by The Editors on March 21, 2012
This Saturday, March 24, 2012 the Lagoon Discovery Center on the Agua Hedionda Lagoon is celebrating World Water Day with a full day of activities and fun for the entire family.
This year’s World Water Day will kick off with a kayak lagoon clean up from 10am – noon. Participants provide their own boat. Like to participate? Contact us to sign up! . . . The World Water Day Festival will feature water-related speakers , water-themed exhibitors, the awesome SPLASHMOBILE, games, crafts, free face painting, and much much more! Family Fun Day…..Free!
The Lagoon Discovery Center is located at 1580 Cannon Road in Carlsbad, California. For more information call 760-804-1969 click to email info@aguahedionda.org or follow the jump for a complete schedule of the day’s activities. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on March 13, 2012
by The Editors on February 27, 2012
How’s this for insanity in the first world. On Friday night, February 24, 2012, trustees of the Carlsbad Unified School District voted to cut nearly 160 teachers in an effort to bring their budget into balance, according to a story in the UT San Diego.
But they say cuts will only happen if the Carlsbad Unified Teachers’ Association doesn’t agree to “pay concessions.
About 60 elementary school teaching jobs were cut Friday night, along with the Carlsbad Unified School District’s sole librarian, six art teachers, eight science teachers and eight math teachers. Art, science, English, music, physical education and world language jobs were also shaved from the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Which reminds us. Shouldn’t cuts to the budget come from things that aren’t necessary? If the trustees would look at things in the proper order they would see that teachers should always be the last to go.
Click here for CUTA’s President Sally Estep’s speech to the school board on Friday night.
[Link: UT San Deigo and CUTA News]
by Richard J. Riehl on January 12, 2012
As they plan for next year’s budget cuts, Carlsbad school officials are confronted with options reminiscent of Hobson’s and Sophie’s choices. Thomas Hobson was the 16th Century English livery stable owner who advertised the availability of 40 horses but restricted choice to the one nearest the stable door—a take it or leave it option. Sophie Zawistowski was the mother in William Styron’s novel who is forced to choose which of her two children to save from being put to death by the Nazis.
Closing schools because of budget cuts embodies the same kind of no-win solutions.
Preparing for an expected $8 million budget shortfall next year, school officials are considering the closure of two schools that are substantially more costly to operate per pupil than other district schools because of their low enrollments. Abandoning Buena Vista Elementary and Carlsbad Village Academy would save the district an estimated $1 million. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on November 4, 2011
As much as we’d like to think that the taxes we pay to the State of California could support a reasonable public school system, here in Carlsbad that just isn’t the case. In fact, the Carlsbad Unified School District is headed into an $11 million deficit for the 2012-13 school year. That’s why the work of the Carlsbad Education Foundation is so important to the students in Carlsbad. On November 1, 2011 the CEF kicked off their annual fund drive.
Here’s what they did with the money this year:
Carlsbad Educational Foundation announces the release of $350,000 in funds to assist 15 key initiatives that support students within the Carlsbad Unified School District during the 2011-2012 school year. Among the initiatives are essential music, science and special programs that impact 11,000 students throughout the district.
For more information on what the CEF is doing in Carlsbad and how you can help, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on February 11, 2011
Former Carlsbad High surfer Austin Ganz helped lead the University of California Santa Barbara surf team to a win the NSSA West Coast College Surfing Season 2010-11 Title, by finishing 4th in the Men’s Short Board on Monday, January 17th at D Street in Encinitas.
When asked about this, Ganz said, “Surfing and education go hand in hand, competitive surfing teaches you to work hard for something you want like a college education.”
Austin was one of only 3,600 new Freshmen admitted to UCSB this year. Austin’s degree at UCSB is declared as Marine Biology (Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology EEMB).
In the future Austin will be supporting UCSB as a scientific scuba diving and underwater researcher for Santa Barbara Coastal Long Term Ecological Research program.
“Carlsbad is a great place to grow up, it has given me a great appreciated for our oceans, and I look forward to continuing my education and one day being a Marine Biologist,” Ganz says.
