News Archive

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The DMUSD is starting to plan for the 2010/2011 school year!   All students currently enrolled in the Del Mar Union School District were given an important form on Wednesday, February 24, titled "Pupil Placement Form" to take home for their parent/guardian to complete and return to the school office.  The purpose of the form is to assist the district in planning for 2010/2011 school year.  Thank you for completing this mandatory form and returning it to your child(ren)'s school before Wednesday, March 3.  If you have any questions, please call your school office.

Thank you for letting us know if your child will return to the DMUSD for the 2010/2011 school year.

On January 10, 2010, DMUSD After School Programs/Child Care Services Director Charlene Komosinski announced that she will retire on March 16, 2010.  Charlene has served as the DMUSD Child Care Director since 2000, after previously working in several classified positions at Del Mar Heights and Del Mar Hills from 1988 until her promotion to DMUSD Director of After School Programs/Child Care Services.

Under her strong and capable leadership, the DMUSD Child Care program was expanded from four to eight sites.  She also created several new programs that met the needs of DMUSD parents and students.  Charlene designed and began the popular DMUSD After School Enrichment program in 2001.  This voluntary program has enrolled over 1,500 students in each year of its existence.  Eight years ago she accepted the additional responsibility of administration of the historic Children’s Creative Workshop (CCW) program, and has gradually re-designed the CCW program so that it enrolls over 500 students each summer.  Charlene also designed and implemented a new summer camp program five years ago that meets the needs of over 350 students and parents during the summer months.  She has provided nurturing leadership for the DMUSD Employee Child Care Program currently housed at the old Del Mar Shores School.  Using a variety of leadership strategies, including the use of parent/student surveys, Charlene and her staff have provided high quality programs for students.

Charlene’s Child Care, After School Enrichment, and CCW programs have positively impacted thousands of DMUSD students during the past ten years.  Her continual emphasis on meeting the needs of DMUSD students through high quality and innovative programs led to major expansions of these programs.  Charlene’s vision and commitment to DMUSD students will be missed as she begins her well-deserved retirement.  Thank you for 21 years of service!!  Good luck and bon voyage Charlene Komosinski!!

Working with the San Diego Blood Bank, the District sponsored its 7th Annual Blood Drive at Del Mar Hills Academy on January 20, 2010. Robert Nauman of the San Diego Blood Bank expressed his appreciation in the following message.

“It is great drives like yours that keep San Diego Blood recipients alive and able to enjoy their lives.”

A total of 38 people came out to give the gift of life and 32 pints of blood were collected, saving 96 lives in just one day! The number of donors was a little lighter than we had hoped. Mr. Nauman reported “the rain really hurt our drive results this week.” We are looking forward to receiving more donations at the 8th Annual Blood Drive.

The District would like to express its appreciation to Del Mar Hills Academy’s Administrative Assistant, Linda Mettling, who worked collaboratively with the San Diego Blood Bank to make the Blood Drive a success. The District thanks Del Mar Hills Academy for hosting this event, and the school community for its support of this ongoing event to assist those in need.

A tentative date will soon be scheduled for the 8th Annual DMUSD Blood Drive.

At the December 9, 2009 Regular Board Meeting, the Board of Trustees of the Del Mar Union School District was pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Ryan Stanley as the new principal of Ocean Air School, effective January 4, 2010.

Currently, Mr. Ryan Stanley serves as the Assistant Principal at Sage Canyon School. Prior to joining the DMUSD in March 2008, Ryan was the Reading Recovery Trainer and Teacher on Special Assignment for early literacy in the Poway School District. In addition, Ryan has experience teaching both kindergarten and first grade in the Poway and Yucaipa School Districts.

During his time at Sage Canyon, Mr. Stanley has earned the respect and admiration of teachers, parents and students. Ryan Stanley is extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of teaching and learning and possesses strong communication skills. He is personable and has the best interests of students as his driving priority. Ryan has a strong background in staff development and literacy and has provided professional development to teachers and administrators in the Poway Unified and Del Mar Union School Districts and at San Diego State University. He will be a strong addition to the Ocean Air staff and the district’s administrative team.

