April 8, 2020 - Staff Digest

Dear SFUSD Staff:

I know it was challenging to hear yesterday that schools will not reopen for the remainder of the school year. While we are doing our part to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, we now have the opportunity to find new ways of growing and fostering our school communities, and I invite you to explore that idea with the same curiosity and engagement that we ask of our students. My thoughts are with you and your loved ones during this time, and I hope you know that we will get through this together.

Continuity of Learning: A Guide and a Video to the Guide 

We share with you tonight the current version of the SFUSD Distance Learning Guide in the spirit of transparency and support. This is very much a work in progress. It will still evolve and will be updated regularly with new resources and information. Having heard feedback from some that you are being overwhelmed by communications from Central Office, we want you to have one place to find the most updated information. This short video for staff highlights important components of the guidance.

We emphasize again that wellness, safety, and connection between you and your students and your school community is the most important focus. The Wellness, Health, and Safety First--For EVERYONE section of the Guide provides resources and guidance about nurturing your own wellness and resources for supporting the wellness of your students and families. We encourage you to focus extra attention on historically marginalized families and students, who may be struggling the most with the financial, health-related, and learning-related effects of this pandemic.

We are still in active dialogue with labor partners. Please know that your feedback and ideas, as communicated through your union representatives, site leaders, and LEAD, are welcomed and will help us improve this distance learning guide and distance learning. 

Message for Families with PreK - 2nd Grade Students

SFUSD has created packets of learning materials for all preK-2 students as part of our next phase of teacher-led distance learning, which will begin on April 13. 

Families may pick up preK-2 student packets at any one of 9 school sites on weekdays beginning tomorrow, Thursday, April 9, through Friday, April 17, from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm. 

• Cesar Chavez ES
• Muir ES
• Tenderloin ES
• Bessie Carmichael K-8
• Bret Harte ES
• Rosa Parks ES
• Sheridan ES
• Visitacion Valley ES
• AP Giannini MS

There will be staff on location outside the school building. To ensure social distancing, if there is a line, families will be asked to stay 6 feet apart. There are enough learning packets for every preK-2 student, so you do not need to rush. Please come by at whatever time works best for your family over the next week. 

If you have already been contacted by your child’s school regarding learning packets, you do not need to come to one of these central pick up sites. The preK-2 learning packets are the same for all PreK-2 students. 

Family Partnership & Connections  

This video outlines some awesome safety, wellness, and learning tips and talking points to share when communicating with your students’ families. During this time, the safety of your students and their families, as well as yourself and your own family, is of the utmost importance. We’re all in this together. 

Reminders - Technology Resources to Support Distance Learning

• Borrow a Chromebook, if needed
  • Device request form - students in grades 3-12
  • Device pick-up times, locations, and identification needed
• Connect to the Internet
  • Technology request form - complete if your home does not have internet access. Someone from SFUSD will follow up.

• Stay Connected via Family Portal (ParentVUE)
  • Find resources to activate your account or update your contact information.
• Virtual Meetings with Students

• SFUSD teachers will be engaging students in learning starting April 13th.
• Teacher(s) may ask students to participate in an interactive online meeting (video conference) using Zoom, Google Classroom or Google Hangouts.
• See the Notice of Virtual Meetings for Synchronous Learning for guidelines for student communication during school closure.

Reminder - School access this week only

School site staff have the option to access their schools to pick up materials each day this week from 8 am to 4 pm. Beginning Monday, April 13th, NO STAFF WILL BE ALLOWED BACK INTO SCHOOLS. This includes dropping by just to pick something up.

Reminder - Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Questions? Log into sfusd.edu with your district email and then click the broadly expanded COVID-19 Employee FAQs to find FAQs that address a wide variety of questions related to this time of extended school closures. If you still have a question, you will find an inquiry form on that page to get your question answered.

Reminder - April 10 Deadlines for Accepting March School Placement Offers (Round 1) or Applying for May Placement (Round 2)

Enrolling in school for 2020-2021 is a 2-step process - both of which have April 10 deadlines - and both of which can be done online while the Educational Placement Center (EPC) is closed to the public. Mail in options are also available.

Research has shown that whole-food diets that include fruits, vegetables, and unprocessed protein can lift our moods, while too much junk food and sugar may put our mental health at risk. Try cooking a healthy Black Bean and Vegetable Quesadilla with your family for lunch or dinner today - it is packed with vitamins and minerals from the zucchini, spinach and whole wheat tortillas, protein from the black beans, and healthy fats from the low-fat cheese.

Even though we are apart while schools are closed, we are still united! The SFUSD DoT Digital Learning Team joined in the #SchoolShirtSelfie challenge on social media and turned it into their first virtual school spirit day. 

I’d like to share a special thank you to all of the staff and volunteers who are working so hard to make sure our students continue to learn for the rest of the school year, and to all of you who are supporting our families right now. Share your school spirit with the SFUSD community by tagging @SFUnified and #WeAreSFUSD

Warm regards,
Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews