Happy St Patrick's Day
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
- Beginning March 25, preschool through 2nd grade and SDC classes will have an option to return to their school to attend In-person Learning Support sessions.
- Beginning March 29, students in grades 3-12 will have an option to return to their school to attend In-person Learning Support sessions.
- A 100% distance learning model will continue to be an option for all families.
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.
Special Board meeting March 16th
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%.
Vaccines opened to education staff in our county on Feb 18th, then Dr Clark received and sent out individual priority codes to front line staff as they came in over the last few weeks, and Kaiser opened to education staff. Yesterday MDUSD held a J&J one shot vaccine clinic at Concord High with 350 doses, and only 300 people came (it was filled in by employees from PUSD since so many of our district staff already had their first shot). If you find anyone in MDUSD who still need a vaccine, we have individual priority codes to give them - email [email protected]
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.
Outdoor Learning and ReOpening of Schools
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:
- School Board work towards reopening
- School Board meeting Wednesday March 10th
- Superintendent’s Friday letter March 5th
- Outdoor Learning Resources
- 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.
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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.”
Student Initiatives
- School Board meeting Wednesday February 24th
- Vaccines Open for School Employees & in Bay Point!
- Superintendent’s Friday letter Feb 19th
- Parent Survey FAQ
Next School Board Meeting Wednesday February 24th
Find the agenda here, along with information about how to watch the live broadcast as well as how to submit public comments. Click here to see summaries of board action from prior meetings.
- Agreements with labs for COVID testing
- Approval of COVID19 Prevention Program
- Update on Hybrid Learning Plan
Vaccines Open for School Employees & Clinic Opens in Bay Point
Thank you to all who advocated for school employees in contra costa county to be vaccinated! I have heard from many MDUSD educators and staff who are relieved to have this layer of protection before more students arrive on campus.
On Feb 18, Contra Costa County Health Services announced:
Teachers, grocery workers and other frontline essential workers who live in Contra Costa County can now sign up to get vaccinated as defined by California’s vaccination plan Phase 1B.
Residents in these groups, as well as county residents who are 65 years and older who have not yet been vaccinated, can sign up to access state and federal sites through MyTurn or by calling 1-833-422-4255.
Essential workers and residents 65 years and older can also request immunization appointments through CCHS and join the county waiting list for COVID-19 vaccine.
Los maestros, los empleados de las tiendas de comestibles y otros trabajadores esenciales de primera línea que vivan en el Condado de Contra Costa pueden programar una cita para vacunarse, de acuerdo con la definición de la fase 1B del plan de vacunación de California.
Los residentes de estos grupos, así como los residentes del condado de 65 años de edad y mayores que todavía no se hayan vacunado, pueden registrarse para acceder a los sitios de vacunación estatales y federales a través de MyTurn o llamando al 1-833-422-4255.
Los trabajadores esenciales y los residentes de 65 años de edad y mayores también pueden programar una cita de vacunación a través de los CCHS.
Thanks to CCHS and our county board of supervisors for opening a vaccination clinic at MDUSD's Riverview Middle School. This is walking distance to so many in the area, and sharing information in Spanish there will go a long way towards ensuring equity in vaccine distribution.
Please spread the word! If we can vaccinate our elders and school employees, especially those in high COVID areas, then together we can really get this virus under control.
Superintendent's Friday letter
Click here to read Dr Clark’s February 19th letter including:
- Approved Reconnect Safely, Return Strong plan
- Negotiations update
- Mental Health Webinar Feb 23rd on "Students Helping Students:
- Info at https://mdusd.org/mental-health - Tuesdays 5-6:15pm
- Nominate a Teacher of the Year - due this Friday Feb 26th
- Looking for a job? County office of education job fair Feb 27th - www.cocoschools.org/recruitmentfair
- Organizational update 2/19/21
Parent Survey FAQ
The MDUSD parent survey is out now, due March 1st, with a goal of identifying #s of students per site who would like to access in-person learning this spring. I've been asked a number of questions about it, and so I attempted to answer multiple questions in one place by posting an FAQ on Facebook. More questions may be answered this week when Dr Clark gives his update on Hybrid Learning at the school board meeting. Here is what I wrote. I hope it is helpful to some.