SFUSD Core Values
Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews

Dear SFUSD Colleagues,

 

Like many of you, I've been following the current events in our country as well as daily updates from public health officials regarding COVID-19. A new year has begun and we have many challenges before us – and hope for better days ahead. Did you hear this poem by youth poet Amanda Gorman at this week’s inauguration? We have many Amandas in our midst right here in SFUSD and I’m so excited they might now have a better glimpse of what is possible.  

 

We are doing our best to take care of ourselves, our loved ones and our SFUSD community in these unprecedented conditions. I want to take this opportunity to offer a reminder to practice self care. This slide from one of the three required COVID-19 trainings (more information about these trainings is in this newsletter) has some good reminders about self care.

 

Thank you for all that you're doing.

 

Warmly,

Vincent Matthews, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

COVID-19 Health & Safety Protocols Trainings

As part of the training component of the SFUSD’s COVID-19 Prevention Program, all SFUSD employees are required to complete 3 training modules. The module links were sent out via email on Jan. 6 with the subject line “Your SFUSD Training Assignment.” For technical inquiries regarding access to the training modules, contact riskmanagement@sfusd.edu.

Woman wearing a mask

Deadline Extended

The deadline for staff currently accessing SFUSD sites has been extended to Feb. 4. Staff  not currently accessing SFUSD sites must complete the training at least one week prior to coming on site.

 

Additional Languages

The modules will be available in Spanish and Chinese and we will send out a message when they are available.

Tips & Tricks
  • If the training module does not reflect you as having completed it after you've gone through all the slides and closed out of the module, go back into the training and immediately click on TOC (Table of Contents) at the bottom-right of the screen. You can use TOC to jump ahead to the first quiz question at the end of the training. Confirm that there is an answer to the question, then use TOC to advance to the next slide and do the same thing, and continue this until the end. You will likely find that one or more questions did not get recorded as having been answered. After answering a question hit "Submit" as you originally did when you took the training, but once a question has been answered you need to use TOC to advance to/through it. If after you have done this the module still shows as incomplete, contact Risk Management at riskmanagement@sfusd.edu.
  • If you are unable to click on the first quiz question, inform Risk Management. If this is the case the training didn't record a user as having gotten that far in the training.
  • If you are a new user or have not accessed your Brit account in over six months, when you first log in you will get a message on the screen telling you that you were sent a verification email. If you do not see that you received an email, please check your Spam folder.
  • If you have difficulty advancing slides as you go through the training or the slides freeze, the solution is usually time. Please wait 5 to 10 minutes and try again.
Mira Carberry
“Representation is really important. Books should be mirrors for students and content should be mirrors for students; they should see themselves mirrored in the curriculum.”
 
- Mira Carberry, Teacher, Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8
Happy National Mentoring Month!
 
January is National Mentoring Month and here in SFUSD there are 400 students getting extra special attention from some extra special mentors. At a time when personal connections are complicated by COVID, staff and community members have gotten creative to show they care by sharing in virtual cooking activities, doing puzzles over Zoom, and more. Join us in honoring mentors who go above and beyond!
SF Loves Learning logo

SFCSD’s Mentoring for Success Program will hold a Mentor Appreciation event to honor SFUSD MFS mentors.

 

WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 28

TIME: 5-7pm PST

ATTIRE: Any hat your heart desires!

 

RSVP today!

Junko Tanaka

Clarendon ES Educator Named 2020 Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher

 

Congratulations to Junko Tanaka, a fourth-grade teacher with the Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program at Clarendon ES, who is one of two 2020 Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award recipients.

 

Ms. Tanaka grew up in rural Japan, and her social justice awareness was raised by her father who promoted  Buraku education as a middle school teacher. Her world views were also influenced by her mother who had a physical disability but pursued her career in a male dominant profession. Ms. Tanaka decided to become a teacher to make a difference.

 

EngageAsia administers the Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award, which is named in honor of Elgin Heinz in recognition of his commitment to educating students about Asia.

Greg Markwith
New Director of School Emergency Planning, Preparedness and Prevention
 
Greg Markwith is the new Director of School Emergency Planning, Preparedness and Prevention. Mr. Markwith has been an educator at The Academy - SF @ McAteer for 15 years, serving as a teacher, assistant principal, and most recently principal for the past seven years.
 
