Students at 37ECB are learning about nature and science with the help of a local entrepreneur and one of their classmates who are working to save bees, one at a time. 

Lette, a 14-year-old student at the school, recently took a trip to the site where SoloBee houses are made and got to customize it for the school’s garden.

SoloBee was founded by Candace Vanderhoff as a way to help solitary, native bees thrive. The houses are built in Lemon Grove.

"I love the project because I get to do hands-on activities and the bees are important," Lette said. "I want to save the bees and read the children’s book (written by Vanderhoff) about bees to my sister."

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Story and photo courtesy of the County of San Diego.

Girls at the Youth Transition Campus in Kearny Mesa are harvesting eggplants, cherry tomatoes, banana peppers, and strawberries as part of an enrichment gardening activity where they learn and work alongside volunteers from the Master Gardener’s Program.

The San Diego County Probation Department re-established its partnership with the Master Gardener’s Program, which worked with the prior Girl’s Rehabilitation Facility in Kearny Mesa. Now, with oversight by the San Diego County Office of Education, the volunteers are working with the girls at the Youth Transition Campus.

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The Juvenile Court and Community Schools student representative on the San Diego County Board of Education for July was Hakeem, a sophomore at 37ECB.

Principal Gretchen Rhoads said that Hakeem is a remarkable young man who is full of wonder and is always asking questions to learn about the world around him.

“He has already won the hearts of half the crowd here with his incredible personality and his ability to communicate thoughtfully and deeply,” Rhoads said at the board meeting recognizing Hakeem. “He is a resident of the Center for Positive Change and has been able to rise above and thrive through adversity and trauma. He has clear direction and works hard to accomplish his goals.”

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Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) is a federal nutrition program that offers food benefits for eligible families with school-aged children, and for young children 0-6 who did not attend school or childcare in person due to COVID-19 closures during the 2020-21 school year.

An estimated 32,000 families in San Diego County never received, activated, or used their P-EBT 2.0 benefit amount and now can get reissued cards with an average $1,100 per child.

Families must call the state’s P-EBT 2.0 Helpline at 1-800-887-8230 to check eligibility and request a new card before Aug. 1, 2023. The P-EBT 2.0 Helpline is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday. 

You can also visit the P-EBT website at www.ca.p-ebt.org and use the P-EBT Live Chat (Monday to Friday 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.) to request a new card.

You must call by Aug. 1, 2023, and you must have the following information ready when you call:

• First and last name of the student/child you believe is eligible;
• Date of birth of the student/child; and
• The address where your student/child lived at the beginning of the 2020-21 school year. At least a partial address (street name) is required for your card to be reissued. If you can only remember part of the address, the Helpline staff may be able to find your record, otherwise a card cannot be reissued.

It is important to know that using P-EBT Benefits is completely safe. P-EBT will not affect your immigration status or make you a public charge. P-EBT will not impact other benefits and will never have to be paid back.

Health and Well-being Resources

The new school year can be an exciting time for students and parents, but it can also cause anxiety for some as well. The San Diego County of Office of Education's student wellness team works closely with school staff across San Diego County to ensure tools and resources are available to youth. Visit the SDCOE website to access those materials.

Summer Meal Programs Continue

With varying school start dates across the county, many summer meal programs continue through August. There are several ways to find sites that are still serving meals in your community to kids up to age 18 at no cost.