Monday, August 29, 2016

It's Going to be an Extraordinary School Year!

Welcome back students and families! 
First Day of School photos
First Day of School Instagram (@LakesideUnion)
It was such fun to check out all those First Day of School photos that families tagged us in all day. We compiled some collages and shared them on our Instagram feed.

Poster at Eucalyptus Hills
This morning, the district leadership team visited each campus to say hello and share in the enjoyment. Everywhere we went students and teachers were smiling and getting to know each other. Kindergarten students were learning where the bathrooms were located, which table at which to eat lunch, and how to sit "criss cross apple sauce." Some of them were even learning all this in Spanish or Mandarin!

And luckily, there were only a few tears shed...by parents...as they waved goodbye and gave that final hug before the students headed in to class.

Each and every student that walks on to our campus is someone special, and part of the extraordinary family of the Lakeside Union School District. We are grateful for their eager minds and look forward to watching them soar during this extraordinary school year!

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Believe! Our Welcome Back Kick-Off

Guest Blog Post By: Kim Reed, Coordinator of Curriculum, Data, and Assessment

Today marked my very first Welcome Back Breakfast in Lakeside Union School District. Superintendent Lorden, in his address to staff told a story based on his own life illustrating the importance of perception. He tenderly and with humor explained that it is not enough to believe that every student wants to and can learn. Dr. Lorden showed us that we must make sure that our students perceive that we believe in them. Perception, as it turns out, is everything to our students. Staff members received a “Believe” t-shirt to wear on Fridays to help remind LUSD students that the adults in LUSD believe in them. I think I’ll wear mine to remind me that LUSD believes in me and is counting on me to do this important work.

Keynote speaker Dr. Jeffrey Sprague, Director of the Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior spoke on Positive Behavior Intervention and Support, describing research that supports the use of PBIS to not only increase academic achievement but to improve teacher health. He brought up terms that aren’t frequently used when thinking about student behavior, “forgiveness” and “restoration” and rarely used ones that you frequently hear, “consequences” and “punishment”. Dr. Sprague explained that he had already been working with leadership teams across the district and I was able to see some of this work in action when I visited sites with Dr. Johnsen in the afternoon. The teacher leadership around this work was remarkable.


I’ve only been in LUSD a few short weeks but it seems to me that the people in this district care deeply for one another and for the students and families they serve. Much of the time today was spent honoring employees and welcoming new ones, sharing hopes for this school year, taking selfies and ooing over baby pictures. And part of the day was spent laughing hilariously at each other. If what Dr. Lorden says is true, if perceptions are everything, then I think I’ll stick around for awhile. 

Monday, August 22, 2016

LUSD Teacher Draft Picks 2016!


It is with great pleasure that we introduce our Teacher Draft Pick for 2016! These amazing educators are going to be fantastic additions to our school sites. Please help us extend a huge Lakeside School District family welcome to...



1. Alex DeRosier, Lakeview, grades 3-4-5 SDC 
2.  Maria Llamas, Riverview, grade 5
3. Rachel Nolan (Hyman), Lakeview, Speech
4. Nicole Paukovits, Lemon Crest, grades 3-4-5 SDC
5. Kayla Brown, Lakeside Farms, grade 2 (sharing a contract with Mrs. Root) 
6. Diana Moreno, Winter Gardens, grade 1
7. Madeline Sirmbardis, Lemon Crest, grades K and 1
8. Dani Kordyak, LEAPP preschool
9. Megan James, Riverview, grades 4 and 5
10. Kenny Luschei, LEAPP preschool 
11. Meng Foo, Riverview, grade 5
12. Beth Sandford, Lemon Crest, grade 3
13. Sarah Luibel, Lemon Crest, grade 2 
14. Diane McKay, Lakeview and Lindo Park, Psychologist
15. Monica Mello, Lakeview, grade 3
16. Gina Nuñez, Riverview, grade 4
17. Kathryn Leal-Powers, Lakeside Middle School, Art 
18. Gwen Fraley, Lemon Crest, grade 1
19. Kari Koch, Tierra Del Sol Middle School, Science 

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Building A Nest



This Spring the employees at the District Office had the privilege of watching a mama hummingbird build a nest, lay two eggs, and then nurture her baby hummingbirds until they were mature enough to leave the nest and begin their own life adventures. 

Like the mama hummingbird, the Lakeside Union District staff has been busy this summer building a nest for our students. We're excited about the nest that we are building because it's focused on meeting the academic, social, and emotional needs of all of our students. 

We hope you enjoy this beautiful video that our Digital Learning Coach Kay Little put together of our LUSD hummingbird, and can't wait to see all our students back in school Monday, August 29th. 


Friday, August 12, 2016

Telling Our Story

Have you ever shared a personal experience with someone? You told the story full of life, and emotion, and suspense... In your mind, you see it so vividly and want to pass every detail on to the person at the receiving end of the story. They listen, intrigued, and become connected to your experience because you are pulling them in and sharing that moment.

But what happens when that person then tries to tell someone else about your experience? It loses some of its life because the reteller wasn't there. That person just can't quite convey the same level of emotion that you could. So the person hearing the story secondhand loses some of the excitement and therefore, the moment doesn't have the same impact.

What we realized is that we weren't doing the best job of telling our story, of sharing that moment, with our community. We relied on the re-tellers, and although they tried hard, it just wasn't the same. So this year, our commitment is to tell our story to everyone who will take a moment to listen.


Follow Us! #LUSDLearns
But don't worry...we aren't going door to door and telling you about our day. Instead, we're leveraging the power of social media to ensure that we connect with you, share with you, and learn with you. Regardless of which social media you like, we're there for you: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and a blog! And we're streamlining so that you'll get to hear the story even if you only follow us on one of those applications.


We'll also be reaching out a lot this year, so that we can tell YOUR #LUSDLearns story as well. Have something you'd love to share? Just comment or email and we'll take care of the rest. 

#LUSDLearns