As we head into our second full week of school closures, the District, its teachers, and its staff members continue to work hard behind the scenes to transition to a distance learning model and support our families and students during this challenging time.
Here are some updates for our community:
#FCUSDstrong: Notes of encouragement from our students and teachers
It's heartwarming to see so many in our community come together to support and encourage one another. Here are a couple of recent examples:
- Student Board Member Scarlett Kniznik, a senior at Folsom High School, recorded the following video message to her fellow students on Friday. Click here to watch. (A Spanish-language version can be found here.)
- Kristine Taylor-Miramontes, a kindergarten teacher at Cordova Villa Elementary, is one of the latest teachers to start a YouTube channel to keep connections going with her students. Check it out here!
- Give a shout out: Have a shout out you want to give your teacher, or your students? Use this Google Form to submit a photo, short video (15 seconds or under), or just some words of encouragement, and our Communication Office will share periodically in the days to come!
Distance learning update: Work continues to support transition
Today begins a critical week for our transition to a distance learning model. Schools will continue to work with the District to create materials and implement the District's formal distance learning plan. Today we began training for teachers on our online learning platform, Schoology, which integrates seamlessly with Powerschool (our student information system) as well as Google Classroom.
This transition will be a learning process for all, and we expect there will be road bumps and lessons learned during this work-in-progress. We appreciate everyone's patience and flexibility and remain committed to providing consistent, transparent communication throughout each step. Click the links below for answers to common questions we've received to date:
Is there an update on how long school will be closed?
While the District has not changed its scheduled re-open date of April 14, we are preparing for the possibility to be closed for the rest of the year. We will communicate updates to families as details are available.
Although the District is transitioning to distance learning during this closure, we are still recognizing our Spring Break from April 6-13.
Are employees allowed on their school sites?
Because we are in a shelter in place order, the only staff who are allowed on campus will be for specific, essential purposes, which are communicated to those employees by their direct supervisors.
Will we continue to communicate positive confirmations of COVID-19?
On Saturday we communicated to the public about our first confirmed case of a staff member with COVID-19. As public health officials expect the number of positive cases throughout Sacramento County to continue to grow as testing increases, we will continue to take direction from Sacramento County Public Health on the appropriate level of notification to the community.
Meal distribution update: Free meals for students in need resume this week
Meal distribution for our students in need will continue through Friday this week, 11a.m. to noon, at the following seven locations:
- Cordova Meadows Elementary
- Cordova Villa Elementary
- Rancho Cordova Elementary
- Mills Middle School
- White Rock Elementary
- Williamson Elementary
- Theodore Judah Elementary
Important: A student must be present, but ID is not required. We will have drive-up and walk-up options. Meals will include lunch, in addition to a breakfast for the next day.
Important update from International Baccalaureate:
Today, the International Baccalaureate organization announced measures it is taking to support its students, including cancelling May 2020 exams. More info can be found here.
Wellness corner: From FCUSD's social-emotional team members
-from Geovanni Linares, our FCUSD Social-Emotional Academic Development Coordinator:
As we all work to adjust to a new (hopefully short) normal, it can be easy to lose sight of the plans we had and goals we set. It's easy to get "stuck" in survival mode. As a husband, dad, and educator, I know I've been challenged in these ways during the past week.
This week, our family has chosen to goal set, and I'd love to share how we did it.
To start our week of "school", our family (mom, dad, second-grader, and kindergartener) have set goals for the week.
Our girls have chosen to work on:
- Getting 10,000 steps per day
- Reading an hour a day
- Reducing screen time
Mom and dad have chosen to limit how much COVID-19 coverage we engage with and continue to find new ways to be active at home or outdoors.
Our family goal is to support each other in reaching our individual goals. We do this by going for fun walks around the neighborhood and establishing family reading times. We also start each "school" day together by journal writing how we accomplished our goals the previous day, or how we can better support each other in reaching our goals moving forward.
