March 27, 2020 - Staff Digest

March 27, 2020

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Dear SFUSD Staff:

First and foremost, I hope you are taking care of yourselves and finding moments of calm during these difficult times. I am so grateful for all of the work you are doing to support our students and families, and I hope you find time this weekend (and next week if you’re on spring break) to rest. Our top three priorities are to make sure our students are fed, to make sure our students continue to learn, and to make sure our students continue to receive the services that they would normally receive. After the regularly scheduled spring break, we hope to make these priorities felt even more by our students.

Please take a moment to read this digest as we have many important updates to share, both about how we’re supporting students and other staff-related items. 

Update

  • SFUSD’s distance learning plan is implemented in phases. To learn more, view our Distance Learning Plan online here.
    • Phase 1: activities to engage students at home with no to few additional resources needed, as families adjusted to being sheltered in place. 
    • Phase 2 (Beginning 3/25):  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 13th): 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.
    • 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 students may 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?”
  • For those who need help connecting to the Internet?
  • New Plan for School Meals
    Starting Monday, March 30 and running through May 1, free grab and go meals will be available 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.

Wellness Tip

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

Bright Spot

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

 

This page was last updated on March 27, 2020