Superintendent's Friday Update
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Hello Alta Loma School District,
Please see below for our Top Three Updates for the week:
- Music Education is Alive and Strong in ALSD!
- Trustee Appointment
- Letter from Associate Superintendent, Educational Services, Chris Deegan on Current K-12 COVID-19 Information
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We found some "long weekend" captions we thought might be fun to share. Let me know if any of these resonate with you... or if you have others we could add to the list!
"I like Monday a lot more when it’s as chill as Saturday and Sunday."
"Things are about to get really good."
"Dear weekend, we should hang out more.”
"I need a longer weekend because I need more nap time.”
"Major Monday vibe.”
"Just making sure I have something to say when my coworkers ask, ‘So, how was your long weekend?’”
"Hello weekend, please stay as long as you’d like."
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1. MUSIC EDUCATION IS ALIVE AND STRONG IN ALSD...
...and it is a gift to all of us. We wanted to send you into your long weekend with a beautiful piece from Mr. Olsen's Orchestra at Vineyard Junior High School. Our appreciation goes to Mr. Olsen and his colleagues, Choral Instructor Sierra Dischiavi, West Side Band Instructor Alexis Barbosa,
East Side Band Instructor Amanda Cazares and ALJH Band Instructor Ryan Wysocki, as well as our hardworking and talented student musicians and their families.
Please enjoy "Noche de Estrella!"
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2. TRUSTEE APPOINTMENT
I'm pleased to announce the appointment of our newest Board member,
Mr. Dave Roberts, at Wednesday evening’s Special Board Meeting. Dave was one of ten impressive candidates for the seat left open by Caryn Payzant’s recent retirement. He will serve in this role until the election for this seat as Area 5 Trustee takes place in November of 2022.
A retired school teacher and administrator, Dave has lived in Alta Loma since 1979. His two grown children, Pam and Mitch, both attended Stork Elementary and Alta Loma Junior High School. His daughter is currently a teacher at Vineyard Junior High School. His wife Myrna taught at Stork School for twenty years, retiring in 1998.
Having previously served as an Alta Loma School District Trustee for twelve years, Dave is looking forward to the opportunity to continue the good work he engaged in during his prior tenure as a Board member. He also makes the following statement: “I believe one must create a culture, and a teaching and learning environment, where children always come first. All stakeholders should have a voice in the decision making process, and there should be open, honest discussion and collaboration to problem solving and communication.”
Dave will be reintroduced to our community when he is officially seated during our next Regular Board Meeting on March 2, 2022, or at a Special Board Meeting scheduled prior to that date. Working with Trustees Brad Buller, Rebecca Davies, Jessica Martinez and Sandie Oerly, we look forward to Trustee Dave Roberts' wisdom, knowledge and experience in helping guide ALSD for the next several months.
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3. Letter from Associate Superintendent, Educational Services, Chris Deegan on Current K-12 COVID-19 Information |
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Dear Alta Loma Families,
I want to thank you for your continued support and partnership with ALSD. This partnership has been significant in our efforts to help our students thrive during the ‘21-’22 school year while navigating the complexities and challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
We’ve been hearing talk amongst state officials recently that has included terms, such as “endemic,” “COVID off ramps,” and a “SMARTER Plan” that is “more sensible and sustainable.” It is expected that the Governor will make an announcement on February 28th that will include a date when the masking mandate in schools will eventually be lifted. At this point, we are unsure of exactly what that will look like or when it will occur, but I do believe it is a greater glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel.
As these decisions are made by governing officials, it is important that we have clarity and transparency in our communication with our Alta Loma community in order to inform decisions and best support our students, staff and families. As opportunities arise, please respond to upcoming inquiries that will allow us to maintain a clear pulse of our community. Thank you for your patience, understanding and collaboration. We will work together to do all that we can to enhance the lives of our students in Alta Loma and continue to set a high standard of excellence in our schools on behalf of these children.
