News & Events
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Dear Sweetwater Community,
We stand in solidarity with our neighbors, public agencies, elected officials, and community organizations in response to the unacceptable treatment of U.S. Senator Alex Padilla by federal agents in Los Angeles. This incident does not reflect the values we hold as Americans, and we unequivocally denounce it.
We recognize the growing concern about immigration enforcement in our South Bay community. The Sweetwater Union High School District remains committed to supporting and respecting our Latino and immigrant communities. With a student population that is 70% Latino and 10% Filipino, we take pride in our binational identity and the richness it brings to our schools.
Sweetwater does not collect or maintain immigration status information. Our board policies and administrative regulations ensure staff are equipped to handle these matters with care. Our top priority is to maintain a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment for every student.
Living along the border gives us a unique understanding: we can uphold law and order while also demanding empathy in enforcement. Every person deserves dignity, and we call on all who enforce the law to do so with compassion.
To those who choose to protest, we urge peaceful assembly, inspired by leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez, who showed that nonviolence leads to lasting change.
Let us continue to build a community rooted in unity, diversity, and our shared commitment to justice. Together, we can rise to the challenge and uphold the democratic values that define us.
In solidarity,
Moises G. Aguirre, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Sweetwater Union High School District
Estimada Comunidad de Sweetwater,
Nos solidarizamos con nuestros vecinos, agencias públicas, funcionarios electos y organizaciones comunitarias en respuesta al trato inaceptable recibido por el Senador de los Estados Unidos, Alex Padilla, por parte de agentes federales en Los Ángeles. Este incidente no refleja los valores que sostenemos como estadounidenses, y lo condenamos de manera inequívoca.
Reconocemos la creciente preocupación sobre la aplicación de leyes migratorias en nuestra comunidad del South Bay. El Distrito Escolar Sweetwater Union High reafirma su compromiso de apoyar y respetar a nuestras comunidades latinas e inmigrantes. Con una población estudiantil compuesta en un 70% por estudiantes latinos y un 10% por estudiantes filipinos, nos enorgullece nuestra identidad binacional y la riqueza que aporta a nuestras escuelas.
Sweetwater no recopila ni mantiene información sobre el estatus migratorio. Nuestras políticas de la mesa directiva y reglamentos administrativos aseguran que el personal esté preparado para manejar estos asuntos con sensibilidad. Nuestra máxima prioridad es mantener un entorno seguro, acogedor e inclusivo para cada estudiante.
Vivir en la frontera nos brinda una comprensión única: podemos mantener el orden y la ley mientras exigimos empatía en su aplicación. Toda persona merece dignidad, y hacemos un llamado a todos quienes hacen cumplir la ley a que lo hagan con compasión.
A quienes eligen manifestarse, les pedimos que lo hagan de manera pacífica, inspirados en líderes como Martin Luther King Jr. y César Chávez, quienes demostraron que la no violencia conduce a un cambio duradero.
Sigamos construyendo una comunidad basada en la unidad, la diversidad y nuestro compromiso compartido con la justicia. Juntos, podemos enfrentar este desafío y defender los valores democráticos que nos definen.
Con solidaridad,
Moises G. Aguirre, Ed.D.
Superintendente
Distrito Escolar Sweetwater Union High -
Dear Sweetwater Community,
As a district that proudly serves a diverse student population, we remain steadfast in our commitment to creating safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environments for every student—regardless of immigration status.
In light of recent national developments, we want to reassure our community that our district policies strictly prohibit immigration enforcement on school campuses without a valid judicial warrant. We are also committed to protecting the confidentiality of student and family information in accordance with the law.
All school staff have been reminded of the proper procedures to follow should immigration or law enforcement officials come to a school site. Additionally, schools have access to resources such as “Know Your Rights” materials and legal support contacts to help guide and protect families. Each school will also receive “Red Cards” in English and Spanish, provided by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, which outline Constitutional rights in an easy-to-understand format. These cards are also available in multiple languages online. For immigration resources click here.
Thank you for your trust and partnership as we continue to uphold our values of equity, safety, and respect for all. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to your school principal or district office.
Best regards,
The Sweetwater Union High School District
Estimada Comunidad de Sweetwater:
En nuestro distrito, estamos orgullosos de servir a una población estudiantil muy diversa. Por eso, seguimos comprometidos en crear ambientes seguros, acogedores e inclusivos para todos nuestros estudiantes, sin importar su estatus migratorio.
Ante los eventos recientes a nivel nacional, queremos asegurarles que nuestras reglas no permiten que oficiales de inmigración entren a las escuelas sin una orden judicial válida. También cuidamos mucho la privacidad de la información de nuestros estudiantes y sus familias, como lo exige la ley.
El personal escolar ya recibió recordatorios sobre los pasos correctos a seguir si un oficial de inmigración o la policía llega a una escuela. Además, las escuelas tienen acceso a recursos como materiales de “Conozca sus Derechos” y contactos legales para ayudar a las familias. También entregaremos a cada escuela “Tarjetas Rojas” en inglés y español, proporcionadas por el Immigrant Legal Resource Center. Estas tarjetas explican los derechos constitucionales de forma sencilla, y también están disponibles en línea en varios idiomas. Para ver estos recursos, haga clic aquí: click here.
Gracias por su confianza y apoyo continuo. Si tiene preguntas o inquietudes, por favor comuníquese con la directora o el director de su escuela, o con la oficina del distrito.
Atentamente,
El Distrito Escolar Sweetwater Union High School
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As a new variant emerges worldwide, Sweetwater’s asymptomatic testing program continues to be a critical pillar, helping to detect COVID-19 and prevent outbreaks
CHULA VISTA, CA – Sweetwater Union High, California’s largest secondary school district, has taken an active role in combating the spread of COVID-19 through routine pooled testing in partnership with Concentric by Ginkgo, the public health and biosecurity initiative at Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA).
The high-volume testing program, which commenced Summer 2021, has grown to include 23 middle and high schools throughout San Diego’s South Bay.
Each week, a team provided by Concentric arrives at the schools, sets up the logistics for pooled COVID-19 testing, and supervises sample collection. Up to 25 samples are included in a “pool,” which is then sent by courier to a local lab. Results from the pool are typically returned to the school within 1-2 days, and, should any pool return positive, that group of students will test individually to identify any positive COVID cases. This follow-up testing is conducted using individual rapid antigen tests. By conducting a broad pooled testing program with targeted rapid antigen follow-ups, schools are able to minimize disruption to classroom time and extracurricular activities, while simplifying the logistics of testing.
“Testing has been such a benefit for our communities,” said Hilda Cadena, COVID Testing Coordinator for Sweetwater High School District. “Sweetwater Union High conducts an average of about 5,500 tests per week with a total of over 65,000 tests administered in a 3-month period. Through routine testing, we are better equipped to help identify and address outbreaks. Testing has helped us create a more ‘normal’ school experience for our students.”
“Students are identified in positive pools; we administer the antigen tests and we identify and support the student who has a positive case,” said Cadena. “Due to pooled testing, we help prevent the spread by addressing it immediately. We believe this has also gained the support of the community to see immediate response and follow through.”
Concentric is no stranger to the testing arena, providing testing for hundreds of thousands of individuals nationwide each week. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has contracted with the company to provide free testing to schools throughout the state, freeing up precious district resources for other urgent needs. Of course, testing couldn’t be possible without support from the school district. By designating a single district “Test Champion,” Sweetwater Union High School District has been able to coordinate all testing activities across the school district. This Test Champion works with Concentric to alleviate the workload on educators and administrators.
“We are proud to partner with Sweetwater to help keep kids in school and COVID-19 out,” said Laura Bronner, Vice President of National K-12 Testing at Concentric. “We’ve worked closely with CDPH to support the district with robust program staffing to ensure that this is an easy and flexible solution for both in-school and after-school testing.”
Sweetwater first focused on after-school pooled testing for extracurricular activities like sports, visual, and performing arts. However, after a successful program launch, Sweetwater expanded testing to take place during regular classroom hours.
