A message from the Superintendent
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This weekend, California officials issued updated guidance to schools, colleges and universities about COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus. It's upsetting to think of further spread of the virus, but we must plan for it. Governor Gavin Newsom said, "It’s a question of when – not if – some California public schools will face closure because of COVID-19. School districts must prepare for these scenarios so that parents and children can plan for what would happen if their local school faced closure."
As of March 10, we do not have any confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our schools. We know that any school closure would stress families, especially families who do not have child care options and who rely on school meals for their children. Any decision about school closures would be directed by the Sonoma County Health Officer, a physician who is leading our county's response to the virus.
We have added extra disease-prevention cleaning at our schools, and we are working on learning plans for students, should schools need to close. We can all use the best disease-prevention practices to keep our schools as safe as possible at this time. That includes:
- washing hands frequently with soap and water
- coughing and sneezing into a tissue or your elbow
- keeping your child home from school if they have a fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) or higher and not returning to school until the fever is gone for at least 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medications
- calling your healthcare provider if that fever is accompanied by a cough or difficulty breathing
We are grateful that this virus does not appear to be as severe among children and teens. Please make sure that your child's school has the most up-to-date phone and email contact information for you, should we need to get in touch with any updates. We will also post the latest virus-related information regarding our schools on this web page:
srcschools.org/COVID-19
Dr. Diann Kitamura
Superintendent
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As you know, we submitted waivers for the five days of instruction lost when schools had to close during the October Kincade Fire and for the 2-5 days lost for some of our schools during the PG&E power shutoffs. We are still waiting to hear from the California Department of Education about our request; however, other districts in our area have been instructed to use their emergency days in combination with the waiver for their closure days. If we receive a similar response from the state, it means that we will likely have school through June 3. We have three emergency days on our school calendar approved by SRTA (teachers’ union) and CSEA (classified staff union), Monday through Wednesday, June 1-3.
Many parents have asked about using the April 13th professional development day to make up for lost instruction; however, we were not able to reach an agreement with SRTA in a timely manner. We understand you need to make plans and so we will continue to have the professional development day on April 13, with no school for students. We hope to bring you a decision from the state soon. Meanwhile, it's important that high school families know, no matter what the decision is:
high school graduation day will remain the same, Friday, May 29, 2020
.
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Thank you to our district's
Budget Advisory Committee
(pictured here) - made up of students, teachers, classified staff, parents, administrators, and business and community members. They met seven times from late September through February, to discuss the budget and make recommendations to the superintendent regarding specific areas and actions to either increase revenue or decrease expenditures. On March 11, t
he school board will consider approval of the Second Interim Report. School districts are required to file at least two interim reports during each fiscal year on the status of the district's financial health. Our report will be "Qualified," meaning that our district cannot expect to meet its financial obligations and keep the state-required 3% reserve, during the next 3 years.
There are several factors affecting this report, such as declining enrollment and the mandated increased cost of employee pensions. Because of the Qualified status, our school district will be required to file a Third Interim Report in May.
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Census 2020: Coming soon! Be counted
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Census 2020 begins this month. All residences will receive a post card from the Bureau of the Census, with instructions on how to complete a census form either online, by phone, or on a paper form. Every adult, child and baby living in the United States on April 1st gets counted, no matter their age race, ethnic group, or citizenship status. Responses to Census 2020 are protected by federal law. No one can share any information about you. In Sonoma County, we are working together to make sure that everyone is counted, so that our residents get the federal money and resources they deserve. These teachers and staff from our district (pictured here) are learning how to encourage families to fill out the census form so that census workers don't need to visit their residence in May. For more information, go to
2020census.gov
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February's award-winning students and staff
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Each of our schools is showcased at a Board of Education meeting once a year. Those schools select an outstanding student, classified employee and certificated (teacher/counselor) employee to honor at the meeting.
In February, Helen Lehman Elementary, James Monroe Elementary and Piner High School presented awards. Visit our
Board of Education Awards web page
to learn more about the staff and students who were honored.
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Summer learning information
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Our administrators and teachers are already busy planning summer learning opportunities for our students. Here's a quick update:
- 8th graders who could use more math and science support can apply for the Mike Hauser Academy, a program that visits local companies, June 8-26
- High School Credit Recovery will be June 8-25 and June 29-July 16 at Piner High, for students who want to improve an F grade, with priority for seniors. Registration coming soon.
- Piner High will also host two great math programs, June 8-25, for any SRCS students who would like to reinforce math skills needed for 7th and 9th grade math. Students who are 8th graders this year can click here to apply for Math 1 Readiness and students who are 6th graders this year can apply for Math 7 Enrichment
- We have lots of learning and fun coming for lower grades, too. For information, dates and times, find links on our Summer Programs web page.
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High school dance event at Green Music Center
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You're invited to the Santa Rosa City Schools Dance Showcase, featuring dancers from Elsie Allen, Maria Carrillo, Montgomery and Santa Rosa High schools. They will be performing at Green Music Center's Weill Hall on the Sonoma State University campus,
Tuesday, April 7
at 7pm. Free tickets are available at the box office. Parking in the Green Music Center lot costs $5. Bring the family and come celebrate our high school arts programs!
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"Let's Talk Marijuana & Vaping" free event
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Monday, April 6, 6:00-7:30pm at Rincon Valley Middle School
- along with several opportunities for anyone to attend in other locations throughout Sonoma County. These events will include breakout sessions for teens-only and parents-only. Click here to see a
Let's Talk Marijuana & Vaping Flyer
in English and Español. Sponsored by the Sonoma County Department of Health Services, in cooperation with several school districts, including ours. If you have questions, call 707-565-6617 or 707-565-7465
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For more news, follow us on social media:
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@SRCSchools #SRCStogether #madeinsantarosa
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Santa Rosa City Schools
211 Ridgway Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
707-890-3800
communication@srcs.k12.ca.us
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