SFUSD Insider - August 2021
SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGE
Dear SFUSD Colleagues:

Happy New Year! We are so excited to welcome staff and students back to our schools this month. I hope you’ve found time this summer to rest and recharge.

Our team continues to monitor data and work closely with health experts. Last spring when we reopened to in-person learning for nearly half our students, we did not have any confirmed cases of school transmission and schools across the world have shown similar evidence that in-person learning can happen safely.

 

On August 2, 2021, the San Francisco Department of Health added a new requirement for individuals, regardless of their vaccination status, to wear masks while in indoor public settings in San Francisco. Therefore even employees who are fully vaccinated must still wear a mask when indoors in a school site or in a District office facility. This guidance is subject to change as local and state authorities revise their guidance in response to the changing conditions of the pandemic. 

 

If you have not already done so, this is a reminder to disclose your vaccination status by Aug. 31, 2021 using this Smartsheets form. If you need assistance, please see this video for how to complete the form. Even if you submitted your vaccination status before, guidelines have now changed, and we need each employee to complete a new verification process. 

 

 

I look forward to working with you.

 

Warmly,

Dr. Matthews

FIND WHAT YOU NEED
Featured in this month's Insider Newsletter:
CELEBRATIONS
Spark* SF Public Schools raised $16 million through its COVID-19 Response Fund to help SFUSD deliver more than 7.2 million free meals and 48,000 digital devices for learning.
 
Read the full Impact Report to see how we're emerging stronger together. 

Supporting Students and Families With Wellness Checks

SFUSD is featured as a Program Success Story by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for maintaining connections with students and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic with regular check-in calls and linkages to needed support.

Lincoln HS Alumni Demonstrate Excellence in Road to Olympics

Two Lincoln HS alumni tried out for two sports to represent two countries in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. We are so proud of these first-generation college-going SFUSD graduates for all their accomplishments!

Town Halls: Safe Return to School

Thousands of families and community members joined us for virtual Town Halls in July and August to learn more about updated health guidance for schools. Our superintendent and other district leaders joined SFDPH and UCSF health experts. Watch the recording.
UPCOMING EVENTS

Digital District Day 2021: Equity, Agency & Opportunity

 

This 100% virtual event will inspire our SFUSD educators, staff, and leaders to dig deeper into working and collaborating in a digital environment and to design for technology-enabled deeper learning experiences that build the SFUSD Graduate Profile Competencies for all students.

 

August 9

Virtual Paraeducator Institute

 

The Paraeducator Institute is designed to support paraeducators to feel valued and supported and to allow paraeducators to engage in meaningful and relevant professional development. SFUSD paras are paid to attend the Para Institute through the 7 Hour Contractual PD Day and/or your 18 Paid Professional Development Hours.

 

August 10 - 13

Launch Lessons for SY 21-22

 

We are creating launching units grounded in student/staff connection and healing for the first two to three weeks of school. 

 

August 12 - Elementary Buy Back Agenda

 

August 12 - Secondary Buy Back Schedule

OPPORTUNITIES

Weekly Family Announcements Bulletin

 

A new weekly family newsletter (Family Announcements Bulletin or FAB) will begin going out to families on August 12. FAB will consist of all public announcements posted in the past week and will go out every Thursday afternoon. 

 

Staff can begin submitting to FAB in August by posting to OASIS and marking the OASIS post as "Updates for students/families" or "Student/family opportunity." Communications will then select OASIS posts to add to the public website and FAB. 

 

Learn more about posting to OASIS.

QTEA Impact & Innovation Awards

 

The Innovation Awards will facilitate and fund a design process for schools to create, test, and implement Demonstrations of Learning in relation to the Graduate Profile, including portfolio defenses.

 

For the 2021-22 school year, the Impact Awards will provide direct awards of $25,000 to schools. Grants will fund site initiatives designed to support student achievement.

IN THE NEWS
The newest dual-language program offered at SF schools is a 'game changer'
 
For the first time in the Bay Area, kids in pre-kindergarten will have the option to spend half of their day learning in Samoan. SFUSD announced the launch of a new Samoan dual-language classroom which will follow a similar format to immersion programs currently offered in Spanish and Chinese.
 
'How can we help?': S.F. schools embrace customer service line to solve problems during pandemic
 
When the pandemic hit and San Francisco schools closed, the chaos was
overwhelming, with families and staff floundering to figure out technology,
schedules, food distribution, and support for disabled or depressed students. District officials decided to do what is a no-brainer for companies and corporations: They set up a customer service help line.
 
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