“We run like a well-oiled machine. Everyone knows their schedules,” says Mary Rose Peralta, Principal at Otay Ranch High School. “Right at 2:30pm, students and faculty line up to test. In less than 30 minutes, we can test 300-400 students on our campus. Pooled testing has made it easy, quick, and efficient.”
“We greatly appreciate our partnership with the CDPH and Concentric by Ginkgo to provide additional testing measures of this magnitude to the students in our district,” says Sweetwater District Superintendent Dr. Moises G. Aguirre. “As we continue to see changes in COVID variants, we could not risk the safety of our students and staff and feel confident knowing we’ve taken an active approach to testing, as an additional layer of protection for our students, staff and all of our school communities.”
To learn more about the program or to sign up, visit https://www.sweetwaterschools.org/covid-19-concentric-by-ginkgo-testing/ or https://www.concentricbyginkgo.com/.
About the Sweetwater Union High School District
Founded in 1920, the Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) has grown to more than 40,000 students in grades 7 through 12 and more than 22,000 adult learners. The District’s 30 campuses located in the heart of an international border community in the cities of (Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, National City and San Diego, including the communities of Bonita, Eastlake, Otay Mesa, San Ysidro and South San Diego) ensure a safe, inclusive, collaborative culture that empowers each student to actively engage in a meaningful educational experience to pursue personal and academic success.
About Ginkgo
Ginkgo is building a platform to enable customers to program cells as easily as we can program computers. The company’s platform is enabling biotechnology applications across diverse markets, from food and agriculture to industrial chemicals to pharmaceuticals. Ginkgo has also actively supported a number of COVID-19 response efforts, including K-12 pooled testing, vaccine manufacturing optimization, and therapeutics discovery. For more information, visit www.ginkgobioworks.com.
Ginkgo Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the potential of Ginkgo’s biosecurity capabilities and Concentric by Ginkgo initiative. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “potential,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this document, including but not limited to: (i) the effect of the business combination with Soaring Eagle Acquisition Corp. (“Soaring Eagle”) on Ginkgo’s business relationships, performance, and business generally, (ii) risks that the business combination disrupts current plans of Ginkgo and potential difficulties in Ginkgo’s employee retention, (iii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Ginkgo related to its business combination with Soaring Eagle, (iv) volatility in the price of Ginkgo’s securities now that it is a public company due to a variety of factors, including changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in which Ginkgo plans to operate, variations in performance across competitors, changes in laws and regulations affecting Ginkgo’s business and changes in the combined capital structure, (v) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations after the completion of the business combination, and identify and realize additional opportunities, and (vi) the risk of downturns in demand for products using synthetic biology. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of Ginkgo’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on November 15, 2021 and other documents filed by Ginkgo from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Ginkgo assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Ginkgo does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.
Contacts
Sweetwater Union High School District:
nadege.johnson@sweetwaterschools.org
Ginkgo:
INVESTOR:
MEDIA: press@ginkgobioworks.com
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With 42 school districts and over 120 charter schools in San Diego County, there are currently over 600 non-teaching positions posted on the educational job board, Edjoin. These positions include:
- After school program staff
- Bus drivers
- Campus supervisors
- Child nutrition assistants
- Food service professionals
- Health clerks
- Instructional aides and assistants
- Maintenance workers
- Noon duty supervisors
- Nurses
Districts and charter schools are also seeking to hire substitute teachers at very competitive rates! Please come join the many employers seeking to recruit individuals to fill these positions in their schools.
This event will be held Dec. 4 at the Point Loma Nazarene University, Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA 92106 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Please register for one time slot only by clicking below:
8 – 9:45 a.m. https://sdcoe.k12oms.org/1095-212786
10 -11:45 a.m. https://sdcoe.k12oms.org/1095-212796
Noon – 1:45 p.m. https://sdcoe.k12oms.org/1095-212797
When you register, please be sure to provide an accurate e-mail address when you register so that you can receive updates leading up to the event. SDCOE will provide you with a list of participating employers prior to the event.
We will also host a Webinar to provide you insights to job interview preparation, credentialing, using EdJoin, and refining your resume. During this webinar, we will also answer your questions.
Lastly, the facilitate requires face covering indoors and social distancing.