March 22, 2022 Superintendent's Remarks

Listen to the March 22, 2022 Superintendent Remarks

Good evening, and welcome to our new Commissioners …Commissioners Motamedi, Hsu and Weissman Ward. Tonight I will start with a couple of Bright spots and celebrations

Please join me in congratulating the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts Mock Trial team for placing second in the state at the Constitutional Rights Foundation California State Finals! The competition took place last Thursday through Sunday with teams from 36 California counties. The Ruth Asawa team argued the fictional case of The People v. Cobey before California Appellate Justice Steven Perren. This accomplishment is a tribute to the incredible work of the whole team under the leadership of head coach Clifford Yin. Great job, everyone!

Also, students at Aptos Middle School are getting hands-on learning experiences through project-based learning programs in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics). Through elective courses, students have the opportunity to learn about indoor vertical gardening and sustainability and make 3D printing projects. Aptos is located in the western portion of San Francisco, where the climate tends to be a bit colder, so gardening indoors helps students get the hands-on experience. They take soil samples and measure the pH, and learn which seeds adapt well with the environment. They even have the opportunity to take plants and materials home with them to garden at home, which the teacher Yesenia Castro-Mitchell says is great for equity so all students in the program can have plants to take care of at home. Students are even decorating their classroom with murals highlighting aspects of STEAM and STEAM careers.

I am pleased to announce that we have agreed on a draft calendar with our labor partners and in consultation with our Parent Advisory Council. Families and our community partners can find a copy of the draft on our website and we will ask the Board to approve the calendar at our next regular meeting, April 12.

Families who applied for school during the Main Round (October 22, 2021 through February 7, 2022) will be mailed their student's school assignment to their mailing address this week. Families can also see their letter by logging into ParentVUE and looking at the “Documents” tab beginning next week. If families need help to accept or decline their school assignment, they can attend our enrollment workshops. Learn more at bit.ly/epc-workshop.

LGBTQ Student Services is partnering with the SFUSD Parent Advisory Council, Somos Familia and the Chinese Progressive Association to provide LGBTQ+ workshops for SFUSD caregivers and families. Come learn and ask questions about the basics of LGBTQIA+ identities, as well as how Health Education supports inclusive learning environments across all grades in SFUSD. Workshops will take place April 4th, 5th and 6th on Zoom. Register for the workshops at bit.ly/SFUSDLGBTQ101.

All SFUSD schools will be closed March 28 - April 1 for Spring Break and Cesar Chavez Day.

Finally, our Health and Safety update on masking is aligned with local and state public health guidance, masking is now strongly recommended but not required at SFUSD middle and high schools, and at central office worksites. Starting April 2, 2022, masking will be strongly recommended but not required at all district schools and worksites, including PreKindergarten, Transitional Kindergarten, elementary and K-8 schools. You can find the latest masking Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on our website.

Rapid Home Test Kits

Each student and staff member has been allocated TWO test kits. Communication has been shared with school sites that include directions for families and staff to use one test kit prior to returning from Spring break or an extended time off. We have provided multilingual instructions for use and those should be distributed with the test kits and also on the district website.