March 24, 2021

Back to All Updates

Dear SFUSD Families:

At its core, SFUSD believes in celebrating and building on each other’s strengths, standing with those most vulnerable in our community, and being diversity driven—respecting and seeking to understand each person. We are committed to creating community and celebrating the diversity and rich history of our Asian Pacific Islander communities. Here are some resources to support conversations with your children and families.

I hope you have a restful and safe spring break. SFUSD will not be sending a digest next week. Please keep reading today’s digest for important updates.

Return Safely Updates

SFUSD is preparing to gradually return up to 22,000 students to in-person learning before the end of April.  Here are some current events related to preparation efforts underway: 

• San Francisco moved into the state’s Orange tier due to decreasing rates of COVID-19 positivity and hospitalization.
• See this grade level breakdown and timeline for all those with the option to return this spring, PK-12. While information is subject to change, this timeline represents the most current plan.  Students in grades 3-5, with the exception of those in a Moderate/Severe SDC class, will return one week following the date when PK-2 students return at most schools, with the exception of those schools that are set to begin on April 26. 
• If a student is scheduled to return to in-person learning on April 12 or 19:
  • Families will be receiving a placement packet in the mail early next week and the information will also be posted in ParentVUE. 
  • SFUSD will also send families who are on the list to return a notification through phone and text. 
  • Families will be invited to participate in a mandatory orientation hosted by their school site.
  • Here is how returning families can prepare now. 
  • Please contact school sites after Spring Break ends on April 5 with questions or concerns.
• SFUSD Spring 2021 school schedules for in-person and distance learning have been set centrally, with the goal of getting as many students who wish to return back to in-person learning as possible. These schedules cannot be changed. The outcomes reflect careful planning and consideration based on:
  • Physical space
  • School enrollment 
  • Family preference
  • Staffing
  • Health and safety requirements, including those agreed upon with SFUSD’s labor unions
• Classroom planning
  • SFUSD is compliant with SFDPH guidance and has to meet baseline health and safety requirements per agreements with our labor partners.
  • There is no set 14-student limit in classrooms. In earlier planning there was this limit but it no longer exists. 
  • SFUSD will strive to keep student desks 6 feet apart but in the instance that a 4 foot distance could accommodate more students, up to the original classroom list, the site will adopt the 4 foot parameters between student desks. Teacher desks must be at least 6 feet apart from student desks and tables
  • SFUSD has to meet physical distancing requirements as outlined in our labor agreement even if those requirements have changed in the public health guidance. Therefore schools with more requests for in-person learning than capacity after adopting the 4 foot distancing requirement may need to offer a 2-day a week schedule to accommodate all students.

Limited Live Instruction Days for Elementary Students April 5 - April 8

• Elementary grade classroom teachers will be preparing their classrooms on April 5-8 for return to in-person learning. 
• On these work days, students will only be expected to check in with their teachers for 30 minutes in the morning through virtual classrooms, where teachers will preview asynchronous work for the day and answer any questions from students.

Distance Learning Updates

SF Loves Learning

Looking for resources to offer inspiration, skills, and support for students to counter racism? Explore these videos in SF Loves Learning’s United Against Racism Return to School Deck. Find all of our cultural and science slide decks so far.

What science questions do your students have? Help them submit any question and Maestra Meza will try to answer it with them on the show in May! Check out this Seesaw Activity, watch this student questions video and help students submit their questions by filling out this short questions form by Friday, March 26.

This month’s science theme is: “What do engineers do?” and our cultural theme is Women’s History Month. This week’s theme is Synthesizing Concepts. Check out these segments that are airing this week:

• Week in Review (Lesson): Maestra Meza reviews the parts of the shadow puppets we worked on all week. We use all the information to set up the shadow puppet set and modify what she has already created. (March 26)
• I Have an Idea (Read Aloud): Sparkling with visual wit and bubbling with imagination, this is a richly emotional exploration of the creative process: from an initial tentative inkling, to the frustration of chasing the wrong notion, to finally the exhilaration of capturing—and nurturing—just the right idea. (March 22)
• Celebrating Carnaval and the Forces of Nature (Movement):  Join Ms. Jessica for a Carnaval inspired dance lesson that celebrates elements of nature and the diverse Latin American, Caribbean, and African Diasporic roots of the Mission District and the San Francisco Bay Area. (March 22)
• Neighborhood Nature Episode 17: SFUSD’s naturalists teach about Great Blue Herons (March 24)

You can watch any content from the show in these ways:

• Segments Library: Find any segment (read aloud, daily lesson, music, movement, community)!
• YouTube channel: Subscribe to this channel, explore the playlists, and receive notifications when new content is published.

SF Loves Learning airs every weekday, 8:30-9am on KTVU Plus and any time at sfusd.edu/sfloveslearning.

School Meal Updates

Grab & Go Meal Distribution Will Be Closed for Spring Break March 29 - April 2

• On Friday, March 26, we will serve 7 days’ worth of meals to accommodate the holiday closure. Pick up meals for all children 18 and younger, including SFUSD students.
• Service will resume Tuesday, April 6.
• Visit sfusd.edu/schoolfood for a list of locations.

Schedule Change This Week: Grab & Go Service Tuesday & Friday

• This week, families can pick up free Grab & Go meals on:
  • Tuesday 3/23
  • Friday 3/26
  • Sites will be closed Thursday
• On Friday, we will serve 7 days’ worth of meals to accommodate the holiday closure. Families can pick up free meals for all children 18 and younger, including SFUSD students.
• Visit sfusd.edu/schoolfood for a list of locations. Download the March Grab & Go Calendar.

Food Access Texting Hotline

• No Kid Hungry has launched a texting hotline to provide information about emergency food distribution sites in communities where schools have been impacted due to COVID19.
• Parents and caregivers can text the word “FOOD” to 877-877 (or “COMIDA” for results in Spanish) to find food distribution sites close to their address. SFUSD’s Grab & Go meal sites are included in the No Kid Hungry national database.

Resource Highlight: Summer Programs

• SFUSD is also working with the City’s Department of Children, Youth and Families to expand free summer programs. Families may sign up on the Summer Together website to receive notifications as more programs become available. Your contact information will only be used to provide alerts and updates about enrollment in Summer Together.
• Most SFUSD summer programs are for specific eligible student populations, for example students with IEPs, newcomer students, and high school students who need more credits to graduate. Eligible students will be invited to participate in programs. More information will be shared by mid-April. 

Did You Know?

I heard about the Town Halls that happened this past week—where can I access the information?

Over 1,300 attendees participated in the virtual Return Safely Together Town Hall for PK-5th Grade families on March 17, sponsored by 2nd District PTA, Parents for Public Schools, and SFUSD, to address questions from elementary grade families. Check out this video playlist that includes all the questions and answers from that event.

Do you have a child with an IEP? Don’t miss the Zoom recording of the March 22 event, where families of students who receive Special Education services, staff and community members gathered for a community meeting to discuss the return to in-person learning. 

Bright Spot

At SFUSD, we’re all about personalizing learning for students. Hear from four SFUSD teachers about what they've learned about personalized learning and how that connects to developing SFUSD's Graduate Profile skills with their students. Many teachers report they have strengthened their personalized learning strategies throughout this year of distance learning. 

Warm regards,

Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews