May is the time to thank and recognize all our MDUSD teachers and staff for their hard work.  A special congratulations to all the nominees and winners of the MDEA Academy Awards on May 6th! The evening included a touching recognition of the Lifetime Achievement of Jesse Forsland from Olympic High, and recognized excellent talent from Classified Employee Connie Krawesky at Ayers Elementary, to student Seena Fahardi’s startup volunteer organization LEAP MDUSD that matched students tutors with homeless & foster youth who needed extra academic help.  Plus they gave the first ever Social Justice Award to Patricia Hamachi at ShoreAcres Elementary. See all nominees & winners below.

Don’t forget Classified Employees Week is just around the corner on May 16th-22nd!

Read on for:

1. School Board meeting May 12th - in person
2. Superintendent’s Friday letter 
   • Ask the CBO - call to action
3. Nominate a student leader
4. Congratulations MDEA Academy Awards Winners

School Board Meeting May 12th - in person

This week’s board meeting will be fully in person, and held next door to district headquarters at Monte Gardens Elementary school to provide plenty of space (3841 Larkspur Dr, Concord, CA 94519). The public may participate in person, following all COVID safety protocols including distancing and required masks.  The open meeting will begin at 6pm.  Members of the public may submit a card to comment, as has always been the case at our in-person board meetings. 

Alternatively, there are still distanced options: the public may view the livestream video and/or may submit a public comment via email to [email protected] . Staff is also working to add in a phone-in option for public comment as well.

Find the agenda and viewing/participation information here: https://mdusd.org/boardmeetings

Key items on this agenda include:

• California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) report
• Healthcare Careers Pathway (Certified CNA Workforce Development) Program
• Fall 2021 update
• One Time Stipend for Current Employees
• Public Hearing and Adoption of the Mt. Diablo Unified School District Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA)

Superintendent's Friday letter

Click here to read Dr Clark’s May 7th letter, full of information including: 

• Congratulations Walnut Acres Odyssey of the Mind Team on winning state finals and heading to virtual world finals!
• Register for tonight’s Teens & Tweens Mental Health webinar at https://mdusd.org/mental-health
• Ask the CBO - a call to action to halt unemployment insurance increases

Nominate a Student Leader

Ed100 is hosting a summer Academy for Student Leaders - and it’s free!  

Can you share this out to and/or nominate students from Mt Diablo High, Ygnacio Valley High, Olympic and Horizons? Their chart shows that there are students registered so far from College Park, Northgate, and Concord High. Let’s get reps from every school!

https://ed100.org/blog/student-leader-academy

Congratulations to MDEA Academy Award Winners

This celebration was a showcase of all of the fabulous work that dedicated community members are doing all over our district. Congratulations to all!  Please see the list of nominees and finalists:  2021 MDEA Academy Award Nominees

And the winners are…

• Lifetime Achievement - Jesse Forsland
• Community Involvement - Angela Bever
• Creative Curriculum - Al Douex
• Leadership & Courage - Hilary Garcia
• Most Inspirational - Alexandra Kirberg
• Outstanding Administrator - Marga Marshall
• Outstanding Classified Employee - Connie Krawesky
• Outstanding Parent Volunteer - Kathryn Durham-Hammer
• Outstanding Volunteer Organization - Learning Enrichment and Assistance Program (LEAP MDUSD, founded by student Seena Farhadi) - https://leapmdusd.org/
• Outstanding Collaborating Team - Mt. Diablo High School Counseling Department
• Outstanding Collaborating Team - Mt. Diablo High School Math Department
• Social Justice - Patricia Hamachi

They also recognized this year's MDUSD Teachers of the Year: Libby McDonagh and Chelsea Ridenour.

You can view a recording of the event here. 

It's time to celebrate! The Mt. Diablo Teacher of the Year sought nominations of outstanding educators from transitional kindergarten through grade 12 and adult education to be represented as the MDUSD Teacher of the Year.  Over 60 teachers were nominated, and the five finalists were: 

• David Hunter from Bridge, 
• Jim Keck from College Park, 
• Chelsea Ridenour from Diablo View, 
• Elizabeth McDonagh from Prospect High, and 
• Elisa Mendoza from Sequoia Middle.  

The two teachers selected to represent Mt. Diablo in the County Teacher of the Year competition are Chelsea Ridenour and Elisa McDonagh.

I had the pleasure of visiting Diablo View Middle School yesterday to present Ms Ridenour her certificate in person!  It was a beautiful day to see students engaged in hands-on learning all over campus, indoors and out, amidst the beats and improvisations of band practice tunes.

Don’t miss the MDEA Academy Awards zoom event May 6th, to celebrate excellent teachers, staff, parents and administrators throughout our district! Details below.

Read on for:

1. School Board meeting tonight April 28th
2. Superintendent’s Friday letter 
3. MDEA Academy Awards May 6th
4. Vaccination Walk In Clinics
5. Free Summer Education Academy for Student Leaders
6. Accelerating Learning as we Build Back Better

School Board Meeting Tonight April 28th

Find the agenda here, along with information about how to watch the live broadcast as well as how to submit public comments.  Key items on the agenda include:

• Teacher of the Year Recognition
• Classified School Employees Week May 16-22nd
• Enrollment and Demographic Report from Davis Demographics
• Update from Superintendent on Fall 2021
• Potential Approval of Increase to Substitute Teacher Daily Rate

Superintendent's Friday letter

Click here to read Dr Clark’s April 23rd letter, full of information including: 

• Fall 2021 Return to School Survey (I’ll also send a recording of last night’s Q&A webinar)
• Mental Health webinars created by MDUSD Counselors in English or Spanish. Watch all past webinars such as “Recognizing When To Get Help Beyond The Home” or register for future topics at https://mdusd.org/mental-health
• Ask the CBO - “How is Staffing Calculated”
• Keep kids safe by securely storing all firearms: see BeSmartforKids.org

MDEA Academy Awards May 6th

You’re invited to this event on Thursday, May 6, 2021, from 6-8pm!

   Click here to watch the awards ceremony

         Meeting number: 145 364 5434

         Password: MDEA20210506

This celebration will be a showcase of all of the fabulous work that dedicated community members are doing all over our district. It will be an engaging opportunity for each of us to look up for a moment from the tasks we focus on each day and see the broader scope and bigger picture of successes across the entire district.  Congratulations to all!  Please see the list of nominees and finalists:  2021 MDEA Academy Award Nominees

Vaccination Walk In Clinics

Our school district has been coordinating with county health to ensure vaccines reach all families.  Here’s exciting news about more accessible vaccines here in Concord and Pittsburg:

1. There’s a new COVID-19 vaccine clinic opening tomorrow at 1034 Oak Grove Road in Concord

• Plus these new walk-in mobile clinics (open from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.):

  • April 26 – May 2: Albert D. Seeno Jr. Pittsburg Youth Development Center: 1001 Stoneman Ave., Pittsburg

  • May 3-6: Meadow Homes Elementary School: 1371 Detroit Ave., Concord 

Free Summer Education Academy for Student Leaders

Ed100 is hosting a summer Academy for Student Leaders - and it’s free!  Please share out and nominate students to attend.

Their chart shows that there are students from Mt. Diablo Unified School District registered so far from College Park, Northgate, and Concord High. Can you share this out to and/or nominate students from Mt Diablo High, Ygnacio Valley High, Olympic and Horizons?

https://ed100.org/blog/student-leader-academy

Accelerating Learning As We Build Back Better 

This article by Linda Darling Hammond is a must read for us all. She says, “If we focus on remediation for “learning loss” we'll go back to the unequal and inadequate pre-COVID education system. Instead, we need to set the norm for a new age that builds on how children really learn, rather than working against it...

It is critically important that we address these concerns based not on outdated notions about remediation, but on what we now know about how people learn effectively.”

Here a key excerpt, and I do recommend reading the entire article for more detail and models of best practices.

“If we really want to support learning, the return to school should not include these staple features of an outdated approach to learning that research has found actually undermine achievement:

• Testing students to label and track them into “high,” “average,” and “low” groups that are segregated by perceived ability — and often by race, class, and language background as well;
• Offering regimented drill and kill remedial instruction in these segregated groups, focused on filling gaps in basic skills in the artificial ways they are assessed on multiple choice tests, which then often causes them to be taught in equally artificial ways;
• “Personalizing” learning by putting students in front of programmed computers for machine-based instruction for long hours at a time — or piles of worksheets that offer the same decontextualized approach to learning;
• Punishing students who disengage or express frustration and despair by excluding them from the classroom or removing “privileges” like recess and library time;
• Placing the neediest students in remedial classes with the least trained and experienced teachers who are least likely to know how to create productive learning environments.

Instead, a supportive school return — both this summer and next fall — will seek to ensure that students:

• Experience warm relationships and social-emotional supports achieved by redesigning schools so that they are relationship-centered, with built-in time for creating community, trust, and belonging among students and with families;
• Engage in outdoor play and exercise, expressive arts, and collaborative activities that support brain development and learning;
• Encounter authentic, culturally responsive learning tasks and inquiry projects connected to their experiences that allow them to understand and positively impact their environment;
• Assess what students need both socially and emotionally as well as academically, address trauma with healing and support, and identify the next steps they are ready to take in their learning rather than labelling them;
• Accelerate learning through additional time and high-quality tutoring rather than tracking. Intensive tutoring, found to be highly effective, both establishes strong relationships and customizes teaching directly to student readiness and needs.”

Please join us for the LCAP Input Meeting tomorrow night!

         On Wednesday, April 21st at 5pm, Mt. Diablo Unified will be hosting a virtual LCAP Input Meeting. 

The Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) must be updated annually, be aligned to eight areas identified as state priorities, and describe the school district's overall vision for students, annual goals and specific actions the district will take to achieve the vision and achievement targets.  This year, in addition to the LCAP, the state is requiring that districts complete several other documents describing how Mt. Diablo Unified will target support for African American students, English learners, foster youth, students experiencing homelessness, students with unique needs, and how we plan on coordinating academic and social emotional support to increase student achievement and success.

         Below is the link to the meeting and Spanish translation will be provided.

         Join Zoom Meeting  

        Meeting ID: 857 0573 9817

        Passcode: 684843

Find MDUSD prior LCAP plans and news at https://www.mdusd.org/lcap/lcapnews

• For parents: here is a handy "what is LCAP" from Ed100: https://ed100.org/blog/lcap-hub . This explains the 8 priority areas that all LCAP plans must cover and much more about how this plan intersects with school site plans and the complexities of state funding.

And if you missed last week's school board meeting, here are the actions we took:

Actions Taken at Last Week's Board Meeting: Fall ReOpening, Intercultural Education, Outdoor Classrooms

I hope you all had plenty of time out in nature and off screens, to rest and revive. Ramadan Mubarak to those who celebrate!  I was amazed to learn that today is also Vaisakhi, Navratra, Ugadi, Khalsa Sirjana Divas and Hindu New Year. Understanding each other's traditions and values is so important to building inclusive communities. 

I invited Maha Elgenaidi, founder of Ing.org, to speak at tomorrow’s school board meeting during item 9.3 Resolution in Recognition of Arab American Heritage Month. Ing’s mission is educating for cultural literacy and mutual respect.

Here is a useful brief guide for educators about Ramadan:

Read on for:

1. School Board meeting Wednesday April 14th
2. Superintendent’s Friday letter 
3. Mental Health Webinars
4. Common Cents 
5. Drawing on Earth’s Global Challenge

Next School Board Meeting Wednesday April 14th

Find the agenda here, along with information about how to watch the live broadcast as well as how to submit public comments.  Key items on the agenda include:

• Resolution “A Call to Action on Climate Change in Recognition of Earth Day” - we will hear an update on MDUSD’s partnership with GreenSchoolYards.org to create outdoor classrooms
• Resolution “In Recognition of Arab American Heritage Month” - we will hear about resources from ing.org that were featured in the state CA Dept of Education presentation “Understanding and Countering Islamophobia”   **This is the first time MDUSD has proposed this resolution**
• Update on Mt Diablo CARES Expanded Learning program
• Update and Discussion on ReOpening Schools 
  • (tip: search #MDUSDisBack to see photos from campuses across the district)

Superintendent's Friday letter

Click here to read Dr Clark’s March 19th letter, full of information including: 

• Congratulations MDUSD student winners of Contra Costa County Science and Engineering Fair: Angello Ledesma, Elyse Contreras, Andrea Rosmarin, Jonathan Yu, John Lins, and Erin Weber!
• Organizational Update including kindergarten registration for fall at mdusd.org/enrollnow and the opportunity to apply for the new  YVHS CCAP STEM program 

Mental Health Webinars

Don’t miss these important Mental Health webinars created by MDUSD Counselors in English or Spanish. Coming up Tuesday April 20 at 5pm is “Anxiety and Depression” - Register here.  You can also watch all past webinars such as “Recognizing When To Get Help Beyond The Home” or register for future topics at https://mdusd.org/mental-health

Common Cents

Did you know that MDUSD has a new column with answers to frequently asked questions? It is about sharing the accurate data associated with all things fiscal, budgets, data, and more!  Visit https://mdusd.org/bscc 

The March 31st post included:

• What is the cost of a special election for a recall?
• Why is there a deficit? 
• Where do the funds come from for our district? 
• Does district staff engage with legislators to try to get more funding? 

Drawing on Earth’s Global Creative Challenge

Join Mark Wagner this Earth Day in his Global Creative Challenge.  Mark is the amazing artist who led The Largest Illustrated Story chalk drawing project for Mt. Diablo Unified School District at nearly all of our elementary school sites!  

(This flyer features the Wren Avenue Elementary School of the Arts chalk project)

Join him online or in person for his next Guinness World Record attempt! #STEAMforStudents

What a beautiful day to welcome students to our Mt. Diablo Unified School District campuses. 

I enjoyed this morning as a volunteer with Ygnacio Valley High School PTSA, handing out treats to staff and posting welcome back signs for students.  Thank you to all our Mt. Diablo Unified School District teachers and staff for your hard work to make this all possible! #MDUSDisBack

  

Read on for:

• COVID vaccine appointments

• MDUSDisBack photos

• Cesar Chavez & Dolores Huerta Days, Larry Itliong

Our school principals are working closely with the health dept to expand vaccine outreach in Bay Point and Monument with Spanish speaking ambassadors.  Plus, great news on vaccines...

Contra Costa Residents 50+ Encouraged to Request Vaccine Appointment Now - Thousands of Appointment Slots Available

People who are currently eligible are strongly encouraged to beat the rush by requesting appointments as soon as possible, using the online request form at cchealth.org/coronavirus or calling 1-833-VAX-COCO (1-833-829-2626). People currently eligible for appointments in Contra Costa include: 

• Anyone who is 50 or older and lives or works in the county

• Anyone who is 16 or older and has a high-risk health condition, disability or illness and lives or works in the county 

• Essential workers who live or work in Contra Costa, including healthcare personnel, emergency services workers, education and childcare workers, agriculture and food workers, transportation and logistics workers, and anyone who lives or works in a congregate living space in the county

CCHS expects this week to expand eligibility to:

• Anyone who lives or works in the county and is 16 or older

Invitamos a los Residentes de Contra Costa de 50 Años de Edad y Mayores a que Soliciten la Vacuna Hoy Mismo - Miles de espacios para citas disponibles

De ser posible, pedimos que las personas programen sus citas utilizando el formulario de solicitud en línea en vez de llamar por teléfono, ya que esto les ahorrará tiempo. La página de Ayude a su Vecino incluye consejos que le servirán para ayudar a un amigo o un ser querido a programar una cita en caso de que se le dificulte utilizar el Internet o un teléfono inteligente.

Las personas actualmente elegibles para programar una cita de vacunación en Contra Costa incluyen:

• Cualquier persona de 50 años de edad o mayor que viva o trabaje en el condado

• Cualquier persona de 16 años de edad o mayor que tenga una condición de salud, discapacidad o enfermedad de alto riesgo y que viva o trabaje en el condado

• Los trabajadores esenciales que vivan o trabajen en Contra Costa, incluyendo al personal de salud, los trabajadores de los servicios de emergencia, los trabajadores de la educación y del cuidado infantil, los trabajadores del sector agrícola y de alimentos, los trabajadores de transporte y logística y cualquier persona que viva o trabaje en una instalación de vivienda congregada del condado

MDUSD is Back

It was a joy for me to see smiling faces last week at our elementary schools, including Ygnacio Valley Elementary, Meadow Homes, and Walnut Acres! 

    

Cesar Chavez & Dolores Huerta Days, Larry Itliong

Don't forget that our school district has this Friday April 2nd off in honor of Cesar Chavez Day. Here is a Learning for Justice resource on Cesar Chavez for educators and families.  

California also has designated April 10th as Dolores Huerta Day. Chavez and Huerta together launched the National Farm Workers Association, though some history recognizes primarily Chavez. Both have compelling stories as effective community organizers, and Dolores Huerta is still alive and organizing today. Here is the Dolores Huerta curriculum toolkit all about civic engagement and her signature rallying cry "Si Se Puede".  You can learn about this curriculum on April 1st, 6:30pm with "Teaching the Life of Activist Dolores Huerta." Register at: http://bit.ly/TeachingDoloresHuerta

Organizing is always most effective in coalition, even though our American stories often feature one person instead. In fact, Larry Itliong was the person who started the Delano Grape Strike with more than 2,000 Filipino farmworkers, that Huerta and Chavez later joined.  Their organizations later merged to become what we now know as United Farm Workers (UFW).  Be sure to read his story here to learn the full, true history of their journey together for justice. 

I hope you all enjoy a safe and relaxing spring break April 5-9th!

As my family cooks corned beef & cabbage for St Patrick's Day today, I wish you all and your families much luck and good health.  

Here are two important items I wanted to be sure to share with you before I go offline:

• Next steps for in-person student opportunities at MDUSD Schools
• Board President Statement in Solidarity with Asian Americans

Next steps for In-Person Student Opportunities at MDUSD Schools

Last night we held a special board meeting about the ReOpening of Schools Timeline.

The majority of us chose to attend the meeting in person in the board room, which has been rearranged with COVID spacing and precautions.  The public for now needs to still access our meetings online, but eventually I'm hopeful that we'll end up with a combination of in-person and online access for all.   It was wonderful to be back in the board room again!

With fresh news of a tentative agreement between MDEA and MDUSD on a hybrid MOU that had been agreed upon at 5am Tuesday morning, our board unanimously voted in favor of the timeline as described in the MOU (pending approval):

The agenda, with tentative agreements attached, will be posted at mdusd.org/boardmeetings at least 24 hours in advance of the special meeting.

I am so thankful to all who spent countless hours ensuring agreement on the safety and logistics of hybrid learning, and I look forward to seeing the smiling faces of students on our campuses very soon!

Board President Statement in Solidarity with Asian Americans

My heart goes out to our AAPI students, staff, administration and community in the midst of unconscionable hate and violence.  We posted this message today on the district website.

A special thank you to the over 70 caring MDUSD teachers, staff and community members who signed a letter to share this information and resources that are so important at this time.

Dear Mt. Diablo Unified School District Staff and Community,

     The dramatic increase in the violent and disturbing crimes and incidents toward the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities during this pandemic, and especially toward the elderly, is disheartening and deserves acknowledgement and denouncement. These events are antithetical to our organization’s beliefs and cultural aspirations, and they serve as a reminder that progress in these areas requires tremendous diligence, especially from educators, who bear a great responsibility to lift up our next generations ever higher. 

     Our MDUSD students and staff deserve to learn and work in a community and world that is free of racism, discrimination, and violence. Everybody deserves to feel safe in their neighborhoods and communities. 

     It is clear that the AAPI community has been experiencing discrimination and violence motivated by racism. The recent attacks on Vicha Ratanapakdee, Noel Quintana, Yik Oi Huang, Grandmother Duong from San Jose,  Mauricio Gesmundo, just to name a few, are both horrifying and sickening. The shootings in Atlanta just this morning, wherein six AAPIs were murdered, has stirred speculation about racist motivations. Truly, these events impact all of us in our communities, and we condemn all forms of racism and scapegoating of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the Bay Area and beyond. 

     Education is inseparable from the ideals of justice, equity, and inclusion. We believe equity is a student, staff and community right, and every student is provided with what they individually require to learn and succeed to fulfill their academic and social education. We stand firm on ensuring equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist policies and practices. We are committed to holding each other responsible for respectful conduct and treatment of one another.

