Welcome to Bay Park Elementary School
A California Distinguished School and
Home of the Bay Park Stingrays

Dear Bay Park Families,

Welcome to the Bay Park website! I am Leslie Barnes, the principal at Bay Park Elementary School. It is my belief that all children deserve a quality education and in a have access to all learning opportunities. At Bay Park we have high expectations in the classroom and around the campus. We are a community of learners that promote academic excellence. We provide a safe, welcoming, and academic environment for our students.

In April 2010, Bay Park Elementary received the California Distinguished School award. This recognition was achieved through the hard work of our outstanding students, an expert and dedicated staff of caring professionals, active and involved parents and a supportive community that includes our business partners in education. This award acknowledges our continued focus of meeting the needs of our diverse student population and providing them with rigorous, standards-based instruction while recognizing students' individual needs. Together, we are committed to working together toward the success of all the children at Bay Park Elementary School.

This is my twelfth year as an administrator in the San Diego Unified School District. I am proud to say that I grew up in the district. I attended Kate Sessions Elementary, Pacific Beach Junior High (now a middle school) and graduated from Mission Bay High School. My father also grew up in this district and so did his father. In fact, my grandfather was in the first graduating class of La Jolla High School. So, as you can see I have a long and proud history in the San Diego Unified School District and in San Diego. I enjoy sailing, the beach, reading, needlepoint and knitting. Most of all, I am proud to be the principal of Bay Park Elementary School. It warms my heart each and every day to see the smiling faces of our students.

To help keep you informed about all the good things happening at Bay Park Elementary School, I encourage you to frequently visit our website and read our Bay Park Press. The Bay Park Press contains the school calendar listing activities and events, and other important school and district information. To keep you informed of school wide activities, classroom happenings, PTA events, and reminders from the school office, the Bay Park Press is sent home each Thursday detailing the week to come. The back side of the Bay Park Press lists information and reminders to make sure you don't miss anything important. I encourage you to post the Bay Park Press on your refrigerator for easy reference.

Together we form a strong partnership to ensure that all Bay Park students receive an exceptional education. I encourage you to participate in school activities and special occasions as well as volunteer in your child's classroom as your schedule allows. I look forward to continuing to work with you this school year and many school years to come. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at 619-605-1100 or email me at [email protected].

With kind regards,

Leslie Barnes