Washington and Malcolm X Elementary School's PTAs co-sponsored an event on Wednesday, February 18th, entitled "How to Talk to Your Kids about Race". Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith is a child psychologist and professor at the Wright Institute, and is a noted expert on this subject. She presented well-established findings around racial socialization, and offered suggestions for parents on how to proactively engage with their children around race.  The 75 minute video of her presentation and conversation with parents is available on vimeo.

Our school district was one of the first in the nation to adopt the Welcoming Schools Guide as district curriculum. The curriculum serves to promote classrooms and schools that embrace all family structures, and to ensure our school community is lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) inclusive. This also means creating a gender inclusive environment that affirms all children and allows them to express their interests and find confidence in their strengths. The parents of one family of six from Berkeley was recently interviewed about their own child's gender fluidity, and spoke about the inclusive environment in their public school.

Thinking about how to keep your kids learning, active, and engaged this summer? Join other BUSD parents at the annual Summer Camp Resource Fair held at Rosa Parks and find out about local camps, programs, and resources available to you and your family.

Come out to the Berkeley Art Center for Family Art Day, and enjoy the current exhibit featuring work by our K-8 students! 

Family Art Day is Saturday, March 14 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. (Free)

The BUSD Exhibition is also open to the public until March 24:

Wed - Sun. 12:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Location: Live Oak Park, 1275 Walnut St. 

Thank you to all who were able to attend the Local Control & Accountability Plan (LCAP) Town Hall on February 19. The evening provided participants an opportunity to hear about the many actionable items in the LCAP, as well as to ask questions about our progress and next steps.  This brief summary of LCAP: Year One gives a quick overview, and our dedicated LCAP webpage has more detailed information.

In recent years, the Schools Fund has awarded a growing number of Strategic Impact grants supporting educational excellence and equity in our schools. The Schools Fund has awarded over $146,000 in these grants this year! Here's the full list of the 2014-2015 Strategic Impact grants.