August News:
Earthquake Prep,
Anti-Bias Resources,
and Employee Adventures!
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Heat Wave Warning
The National Weather Service has issued an "excessive heat warning" for Friday morning to Monday night. Please send your students to school in loose-fitting, lightweight, light-colored clothing. Be sure they have water bottles, and encourage them to take it easy during recess. (Some schools may choose to have indoor recess.) In response to the heat wave, both Alameda High School and Encinal High School have now canceled some games - please check their websites for the most current information.
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AUSD and City of Alameda Launch Earthquake Preparation Project
The US Geological Survey estimates there is a 63% probability of an earthquake with a magnitude of at least 6.7 occurring in the Bay Area in the next 30 years. This Big One, experts warn, could result in fallen buildings, broken gas and water lines, and fires.
This information has been well-publicized. Yet studies show that the majority of Californians aren't prepared for an earthquake - or any other disaster. A
2014 study by the Public Policy Institute of California
, for instance, found that 64% of Californians are "very" or "somewhat" worried about a disaster. But only 52% of them have a disaster supply kit. Only 44% of them have disaster plan.
AUSD and the City of Alameda have joined forces to improve those numbers locally by organizing an island-wide, multi-week earthquake preparation project. We know that the topic of earthquake preparation can be overwhelming (so much to gather, so little time!), so we created eight weeks of tips to lead community members through collecting supplies, finding appropriate containers, and creating emergency plans for friends and family. We've also written a layperson-friendly guide to general principles of emergency preparedness. Our goal? To help everyone in our community prepare for a disaster so that both individuals and our community at large are more resilient.
To start, take our "How Prepared are You?" survey. Then find the weekly tips and supplemental materials
here
or at
www.alamedaca.gov/prepare
.
On social media follow #PrepareOurIsland to find comments and tips from community members!
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Anti-Bias Resources On Line
In response to community concerns about bias-related incidents in our nation and community, AUSD has created a
website with resources on responding to hate speech for both families and teachers. The page includes lesson plans, tips for having constructive family conversations about current events, bullying prevention strategies, AUSD's Anti-Bullying Credo, and the district's anti-bullying statement and form. We'll be adding to this frequently; please check it often!
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Employee Summer Adventures
Many AUSD employees work through the summer. They plan professional development for the next school year, clean and repair facilities, set up computers and other technology, help families enroll at our school sites, pay the bills, or feed children through our free summer meals program. Some employees also go on amazing adventures. For instance...
Jennifer Hartigan (Lincoln Middle School) spent eight days at sea aboard
R/V Fulmar this summer as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Teacher at Sea program. During her time on board, Jenny helped scientists conduct a survey of national marine sanctuaries off the northern and central California coast. Check out Jenny's journey on her blog!
Debbie Opperud
(Otis Elementary School) was invited to Xi'an, a city in northwest China, to lead teacher workshops and parent lectures. Debbie was invited because her name is listed in the Perceptual-Motor Lessons series by Jack Capon, the founder and long-term director of Alameda's Special Olympics program. Capon was world-renowned for his work on physical education for children with developmental disabilities. "I strongly believe in this program that has stood the test of time these past 40-plus years," Opperud says.
Maja Catipovic
(Alameda High School) volunteered at the Balule Nature Reserve, which shares an open border with Kruger National Park in South Africa. Maja lived in a research camp and helped the game warden with his projects, such as repairing fences (including those knocked over by elephants!); clearing vegetation and doing road maintenance; and participating in elephant identification. The region is suffering from a sudden spike in rhino poaching, so Maja helped monitor and protect rhinos, as well. "It was fascinating, amazing, and awesome in all senses of the word," she says.
Rebecca Baumgartner
(LMS) and Judith Ganley (WMS)
were selected for a Fulbright-Hayes summer program coordinated by the Center of Middle East Studies (CMES) at UC Berkeley to study the intersection of Islam and Judaism in Morocco. During the month-long program, teachers from the Bay Area delved into the ethnic, cultural, political, economic, and religious complexity of Morocco through the study of Darija (the local Arabic dialect). Rebecca and Judith lived and studied in Marrakech's 11th-century walled city Medina and visited pilgrimage and shrine sites and mosques in Amazigh (Berber) villages in the High Atlas. The two teachers also collaborated with Moroccan secondary school teachers to create lesson plans on history, language acquisition (Arabic and English), culture, and identity. This fall the group will be creating in-depth lesson plans to share with secondary school teachers across the country.
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Online School Lunch Debt Donation Link
Over the last year, a number of community members have asked how they can contribute money to help pay off the lunch debts of students whose families cannot afford to do so. We are very grateful for their generosity and community spirit! To make such donations easier, we have partnered with "RevTrak" to create a simple link that community members can use. It only takes a few minutes to set up an account and make a donation. Click
here
to learn more!
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Upcoming Events
Alameda City Hall
September 16, 11 am - 4 pm
Unity Picnic
Crab Cove Picnic Area
October 3, 6-8 pm
City-Wide College Fair
College of Alameda
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