We can’t say we disagree with Austin. Congrats!
by Bridget Smith on November 12, 2010
Carlsbadistan’s Dove Library will be transformed into a mini –golf course on Sunday, November 14 from 10-5, for a one of a kind fundraiser for the Carlsbad Library and Arts Foundation.
Ticket holders can play nine holes of mini-golf, bid at the silent auction, and jive to the music of “The Swamp Critters” a Cajun/ Zydeco band. Other kid friendly activities like face painting and Ballo the Clown will take place in the Kids Activity Area located in Dove’s Children’s garden.
Tickets are $10 for adults. Kids tickets are $5 for golf only or $10 for golf plus entrance to the Kid’s activity area. Tickets can be reserved by a calling the library at 760-602-2060 or purchased the day of the event. So if you’re looking for some fun this Sunday, head to Dove library and play mini golf “fore” the library!
by The Editors on October 14, 2010
Dignitaries gathered this afternoon (October 14, 2010) to smile, shake hands, and ceremonially turn over some dirt (we’re just guessing here) near the corner of College and Cannon Rd to mark the official beginning of construction on Carlsbad Unified School District’s new $104 million state-of-the-green high school.
Students and staff will benefit from improved indoor air quality resulting from the use of low-emitting building and surfacing materials. Energy-efficient ventilating systems and siting on a high elevation just three miles from the ocean that enjoys westerly breezes will decrease overall energy costs by one-third. When completed in an estimated 28 months, the campus will include a library, career center, classrooms, science and fine arts buildings, and a gymnasium with nearby athletic fields.
Come to think of it, students at the new school will benefit from all kinds of things, namely not having to drive through packed neighborhoods to get to school every morning.
Follow the jump for more info from the company who will be building the school. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on September 22, 2010
After numerous legal hurdles it appears that the Carlsbad Unified School District is about to begin construction on the new Carlsbad High School, according to a Stacy Brandt story in the North County Times.
The Carlsbad Unified School District board of trustees will vote Wednesday on a contract with a San Diego-based construction company to start work on the 57-acre site in eastern Carlsbad. . . Superintendent John Roach has recommended the board approve the contract, which would pay Barnhart-Balfour Beatty $6.7 million to grade the site, install utilities and extend Cannon Road. . . “The community has been waiting for this, and we’re getting more excited believing it’s closer to becoming a reality,” Roach said.
Now, if the City could just start on that new skatepark we’d be pretty well satisfied.
[Link: North County Times]
by Bridget Smith on September 3, 2010
Thanks to the charismatic leadership of music teacher Katie Browne, the Aviara Middle School Band in Carlsbad added 90 beginning music students to its roster this year. The school is scrambling to provide instruments for all those eager students. It will try to use Booster Club funds to purchase instruments, but is concerned that this will take away from the scholarships that it provides for uniforms and materials for students with financial hardship. Mrs. Browne is asking for donations of used band instruments to help get those ninety enthusiastic band geeks playing!
To make a donation please contact Bridget Smith at familyadventureguidebooks-at-gmail.com. Of course monetary donations are also welcome, since some kids are dreaming of playing the less readily available instruments like the oboe or the soprano sax.
Carlsbad is always a generous community and middle school as well all know is not an easy time of life. Let’s show these budding musicians some support!
Bridget Smith is the author of The Unauthorized Legoland Guidebook . She blogs about her family’s adventures in Carlsbad and beyond at http://www.familyadventureguidebooks.com
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The Riehl World: Schools Face No-win Choices
by Richard J. Riehl on January 12, 2012
As they plan for next year’s budget cuts, Carlsbad school officials are confronted with options reminiscent of Hobson’s and Sophie’s choices. Thomas Hobson was the 16th Century English livery stable owner who advertised the availability of 40 horses but restricted choice to the one nearest the stable door—a take it or leave it option. Sophie Zawistowski was the mother in William Styron’s novel who is forced to choose which of her two children to save from being put to death by the Nazis.
Closing schools because of budget cuts embodies the same kind of no-win solutions.
Preparing for an expected $8 million budget shortfall next year, school officials are considering the closure of two schools that are substantially more costly to operate per pupil than other district schools because of their low enrollments. Abandoning Buena Vista Elementary and Carlsbad Village Academy would save the district an estimated $1 million. [click to continue…]
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