Hello Belmont-Redwood Shores Community,
 
This update includes:
 
  • Reopening Schools Information and Parent Survey
  • Discussing Race and Social Injustice
  • Community Mental Health Resources 
  • Chromebook Return
  • Nesbit Principal Announcement
 

Reopening Schools and Survey
At Thursday's board meeting, staff shared a presentation outlining our current thinking about reopening schools in August and possible models. What we are sharing now has been revised based upon that discussion. For you to better understand these models, we have embedded explanatory videos in our Parent Survey here . We encourage you to respond to the survey by Tuesday, June 9, if possible. We will use stakeholder input to inform our conversations with the board and our negotiations with our employee groups, which we hope to begin this week.

In addition to the survey, the Board has directed me to pursue further stakeholder engagegment. We have scheduled four meetings of an advisory committee on Monday and Wednesday afternoon (4pm) for the next two weeks. If you would like to observe those meetings, a link will be posted on our homepage, brssd.org, to do so. Additionally, we have tentatively scheduled a town hall meeting on the topic of school reopening for the BRSSD community this Thursday, June 11, at 7pm. More information to follow.

As further background, the County has released a summary of its framework for reopening schools ( link here ). It is expected that this framework will be accompanied with an order from the County Health Officer and will have the force of law. The full document will be released to the public on Monday.
 
Separately, the San Mateo County Health Officer has issued a new Shelter in Place Order which allows for outdoor dining, charter boats, and funerals with restrictions. The order is effective Saturday, June 6, 2020. More information and the full order can be found at https://bit.ly/2z8PQc8
 
 
Discussing Race and Social Injustice
The death of George Floyd, the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests in our country, the local peaceful protest in Redwood City, and the thoughtful comments shared by our community and Trustees at Thursday's board meeting have our full attention and have affected our Board and leadership team profoundly. Our District leadership is committed to renewing our equity and anti-racism efforts in BRSSD. I have discussed this with our team and our incoming superintendent, Dan Deguara. Please know that we are working on how to increase our racial equity and awareness efforts so that BRSSD is a respectful, productive, and welcoming community for our students of color and so that we prepare all of our students for responsible and respectful participation in a diverse society. Meaningful change starts with ourselves.

Below are resources for your family with links:

  • Family Resources for Having Conversations About Social Injustice with Kids - A list of articles, books and podcasts to support conversations with children of all ages about social and racial injustices.
  • Teaching Tolerance is a great website to explore as parents figure out to talk to their children about racism.  You can find, Beyond the Golden Rule which is a guidebook for parents on how to respond to and prevent prejudice.
  • There are many podcasts out there that focus on racism and how parents can address the topic with their children. One of particular interest is Safe Space Radio: Talking to White Kids About Race and Racism. It even includes Tips & Strategies to go along with the content that parents can use to guide conversations.


Community Mental Health Resources
Our Middle School counselors have compiled a list of local and national mental health resources for families. 

 
Returning a loaned Chromebook:
If you borrowed a Chromebook through your school site or one of the District “Drive-Thru Pick-Ups” the time is coming to return that device.  District Staff will be hosting three Chromebook “Drive-Thru Drop-Offs” over the next two weeks so that you can safely and easily return your device.  When returning your device please be sure to include the charger.  The dates, locations, and instructions for these events can be found below.  You can drop your devices off at any one of these events, regardless of your school.  If you are unable to make one of these dates, you should contact your school front office to identify another date and time you may be able to return your device.  Their contact information can be found here .

Chromebook Drop-Off Instructions: Cars will line up in the parking lot at the location, date, and time listed below.  Once you are at the front of the line you will open your window, provide your child’s first and last name, and hand the Chromebook and charger to staff.  We are working to ensure the safety of you and our staff by distancing and wearing masks.  More detailed information on drop-off locations including maps of each site’s parking lot can be found at this link . 

Chromebook Drop-Off Dates & Locations:

  • Thursday, June 11 - Ralston Middle School - 2675 Ralston Ave, Belmont, CA 94002. Parking Lot - 10:00am - 11:00am
  • Friday, June 12 - Nesbit Elementary School - 500 Biddulph Way, Belmont, CA 94002. Front Parking Lot - 12:00pm - 2:00pm
  • Tuesday, June 16 - Redwood Shores Elementary School - 225 Shearwater Pkwy, Redwood City, CA 94065. Parking Lot - 10:00am - 11:00am


Staffing Announcements
New Nesbit Principal
The Belmont-Redwood Shores School District is pleased to announce that Ryan Hansen-Vera will be joining the District as the Principal of Nesbit School. Mrs. Hansen-Vera has 16 years of experience in education having served as an elementary school teacher and administrator at the middle school level. Mrs. Hansen-Vera is a student-centered leader dedicated to building school cultures that best supports the social, emotional, and academic needs of all children. Her leadership is dedicated to supporting the teaching community and enriching parental involvement to collectively provide the best learning outcomes for all students.
Mrs. Hansen-Vera began her career as an elementary school teacher in the Evergreen School District in San Jose. Working with primary students, she quickly developed a passion for literacy with a focus in teaching writing. As a teacher, Mrs. Hansen-Vera found great joy inspiring students to find their voice, communicate their ideas, and express their opinions. These themes have remained true throughout Mrs. Hansen-Vera’s roles as an Instructional Coach, Teacher Induction Leader, Assistant Principal, Site Director, and in her current position as the Principal of Quimby Oak Middle School. 

“I am thrilled to join BRSSD and serve as Site Principal at Nesbit School. I am honored to join a school with such established values and traditions. I’ve learned that Nesbit is a place where students always come first, where the door for parents is always open, and the links with the community are strong. I am excited to join a district with such a vivacious love for students and families. I can’t wait for my new role to begin as the proud site Principal of Nesbit School. Go Pumas!” 

Mrs. Hansen-Vera is a New York City native. She earned a Bachelor's degree from Molloy College and a Master’s degree from California State University, East Bay (CSUEB) in Educational Leadership and Social Justice. Mrs. Hansen-Vera was named as CSUEB’s “40 Under 40” alumni honor for demonstrating dedication to her profession as well as philanthropic and personal endeavors. On a personal note, Mrs. Hansen-Vera is a wife and mother of three: Twins Gabriel and Havana (14 yrs.) and Scarlett (3 yrs.). She enjoys podcasts, live music, and sightseeing. In July of 2018, her baby daughter, Scarlett, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Her end of treatment is September 27, 2020. Mrs. Hansen-Vera and her husband, Juan, dedicate their time to raising pediatric cancer awareness.


As always, I welcome your comments and feedback, though I may take a few days to respond to email.

Sincerely,

Michael Milliken
Superintendent
 Suvarna Bhopale | Amy Koo | Samuel Leinbach
Jim Howard | Rahila Passi