     We stand together with our AAPI students, staff, administration and community. We support restorative justice models that break the cycle of violence, Ethnic Studies to teach people about racial solidarity, community mediation efforts to not only hold people accountable, but to work together to resolve issues. 

     Here’s how you can help: 

• Save the MDUSD Campus Safety Hotline contact: (925) 709-4847. This hotline is available for students and parents/guardians to leave a confidential, taped message about anything occurring at school that is causing students to feel unsafe—this includes virtual classroom environments.
• For educators: visit this Learning for Justice response resource.
• For families: Use this resource guide to help you discuss current events with your family. Here is another parent guide to help Prevent and also Respond to Prejudice.
• Report incidents, read through reports, and news releases at stopaapihate.org  
• Oakland Chinatown created this list of how to help support the AAPI communities, report hate crimes or get mental health or legal support.

     As MDUSD continues to do our part in diversity, equity and inclusion work as a community, we hold hope as people from different cultures and communities rise together to condemn hate. A community of belonging does not happen at the expense of the oppression of others. Let us continue to do this work together. 

At last night's Mt. Diablo Unified School District board meeting, we voted to set the target date of March 22nd for PreK, K, 1, 2, SDC, Bridge students to return to campus.

Understanding that we need safety and logistics for this agreed upon with employees, negotiation dates were added for March 11,12,13,14,15 to complete the hybrid MOU.

I called for a special Board meeting for Tuesday March 16th, where we plan to approve the MOU or take any necessary steps to move forward to ensure our students begin to be allowed on campus for the in person relationship building that they have been asking for and desperately needing.

We have 13,000 students who requested in person hybrid this spring from throughout the district.

That is why we advocated so strongly for education staff to get priority vaccinations, and we must now follow through.

While I understand the call from some to delay any students entry to campus until all staff are fully vaccinated, I'm also aware of how fast vaccine efficacy grows. See this chart: 7 days after dose 1 you are 68.5% covered. 14 days after dose 1, that is 92.6%. Waiting til 2 more weeks after dose 2 only moves that from 92.6% to 94.8%.

We are already successfully and safely providing in person testing and sports with safety protocols in place including masks, PPE, and spacing. (see photo of this week's ELPAC testing at Oak Grove Middle School)

Plus, let's all remember that our current plan to bring students onto campus is for only a few hours, and gradually starting with PreK-2. It is not a full hybrid, nor crowded hallways of kids passing from class to class.  Many principals, teachers and parents are creatively tapping into the free resources and ideas for learning outdoors at https://www.greenschoolyards.org/covid-learn-outside.

Let's be safe while also attending to the needs of our students, the biggest need of which right now is a chance for time off-screen with a real person who cares about them.

I truly believe we can and must, together & safely, take this gradual next step of providing a few hours a day for students in person as soon as possible.

#TogetherWeCan #MDUSDProud

Happy Women's History and Arts Education Month!

Many have also recently celebrated Lunar New Year, and I want to thank the over 70 caring MDUSD teachers, staff and community members who signed this letter to us with a statement condemning racist and violent actions against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). President Biden’s administration acknowledged the dramatic spike in anti-Asian incidents occurring throughout the country during the pandemic, and said "inflammatory and xenophobic rhetoric...has put Asian American and Pacific Islander persons, families, communities, and businesses at risk." 

Our MDUSD students and staff deserve to learn and work in a community and world that is free of racism, discrimination, and violence. Everybody deserves to feel safe in their neighborhoods and communities. We stand firm on ensuring equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist policies and practices in our school district.  All are welcome to join the new Anti Bias Anti Racism (ABAR) committee that launched last week to design ways to move our Equity Board Policy into practice. Email [email protected] to attend their next meeting on March 25th.

Read on for:

1. School Board work towards reopening
2. School Board meeting Wednesday March 10th
3. Superintendent’s Friday letter March 5th
4. Outdoor Learning Resources
5. Congratulations Olympic High!