Ryan and his wife, Kate, a third grade teacher, live in Rancho Bernardo with their son, Cole, and their daughter, Payton.

Congratulations, Ryan!

Gary Wilson, principal of Ocean Air School, has been named superintendent of the San Pasqual Union School District.

Gary has been an integral part of the DMUSD for the past 18 years.  He first served as principal of Del Mar Hills School where he enjoyed designing and opening the Academy of Arts and Sciences.  In 2002, Mr. Wilson accepted a new challenge of opening Torrey Hills School and, in 2007, Gary was given the opportunity to open the District’s newest school, Ocean Air.  Under his leadership "the Academy" earned both the California Distinguished School Award and the National Blue Ribbon Award, "Torrey" earned the California Distinguished School Award, and Ocean Air's API score was #1 in San Diego County.

On December 1, 2009, and after 34 years in public education in San Diego County, Mr. Wilson will be realizing his dream of becoming a superintendent.  He will be greatly missed as a friend, leader and colleague in the DMUSD.  Mr. Wilson has made a profound difference in the lives of the students and families in Del Mar.  The San Pasqual Union School District community is fortunate to have Gary Wilson as their new superintendent.  Won’t they be surprised when they discover that he sings, too!!! 

As you may know from the news media, the number of cases of the Swine Flu in San Diego County is increasing. Most doctors are testing patients who present with flu-like symptoms for H1N1 or Swine Flu but confirmation from the Health Department remains slow.

At this time, we do have some confirmed cases of students with H1N1 in various school sites within our district. The San Diego County Office of Education notified us this afternoon that the Health Department has confirmed cases at Del Mar Hills Academy, Ocean Air, and Torrey Hills. There are other suspected cases in the District and we are waiting for confirmation from the Health Department. A story will run in the news media tomorrow about H1N1 with information about confirmed cases around the County.

I want to reassure you that we are keeping close surveillance on the rate of illness in our schools and will continue to follow the public health department’s guidelines for effective management. We have created effective links and updates below regarding the best methods to help treat and contain the flu. You can also find the same information on your school’s website. We sent home a special flyer in the Wednesday packet today about symptoms and prevention of H1N1. Please take the time to read it carefully and follow its guidelines.

Click on the links below for the following information:
1) Seasonal and 2009 H1N1: A Guide for Parents
2) Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Resources for Parents and Caregivers
3) Healthy Habits
4) Letter from Superintendent McClain to Parents
5) Flu Shot Locations in San Diego County
6) County of San Diego H1N1 Flu Vaccine

Classroom teachers are looking forward to conferring with parents during the week of Monday, October 19th through Friday, October 23rd to review current classroom work and long-range instruction goals.  To be able to provide quality time for parent-teacher meetings, students will be dismissed at 12:30 p.m. every day during Parent-Teacher Conference Week.

Please note that Kindergarten Extended Day and After-School Enrichment Classes are canceled during Parent Teacher Conference Week.  Please confirm the schedules for childcare, as well.  If you need to finalize your appointment with your child’s teacher, please do so right now!  Thanks for being on time for your appointment, and for notifying your school office as soon as you can if a conflict arises and you need to reschedule.

The DMUSD is following the guidelines from the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency and the San Diego County Office of Education in regards to the Swine Flu. The Maintenance & Operations Department has placed hand sanitizer at all sink locations in classrooms, restrooms, nurse’s stations, and hallway sink areas. As part of the regular cleaning procedures, all restroom and sink fixtures are being disinfected after initial cleaning. Additionally, all bathrooms are checked for cleanliness throughout the school day.

Staff is reminding children to wash their hands often during the day, especially before eating and after using the restroom, and to cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing. Our school health technicians are closely monitoring absences and are gathering information on symptoms present in children reporting “influenza like illness.” Please support our efforts by reporting such information about your child to the health office staff in a timely manner. This will assist us in effectively managing the current health risks at schools in the District.