SD Met Family Updates

Please click here for a VIRTUAL parking permit that can be used to park on campus on August 4 only. You will need to enter your license plate number at that link. Please enter it accurately to avoid receiving a parking citation. This virtual permit will allow you to park in any regular staff or student space on campus. There is no need to print anything out.

As a required part of enrolling your student at the San Diego Met, ALL Met parents/guardians must sign and submit the Independent Study Master Agreements for their students on an annual basis. This year, we will have parents/guardians sign on the first day of school, Monday, August 4. The Master Agreement is the foundational document that details the terms of your student’s enrollment at the Met, an atypical, independent study school in the San Diego Unified School District.

Unlike admissions requirements at your neighborhood school, where students are entitled to enrollment, the Met is a SCHOOL OF CHOICE, which means that continued enrollment is conditional upon upholding the terms of the Master Agreement. This includes demonstrating academic achievement in your classes, maintaining excellent attendance for both classes and internships, and demonstrating behavior and conduct that are appropriate for the college and real-world work environments that are distinctive features of the Met.

You will be asked to review your student’s Master Agreement carefully on Monday, August 4, and then sign it to indicate your agreement with the terms and to confirm your student’s enrollment. Master Agreements will be distributed as follows:

• 9th graders and new transfer students will receive their Master Agreements at New Student Orientation at 8:30am. Parents/guardians and students are expected to sign the Master Agreement and submit it to our office before leaving campus on Monday, August 4.

• Returning students will receive their Master Agreements at advisory at 9:30am. At that time, parents/guardians should go with their students to advisory to sign and submit the Master Agreement.

If for any reason you are unable to come to campus on Monday morning, please plan to come to our office any time between 8:00am and 3:30pm on August 4 to sign the Master Agreement. Again, this is a requirement for enrollment at the Met.

Our school year begins with our annual Week of Welcome, which takes place during the first week of school, starting on Monday, August 4. WOW is the San Diego Met’s tradition of starting the school year with community-building among students and staff, developing relationships both in the advisory and across grade levels, and introducing students to the programs, supports, and learning opportunities that they can expect in the year ahead. We will feature a minimum-day schedule this week, which allows for planning time for staff.

The schedule for August 4, 5, and 6 will be 8:30am to 1:15pm. Please plan to pick up your students at 1:15 pm on those days.

On Thursday, August 7, we begin our LTI Gateway program for new students, and our internship search sessions for returning students. School hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays will be 8:30am to 11:30am. Please plan to pick up your students at 11:30am. Any RETURNING student who has already secured an internship for Fall 2025, with advisor approval and signed paperwork, may begin attending their internship on Thursday, August 7. Remember to log your hours in ImBlaze!

On Friday, August 8, we will have a modified class schedule from 8:30am to 1:15pm. Please plan to pick up your students at 1:15 pm.

The regular daily schedule for the school year starts on Monday, August 11. All students will attend classes on campus from 8:30am to 3:15pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Tuesdays and Thursdays are dedicated to internships, and ALL students must attend school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30am to 11:30am. NEW students will participate in the Met Gateway Program on Tuesdays and Thursdays (see below), while RETURNING students will work with their advisor on finding an internship placement. As soon as a student has secured an internship, including a signed contract with the mentor, the student may start attending internship on Tuesdays and Thursdays instead of coming to campus.

All 9th graders and new transfer students must attend our Gateway program on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30am to 11:30am for the first six weeks of school (starting Thursday, August 7, and ending Thursday, September 11). LTI Gateway teaches our new students how to search for an internship that aligns to their interests and goals, how to use our internship database platform called ImBlaze, and how to interview for and be successful in an internship. In addition, students will experience the Met 101 course, which teaches the skills that students need to become successful Met students. During the Gateway program, students will be supported in scheduling interviews for internships, and the goal is for students to be able to transition directly into an internship by the end of the six weeks or shortly thereafter.

To celebrate our first day of school, all students will have a FREE pizza and salad lunch on Monday, August 4! Vegan and gluten-free options will be available.

Free school meals provided by our district will continue to be offered at the Met this year.

Food options on campus will be limited prior to Mesa’s fall semester start date of August 25. To help you prepare your student, please note the scheduled Mesa food service options below. Please note that all Mesa food services are currently CLOSED on Fridays.

In addition, students are always welcome to bring lunch from home.

Students are NOT allowed to have food delivered from delivery services (such as DoorDash, GrubHub, Uber Eats, and similar apps). Though we are located on a college campus, the Met is a CLOSED campus, and students are not allowed to leave campus during school hours without permission, nor are food deliveries or other unauthorized visitors allowed. Please ensure that your students bring food or lunch money so that they can eat well, be healthy, and stay focused on their studies!

Regular and timely attendance at school and internships is one of the most important factors for your student’s success! Students who are regularly tardy or absent from one or more classes are missing valuable learning time and are much more likely to fall behind and struggle in their studies. As such, we will be contacting parents/guardians for your support if your student is struggling with attendance.

This year, we will be implementing a Google Form for parents to quickly and simply report a student absence. We will share more information about this system soon!

In the meantime, if you need to excuse your student from any part of the Week of Welcome, please contact us at sdmet@sandi.net to report the reason and times of the absence.

Student drop-off and pick-up is allowed in Lot 1 in the pull-out area in front of I-400, near the bottom of the main staircase. You may also use other areas along Mesa College Circle where there are curb cuts to allow cars to pull off the road. Please DO NOT attempt to drive up to the SD Met building for drop-off or pick-up. If you plan to park and visit the Met, you may park in a 1-hour visitor spot (limited) or use pay stations to purchase an hourly parking permit in Lot 1.

