Davidson Field Grand Opening Flyer

Early College High School Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Click the image or the link below to read the latest edition of Newport-Mesa Unified School Districts Community Newsletter!

Community Newsletter

Dear Kindergarten through Fifth Grade Parents,

In August 2016, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) Board of Education gave direction to staff to begin the process of evaluating and piloting new elementary math instructional materials.  Through this collaborative, seven month pilot process, NMUSD K-5 teachers and staff have identified Bridges in Mathematics by Math Learning Center as the comprehensive set of kindergarten to fifth grade math instructional materials that will best meet the needs of NMUSD students and teachers. 

As you may recall from previous communications, this process began with assembling a steering committee of teachers and administrators to develop and guide the pilot process and future recommendation to the Board of Education. The steering committee identified two viable sets of instructional materials that were implemented, analyzed and evaluated in select primary and upper grade classrooms at each site. Teachers used and evaluated each set of materials for seven weeks and then collaboratively reached consensus that Bridges in Mathematics is the best set of K-5 math instructional materials for NMUSD.

As part of the evaluation process parents and students in pilot classrooms were provided an opportunity to provide feedback on the instructional materials.  Community members were able to review website links to publishers and provide feedback through the District Elementary Math Instructional Materials Pilot website.

We are grateful for the guidance and leadership of our Board of Education and their commitment to ensure that we provide teachers with opportunities to identify the best resources to prepare our students for the ever-changing world. District staff will report on the pilot process and the resulting recommendation of Bridges in Mathematics at the Board of Education meeting on May 9, 2017.  Bridges in Mathematics materials will be on display for public review in the Sanborn Building from May 10, 2017 to May 23, 2017.  A recommendation for final approval will go forward to the Board of Education on May 23, 2017.

We appreciate your feedback and support throughout the process and will continue to provide communication to our school community to work toward a seamless adoption process.  

Greetings! In the interest of keeping the community informed, please see below for a brief review of the upcoming Newport-Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) Board meeting. I have highlighted a few items that may be of interest to the general public.

Board Meeting Agenda Highlights:

Recognition

10. a. Recognize 2016-2017 NMUSD Classified School Employee of the Year Recipients. The California School Employee of the Year (CSEY) program was established in 2008 by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and is based on guidelines set by the California Department of Education. It is recommended that the Board of Education recognize and commend NMUSD nominees for the California School Employee of the Year Program.

Reports

13.a. 50th Anniversary Student Board Member Report - 2000s. It is recommended that the Board of Education receive this report from the Costa Mesa High School student board members reflecting back on what it was like to be in school in the 2000s in Newport-Mesa.

Consent

Various routine contractual agreements related to the following:

15.a.2. Authorization to Approve Amendment No. 1 to the Agreement with Geocon West, Inc. for Geotechnical Investigation for the New 50 Meter Pool Facility at Estancia High School

15.a.3. Approval of Agreement with C.E.M. Lab Corp. for Materials Testing and Deputy Inspection Services for the Newport Harbor High School Varsity Baseball Field Scoreboard Replacement Project

15.a.4. Approval of Agreement with MTGL, Inc. for Soil and Materials Testing and Inspection Services for the Learning Resource Center at Corona del Mar High School

15.a.8. Approve Funding for Monolith Signs at Woodland and Killybrooke Elementary Schools

Resolution Consent

16.b. Adopt Resolution No. 32-04-17 In Support of May 10, 2017 as "National School Nurse Day" and the week of May 8 - 12, 2017 as "National School Nurse Week"

16.c. Adopt Resolution No. 33-04-17 In Support of Autism Awareness Month, April 2017

16.e. Adopt Resolution No. 36-04-17 Recognizing California Day of the Teacher May 10, 2017 and National Teacher Appreciation Week May 1-5, 2017

Please note that the NMUSD Board of Education meeting agenda is posted online the Friday prior to the meeting. Click here to view the full NMUSD Board of Education meeting agenda.

General Board Meeting Overview

Board meetings are where elected officials conduct the business of the school district. Agendas for regular meetings of the NMUSD typically consist of a closed session and an open session.

Closed session agenda items are confidential and cannot be shared with the public. If the board agenda contains a closed session, the topics will be routinely related to confidential employee or student issues and/or pending litigation. The Board may also discuss various negotiations with its chief negotiator in a closed session.

Open session items are non-confidential agenda items in which the board conducts its business in view of the public. Open session agenda items are divided into the following sections:  

• Public comment is provided so that members of the community can speak to the Board. If a speaker addresses an issue that is not on the agenda, the Board is restricted from responding to the speaker. If a speaker addresses an issue that is on the agenda, the Board may respond when the agenda item is scheduled to be addressed in the agenda. The purpose of the open meeting law, commonly referred to as the Brown Act, guarantees that public organizations will only make decisions or address issues that have been publicly posted. Public comments on non-agenda items do not meet this threshold. 
   
• Presentation is when an item is being presented to the Board or from the Board.  Examples include presentation of a check or proclamation to the Board, or the Board presenting a Distinguished Service Award to a staff member.
   
• Report is a verbal communication from staff on a topic of interest to the Board.
   
• Consent calendar items are routine items of business that occur on a regular basis. The board will approve the consent calendar in one vote, unless the board pulls it for discussion. Often, consent calendar items are related to contract renewals, construction change orders, purchase of previously approved instructional materials, supplies and routine approvals required by state law.
   
