October 18, 2018 Page 5
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Wiseburn Board Hears Pleas
for Mandarin Immersion Program
By Duane Plank
At last Thursday evening’s meeting of
the Wiseburn School Board, the assembled
members heard the pleas of residents who
continue to champion a district-wide program
of Mandarin Immersion. The Board also approved
the promotion of administrator Dr.
Aileen Harbeck and witnessed two special
presentations.
Seven members of the public approached
the presentation podium during the “from the
public” portion of the meeting to express their
views, with six of the speakers beseeching
Wiseburn Unifies School District to implement
a Mandarin Immersion after-school
program. Each speaker was to be limited to
three minutes, with some continuing a little
longer and others limiting their comments.
Board meeting rules to do not allow member
discussion after the public comments.
Said Board President JoAnne Kaneda prior
to the public comments: “Just so you know,
it is not the Board’s intent or obligation to
respond to public comment. We are willing
to listen and take notes.’
In an email sent after the meeting, Wiseburn
Superintendent Dr. Blake Silvers responded,
“We truly understand the value of learning
languages for students at a young age.
Because the number of students interested
in Mandarin as an after-school program
was low for this year, we must allocate our
expenses in other programs. We will revisit
an after-school option next school year and
will communicate with our families to ensure
that they have the time to make the decision.
We are very happy to announce that an
enrichment program for Spanish Language
is being held at Cabrillo Elementary School
and facilitated by Cultural Bytes. There are
currently 48 students enrolled and we are
expecting the number to increase.”
During the action-item, personnel section
of the 75-minute meeting, the Board passed
the promotion of Dr. Harbeck, retroactive to
July 1, to the position of Assistant Superintendent,
Educational Services. Harbeck, a
long-time District employee who has served
in multiple positions in the school system,
was recently touted by Silvers as “very, very
smart. Brilliant probably, is how I would
describe her. She is committed to curriculum
and instruction, but she might be mad if I
said that. Her focus is teaching and learning.
The value that she provides at the organizational
level is very systemic in her thought
processes -- a relationship-builder who is
able to see the big picture and methodically
plan the steps that you need to get to that
big picture.” Silvers added that Harbeck’s
promotion will be “huge” for the District
because she “brings a wealth of knowledge
and willingness to learn. Her commitment
to building teams is what sets her apart.”
When the Board members announced they
had approved Harbeck’s new position, both
they and those in the audience gave a hearty
round of applause for the promotion.
Wiseburn Education Foundation (WEF)
Executive Director Carolyn Niman announced
funding for 30 District Innovation grants
awarded to educators, totaling $34,000. The
funds will go towards classroom enhancements,
including flexible seating, mobile
whiteboards, rugs and classroom storage. Of
the total, 4,000 will be utilized for teacher
professional development, with $20,000 on the
books for “innovative delivery of curriculum.”
She noted that the WEF has bestowed more
than $93,000 to Wiseburn educators since
the group’s inception in 2015.
Maria Garcia from Dana Middle School
helmed a presentation in concert in with what
she termed the “STEM Sistas:” Educators
Summer Graves (Peter Burnett Elementary),
Trisha Maano (Burnett), Emma Rennick
(Anza Elementary) and Jordan McKenna
(Anza). Silvers was impressed by the cadre
of teachers tackling the STEM Initiative,
noting, “We have five amazing teachers that
have taken over this challenge. The goal is
to keep evolving STEM, capturing all the
schools.”
The educators spoke about Wiseburn’s
2018/19 STEM Initiative. Garcia and her
co-presenters quickly detailed the roll-out of
the program and targets, and talked of the
“big deliverables.” Those include a Hacka
Challenge, Project Lead the Way teacher
training, a Girls Who Code Club, a Girls
Who Code Mother/Daughter Event, and a
MathCounts Video competition.
During the truncated Board member reports,
Dr. Neil Goldman thanked the Mandarin Immersion
supporters and promised to continue
to ramp up District communication. Kaneda
evinced that the community should soon
receive updated communication about the
progress made towards completion of the
aquatics center.
During his comments, Silvers made note
of the recent passing of long-time Wiseburn
employee Sue Mills. Mills was first hired as
a playground aide at Dana Middle School in
the mid-‘90s and served as a food service
worker at Cabrillo Elementary as well as at
Dana until she resigned in 2014. Said Silvers:
“Our thoughts go out to Sue’s family,
as she was a Wiseburn treasure and will be
forever missed.”
Silvers also spoke of the recent fundraiser
held at the aquatics center, as the hoped-for
actual opening continues to have a mid-
November target date. He mentioned that
the District is working hard to initiate and
embrace proactive communications with the
community and is “very close” to launching
new websites. He also updated Wiseburn’s
emergency response protocol. “Safety is obviously
really important,” he said, and shared
that the District was looking to work with an
expert to provide a full security assessment
of facilities and “harden our sites.”
Action items passed included an agreement
with Dave Klug of Actus Consulting to
provide the security assessment that Silvers
had mentioned earlier in the meeting, which
Goldman called “very important and very
exciting to see.” Kaneda added that she was
“comfortable” with the agreement.
Also passed Thursday evening: An agreement
with Loyola Marymount University’s
School of Education; the addition of turf
surrounding the pool at the aquatics center;
the continuation of GATE programs at elementary
schools; a middle school field trip
to Catalina Island; and an agreement with
P.S. Arts to continue to perform the duties
of District Arts Coordinator.
The next regularly scheduled Wiseburn
School Board meeting is calendared for
Thursday evening, Oct. 25. •
Choline Breakfast Skillet
Recipe provided by Brandpoint
• 6 Eggland’s Best Eggs (large)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 cups chopped cauliflower florets
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup low-fat shredded cheese
1. Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Add milk and set aside.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet. Add ground beef, breaking
it up as it cooks. Cook for about 5-7 minutes over medium-low
heat, or until cooked through. Move cooked ground beef to a plate.
3. Add remaining tablespoon butter to skillet if needed. Add onion,
pepper, cauliflower and spices. Cook for 5 minutes, or until veggies
are cooked through.
4. Pour egg mixture over veggies and cook on medium-low heat for
3-5 minutes, until eggs are cooked through and scrambled.
5. Add ground beef back into skillet and top with cheese.
6. Optional toppings/add-ins: greens, mushrooms, avocado, oregano,
parsley, cilantro, sour cream, Greek yogurt.
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