March 10, 2021

March 10, 2021

Dear SFUSD Staff:

We are making a lot of progress toward offering families and students more options and opportunities and toward getting our staff vaccinated so we can return safely together. 

Please keep reading today’s digest for important updates.

Return Safely Updates

SFUSD is committed to reopening as many schools as possible for in-person instruction as soon as all the necessary and agreed upon conditions are met. 

Here are some current events related to the preparation process:

  • SFUSD is on track to offer in-person learning options at a select number of schools for our youngest students (those in Phase 2A) starting on April 12, 2021. Additional students will be offered in-person options before the end of April.
  • All SFUSD staff have been offered numerous ways to get vaccinated over the past two weeks.SFUSD has sent out thousands of priority access codes just for SFUSD staff and this week is providing on-site vaccinations at 555 Franklin Street in collaboration with Walgreens. 
  • The Department of Public Health approved all Wave 1 schools and will begin inspecting Wave 2 schools for return to in-person. Preparations for Wave 3 site inspections are underway.
  • SFUSD and the teachers union, United Educators of San Francisco (UESF), reached a tentative agreement on a schedule for in-person learning for the remainder of this school year ending in June. After months of meeting, the agreement reflects a compromise and is a direct result of the District’s effort to maximize instructional time for students while also maintaining the same teacher for students for the remainder of the school year, a big priority for the teachers union.
  • SFUSD shared an updated Return Safely Together Plan, which includes a new timeline and additional details.
  • On March 9, students in Phase 2B and Grades 3-5 received an in-person learning interest survey. The survey is due on March 16. To learn more about the surveys sent to Phase 2B and Grades 3-5 families, review the Did You Know section below.
  • Phase 2A families can still update their in-person learning preferences during parent teacher conferences, and up until March 12. 

Share This Volunteer Opportunity! Help Students Access School Meals

SFUSD employees and community members can volunteer at any of our Grab and Go sites. Volunteers assist outdoors with setup, line control, and breakdown. 

Share this Link: bit.ly/SNSvolunteersignup

Post this Flyer: Volunteer with Student Nutrition Services

Share on Social Media: Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

Vaccine Updates

We are excited that over 2,000 SFUSD staff members have let us know they have already been vaccinated. Thank you everyone for completing our vaccine tracker! If you have yet to receive a vaccine, please see below for opportunities: 

On Site Vaccinations at 555 Franklin March 11-13

SFUSD has partnered with Walgreens to provide 1,500 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine on site at 555 Franklin Street from March 11-13. Unlike the other vaccines available, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is one-dose and is proven to be just as effective at preventing hospitalization and death due to COVID-19. For more information about the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, please visit the CDC’s website. To schedule a vaccine appointment at 555 Franklin Street with Walgreens, please click here. Appointments will be scheduled on a first come, first serve basis. 

Vaccine appointments with Kaiser available to all District employees

Kaiser has confirmed availability of vaccine appointments for all District staff who have yet to be vaccinated, including SFUSD staff who do not use Kaiser as their medical/benefits provider. SFUSD staff should visit kp.org/covidvaccine to check appointment availability and follow instructions to book an appointment. Individuals who don’t have access to kp.org may call 1-866-454-8855 for assistance and to book an appointment. 

Vaccination at Zuckerberg General Hospital

SFUSD staff in specific zip codes (94124, 94134, 94110, 94112, 94107, 94102, 94103, and 94130) can drop in to Zuckerberg General Hospital for vaccinations. If eligible, you can drop-in to Zuckerberg San Francisco General, Building 30 (1001 Potrero Ave) in the Mission every day from 9 am – 3 pm. No appointment is needed. The Southeast Health Center (2401 Keith St) in the Bayview is also open to drop-ins for the 94134 and 94124 zip codes but the smaller site cannot accommodate the same capacity as Zuckerberg San Francisco General.

