Happy March Downey Unified families and Downey community! Since I last wrote in February, a lot has changed across the state of California related to COVID-19 mandates placed on schools.

It was announced at the end of February that schools across the state would be able to transition from requiring students and staff to wear masks indoors to recommending them be worn. I, along with the rest of the Board of Education, decided to align with both the State and County, and beginning this past Monday (3/14) our students and staff now have the option to wear masks indoors within our schools and district office.

I hope this decision is another step in the direction of getting back to some sense of “normalcy” and that things continue to get better each day.

With the option to have this choice, I do want to remind everyone that CHARACTER COUNTS! in Downey Unified and, as a district of Character, we must follow the 6 Pillars: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship. As shared by Dr. Garcia last week, now more than ever we need to place focus on the Pillar of Respect and make sure that we always show respect toward one another during this period of transition.

As I shared last time, we celebrated Read Across America earlier this month and many of our schools honored literacy by hosting various events, both in person and virtually. Our Online Elementary School virtually hosted a variety of guest readers, inviting them to read their favorite book from the comfort of their own home or office.

While our 13 elementary schools across the district invited guests in person to sit in front of the class and read… some even took it upon themselves to dress up… It was an amazing time for all who were able to participate!

I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to share some exciting news with our Downey Unified families and community as a whole! As many might know, three years ago we launched our first ever Dual Language Immersion program called the Global Language Academies of Downey (GLAD) at Carpenter Elementary School. It has been a great success for all of our youngest students as they begin the path to being biliterate learners. Our program has grown from the ground up these past few years and, because of such interest in the dual language program, we are very proud to announce the expansion to Imperial Elementary School next school year!

Similar to the beginning of GLAD at Carpenter, this program will start with our youngest students first (TK) and then grow each year. If you are interested in having your youngest child enrolled in a Spanish Dual Immersion program for the 2022-23 school year, the application window is now open now through March 25! Please visit web.dusd.net/glad to apply now!

As we continue to look toward the last few months of this school year, our students, staff and campuses as a whole are going to be very busy preparing for Open House, Future Sixth Grade Nights, various awards nights, spring concerts and promotion/graduation ceremonies. It’s going to be a great few months celebrating our students to close out the 2021-22 school year, so please be on the lookout for event information shared by your child’s school in the coming weeks so you can join in these celebrations.

However, one of the events that I’m most excited about is coming up in three weeks and I can’t help but call it out specifically! After a two-year hiatus, we are so excited to be able to host our annual elementary Carnival of Champions from 8 am to 12 pm on Saturday, April 2, at Warren High School. Renamed the Dale Lostetter Carnival of Champions in 2018 in honor of longtime Downey Unified administrator and Carnival of Champions advocate, this event is a great opportunity to get our fourth and fifth grade students together again to participate in various track and field events throughout the afternoon.

Dale Lostetter organized this event for over ten years and continued to take a large part even after his retirement. He believed that this event allowed students at an early age to be introduced to competition and camaraderie, all while strengthening a student’s character… for those reasons alone, naming this event in his honor could not have been more fitting.

Students will be competing in seven track and field events that include baskets in one minute, softball throw, standing long jump, 50/100-meter dash and mixed-coed relay to name a few. I truly hope that the entire Downey community comes out on Saturday, April 2 to show their support and celebrate our students.

Bobbi Samperi
President, Downey Unified Board of Education