School Board Work Towards ReOpening

It’s been a busy and productive past few months on the Mt Diablo school board, working diligently and carefully towards safe school site reopening. We have:

• approved Dr Clark’s reopening timeline aiming for mid March (county health had estimated mid-March as Red Tier for contra costa), including the parent survey that provided each principal now with a specific list of students to plan for in-person on site,
• approved the Reconnect Safely, Return Strong plan,
• approved the CSP (COVID safety plan) which includes the CPP and checklist and is due 5 days before reopening (State has approved),
• approved free COVID testing for staff at MDUSD sites via agreements with 2 companies,
• clearly stated the Board is unanimous that we will follow county & state metrics for hybrid,
• set 5 negotiating days with MDEA focused on the schedule & logistics of hybrid,
• stated we are ready to call a special board mtg within 24hrs of a hybrid MOU agreement.

In the meantime we have also been advocating for vaccines. MDUSD partnered with County Health to open a vaccine site at Riverview Middle School in Bay Point, and now with Walgreens to bring 500 J&J vaccines this week specifically for MDUSD staff. (**sign up here for J&J by 5pm March 8th)  

Board members have hosted a town hall in Spanish to be more accessible to those families, and held Q&A at parent meetings throughout the district.

We are also visiting sites to see health & safety readiness. **Thank you to amazing principals, office managers, teachers, & staff working to ensure spaces & systems are ready for students, all the while continuing to provide distance learning.**

Plus on March 5th Governor Newsom signed State Bill 86, which provides financial resources and incentives for public schools to open by April 1.

This Wednesday we will consider Dr Clark’s proposed timeline to begin to gradually bring students onto campuses starting March 22nd.

Next School Board Meeting Wednesday March 10th

Find the agenda here, along with information about how to watch the live broadcast as well as how to submit public comments.  Key items on the agenda include:

• Approval of ReOpening Timeline - starting students on campus March 22nd
• Approval of 2nd Interim Fiscal Report - qualified status
• City of Pittsburg Proposed Growth

Superintendent's Friday letter

Click here to read Dr Clark’s March 5th letter, full of information including: 

• phased-in reopening timeline proposal
• ReOpening FAQ - frequently asked questions
• MDUSD's Open Conversations About Mental Health Series 3/9 Parent Wellness with Self Care Click here to register in advance
  • 5:00PM - 6:15PM on Zoom. Simultaneous Spanish interpretation will be available, and audience members may choose to participate and interact, or watch only. Our panel is also taking questions in advance to help guide future discussions. Webinars of various topics are scheduled through June. Click here to view the full schedule and watch previous webinars. 
• Organizational Update - including 
  • Negotiations 
  • AP & CASSP exam info
  • Career pathway opportunities
  • Anti-racism work, equity & ethnic studies in our schools
  • Free tutoring for english language learners
  • Kindergarten registration & more

Outdoor Learning Resources

Repurposing outdoor spaces is a cost-effective way to reduce the burden on indoor classrooms while providing fresh air, hands-on learning opportunities, and the health benefits associated with increased access to nature.

Are you interested in exploring how to use outdoor spaces for learning at your school?

The COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative provides free strategies and case studies to the public at: https://www.greenschoolyards.org/covid-learn-outside  It doesn't have to be complicated. Here is their list of simple ways to consider which activities teachers can bring outdoors, along with basic supplies. Who else remembers Girl Scout situpons - using recycled materials to make insulated, waterproof outdoor seating?

Did you know that MDUSD has many outdoor learning spaces already on our campuses that are ready to use?  Thanks to grant funding, many of our schools already have outdoor garden spaces and garden educators who provide hands-on science. (e.g. Sun Terrace Elementary has 3 outdoor garden areas and rolling white boards that teachers can use.)  You can follow the MDUSD Science & Garden Education Program on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MDUSDGardenEducation/

Congratulations Olympic High!

Mt Diablo’s Olympic High School was recognized by State Superintendent Tony Thurmond as one of the Model Continuation High Schools (MCHS) in the state of California for 2021!  This is thanks to the strong leadership of Principal Lynsie Castellano, and the hard work of her amazing teachers and staff.

“Student attendance and engagement in distance learning during the school closures has been difficult—especially for students who struggled with attendance issues before the pandemic,” said Thurmond. “These model schools have been able to keep at-risk students on track using social and emotional learning, mentorship programs, restorative justice practices, and other innovative methods. Through the work of dedicated teachers and administrators, model continuation schools provide the students they serve with new academic opportunities that can change the course of their lives in high school and beyond.”