April 1, 2020 - Family Digest

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Dear SFUSD Families:

Happy first day of April! With the sun out this week, it’s hard to resist the urge to get some fresh air. Please remember to practice social distancing and stay 6 feet apart from others when you go outside for a walk.

You may have heard that Governor Gavin Newsom and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announced that schools may stay closed for the rest of the year, but it’s important to note that state officials have not issued a directive. As your superintendent, I will continue to work closely with other school superintendents, the SF Board of Education, and health officials to monitor the situation and we will update you if the closure timeline changes.

Reminder - Technology Access

While schools are temporarily closed, we’re working to provide access to technology for students in need, to the greatest extent possible, to support the continuity of learning.

Need a device? SFUSD students in grades 3-12 who do not have access to a computer during the day at home to support distance learning can borrow one from SFUSD. All devices will be on loan to families and will need to be returned to SFUSD when the district reopens. There is a limit of one device per student.

How to borrow a device during Spring Break:

Students who have completed SFUSD’s Distance Learning Device Request form, or have been in touch with your school about your computer needs, can pick up a Chromebook during Spring Break at one of our centralized pickups. Please fill out the device request form at bit.ly/sfusd-device before picking up a device. Have your student ID number ready at time of pickup. All devices are SFUSD property and will be on loan to families. They will need to be returned to SFUSD when schools reopen. There is a limit of one device per student.

Pickup opportunities will continue during the week of April 6. We will share location and time information by Friday, April 3. For information on pick-up times, locations, and identification needed to pick up a device, visit sfusd.edu/device.

Need help connecting to the Internet? View our list of resources to get online at home.

Looking for good educational TV shows? KQED Plus is playing educational programming aligned with state standards each weekday. The programming is time blocked for different ages and grade levels: TK-3rd grade from 6:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m., 4th-8th grades from 8:00 am - 1:00 p.m., and 9th-12th grades from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Even when we can’t control life’s events, we can always influence our reaction. Relax and tend to your inner butterfly garden with the Breathing Butterfly (a free app in multiple languages). 

As learning continues at home we are working hard to serve each and every one of our students. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, volunteers, and SFUSD staff, we have distributed over 5,200 devices to students in grades 3-12 who need access to technology to support continued learning at home !

Warm regards,
Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews