Ruby Spies and Abigail Steckel, graduating seniors at Berkeley High School, are leaving a legacy behind. They spearheaded the creation of the Mental and Emotional Education Team (MEET), a peer mental health education program to inform students of mental health issues and resources, reduce stigma and barriers to access, and improve health equity for students.

Last year Spies and Steckel conducted a survey of 242 students at BHS, and found that 60.4% of students reported struggling with mental health, and only 42% of those students had accessed services. 51% of all students surveyed said that if they were experiencing mental health challenges and that they would prefer their first point of contact be a fellow student, and yet only 22% indicated they were comfortable talking about mental health.

Spies and Steckel realized that mental health peer educators would be an effective solution to both increase awareness about mental health challenges and create more opportunities for peer support around mental health. A month after conducting the survey, they sent their proposal to the School Board and the City Council, and after a year of leadership and advocacy have recently secured joint funding from the city and school district to implement the program next year. The funding will cover compensation for a half-time supervising clinician and stipends for student presenters.

Cragmont librarian Jackie Overlid has been reading award-winning author/illustrator Kathryn Otoshi's books Zero, One and Two to all K-5 students at Cragmont. The students have come to love her books and so it was no surprise that Ms. Otoshi received a celebrity's welcome when she recently came to campus to speak with students.

During her visit, Ms. Otoshi led two assemblies focused on being an ally, positive self-esteem and spreading kindness -- all part of her community building and anti-bullying message. She explored these themes also in a later staff workshop that included a collaborative, hands-on art installation.

“It was a great day that supported Cragmont's work around positive school climate, the Welcoming Schools curriculum and The Mosaic Project for both students and staff,” said Jenn Pfotenhauer, literacy coach at Cragmont.

Our DigiTechTeach blog is a testament to the many and varied ways teachers are creatively incorporating technology in their classes. It is a glimpse at the larger landscape of teaching and learning happening all around us. To capture a larger snapshot and broaden our view, Tech Teacher Leaders (TTLs) recently asked teachers at their schools to share examples of their work with technology. Then TTLs came together and checked out the collection by experiencing a virtual gallery walk.

Do you know someone who might be looking for a rewarding opportunity to join our school district? If so, please tell them Berkeley Unified School District is hiring!

It takes a village to run our schools and serve our students and families!

You can find more information with links to the job listings on our webpage .

BUSD’s Sustainability Plan process is expected to take a year, and is intended to produce a comprehensive plan for reducing the environmental footprint of schools and promoting environmental literacy,

 

The success of the effort depends on input from the entire BUSD community. One way to get involved is by joining a Sustainability Plan Work Group.

Actions You Can Take

You are invited to take a survey to help us gather ideas about how we can together make every day Earth Day in our schools!

Berkeley Independent Study serves both high school and K-8 students – providing an alternative teaching and learning format in ways that acknowledge and welcome each student’s personal, cultural and academic background.

Information on orientation sessions scheduled for May and June

Tues., May 8, 7:00pm

Berkeley Schools Excellence Program (BSEP) P&O Meetings are held at 2020 Bonar Street on the first floor of the district offices in Room 126.

This is a Brown Act Committee and meeting agendas and minutes are posted on this webpage.

The BSEP Planning and Oversight (P&O) Committee, comprised of representatives from each school, meets regularly to review the implementation of Measure E1 of 2016, and to ensure that the annual BSEP funds ($29 million) are spent in compliance with the Measure.

Wed., May 9, 7:30 pm

Board Meetings are held in the Board Room, 1231 Addison St, unless otherwise noted.

School board meeting agendas/materials are posted at least 72 hours before meetings on the School Board Meeting Information page of our website.