As guidance and directives evolve, we will continue to provide you with timely updates. We thank you for your continued support of the efforts of faculty and staff as they maintain focus on providing an excellent educational experience for all ALSD students.
A more detailed COVID-19 update continues to run at the bottom of this letter.
Sincerely,
Chris Deegan
Associate Superintendent of Educational Services
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As shared last week, in recognition of the short weeks in February we'll be providing updates from our school sites a bit differently this month. On February 11, you saw our west side elementary schools highlighted (Alta Loma, Carnelian, Jasper, and Stork.) Today you will find updates for the east side elementary schools (Banyan, Deer Canyon, Hermosa and Victoria Groves.) Then on February 25, you'll see our junior high schools represented. We hope you'll enjoy this glimpse of great things happening at our schools sites!
My ongoing best to you,
Karen Hendricks
Superintendent
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- Monday, February 21: Presidents' Day Holiday
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Wednesday, February 23: 8th Grade Parent Night and Freshman Rally for Los Osos High School, 5:00 PM
- Friday, February 25: End of Trimester II
- Tuesday, March 1; 8th Grade Parent Night for Alta Loma High School, 6:00 PM
- Wednesday, March 2: Board of Trustees Meeting, 5:00 PM
- Friday, March 4: Trimester II Report Cards Posted in Infinite Campus
- Monday March 7-Friday March 11: National School Breakfast Week
- Tuesday, March 8: Elementary Parent/Teacher Conferences
- Thursday, March 10 - Friday, March 11: Elementary Parent/Teacher Conferences
- Tuesday, March 15 - Thursday, March 17: Legislative Action Week 2022
- Thursday, March 17: St. Patrick's Day
- Friday, March 18: Modified Day for Elementary and Junior High Students
- Monday, March 21 - Friday, March 25: Spring Recess
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Great Things Happening At Our East Side Schools |
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From Principal Khaleelah Lewis-Wilkins:
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This week Banyan would like to highlight our Literacy Lab and ELD team! This wonderful team provides Banyan with a ton of support for our students.
Students who are learning English as a second language receive support in our English Language Department lab with the adoption of core reading, listening, and speaking strategies -like decoding, phonemic awareness, phonic skills, vocabulary development, and more. Students that need more practice with reading are provided with guided reading support through our Literacy Lab. This wonderful team makes sure that our students receive small group support weekly! Thank you to Ms. Allen, Mr. Martinez,
Mrs. Viera and Ms. Bustamante!! We are truly thankful for them!
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Banyan also celebrated Valentine’s Day all week long. Students enjoyed learning about their content-fractions, decimals, literary styles, writing and more, through the lens of “Love”.
Students created Valentine's inspired artwork and our very own Student Senate sold Valentine’s Grams during the week. Our Bulldogs left school feeling loved, happy, and full of yummy treats! #Bulldogsknowhowtohavefun! #BulldogProud! Go Bulldogs!!!
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Deer Canyon Elementary takes pride in keeping the campus sparkling clean on a daily basis. Our crew of custodians is led by our Lead Custodian, Mr. Barry Alexander. He has been a phenomenal addition to our site and he has a keen eye for cleanliness and ensuring that our site is ready each and every day for our SOARIN’ Eagles and the staff alike. Mr. Barry is always willing to lend a hand and help out on campus at any given moment. His vast knowledge along with his hard work and dedication, has allowed our site to continue to be a premier place for students. We appreciate Barry’s dedication and commitment, he is another reason Deer Canyon continues to be the very best elementary school! #EaglePRIDE |
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From Principal Val Bires:
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At our monthly Husky Spirit Flag Assembly, we honored First Responders that belong to our Husky families. It was a treat to have them on campus to honor and appreciate. Each Husky student who brought someone had a chance to introduce them to the school during the assembly. Thank you to our First Responders and for all that they do for our community! |
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Hermosa celebrated Kindness Week last week and focused on being kind by doing things for others without expecting something in return.
