Please join me in congratulating the 2026 Caring Hearts Award honorees who were notified this week: Katy Maskiewicz, TOSA, Newcomer Student Support (Educational Services), and Cynthia Zeighami, Special Education Teacher, Visually Impaired (Juniper/Lincoln). And stay tuned—one more recipient will be announced at the Escondido Education Foundation’s annual event!
I hope you will join me on Friday, February 6, when these Caring Hearts will be honored by the Escondido Education Foundation at its annual “Fall in Love with Escondido Schools” fundraiser, scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. at St. Petka’s Serbian Orthodox Church. The Caring Hearts Award recognizes individuals and organizations that go above and beyond for our students. Parents, colleagues, and community members are welcome at this lively event, all for a good cause—all proceeds go toward the Dr. Mike Caston Innovation Awards, which fund classroom and school grants in our district. Mingle with great friends of education, enjoy good food catered by Orange Glen High School culinary students, and take part in exciting auctions. Be sure to attend to hear why each honoree was nominated and selected for this special recognition. Reserve your spot early for the best price! Tickets are $60 per person if purchased by February 5. Tickets purchased after that are $75 per person at the door. Tickets are available on the foundation’s website.
Here are this week’s updates and reminders.
X-Track Volleyball Season
What an incredible volleyball season it has been! Through the partnership with the Escondido Union School District and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater San Diego, we experienced outstanding competition, exciting matchups, and a memorable playoff run from start to finish. Our student-athletes showed tremendous growth in their volleyball skills, confidence, teamwork, resilience, and sportsmanship. Here are the championship results by grade level:
6th Grade: Bear Valley Middle School – 1st Place, Quantum Academy – 2nd Place
7th Grade: Rincon Middle School – 1st Place, Rincon – 2nd Place
8th Grade: Bear Valley Middle School– 1st Place, Quantum Academy – 2nd Place
We are proud of all our teams for an outstanding season and appreciate the hard work and dedication of our students, coaches, families, and school communities who made this season a success.
School Choice:
The School Choice application window for the 2026-2027 school year is open through Friday, January 30. Typically, students attend the schools that serve the neighborhood attendance areas in which they live. School Choice is an opportunity for families to apply for an intradistrict transfer for their child to attend a school other than their neighborhood school of residence, such as one of EUSD’s specialty schools:
Quantum Academy, a project-based learning school of choice for grades 4 through 8. Students live by Quantum’s five core values: lead with empathy, ask questions and seek answers, create, impact the community, and perseverance.
Dual Language Immersion at Farr, Glen View, Lincoln, and Pioneer, with a pathway to continue at Mission Middle School. The program begins in TK and follows an instructional model that is designed to promote bilingualism, biliteracy, and biculturalism for students whose primary language is English, as well as those whose primary language is Spanish.
Conway Academy of Expeditionary Learning, follows the expeditionary learning model, or EL Model, which is a project-based learning approach with the core of the work's emphasis on authentic, multidisciplinary experiential learning and integration of rigorous content with real-world experiences that foster relational character development, and empower students to make the world a better place.
Explore all of our schools online. School Choice details and application links can be found on our website.
Early Education Enrollment:
New Student Enrollment opened on January 13, 2026, for Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and Special Education Preschool. EUSD offers a full-day Transitional Kindergarten program to bridge the path between preschool and Kindergarten. For the 2026-2027 school year, children are eligible for TK if their date of birth is between September 2, 2021, and September 1, 2022. Students applying for Kindergarten must be age 5 on or before September 1, 2026. Students in EUSD TK and Kindergarten programs are eligible to participate in their school’s optional Expanded Learning program. The Expanded Learning program provides before- and after-school student care, from 6:30 a.m. to the morning bell and from the dismissal bell to 6:00 p.m. To find your neighborhood school of residence, use our online school locator tool. For questions regarding Special Education Preschool or about your student’s Special Education needs for next school year, contact the team at spedsupport@eusd.org.
Resources for Food Assistance
We want to make sure families are aware of local resources that offer free food and support for those who may need it. Here are a few options available in our community:
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need help connecting with these resources.
Breakfast and Lunch Menus:
All EUSD students have access to no-cost breakfast and lunch. Families can view our new online menus. Select your school and menu to see what is being served every day.
– Luis Rankins-Ibarra, Superintendent of Schools