In his new role, Mr. Markwith will lead the overall planning, development, implementation, and coordination of emergency management operations and emergency preparedness and prevention programs. He will serve as the Central Office COVID-19 liaison to support schools.
Leverage SFUSD Tech Platforms for the New Semester
Female teacher using a computer and smiling at the camera

Check out this guidance for educators on how to leverage SFUSD technology platforms to support your new semester in 2021. DoT will continue to update this guidance, so keep it handy!

 

Tips & strategies include:

  • How to review Zoom settings to help ensure you create a safe and secure environment
  • How to show class assignments from Google Classroom in StudentVue & ParentVUE to support family-school communications
  • How to sync Synergy Gradebook & Google Classroom
  • How to start a new semester in SFUSD learning systems - Google Classroom & Seesaw

Balboa HS teachers share classroom lessons after Capitol riot - Educators Michael Rosenberg and Sergio Robledo of Balboa HS spoke with NBC Bay Area and ABC7 News regarding how they are addressing current national events with students.

Mission Education Center celebrated in local newspaper - Principal Carla Lewelyn-Vasquez shares distance learning bright spots, calling Mission Education Center "a hidden Noe Valley gem which makes me very happy to come to work every day."

Be in the Know

New Board of Education Commissioners and Leaders -

Four commissioners, including two who were first elected November 2020, have been sworn in to serve on the San Francisco Board of Education. Matt Alexander, Kevine Boggess, Jenny Lam, and Mark Sanchez took the oath of office on January 4, 2021. The Board elected Gabriela López to serve as President and Alison M. Collins to serve as Vice President.

 

Important Website Updates
Planning is underway to sunset archive.sfusd.edu and Sharepoint at the end of January. As key steps in this process, the district will be transitioning to a new online pay stub retrieval system, and OASIS will also be moving to the new website by the end of January. Learn more about the new pay stub system and the OASIS migrationWebsite content owners should save any files on archive.sfusd.edu or Sharepoint to their computer or Google Drive. Learn more about the plan to sunset archive.sfusd.edu and Sharepoint.
 
New Searchable Library for SF Loves Learning - Find curated segments from SF Loves Learning Season 3. You can search for any segment of any episode by segment type, educator, Graduate Profile skill, and more in our digital library.
 
Pathway to Teaching -

Check out the impact of SFUSD's teacher credentialing program.

 
Free Second Screen Available for Teachers - Non-profit organization Two Screens for Teachers is offering a new monitor for free to SFUSD teachers who would like a second screen. Fill out this online form using your SFUSD district email account by Jan. 25.
 
Spark* SF Public Schools Annual Report - Learn about Spark's fundraising efforts during the 2020 fiscal year.
 
The SFUSD Arts Department is Rebranding! - For as long as anyone can remember, it's been called “VAPA,” short for “Visual & Performing Arts.” Moving forward, you will hear it referred to as SFUSD Arts and/or the Arts Department. Plus, check out the new SFUSD Arts logo!
Cecile Labertino  

Opportunities, Announcements, Site to do's and other Important Stuff.  SFUSD login required.
EmpowerSF - SFUSD Recruitment & Onboarding System is Now Live! - Our new EMPowerSF Recruitment & Onboarding system is now live. With this new system, you will be able to refer your friends and family and apply for internal roles using the SFUSD Career Landing page. Please visit the EMPowerSF Website for more information regarding this major system upgrade.
 
SFUSD's 4th Annual Digital Learning Week is Feb. 22-26 -

This year, the focus for Digital Learning Week is to promote and share the work teachers and students have engaged in during distance learning, highlighting powerful digital learning practices.

Helpful Links:

Social Emotional Learning Opportunities - Ready, Set, RISE! is a series of e-learning modules that inspire transformational learning experiences for students and educators by reinforcing the foundational importance of human connection and empathy in schools.
 
UESF Represented Staff - Use Your 18 Paid PD Hours! - Teachers, Paras, Counselors, Social Workers, School Psychologists, Security Aides and UESF-represented staff: don't forget to use your 18 paid PD hours this school year. Please ensure you are utilizing your hours to further your own learning and obtain administrator pre-approval before using your hours.
 

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.

SFUSD in the News
 
Sign up or email newsline@sfusd.edu to receive a daily roundup of media coverage.
Got a great idea for a story that would inspire your fellow employees? Have suggestions for making the SFUSD Insider better? Contact the Communications Office at newsline@sfusd.edu
STAY CONNECTED:
Cecile Labertino
Cecile Labertino
Cecile Labertino
Cecile Labertino
Cecile Labertino

555 Franklin Street, San Francisco, CA, 94102


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