Congratulations to our 2024 PUSD

Teachers of the Year!

Ross Kallen, Elise Milling and Nicole Stowell
Receive School District Honors

The Poway Unified School District (PUSD) is proud to announce that Ross Kallen, Visual/Technical Arts Teacher at Rancho Bernardo High School; Elise Milling, 8th Grade Humanities and Performing Arts Teacher at Mesa Verde Middle School; and Nicole Stowell, Education Specialist at Sunset Hills Elementary School have been chosen as the PUSD Teachers of the Year for 2024.

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Congratulations to Christina Bass who was named
2023-24 San Diego County Teacher of the Year!

Painted Rock Elementary School Teacher Honored at "Salute to Teachers" Reception

(San Diego, CA) - The Poway Unified School District is proud to announce that Christina Bass, ASB Advisor and 2nd/3rd-grade teacher at Painted Rock Elementary School, has been named as a 2023-24 San Diego County Teacher of the Year. Christina's exceptional commitment to her students, innovative teaching methods, and impactful community involvement have earned her this prestigious recognition.

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Updated COVID-19 Guidance

January 24, 2024

Dear PUSD staff,

On January 9, 2024, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released updated COVID-19 testing and isolation guidance. Subsequently, the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) and the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency collaborated and updated the COVID-19 Decision Table for K-12 schools on January 22, 2024. The updated guidance will allow individuals to follow a more symptom-based approach as they usually do for other illnesses.

Poway Unified’s COVID-19 policy is now aligned with the updated guidance from the California Department of Public Health and SDCOE. Students and staff who test positive and are asymptomatic may remain in school or at work. Students and staff who test positive and are experiencing symptoms may return to work or school when they start to feel better, their symptoms are mild and improving, and they have not had a fever for 24 hours without fever reducing medications. There is no longer a '5-day' rule to stay home following a COVID-19 positive test if the individual is asymptomatic or feeling better.

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TPLES - Teacher Professional Learning and Effectiveness System

Dear Colleagues,

The demands on a teacher's time are endless, and the school year seems to go so quickly from this point on. The below link Teacher Professional Learning and Effectiveness System (TPLES) reminder sheet is intended to provide support and suggestions for teachers in the evaluation cycle this year, as they monitor and document progress on their SLO/PLO.  It can also help make the final evaluation conference, for both traditional and alternative evaluations, more meaningful for the teacher and administrator.

Teacher Professional Learning and Effectiveness System (TPLES) reminder sheet - click here

In Unity,
Kelly

Classroom Supplies using Online Donation Site

What teachers need to do first to be eligible for donations: Go to www.pusddonate.org. Click your grade level (elementary, middle, high), click your “Site”, click “Teachers”. Please be sure your name is listed. The website is linked to the district’s payroll system.  Therefore, the donation website uses the same name you are using for payroll purposes (legal name).  Unfortunately, we cannot change that name.

What the Online Donation website provides:
1. Parents have the option of donating directly to their child’s teacher(s), program, department, grade level, program, or the school site’s general fund using this online donation website. The website is designed to provide parents with an easy and convenient way to help fund our instructional supply needs. Teachers and schools have received more than $100,000.00 in donations using this website. It works.

2. Parents may access the donation website by going to www.pusddonate.org.  Parents receive a tax deduction and email confirmation when donating. The website also includes a “Matching Gift Program” if a parent’s employer provides that benefit.

3. Teachers receive an automatic email confirmation stating the amount of the donation, donor’s name and email, and student’s name, if provided by the parent. Our District uses a spam filter. Therefore, to receive confirmation emails from the donation site you must check your spam folder. When you see the link, pusdonline@firstlinemerchant.com that’s the Online Donation secure banking (when using a credit card) email address. Please “whitelist” this email address. For accounting purposes, your site finance clerk or site secretary receives a monthly report of all donations. If you have not received an email confirmation but think you have received a donation, check with your site secretary or finance clerk.

Donation: Teachers access these donations the same way they would their regular supply budget/s at the site.

COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES: Teachers may communicate this website to parents via their MyConnect site, newsletter, and/or during Back-to-School Night (see Common Message on Q&A attached). To promote greater equity among all our classrooms, we suggest grade-level teams or departments come together to identify their “collective” supply needs and request donations be made to the grade-level or department, rather than individual teachers.

Please note: Donations to this account may only be used for instructional supplies (e.g. school supplies, software, workbooks, art and science materials…). If requesting donations for technology, check with your principal. The primary function of your site Foundation is to purchase software and technology and teachers should be coordinating their efforts.

Field Trip Fees: The Classroom Supplies ~ Online Donations website now offers the option of collecting Field Trip fees. More information and directions for teachers will be coming soon in a separate email.

I've attached an FAQ and a handout you may wish to provide to parents.  

Attachments:

FAQ Classroom Supplies
CSOLD Parent Handout

In Unity,
Kelly