The Preuss School, located on the University of California San Diego (UCSD) campus in La Jolla, California, is a charter middle and high school dedicated to providing a rigorous college prep education for motivated low-income students who will become the first in their families to graduate from college. As part of UCSD, a major research institution, The Preuss School also serves as a model school to study and develop best practices in the preparation of low-income, urban students for college admission to be disseminated to improve public education. Read more >
The last day of instruction before winter break is this Friday, December 18. The school will then be closed and reopen on Monday, Jan. 4, 2010.
All of my students will be the first generation of their families to graduate from college.” — Kelly Kovacic
Kelly is one of five 2010 California Teachers of the Year and was also selected as California’s nominee for the prestigious National Teacher of the Year competition. Ms. Kovacic has been a teacher for seven years, all of which have been spent at The Preuss School, a charter middle and high school dedicated to providing a rigorous college prep education for motivated low-income students. "I treat my students as future leaders, because they are," Ms. Kovacic wrote. "As a teacher, I have been blessed with a huge responsibility, one that I eagerly embrace. I must create an environment in which my students realize the vast extent of their abilities and that, with hard work and dedication, they can accomplish great things. My students also need to know that there are people along the way, teachers like me, who are ready and willing to help."Ms. Kovacic graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Education from Stanford University, where she also received a California Professional Clear Credential.At The Preuss School, she is the chair of the Social Studies Department. In June 2008, she was selected by the College Board to help read and grade the Advanced Placement United States History Exam. Ms. Kovacic is a 2010 San Diego Unified School District Teacher of the Year.To read more about Kelly's achievement, please visit the following sites.
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H1N1 Flu Information
September 14, 2009
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As you may know, the H1N1 flu virus is present in our community, state and
throughout the nation. The Preuss School is working closely with the school
district and the County of San Diego Public Health Services to monitor flu
conditions to make the best decisions concerning our schools. We are doing
everything we can to keep our school open while protecting the health and
safety of students, staff and the community. To do this, we need your help.
Because all influenza or “flu” viruses can easily spread from
person to person, here are some ways to protect you and your family from getting
sick.
Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or use a hand-sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol. Adults can set a good example by doing this too. Students may bring small containers of hand sanitizer to school for their own personal use with parent knowledge and permission. Please notify the school if your child has an allergy to hand sanitizer or you do not want your child to use it at school.
Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed cups/utensils, pencils, pens, or cell phones.
Teach your children to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues (tissue should go in the trash after use) or by coughing into their sleeve or the inside of their elbow. Be sure to set a good example yourself. Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth since germs spread this way.
Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Flu-like symptoms consist of fever (100°F and above) with cough. Other symptoms include sore throat, chills, aches, headache, runny or stuffy nose, nausea, and vomiting.
Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after the fever is gone without using fever-reducing drugs. Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected. High-risk students who may infect other high-risk students may have to stay home at least 7 days.
Do not send children to school if they are sick. Children who are determined to be sick at school will be sent home.
Check with your health care provider about getting yourself and your children vaccinated for seasonal (regular) flu soon and H1N1 flu when available.
Pre-plan child care options if your child becomes ill and is excluded from school, or if their classroom or school is closed due to high infection rates.
Hanna went to Switzerland as a squash player to present a case to have Squash as an Olympic sport in 2016. Hanna was extremely impressive during her presentation, so much so that she brought tears to the eyes of the IOC and also received the loudest ovation of the presenters.[Read more...]
UCSD News: Kelly Kovacic, social studies teacher, selected for Teacher of the Year honors.
Each year The Preuss School UCSD nominates a teacher for the district awards. Ms. Kovacic was recognized as runner-up in the district and now goes on to compete at the California State level.

Public schools are ranked according to a ratio devised by Jay Mathews: the
number of Advanced Placement, Intl. Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests
taken by all students at a school in 2008 divided by the number of graduating
seniors. All of the schools on the list have an index of at least 1.000;
they are in the top 6 percent of public schools measured this way. [Read
more...]
Scott Barton, principal of the Preuss School at UC San Diego, and Paul Tran, a Preuss School junior, have been selected as 2009 Bezos Scholars, a program which brings together 12 of the nation's top public high school juniors and 12 of the most engaged educators for a weeklong seminar. [read more]
Business Week and Great Schools names The Preuss School as "Best Low-income School" in the State of California. For more information, click here.

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced that 200 California schools have been selected for the 2008-09 Title I Academic Achievement Award. They represent 88 school districts in 27 counties. The Preuss School UCSD is among those listed here. The full news release may be found on the California Department of Education website.

The Preuss School moves up from No.10 to No.8 by U.S. News
The Preuss School UCSD has been ranked the 8th best public high school
by US News and World Report in 2008 among 21,000 public schools across
48 states. The
top 100 list may be viewed here.
For more information on how schools were ranked,visit the magazine's
explanation
of methodology.