Hello Belmont-Redwood Shores Community,


Thank you for your patience as we continue to work on our organization and execution of At-Home Learning. This update includes:

  • An Agreement with Teachers (BRSFA)
  • Videoconferencing Safety and Security
  • Staff Announcements
  • Community Resources


Agreement with Teachers (BRSFA)
On Friday of last week, the District leadership came to agreement with BRSSD's teachers on key aspects of the At-Home Learning program. This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) provides the teachers with professional discretion on how to continue the educational program and services. While there may be some differences in the technology used from classroom to classroom, we are unified in our commitment to continuing your student's learning and communicating well with you. This MOU is expected to be finalized in the next day or so. We are fortunate to have an outstanding instructional staff in BRSSD, and I am grateful to our teachers for their commitment, professionalism, and adaptability during this pandemic.


Videoconferencing Safety and Security
Videoconferencing to provide instruction to minors at scale is a new challenge for the educational and technology fields. We are aware of and take seriously the reports of "zoombombing," and we are working to continue to provide the safest options for access. With Zoom in particular, we have guided all staff to use password protections and waitrooms along with other best practices to secure entry and manage their meetings. Over the next week we will be evaluating additional solutions such as Cisco WebEx and Microsoft Teams to see if they can offer the security and ease of use necessary for our staff and families. 

Staffing Announcements
New Director of HR and Administrative Services
The Belmont-Redwood Shores School District is pleased to announce that Julie Eastburn will be joining the District as the Director of Human Resources and Administrative Services. Ms. Eastburn has 25 years of experience in K-12 education having served as a teacher and administrator at the high school level. Ms. Eastburn has worked in human resources for the last eight years at both the school district (Turlock Unified) and county levels. Most recently, Ms. Eastburn has served as the Director of Human Resources at the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE).
At SMCOE, Ms. Eastburn has led countywide recruitment and hiring events, managed the county’s Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing grant program, and has extensive experience in labor negotiations. “I am excited to join Belmont-Redwood Shores School District’s outstanding team of professionals and begin serving as Director of Human Resources and Administrative Services. I look forward to building trusting relationships with staff and the community, and continuing a collaborative culture of teaching and learning.”
 
Ms. Eastburn has a Bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and a Master’s degree from Notre Dame de Namur University in Educational Technology Leadership. She has lived in the Bay Area for the last 20 years and enjoys being active outdoors. Ms. Eastburn often spends evenings and weekends at the softball field with her elementary school-aged daughter. Ms. Eastburn’s hiring will become official at the April 30 board meeting, and she will assume the Director role beginning July 1, 2020.  

Promoted Assistant Superintendent
The Belmont-Redwood Shores School District is pleased to announce that Director of Educational Services Ching-Pei Hu has been named as Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services effective April 1, 2020.

Ms. Hu has been our Director of Educational Services since 2017. In this role, she oversaw curriculum development, professional development for principals and teachers, and
was a member of our Executive Cabinet. With her leadership, we have refined our system of tiered support for students and have adopted new curriculum in English Language Arts, Science, and History/Social Science.

Ms. Hu has worked collaboratively with our principals and teacher leaders to provide differentiated professional development and to align our practices across our sites. As Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, she will now also support the Special Programs department, continuing to work on the alignment of instruction and services for all students in BRSSD.

Ms. Hu has degrees from Stanford and UC Berkeley and extensive training at Teachers College at Columbia University in reading and writing workshop. Prior to joining BRSSD in 2017, Ms. Hu led professional development with SMCOE, was an elementary principal in Cupertino, and supported teachers and principals as a Coordinator in Ravenswood.  "I'm excited to get to know the Special Programs staff better, as well as to continue aligning our educational program for the benefit of all students."

On a personal level, Ms. Hu grew up in the Bay Area and enjoys cooking, entertaining, and traveling with her husband and two elementary-aged children. Ms. Hu is also known to brag about her recently adopted Weimaraner!

Community Resources
We continue to update available community resources on our At-Home Learning page. The most recent additions include:

  • Essential Workers Childcare survey. If you are an essential worker in need of childcare, San Mateo County COVID-19 Child Care Response Team can provide you with assistance via the survey. Additionally, here is a local child care program that is opening for essential workers. 
  • Distance Learning Newsletter for Parents from the California Department of Education. This newsletter is available in English and Spanish.

The BRSSD website in now available in Spanish, Mandarin and Russian. We will continue to review website content for further translation.


Thank you again for your patience and support. Do not hesitate to send us your questions and feedback.

Sincerely,

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