For students who drive to campus and wish to have a parking permit for the semester, the application form is available in the front office. Please bring the completed form with the payment of $40 cash (no card payments are accepted at this time) to the Mesa College police office at Q-100 between 8am and 5pm Mon-Thurs (closed Fridays). The Mesa College is no longer issuing a physical parking permit to keep in your vehicle. Instead, your vehicle will be registered virtually in their new online system for the semester.

The San Diego Met Foundation is our non-profit, parent-driven organization that supports the mission of the Met through fundraising and family engagement. We are a small group that meets every other month so the time commitment is low! We are currently seeking a new Vice President for our Foundation, who supports with our bylaws and assists the President with events such as Back to School Night and Met Monday.

Are you looking for a way to support our community and connect with other parents? Consider nominating yourself for Vice President! For more information, please contact our Foundation President, Lindsay Speaker, at lindsayspeaker@gmail.com or 832-427-2286.

Please welcome several new members of the San Diego Met team!

Chase Fite is joining the Met as an 11th grade advisor and an 11th grade Humanities teacher! Chase has been a teacher in San Diego Unified for almost a decade. Originally from Sacramento, he came to San Diego in 2007 to complete his undergraduate degree at the University of San Diego. While there, he triple majored in history, political science, and philosophy. After graduation, he worked in the non-profit sector for three years, running after-school tutoring and college prep programs for youth in Southeast San Diego. Realizing his heart was in teaching and the classroom, Chase went on to earn his teaching credentials and master's from the University of Southern California. After working at High Tech High (HTH) for two years, he transitioned to San Diego Unified, where he taught U.S. History and A.P. Government & American Politics at Hoover High School. For the past two years, Chase has been working as a resource teacher for Community Schools, helping to gather and elevate student, parent, and community voice in school decision making and building community projects within classroom spaces at high schools throughout the district. Chase is very much looking forward to being a part of and learning from the Met community in the years to come.

Jacob Poole is joining the Met as our new Internship Coordinator! Jacob has spent the past eight years in business development and finance roles, including as a general manager in landscape design and a business development manager in renewable energy. He is also a small business owner and Navy veteran, having served 11 years as a SONAR Technician and Navy Recruiter. He has worked as a substitute teacher across several districts and developed a strong passion for supporting student growth. He is looking forward to helping students make real world connections through business education and internships. Outside of work, Jacob enjoys family life with his wife Vannezza and their three daughters. He also volunteers as a softball coach for his youngest daughter’s team. Jacob is proud to be part of the Met and excited to grow as an educator while supporting our mission and our students' success.

Chloë Sweig is joining the Met as a 9th grade Advisor and Math teacher! Chloë is a native San Diegan and passionate mathematics educator. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching Mathematics and Science, as well as a Single Subject Teaching Credential in Mathematics, from San Diego State University. She also earned her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with an Emphasis in Education and a Minor in Art from CSU Channel Islands. With over 17 years of tutoring experience and four years of substitute teaching, Chloë brings a dynamic, student-centered approach to the classroom that emphasizes curiosity, creativity, and meaningful connection. Outside the classroom, Chloë is a watercolor artist, surfer, musician, yogi, and nature lover. She enjoys exploring how math intersects with the arts and often brings these interdisciplinary themes into her teaching. She strives to create a learning environment where students feel seen, supported, and inspired to discover the beauty and relevance of mathematics in their own lives.

Carolyn Dumas, who supported the Met all last year as a sub in various office support roles, is joining us in a permanent position as our School Clerk! Carolyn will continue to support staff, parents, and students in numerous areas of our operations, and we are glad to have her continue with us.

Congratulations to Mr. Ray Brandes on his retirement after a brilliant career as an educator, including almost two decades of service to the students and community of San Diego Met High School. Among Mr. Brandes’s many roles at the Met, he has been ASB advisor, Yearbook advisor, Resource Teacher, Humanities Teacher for multiple grade levels, and first and foremost, a wonderful advisor for numerous cycles of SD Met graduates. We wish you well, Mr. Brandes, on your well-deserved retirement!

All students who are enrolled in Mesa College classes for Fall semester should bookmark and regularly check the Met/Mesa Google Classroom for updates, deadlines, and instructions. The first day of college classes is Monday, August 25. If you have any difficulties with your college enrollment, please contact our counselor, Mr. Moravec, at jmoravec@sandi.net.

Thanks to all our students and families who purchased a yearbook for the previous school year, 2024-2025, and for your patience in awaiting delivery! Yearbooks will be distributed to all returning students during our Week of Welcome.

The PowerSchool Parent Portal provides you with access to your student’s grades and current progress. If you need support with setting up your PowerSchool Parent Portal access, please contact Mr. Moravec at jmoravec@sandi.net for support.

PowerSchool Parent Portal

Academic Calendar

Daily Schedule

School Site Council Landing Page (Agendas and Minutes)

Parent and Family Engagement Policy

School-Parent Compact

SDUSD LEA-level Parent and Family Engagement Policy - English - Spanish

Title I Parent Information Meeting

How to obtain a Work Permit

District Facts for Parents

School Accountability Report Card (SARC) Notification

Website: https://sdmet.sandiegounified.org/
Location: 7250 Mesa College Drive, Room K-203, San Diego, CA 92111
Phone: 619-388-2299

Email: sdmet@sandi.net
Twitter: @wearesdmet