What to bring to your vaccine appointment

In addition to a state-issued identification card, you should bring one of the following documents to your vaccine appointment to verify your employment with SFUSD:

  • SFUSD employee ID badge with photo; or

  • A copy of your professional license or certificate if you are certificated; or 
  • A printout of a recent pay stub or timesheet
  • You may be asked to sign an attestation that you are eligible for vaccination; all SFUSD employees are now eligible. 

Questions about the vaccine? 

SFUSD has partnered with UCSF for an information session regarding vaccinations. All staff are encouraged to attend. The event will feature UCSF professors Dr. Annie Luetkemeyer, Dr Ted Ruel and Dr. Diane Havlir: 

Policies around sick leave for vaccines

SFUSD staff who are scheduled for a vaccination during work hours may take work time to get vaccinated without any loss of pay. After your vaccine, if you experience any side effects, you may take up to five (5) days off without any loss of pay or having to use your accruals. We have posted a set of Frequently Asked Questions on the employee intranet in multiple languages related to this topic—please click here and log in for access. 

Let us know if you have been vaccinated

If you have been vaccinated already, congratulations! After your first dose, please fill out SFUSD’s COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker. This will help us get a better sense of how many of our staff have been vaccinated, and will also ensure that any future vaccination opportunities go to employees who need them.

Distance Learning Updates

SF Loves Learning

Your students can decide what science we cover in May! What science questions do your students have? Help them submit any science question they would like Maestra Meza to focus on by filling out this short student science questions form by Friday, March 26. Maestra Meza and other segments will build the show based on their questions!

This month’s Science theme is “What do engineers do?” and our cultural theme is Women’s History Month. You can find segments on both of these themes throughout the month.

This week’s theme is Light. Check out these segments that are airing this week:

If you’re planning for next week, the Science theme is Materials. You can find all of next week’s segments and our full library to support your instruction in three ways:

  • Segments Library: Find any segment (read aloud, daily lesson, music, movement, community)!
  • Seesaw page: Teachers can adapt any Seesaw activity on our page.
  • YouTube channel: Subscribe to this channel, explore the playlists, and receive notifications when new content is published.

SF Loves Learning airs every weekday, 8:30-:00 a.m. on KTVU Plus and any time at sfusd.edu/sfloveslearning.

School Meal Updates

Mission High School Grab & Go Meals Now Open 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

  • The Grab & Go meal service at Mission High School is now open 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays. Pick up meals at a convenient central location! All other locations still have the same schedule.
  • Find an updated schedule and map on sfusd.edu/schoolfood
  • See what’s on the menu at sfusd.edu/menus

Resource Highlight

The SFUSD High School Student Newsletter contains information and resources for high school students in the district. Read our March issue and please share with your high school students!

Tech Tips

Google Meet Breakout Rooms

  • Meet breakout rooms can soon be set up before your meeting in Google Calendar.
  • Feature will roll out slowly to anyone who has an Enterprise license between 3/8/21 and 3/23/21.
  • Want breakout rooms in Meet? Fill out the Enterprise License Request Form, and we'll send you an email confirmation when a license has been added to your account.
  • Learn more on Google's blog post announcement.

Seesaw Activities to Try

Did You Know?

SFUSD is actively preparing to offer in-person learning options for students in Phase 2B and Grades 3-5, and we have sent out family surveys to determine in-person learning interest and preferences for this school year ending on June 2, 2021. 

How will SFUSD use this survey information?

SFUSD will use this information to plan the instructional schedule based on each school site’s capacity and family interest. Selecting in-person learning as your preference doesn't guarantee that you will be assigned an in-person placement this spring semester 2021. Your child will be put on a waitlist and contacted if a space becomes available.

Watch this video for more information about some of the health and safety steps our students, families and schools will take: 

To learn more about the survey for Phase 2B students and 3-5th graders, read this FAQ.

Bright Spot

SFUSD schools are celebrating Women’s History Month in all sorts of creative ways. Check out what the Tech Queens are doing at Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8!

Warm regards,

Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthew

This page was last updated on March 10, 2021