Borrego Springs Unified School District

Words from our Superintendent

Borrego Springs Unified School District’s small and rural setting in the middle of the vast Anza Borrego Desert State Park offers our students a unique educational experience in a tight community surrounded by caring adults and natural beauty. Where else can students witness the yearly birth of baby owls, a mascot gopher snake over 6 ft long or a pact of baby coyotes filling the air with their hungry yipping. LIfe in our school district is truly “project wildlife” at its best!

In addition, our students benefit from the plethora of snowbirds from colder climates who descend upon our town every October - May and bring with them a rich array of life experiences, talents and educational backgrounds which they share freely with our students.

Volunteers fill our schools and assist in every aspect from academic tutoring, classroom read alouds, speaking on career days and teaching everything from music to sewing to tennis to robotics to photography. Our students’ lives are richer and more well-rounded due to these wonderful influences, friendships and philanthropy.

Local civic groups such as Rotary, Civic Foundation, Soroptimist and the American Legion bestow countless opportunities and gifts on our students in the form of school supplies, monetary donations and field trips. Recently Rotary sponsored 4 students and 2 adults on a service trip to New Delhi. A trip to Mongolia is in the wings.

In addition, the Anza Borrego Desert State Park offers our students opportunities to explore, appreciate and learn about the science that surrounds them. High School science students intern in the various departments of paleontology, geology and archaeology; 4th graders ride along with rangers as they patrol the desert and 5th graders camp in our local park in Mongolian gurtz all the while absorbing lessons about plant and animal adaption to our unique environment.

To balance our students’ incredible outside the classroom activities, all teachers (K-12) focus on rigorous vocabulary development and the writing process embedded within their teaching. With the new Common Core Standards and their focus on analytical thinking and writing, our students must learn to express themselves and their thinking clearly on paper or word documents.

Teacher professional development is not hindered by our remote location. Teachers travel or trainings are offered here and focus on a variety of areas including meeting the needs of our many English Language Learners, improving the delivery of the new Integrated Math and tackling the new Smarter Balanced Assessments.

Parents and community members are encouraged to attend the variety of informational evenings offered throughout the year. The topics covered are a result of parent input during the development of our LCAP or Local Plan. Please attend School Site Council meetings at the Elementary or Middle/High to learn more about our schools. Dates are listed on the calendar.

Please visit our charming country-schools with big-city programs!

Martha Deichler
BSUSD Superintendent