May 6, 2020 - Staff Digest

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Dear SFUSD Staff:

This week we celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week and today is also National School Nurse Day. During a time in which we are all finding new ways to support the children of San Francisco, it is especially meaningful to reflect on how much our teachers and school nurses give to our students every day. To all of our staff who continue to put our students first despite new challenges, please know how grateful we are for you!

COVID-19 testing for SF Essential Workers 

COVID-19 testing is available to anyone who lives and works in San Francisco. Essential workers can get tested regardless of symptoms. For all others, you must have at least one symptom or been exposed. Testing is free. Make an appointment online by visiting sf.gov/GetTestedSF or by calling 311.

Revised Enrollment Timeline

COVID-19 brought many unexpected changes to the enrollment process for families, schools and staff, which we understand were difficult to experience. To ensure that ALL students can enroll in school, SFUSD has made these changes to the enrollment timeline and process:

• May Placement (Round 2) letters will now be mailed on June 12, and families will have until June 26 to register.
•  We will have one Wait Pool instead of two, and will be accepting wait pool applications from June 15 to August 12. 
• Open Enrollment will begin on July 6 to September 4.

Learn more about the 2020-2021 enrollment timeline.

Summer Learning 2020

SFUSD will be offering summer programming remotely for Summer 2020. We are prioritizing our largest summer programs - College and Career Readiness (High School Credit Recovery) and Extended School Year (ESY) for students with IEPs. These programs will begin June 10 and will be offered in a remote learning format. 

Students who are eligible for High School Credit Recovery and ESY will receive information about these summer program offerings. We are working with Community Based Organizations and After School/Summer providers to identify other summer programs and opportunities for students, and will share more information on summer learning options as they are available.  

Department of Technology Update: Friday Availability through June

Through the end of June, the Department of Technology (DoT) will adjust its hours and availability on Fridays to enable the team to support open requests, to work remotely, and to support planning and professional learning. 

The DoT will work remotely on Fridays through the end of June. No DoT on-site, public-facing support will be available on Fridays. The Help Desk will be open for phone calls from SFUSD staff from 7:30 am to 1 pm. Remote support via the Help Desk online system will be available in the afternoons. 

Volunteer to Support SFUSD Paraeducator Digital Device Deployment

The ambitious effort to deploy devices to ALL paraeducators that do not already have a working SFUSD digital device continues through next week. We need many volunteers for next week. Please consider one or multiple shifts. Volunteers can support at any of the 4 deployment sites. If you are able to assist with this important effort, please complete this volunteer survey ASAP. We will be in contact with you soon to confirm your volunteer shifts and provide all needed information. Questions? Reach out to Nora Houseman (HousemanN@sfusd.edu).

Reminder - Technology Tips & Resources to Support Distance Learning

• Webinars and Professional Learning - Take advantage of Office Hours and webinars to help you make the most of digital learning.
• Guides for Meeting Online with Staff and Students - Safely facilitate virtual meetings via Meet and Zoom.
• Student Privacy and Continuity of Learning FAQs - Prioritize student safety and privacy. Secure data in your files using appropriate Google Drive Sharing and Permissions.

Reminder - SF Loves Learning TV Show - Submissions Welcome!

• View past episodes at sfusd.edu/sfloveslearning.
• Submit a video for consideration - submission guidelines; entry form (one per video or idea); email questions to sfloveslearning@sfusd.edu

Reminder - Access to schools and 555 Franklin/ 601 McAllister

No staff or students are allowed in schools at this point. 555 Franklin/ 601 McAllister are closed except for:

• Laptop distribution days and times posted at sfusd.edu/device
  • Sign up to volunteer if you can support with distribution.
• Employees with fobs for these buildings
• Visitors who have a pre-scheduled appointment

Last week, Zaretta Hammond participated in a virtual town hall titled “Taking the Distance out of the Learning” (skip to 5:30) in partnership with Parents for Public Schools SF. She shares some awesome tips and strategies for partnering with our families and supporting all of our learners during school closures. If you have an hour to watch and listen, this is definitely worth your time.

As we settle in for another month of social distancing, try making a list of things you still can do that you would enjoy, both individually and as a family. You could title this list your “Social Distancing Bucket List,” and add thoughts and ideas as they come to you.

If you have the time and capacity, our current home-centered lifestyle is a great time to develop a new hobby, relationship, or skill that you may not have had time for before

May 4-8 is National Teacher Appreciation Week and I invite you to join me in celebrating our SFUSD teachers—not only this week—but all year long! We are living through a moment in history with challenges we have never faced before, and teachers are continuing to inspire us with their creativity and resilience. Our teachers are transforming their practices to reach students while school buildings are closed and learning is taking place remotely. They are finding ways to connect with students despite numerous obstacles, and continuing to guide our children through difficult experiences. 

Words will never fully express our gratitude for our teachers and their commitment to our students, but I hope you enjoy reading some recent teacher celebrations from the SFUSD community as much as I did. Thank you, SFUSD teachers, for your commitment every day, and especially in the hardest of times!

Warm regards,
Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews