ECDS 4th, 5th, and 6th graders have been studying potential career paths, completing job applications, and participating in job interviews in preparation for their day at Biz Town, a simulated mini city in San Diego.  Biz Town is a program sponsored by Junior Achievement of San Diego County that teaches elementary school students about the free enterprise system, money management, and business practices.  ECDS students will play the roles of citizens, workers, managers, and consumers while experiencing what it’s like to operate a bank, manage a restaurant, publish a newspaper, direct a local TV news broadcast, run a veterinary clinic or own a dental practice..

TK – 8th grade students are practicing their Olympic champion mindset and running extra laps in PE class in preparation for the 18th Annual ECDS Gift of Life Jog-a-Thon scheduled for Friday, March 13th.   Since 2009, the initiative and effort of ECDS students, along with the generosity of their families, have provided life-saving heart surgeries to 611 children  who live in developing countries around the world (Photos of those children grace the walls of the ECDS Library).

Gift of Life International (“GOLI”) is a 501 (c)(3), tax-exempt, non-profit organization that uses nearly 98% of donations it receives to defray the costs of providing life-saving heart surgeries to children in need.  GOLI is supported by a team of pediatric heart surgeon and nurse volunteers who travel to targeted countries.  Additional funding and in-kind donations are provided by medical equipment manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies.

Visit https://ecds.pledgestar.com/ to make lap pledges or fixed-sum donations in support of students participating in this year’s Jog-a-Thon.

Students and their families will enjoy a 4-day weekend, beginning Friday, February 13th, in honor of Presidents’ Day.

The annual Family FunDay & Open House at the ECDS TK-8th grade campus on Sunday, February 1st, was a rousing success! Current and prospective students, along with their families, enjoyed performances in the amphitheater and viewed student creations in the Art Show tent and, if they were inclined, let their imagination come to life in the two Art Activity Zones. Visitors spoke with teachers in their classrooms or at grade level booths located on the Central Promenade, where student work was on display and student docents were on hand to answer questions about their latest classroom projects.

In the Arcade Fun Zone families enjoyed friendly competition on SureShot Basketball games and the ECDS 3-hole Putt-Putt golf course.