Each day of the week we had a focus and an activity. On Wednesday we focused on having peace, love and kindness! Students were encouraged to shine bright with kindness and wear a pair of sunglasses! Students and staff had fun showing off their shades and being kind!
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From Principal Kristy Johnson:
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Victoria Groves students celebrated Kindness this week. Each day we focused on showing kindness to others. Our Kindness club came up with fun dress up days to celebrate the week. This week we “ Our Kindness club meets bimonthly to talk about all the ways we can encourage and share kindness at Victoria Groves. We are thankful to Mrs. Sakaoghli, our Kindness Club advisor, for leading our club and supporting this great group of students. |
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Ongoing Updates from Your COVID-19 Safety and Information Team: |
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Over the past two years, we have learned that many of us become aware of new legislation, mandates, guidelines, and recommendations when school districts are asked to implement them. At that point, it is too late to be heard during the decision-making process.
I also receive inquiries about the difference between a mandate and a law, and at times there may be an underlying assumption that a mandate is a rule that an individual or entity may choose to not follow. Legal mandates and laws are effectively the same thing. The difference is in how the two are initiated, as mandates are created and enacted by an executive branch of the government (such as the governor's office) instead of through a lengthier legislative process that concludes with the governor's signature on the creation of a new law.
We believe that every voice should be heard when decisions have major impacts on your kids. This is not a request for advocacy, but is our attempt to inform everyone that decisions will be made beyond our local level that will have implications for our students. Some examples include:
· Future indoor masking mandates will be determined by CDPH and SCCPHD. We anticipate updated information on February 28, 2022.
· SB866 (Weiner) would allow students 12+ to receive COVID vaccines without parental permission.
· SB871 (Pan) Public Health: Immunizations
Again, policies related to COVID-19 have been and will be set at the state level, not at the county or local level. For anyone wishing to express their opinions regarding masking, potential vaccination / booster mandates, availability of antigen take-home tests, or other COVID related topics, we suggest contacting agencies and elected officials directly at:
San Bernardino County Department of Public Health:
California Department of Public Health:
The ALSD Board of Trustees has taken actions in respect to both mask mandates and vaccine mandates. Those Resolutions can be found at:
Resolution 7-21-21 DISTRICT STATEMENT TO CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNING MASK MANDATES:
Resolution 11-03-21 DISTRICT STATEMENT REGARDING COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATES:
Like other school districts in San Bernardino County, ALSD has adhered to the guidance and legal mandates of health agencies since March 2020. It is important that voices are heard on all sides of future COVID variant management decisions. While our local Board of Trustees is always appreciative of hearing from our families, the major decisions ahead will be made by the people and agencies listed above. Our staff interacts with these agencies, and it is important they also hear directly from our families.
We continue to receive questions about the future of indoor masking as well as potential vaccination mandates. As of now, indoor masking is still required by the CDPH and our local SBCDPH.
As a reminder: on January 12, 2022 the Governor's Office shared updated COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools that includes updated recommendations for the management of students exposed to COVID-19 in a K-12 setting. The Alta Loma School District continues to follow California Department of Public Health (CDPH) K-12 guidance. This guidance allows for us to follow the Group Tracing Approach. When a positive individual is identified in the classroom families will receive a Classroom Notification letter and should follow the guidance outlined in the letter.
This statement recognizes that “the state is continuing to work with education, public health, and community leaders to update masking requirements at schools to adapt to changing conditions and ensure the safety of kids, teachers, and staff.”
The California indoor masking requirement for public settings will expire after February 15. On that date, general masking guidance will revert to the previous guidance, which requires masking for unvaccinated individuals in all indoor public settings and requires masking for all individuals regardless of vaccination status in higher-risk settings like public transit and congregate living.
As of February 11, there have been no changes to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) requirements for K-12 school settings. Mandatory public health directives for schools continue to require students and staff to wear face coverings while indoors.
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