La Mesa, 6 p.m. Tuesday;
Santee, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday
School boards: Alpine Union School District, 5:15 p.m. Wednesday;
La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, 6 p.m. Tuesday;
Lemon Grove School District, 6 p.m. Tuesday;
Mountain Empire Unified School District, 6 p.m. Tuesday
Chamber welcomes new hotel with mixer
The La Mesa Chamber of Commerce welcomes TownePlace Suites by Marriott San Diego Downtown, at 1445 Sixth St., San Diego, with a mixer and ribbon cutting from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, with the ribbon-cutting at 6:15 p.m. Rachel Lynch, director of sales, will host tours of the hotel, which offers extended stays near the Gaslamp Quarter and Balboa Park. For the mixer, the hotel is offering free parking for guests in the lot next door. Enjoy hors d’ oeuvres, a free champagne toast, “happy hour”-priced beverages, and raffles and prizes. The event is free to chamber members who register and $5 per person for guests. Register to rsvp@lamesachamber.com or at www.lamesac
Ofelia Lopez-Villamar, a school office assistant at Jefferson Elementary in the Carlsbad Unified School District, has been named the 2021 Countywide Classified School Employee of the Year by the San Diego County Office of Education.
Overview
Mountain Empire Unified School District is a small, rural district close to San Diego and the Mexican border. The district’s English learners, who comprised 28 percent of the student body in 2018–2019, are nearly all Spanish speakers.
Mountain Empire replaced its prior English language development (ELD) courses with Cuyamaca College’s course sequence and curriculum, allowing students to earn both high school and college credit at the same time. This rigorous dual enrollment model for English learners is delivered by high school teachers who became certified as adjunct college faculty and collaborated deeply with Cuyamaca’s English as a second language (ESL) team. This innovative partnership model is leading to increased achievement for English learners and aiding their postsecondary transitions.