September 23, 2020

Dear SFUSD Staff:

At last night’s Board of Education meeting, SFUSD outlined several factors that will need to be in place in addition to public health indicators before returning to any in-person learning. SFUSD is preparing for a gradual return for a small cohort of students focusing first on the District’s youngest students (early elementary) and students with disabilities in moderate/severe special day classes. Read more about the specific criteria and how SFUSD is preparing. 

Updates

SF Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) Community Hubs Registration Update

Registration for the Community Hubs requires an invitation, and all of the invitations for the first round have already been sent.  Once the DCYF Community Hubs are ready to accept more applications, SFUSD will communicate registration information directly to families of eligible students. At this time, the Community Hubs and SFUSD are not enrolling students and families through direct referrals. Eligible families will be notified in early October.

SFUSD 2020 Latinx Heritage Month Resource Guide

From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, SFUSD celebrates Latinx Heritage Month (commonly observed as Hispanic Heritage Month) to highlight the diversity, brilliance and beauty of the Latinx community both in their countries of origin but particularly in the diaspora and their presence here in San Francisco.

This Resource Guide provides links to literature, lessons, content, resources and events to celebrate the rich history and contributions that are Latinx heritage and presence. Adelante, siempre!   

Human Rights Commission Meeting on Sept. 24

On Thursday, Sept. 24 at 5:30 p.m., SFUSD staff will present an update on the Equity Studies Resolution and Distance Learning. This is a great structure to hear what is going on in our district and share your experience, ideas and hear from others!

Join us! Meeting Information:

• Zoom meeting link
• Passcode: 468730
• Webinar ID: 982 9494 6892
• Telephone: +1(669)900-6833 or +1(253)215-8782

Next Round of QTEA Innovation Award Applications Due Oct. 15

Applicants for an Innovation Award to receive financial and coaching support to redesign a part of school in these times to more effectively reach and teach our students, particularly those least reached! The iLab has simplified the application and program to support schools through a rapid redesign process and funding to immediately implement ideas. For additional information and links to the application see the 2020-21 QTEA Innovation Award Flyer. The next round of applications are due on Oct. 15. Email wolfer@sfusd.edu with any questions.  

Top Zoom Safety Tips

To provide the safest experience for you and your students, please review our recommended Zoom security settings:

• Unless you need access for a special guest, set every Zoom meeting to “Only authenticated users can join” so that only SFUSD students and staff can join your meetings (this setting is available when you create or edit your meeting).
• Request an x.sfusd.edu email address in order to invite student teachers, translators, or other service providers.
• Enable the waiting room and set it so “Everyone will go into the waiting room” (this setting is available from zoom.us/profile/setting). Only admit known guests.
• Only communicate meeting links on secure district platforms, like Seesaw, Google Classroom, Clever, Synergy Class Websites or your SFUSD Gmail. Never post links in a place the public can access them and remind your students to not share or post class/meeting information publicly.

The Digital Agency Doodle Design Challenge

In order to empower SFUSD students to critically think about their online interactions, know how to handle potential issues on the internet, and for schools to create a safe online learning environment, we are hosting a Design Challenge for students and staff to create a Digital Agent! Now more than ever, it’s important for students to have a foundational understanding of Digital Agency and to take ownership of their digital interactions. 

Please promote the design challenge (download flyer) with your class to rally around Digital Agency and get your students excited to submit their artwork or digital design for the SFUSD Digital Agent Team! Digital Agency week is coming Oct. 19-23. More information coming soon.

Free Technology Tutoring for Parents Now Includes Google Suite and ParentVUE!

Does your school have parents who might need help supporting their children with Google tools like Email and Drive? Or who might need help with ParentVUE? Now, they can get free, 1:1 tutoring on these tools too! And they can still get help learning Seesaw, Classroom, Zoom, Meet, and Chromebooks. Trained volunteers are ready to provide free, 30-minute phone or video conference sessions in 20 languages! 

Get more information and learn how families can sign up. The program is coordinated by the San Francisco Education Fund. 

Professional Learning and Support in Technology

The Department of Technology continues to offer daily office hours for teachers and staff to support digital learning tools and best practices for distance learning.  Anytime, anywhere professional learning opportunities are listed in the Asynchronous Learning directory. You can find office hours and all professional development offerings listed on the district’s PD calendar and PD directories. 

Education Funding Measures on November Ballot

This Election Day, San Franciscans will vote on Proposition J, which addresses a legal loophole to continue providing funds to SFUSD, and California Proposition 15, which would increase revenue for public education and other services. Learn more about these measures.

Bright Spot

More support for seniors is on the way! This week, the Stupski Foundation announced it is investing nearly $5 million in student advising grants to community-based organizations that partner with the Oakland Unified School District and SFUSD. These grants will support counseling across 13 high schools for over 3,000 12th-grade students facing challenges in pursuing college in the midst of the pandemic.
 

Family Digest

Read today's family digest.
 

Warm regards,
Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews