BUSD's A+ News: Year in Review, Summer Reading Lists, and More

A+ News - May 2023

Highlights and Happenings from Around BUSD

Join Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel on May 31, from 6:00 - 7:30 pm in the BUSD Boardroom for “A Year in a Review” to learn about programmatic highlights from this school year and briefly look to the 2023-24 school year.

The presentation part of this event, which runs from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, will be live-streamed on the BUSD YouTube channel. During the first 30 minutes, in-person participants will be able to view posters and watch video highlights featuring various BUSD programs and departments.

Spanish interpretation is available at the in-person event.

Summer Meals and Reading Lists

BUSD will participate in the federally funded Seamless Summer Option (SSO) of the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, serving nutritious meals free of charge to all students 18 years and younger at select district schools this summer. Children do not need to be enrolled in Berkeley schools to participate in the summer free meal program.

See schedules and locations here.

Find your student's next favorite book with BUSD's summer reading lists from grades TK through high school. Librarians from the Berkeley Public Library are completing visits to every BUSD school to talk to students about the summer reading program.

Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School Students Speak with Little Rock Nine Members

About 50 eighth graders at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School recently participated in a program led by The Sojourn Project. The students attended lectures and took notes, learning about key events and people of the Civil Rights Movement as part of their U.S. history studies. Students had the opportunity to attend a Zoom call with Elizabeth Eckford (pictured right), who made history as a member of the Little Rock Nine, the nine African American students who desegregated Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Students asked poignant questions about her experiences, and Eckford urged them to be kind and reach across differences.

BUSD Celebrates AAPI and Jewish American Heritage Months in May

BUSD has been busy celebrating both Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month this May. Across the district, students and staff have been enjoying learning about and uplifting BUSD's AAPI and Jewish American communities through classroom activities, books and reading lists, and district and community events and celebrations.

Read the Superintendent's Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month message and find more resources here,

Read the Superintendent's Jewish American Heritage Month message and find more resources here.

BUSD students learned Asian American and Pacific Islander and Jewish American stories through the display of staff posters at every school. These posters allowed students to learn about different cultures through BUSD staff's unique and affirming voices. Click the links to view all of the staff posters for AAPI Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month.

Drag Story Hour

Panda Dulce reads "My Princess Boy" by Cheryl Kilodavis.

On May12, students at Emerson, Sylvia Mendez, and Ruth Acty Elementary Schools were treated with a visit from Panda Dulce, a drag artist from San Francisco and a founding drag artist of “Drag Story Hour.” Dulce read stories to students in kindergarten, first, and second grade classes.

The visit, which was organized in celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, was a wonderful display of intersectional identity.

Dulce poses with a Sylvia Mendez kindergarten class.

Berkeley High School Students Speak with Emerging Author

Lorraine Avila signs a copy of her dynamic debut novel: The Making of Yolanda La Bruja.

Lorraine Avila, author of The Making of Yolanda La Bruja, visited the Berkeley High School (BHS) library this May to speak with students about her debut novel.

Avila gave a brief presentation on her background and story of becoming an author before leading students through a writing exercise. She then read an excerpt from her book, finishing the afternoon with a question and answer session.

Author Lorraine Avila shares her professional background with BHS students.

Washington Elementary Students Visit Angel Island

Washington Elementary School fourth graders visited Angel Island in San Francisco after learning about detention centers. Students were able to integrate what they learned in the classroom about the Chinese American immigration experience by exploring the historical site and interacting with artifacts.

While at the center, students wrote poems focusing on the Chinese American immigration experience.

A student peers at immigration documents.

Students took the ferry to visit the historic island that served as an immigration port between 1910 and 1940.

During the 30 years in which the island operated as an immigration center, approximately 500,000 immigrants from 80 countries were processed, detained, and/or interrogated at the site.

English Fluency and Multilingualism Celebration

Kathleen Marte, BUSD Lead ELD teacher, poses with a student awardee.

Berkeley Unified held a district-wide celebration to honor our Multilingual Learners who reached Fluent English Proficiency on May 10th at Longfellow Middle School. Families and staff enjoyed a delicious Mexican dinner, socializing, and cake.

In order to reclassify, students must meet score criteria on assessments including the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC). Ninety-nine students have been reclassified this year from English Learner to RFEP (Reclassified Fluent English Proficient). Students who received the Biliteracy Pathways Award and the Seal of Biliteracy were also recognized.

Bike to School Day

Malcolm X Elementary School students and families chose the active and eco-friendly option of biking to school for Alameda County's Bike to School Day on May 11. Over 11 BUSD schools participated to celebrate the joy of biking to school.

Read more about sustainability at BUSD.

Thank You, Berkeley Public Schools Fund, for 2023-24 Equity Grants

Parents gather as part of the Latinx Parent Engagement project—led by OFEE staff and funded by the Berkeley Public Schools Fund—which aims to empower Latinx families to navigate the educational system.

The Berkeley Public Schools Fund, with the generous support of our community, awarded a half million dollars in equity grants last week to 51 teacher-leaders, schools, and programs across Berkeley Unified for the 2023-24 school year.

More than half of the projects funded this year came through their LEADING for Equity grants program that aims toward district-wide goals and impact. For example, grant funds will enable after school programs across the district to offer more academic support to their students though digital platforms and better trained after school leaders.

Almost $200,000 of the half million was awarded through LEARNING for Equity grants to teams of educators from individual BUSD schools. These funds enable teams of innovative teacher-leaders to address the inequities they see right in their own schools

For a complete list of '23-24 Equity Grants awarded by the Berkeley Public Schools Fund, click here.

In-Person School Board Meetings

School board meeting agendas are posted at least 72 hours before meetings. The next School Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 7. All details for upcoming Board Meetings can be found at this BUSD webpage.

Cick here for contact information for School Board Directors.

Recent 2022-23 School Board Meetings

May 17, 2023

May 3, 2023

April 26, 2023