March 27, 2020 - Family Digest

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Dear SFUSD Community:

As we head into the weekend, I want to take a moment to let you know how much I appreciate all that you’re doing right now. As a parent myself, I know this is a difficult time for children and families alike. Though insufficient given the circumstances, I hope the resources and information we’re sharing with you are helpful. 

We at SFUSD have three priorities while schools are closed: to ensure that your child has access to school meals, to provide your children with continued learning opportunities, and to offer your children as many of the support services they normally receive at school as possible. 

Please watch this 3 minute video about our priorities.

Distance Learning Plan: We have a handy visual online to accompany our distance learning plan. It helps explain our distance learning phases. 

• Phase 1 provided activities to engage students at home with no to few additional resources needed, as families adjusted to being sheltered in place. 
• Phase 2, which began March 25, provides additional at home options for learning that include a variety of subject areas and more support for our English learners, students with disabilities and diverse populations. Learning activities can be found on the district’s Continuity of Learning Website.
• Phase 3, beginning April 13, will consist of teacher-led, interactive distance learning. 

Technology Access: While schools are temporarily closed, SFUSD is 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 starting on Tuesday, March 31 from 11 am to 3:30 pm with a staggered schedule based on the student’s last name.
  • For more information on pickups, including locations, pickup times, and what you need to bring, visit the Technology for Families Resources site under “Need a device?”
• Need help connecting to the Internet?
  • View our list of resources to get online at home.

Need to Update Your Contact Information?

The best way to update your contact information and to ensure you receive district and school phone, email and text notifications is through your Family Portal (ParentVUE) account. 

New Plan for School Meals 

Starting Monday, March 30 and running through May 1, free grab and go meals will be available only on Mondays and Wednesdays between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. at these 16 sites. We have reduced the number of days families have to leave their homes to get food, but the amount of food each family receives will remain the same. Also, parents no longer have to bring their children to pick up the meals.

Have you ever used a map to tell a story? Take a map and cutouts of a story's characters, and follow their actions through space and time. Then, retell the story in your own words, using the map.

In celebration of the first annual International Social Emotional Learning Day today, March 27, practice a social-emotional learning activity! Make a poster with a list of ways to be kind to others and hang your kindness poster in your home.

Spark* SF Public Schools, a non-profit dedicated to building private partnerships in support of SFUSD, has received more than $4.2 million in the past two weeks to support San Francisco’s most vulnerable children and youth during temporary school closures. Read today’s press release on the recent donations.

Have a great weekend,

Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews