In our newsletter today, we have information about AUSD's free meal program, awards won by the HAHS design team, Encinal's modernization project, and an AUSD teacher who has illustrated a new picture book. Families received the same information today through ParentSquare. 
Please take a look! (And have a wonderful long weekend.)
 
In Today's Issue

  • Thank You to our Community
  • AUSD Meals to Remain Free through December
  • Update on County Waiver Process
  • HAHS Design Team Wins Multiple Awards
  • Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School Modernization Update
  • Kudos to...
  • Board Briefs
love staff giving out supplies
Over the last several weeks, AUSD staff have distributed more than 3000 Chromebooks to our families, along with classroom supplies and other materials. Pictured here: Love Elementary School staff give out Chromebooks and backpacks.
Thank You to Our Community!

We'd like to express our gratitude to all of our staff for their hard work, persistence, and resilience in getting our schools open this year. We would also like to thank our students and families for their patience and support during this time. This has been a school opening like none other, and we very much appreciate your understanding and flexibility during these difficult times.

You can read Superintendent Scuderi's September 4 thank you message to employees here.
flyer for meals
AUSD to Continue Serving Free Meals 

Good news! The USDA is extending its free meal program (the same one AUSD uses for its summer meal offerings) through December 31, 2020.  That means any youth up to age 18 (not just AUSD students) can pick up meals at our distribution sites (no ID needed), and parents/guardians can pick up meals without a child present.    

For the latest updates, please see our Food and Nutrition Services web page.
pen and paper
Update on County Waiver Process

This week the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) announced that it has set up a process to accept waivers from districts who want to bring students in transitional kindergarten to 6th grade back to campus for in-person instruction. In order to get such a waiver, districts need to submit a return-to-school plan that is aligned with guidance from the California Department of Public Health and ACPHD. That plan needs to include information on:

  • the district's plan to implement required protocols, including health and hygiene, use of face coverings, physical distancing, and limiting gathering, and conduct COVID-19 contact tracing and testing; and
  • the district's consultations with labor, parent, and community groups during the reopening process.
Due to the complexity of the waiver process and the high bar that has been set to returning to in-person instruction,  we are exploring the option slowly and deliberately. We will share more information about the process as we have it.
exterior of HAHS
HAHS Design Team Wins Multiple Awards

Over the last several months, the design  team for the Historic Alameda High School renovation project has won multiple awards. Those awards have come from organizations including the California Preservation Foundation, Engineering News-Report, and the Alameda Architectural Preservation Society. 

"These awards are further evidence of the beautiful work that QKA did on these iconic buildings in downtown Alameda," says Superintendent Pasquale Scuderi. "We are grateful for the expertise, leadership, and attention to historic detail that the firm brought to this project."

You can learn more here.
science class interior ehs
Encinal Construction Project Making Good Progress

The modernization work at Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School, along with the construction of a new building and significant landscaping, has continued through the summer. The 200 wing is complete; the new building is expected to be completed this fall; and the 300 and 400 wings will be finished in February.  The project includes ten new state-of-the-art science labs, entirely new fire alarm and clock/bell systems, and outdoor learning spaces. You can find more details about the EJSHS modernization project here.
Board Briefs: September 8 Public Meeting

At its September 8 public meeting, the Board of Education will hear presentations on the recommended curriculum for the Remote Learning Program and the unaudited actuals financial report for 2019-20.

The Board will vote on a Resolution in Support of Proposition 15 (the California Schools and Local Communities Funding Act).

The Board will also conduct a public hearing on AUSD's Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan, a state-mandated document that takes the place of the annual LCAP. This replacement plan provides an outline of: our instructional programs; supports for vulnerable students; school meal program; stakeholder engagement processes; social and emotional services; and other offerings for 2020-21. 

The public is invited to review the plan on the AUSD website.

The meeting begins at 6:30 pm. The agenda for the meeting (including the Zoom details) is available here. The meeting will also be livestreamed on AUSD's Facebook page.
Cover of _Brown_
Kudos To...

...Constance Moore, the art teacher at Maya Lin School, for being the illustrator for a new picture book, "BROWN, the Many Shades of Love," which will be released on September 15! Nancy Johnson James, a teacher at San Leandro Unified School District's Jefferson Elementary School is the writer.  

From the publisher: "The narrative around skin tone and celebration of self takes on a sweet and simple guise in this story, featuring Nancy Johnson James's poetic lines and Constance Moore's painterly illustrations." Congratulations, Ms. Moore!

Alameda Unified School District | 510-337-7000  | www.alamedaunified.org
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