• Discussion/action calendar items are required to be publicly approved separately. Items in this category are new items that have not been previously approved, require a policy change, or are related to compensation changes for all employees.

Sincerely,

Dr. Fred Navarro
Superintendent, Newport-Mesa Unified School District

We are proud to announce that the Newport-Mesa Unified School District has been selected as a finalist for the 2017 Learning Impact Awards. The program recognizes outstanding innovative applications of education technology to address significant challenges facing education.

Please read the attached Learning Impact Award news item for more information!

(Left) Ricardo Sandoval, (middle) Juliann Scheafer, (Right) Jason Greenberg, 2017 Orange County Roadeo winners.

Newport-Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) school bus drivers Ricardo Sandoval, Juliann Scheafer and Jason Greenberg win top honors at the 57^th annual Orange County School Bus Roadeo, which attracted nearly 100 drivers.

Ricardo Sandoval, who has been a school bus driver with NMUSD for four years, won first place in the county and first place overall. Juliann Scheafer was awarded third place in the county. As a team, Ricardo, Juliann and Jason placed first countywide.

NMUSD school bus drivers have been competing in the Roadeo, on and off, since 1991, and have amassed 18 first place individual wins and seven team wins at the county level.

School Bus Safety Roadeos are held across the United States and require drivers to pass a written test prior to competing in the seven behind the wheel events. The emphasis throughout the competition is safety and by design, increases safety awareness. Various Roadeos occur throughout California, leading up to the statewide competition. Drivers that perform well at the state level are invited to compete at the International Roadeo competition. Last year, NMUSD bus driver Victor Garza was awarded first place at the International Roadeo. Part of NMUSD’s success in the Roadeo can be attributed to the rigorous training program, ongoing education and testing that takes place within the district. 

“Everything we do, all of the training, all of the testing is to increase safety. We want parents to know that we have some of the best drivers in the state,” said NMUSD Transportation Operations Supervisor Norm Turner.

Participation in the Roadeo is voluntary and NMUSD consistently participates and succeeds at these events. Some drivers attend the Roadeo even if they are not participating in the competition just to support their colleagues, often times cooking and volunteering at the event.

There is a proud history throughout NMUSD of providing safe and efficient school bus transportation. NMUSD is an industry leader in student transportation for a variety of reasons including maintaining clean buses in good working order, having some of the best drivers in the state, and assisting other districts implement the Bus in the Classroom student transportation safety skill training program.

NMUSD is currently hiring bus drivers! If you or someone you know is interested in joining an award-winning team of school bus drivers, please visit the job opportunities website. Drivers can start with little or no experience and through paid training get the experience and licensing necessary to become a school bus driver. Juliann Scheafer, one of this year’s award-winning Roadeo participants, began with NMUSD in 2014 with no previous experience. She received her training through NMUSD and went on to successfully compete at the state level finishing with a fourth place win within her first year.

Newport-Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) launched a Chromebook initiative that will provide access for all students to a digital environment.  

In fall 2016, implementation of the Chromebook initiative began with the Estancia Zone. This provided all students in grades K-7 with access to Chromebooks, with grades 3-7 being a one-to-one environment. Chromebooks were distributed to students in the Estancia Zone which includes TeWinkle Middle School, Adams, California, Pomona, Rea, Victoria and Wilson Elementary Schools.

Informational parent meetings were held at all schools. Traditional computer labs are being replaced with mobile technology and devices in the classroom.

With more devices in their hands, students will learn the benefits that technology has to offer by fine-tuning their foundational research skills, storing their projects and activities in the cloud, and sharing ideas in a safe and supportive online environment.

This initiative has led to increased use of technology in the classroom, with students using it for research, collaboration and to create new and exciting works, while teachers are finding new ways to engage students both in groups and individually. As professional development for staff is crucial part of the initiative, the Educational Technology Department has been providing training on best practices for using Chromebooks as an instructional tool, support for initial setup and lesson design using a co-teaching model and customized trainings based on skill level of staff. Digital Fellows and site technology coordinators at the schools also continue to provide support as needed.

The Initiative includes the following:

• Kindergarten - 2nd grade: One shared classroom set of Chromebooks per grade level. Each classroom also receives 6 Chromebooks. Chromebooks remain at the school.
• 3^rd - 4^th grade: One classroom set of Chromebooks per class. Chromebooks remain at the school.
• 5^th - 8^th grades: In fifth grade students are assigned a Chromebook that they take home and keep until 9th grade. For the initial launch of the initiative all students in grades fifth through seventh were assigned a Chromebook.
• 9^th grade: Students will be assigned a Chromebook in 9th grade that they take home and keep until they graduate. For the Initiative, 9th graders will receive Chromebooks in Year 2.

Students that are assigned Chromebooks to be taken home follow a similar approach to when textbooks are checked out from the library. They are responsible for ensuring the safe handling and charging of their Chromebooks.

For the 2017-18 school year, the Chromebook initiative is expected to be implemented throughout the Newport Harbor Zone in the same format as the Estancia Zone. The Newport Harbor Zone includes Kaiser, Mariners, Newport, Newport Heights, Whittier and Woodland Elementary Schools, as well as Ensign Intermediate and Newport Harbor High School. It is anticipated that the Chromebook initiative will be implemented in the Costa Mesa zone and Corona del Mar in the following years.

For more information about the Chromebook Initiative please contact edtech@nmusd.us.