January 27, 2021

Back to All Updates

Dear SFUSD Families:

As a district we continue to prepare for a return to in-person learning as well as to improve the experience of students while in distance learning.

Please keep reading today’s digest to learn more about this and other important updates.

Updates

COVID-19 Updates

The Bay Area will exit the state’s stay-at-home order and move into the Purple tier this week. Outdoor dining and museums/zoos/aquariums and indoor personal services will be allowed to resume services with limitations.

Healthcare workers and people aged 65 and older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine remains in very limited supply. Even if you are eligible, there may not be a dose available right now. Read more about how to get notified about vaccine availability and more about the prioritization plan.

Preparing for In-Person Learning for Phase 2A Students 

As a district we continue to prepare for a return to in-person learning as well as to improve the experience of students while in distance learning.

This week the Department of Public Health began school site inspections to finalize approval for our first schools to reopen once all of the conditions on our dashboard have been met. Principals and other district staff led the public health inspectors through classrooms to show ways they have been set up for physical distancing and checked to ensure functional ventilation. They also checked for signage, safe entry and exits, health check protocols and more. 

Considerations for In-Person Learning for Middle and High Students

At last night’s Board of Education meeting we discussed what is involved with planning for middle and high school students’ possible return to in-person learning as well as how the district is expanding  support for students while still in distance learning. 

As we think about any return to in-person learning, we have to think about the intersections between safety, students, staff and space. Also, the public health guidelines for middle and high in-person learning are different than for younger students. 

With the community spread of COVID and our current timeline for returning any students in Phase 2A, it is unlikely that we’ll be able to offer most middle and high school students the opportunity for in-person learning this school year.  

Some middle and high school students are in the first groups of students we’re aiming to offer in-person learning—these include students with special needs, newcomers, students in foster care, those experiencing homelessness, living in public housing and a few other student populations. 

Tomorrow! Free Grab & Go Meals Available

• Tomorrow, Jan. 28: fresh baby spinach, apples and pears are included along with breakfast, lunch, supper, snacks and milk! Free for all children 18 and younger.
• Visit sfusd.edu/schoolfood for a list of locations and download the February Grab-and-Go Schedule.

SF Loves Learning Updates 

Are you celebrating Black History Month? Would you like to share how you’re celebrating on the SF Loves Learning TV show? Email sfloveslearning@sfusd.edu to share your ideas or submit your video using this submission form.

“Living or nonliving, How do you know?” is next week’s theme on SF Loves Learning. Check out these segments that will air next week:

• Living Things (Music): Peter sings how plants and animals need certain things to survive.
• Reading Beauty (Read Aloud): When a fairy's curse—a deathlike sleep via paper cut—threatens to make her kingdom barren of books, it's up to space princess Lex to break the spell and bring books back to her people. Read by Ms. Nikki!
• How Do Crabs Move? (Movement): Mr. Bongo and Ms. Joti explore how crabs move. Mr. Bongo recounts catching crabs in the mangrove in Guinea, West Africa as a child.
• Bears in a Cave (Math): Jay teaches a math game called "Bears in a Cave."

Families can search for any content from the show to watch any time:

• Digital 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 is now airing every weekday, 8:30 to 9:00 a.m. on KTVU Plus and any time at sfusd.edu/sfloveslearning.
 

Bright Spot

Mark your calendars: On Friday, Feb. 5 at 10:00 am, SFUSD Libraries is hosting a livestream with Caldecott honoree LeUyen Pham ("Princess in Black," et al.) about her new book Outside, Inside, a moving picture book tailored to our youngest readers. The book celebrates essential workers and the community coming together to face the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic. This author visit is another in the series of visits we've organized for early elementary students this year. To learn more about this book, you can listen to this podcast interview with LeUyen Pham (start listening at 09:15). 

Warm regards,

Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews