What’s New in Your School’s Digital Backpack

Have you visited your school’s Digital Backpack lately? Here is a peek at some of the newest additions:

Free Meals to Anyone 18 and Under
Effective September 1, 2020, following USDA waivers, breakfast and lunch will be available for free to anyone 18 and under through December. We still want everyone to complete the free and reduced-priced application for this school year as it helps the District with funding and other areas. Visit your school’s Digital Backpack for specific details.

Back to School Night Information
Virtual Back to School Night’s kick off next week for elementary and the following week for middle and high schools. Links to join virtually and details unique to each school will be sent to families from their respective schools. Visit your school’s Digital Backpack for the schedule. 

Student / Family Handbooks
The 2020-2021 Student and Family Handbook is available in your school’s Digital Backpack to print and/or save as a PDF document on your preferred electronic device. Families can also request a hard copy by contacting Constituent and Customer Services at [email protected].
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Highlights of Distance Learning in Action

We stopped by a few teacher classrooms on-campus and off-campus on the first day of school to witness distance learning in action. What did we see? We saw teachers teaching, students connected and engaged, and lots of excitement! Here are some of the highlights we captured from teachers at American Lakes School, Heron School, and Paso Verde School.
Virtual Back to School Night

As we celebrate the start of the school year, we invite families to join us for virtual Back to School Night. In support of NUSD's Goal to “create safe and welcoming environments where students attend and are connected to their schools," Back to School Night is an annual event where staff connects with families and provides helpful and important school and classroom information. All virtual Back to School Nights will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. Information unique to each school and links with how to join virtually will be sent to families from their respective schools. Here's a school-by-school rundown: 

Tuesday, Sept. 8 – American Lakes School, H. Allen Hight, Paso Verde School, Two Rivers, Witter Ranch

Thursday, Sept. 10 – Bannon Creek School, Jefferson School, Natomas Park, Heron School

Tuesday, Sept. 15 – Inderkum High, Discovery High

Wednesday, Sept. 16 – Natomas Middle School, Natomas High School, Leroy Greene Academy
Draft Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan Available for Review and Input

We'd like to share with you a Draft Plan of NUSD's Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan before our public hearing to be held on September 9, 2020. All districts are required in the State of California to complete the plan that memorializes the planning process that is already underway for the 2020-21 school year. You've heard about many of the items in the plan from the communications that we have sent out to you since last spring when our schools physically closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The plan is aligned with our Six Pillars to Successfully Reopening Schools that we shared with you back in May and its in direct support of our Core Beliefs and Goals. The plan is located on our website at www.natomasunified.org. It can also be viewed by clicking here. If you wish to provide input, you will be directed to an input form on the Learning Continuity and Attendance Web Page.
$1 Million Investment for Extracurricular Activities for Students
One of Natomas Unified School District’s goals is to “create safe and welcoming learning environments where students attend and are connected to their schools.” The Board of Trustees is committed to creating a culture of connectivity for our students, even in a distance learning environment. To meet its goal, the Board is making a one-time $1,000,000 investment to expand extracurricular activities for 2020-2021. Each school site will provide students with different extracurricular opportunities to remain connected to their school. Each school’s extracurricular activities may look different, as this is purposely designed to meet the needs/interest of the students and culture of each school. For a big picture overview, click here.
Natomas High student Estefania Garcia is NUSD's new Student Trustee

When Estefania Garcia learned that she had been recommended by some of her teachers to be the next Student Board Member for the Natomas Unified School District Board of Trustees, she was pleasantly surprised. “I didn’t know that I would even have the opportunity to do something like this, and I certainly didn’t think that I would be the one that they would select,” Estefania reflects. But her teachers at Natomas High School thought differently and couldn’t think of a better student to represent the student community. 

We invite you to continue reading about Estefania’s involvement on campus, hopes and interests in the full article at www.natomasunified.org.
Limited Seats Available for The Center Day Camps

For parents that are still interested in their K-5 student attending The Center (Day Camp), there may still be limited spots available. The Center is for K- 5 students and geared towards: 

  • Students trying to overcome the obstacles presented due to the pandemic and distance learning and suffered learning loss 
  • Families of essential workers, foster youth, homeless, English Learners, and working families 
  • Families who cannot afford or provide childcare and/or academic support at home 

The Center Day Camp Application Instructions 

  • If you are interested in attending The Center Day Camp programs, please complete the attached application link. 
  • The link can also be found on The Center’s webpage (https://sccsc.org/) under programs. 
  • If you have any questions or concerns please contact Mr. Bean at 916-690-5880.

To learn about the safety protocols that are in place to protect students and staff, click here and to learn about The Center, visit The Center’s webpage at https://sccsc.org/.
Social Emotional Resources for All Students
 
With the new school year in full swing, we want to ensure that students have as many mental health resources as possible. In that effort, the school psychologists from NUSD have developed a Virtual Calming Center. The Virtual Calming Center includes resources for students including exercise, yoga, guided meditation, creative activities, games and more. This resource will be linked to each school site's Digital Backpack. Additional social-emotional resources and information can be found on NUSD's Mental Health Website, and as always, if you feel your child is in need of social-emotional support, please do not hesitate to submit a Social-Emotional Support Referral through NUSD’s website.
Register for Natomas Adult Education Programs
School News
Visit NUSD school websites and follow our schools on social media for news on programs, accolades, events and more!
Posted by LGA Pathways on Instagram: In this together! 8th graders worked on observational drawings today. #lgapride #lgayearbook21
Posted by Principal of Two Rivers Elementary: I hope you all had a wonderful first day, Otters! Tag your first day pictures with #TREotters! We have some first day signs out for you today!
Posted by Paso Verde School on Instagram: Welcome Back to the Puma Pack! 2020-2021 is going to be a PAW-some school year!
Posted by IHS Public Safety on Instagram: School is back in session. It just looks a bit different this year. #2020 #publicsafety #fire #law
Please 'Like' us on Facebook
and follow us on Twitter & Instagram

Let's work together. We encourage parents and staff to stay up-to-date on district developments. We provide multiple opportunities to learn about NUSD successes, plans and events throughout the school year. 

Three key sources are Facebook -- we're listed as "Natomas Unified School District" -- Twitter and Instagram under @NatomasUSD. District and school websites also are a good source of information ranging from lunch menus to parent opportunities. Thanks for taking a look. We're honored to be your partner. 
CONTACT US  
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