey data: how to build a sense of belonging within their schools and instill more pride in keeping the campus clean.  

“We believe in empowering students to take ownership of their education and school experience,” said Superintendent Shelly Viramontez. “When we provide them with real-world challenges, our students see the connections to what they learn in school and that they have the ability to make a difference in their everyday lives.”

Today, we drop in on the progress at two schools.

Blackford’s Student Voice & Choice Lunch Clubs: The group’s challenge was to find ways for students to have more fun at recess with opportunities to practice and spread kindness. With support from teacher Megan Delaye, they polled their classmates and created two clubs: a craft club for making friendship bracelets, and a soccer club for those who wanted to learn and enjoy the game. The clubs meet weekly and the grant pays for supplies and equipment.

On the first day of soccer club, fourth grade club leader Gabriel D. said clubs are making a difference. “I see people being more kind to each other,” he said. Co-leaders Ava C. and Fabian D. agreed, adding that they like helping kids learn soccer skills, sportsmanship, and seeing both girls and boys playing the game together.

To know if their efforts are successful, students will gather data through observations and future survey data to see if there are better results in the area of kindness.

Photos: (1) Students shake hands before beginning a scrimmage on the first day of soccer club.  (2) Soccer club leaders stand with teacher Megan Delaye.

Lynhaven’s “Kindness Rocks”: Spreading kindness is a schoolwide endeavor for this student team. To reinforce the idea that each student has the power to create a positive school climate, classes of students are painting “kindness rocks” with messages and images about friendship, caring, empathy, and sharing. Later this spring, the rocks will be hidden around campus as part of a scavenger hunt activity that will engage students in collaborative problem-solving.

“When students feel connected and proud of their school, they gain a sense of ownership that leads to a range of positive behaviors and improved academics,” said Teacher Erin Lewis.

Photos: (1) Teacher Erin Lewis (center) stands amid groups of students during a rock painting activity. (2) A student paints a rock with a caring message and images. 

Next week, we will check in on the teams from Sherman Oaks, CSI, and Rosemary.

Cover photo: Lynhaven students Noor A., Leovanni R., and Toby H. presented their idea and research at the second annual Innovation Grant Pitchfest in November.

How should we teach mathematics with  a “growth mindset” to help students and teachers understand that struggle leads to effective brain development? How do different teaching approaches impact students' learning? And how can all learners be engaged in mathematics? These are topics that Stanford Professor Dr. Jo Boaler, author and world renowned leader in mathematics teaching and learning, will share with Campbell Union School District’s teachers at the March 10th Professional Development day.

The challenges of distance learning during the pandemic had a significant impact on students' math scores, according to a 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report. CUSD’s leaders saw the challenge in their own students. As a result they sought out experts to support the district’s commitment to high quality first instruction to ensure students are learning to their highest potential.

“We’re excited to have our educators hear from an internationally recognized expert in mathematics,” said Whitney Holton, Associate Superintendent of Teaching & Learning. “Dr. Boaler’s visit is an outstanding example of how we live our value of ‘We are Learners’. By connecting with experts in the field and forming partnerships to engage in research, we learn together how to improve the outcomes for students in math.” 

This week, students and staff at our schools commemorated the 100th day of school. It was a day to note how far they have come in their learning journey and to dedicate themselves to making great strides in the remaining 80 days.

Rosemary School office made sure this was a day to celebrate.

How much is 100? Sherman Oaks teachers and students
dressed up as very senior citizens to show appreciation
for those who make it to 100 years of age.