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A Moment with Doc Ervin
Superintendent Doc Ervin continues his series introducing key District leaders… this week meet Dr. Sandra Rodriguez, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services.
Future in Focus
Quick tips, brief updates, and reminders about what’s coming up to help families, employees, and our community make the most of our schools.
COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall Meeting
SBCUSD and local health partners will be offering a virtual town hall meeting on Thursday, September 23 to give families and employees an opportunity to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine and ask questions of local medical experts. Stay tuned for more details.
Dual Enrollment Available Through Partnership with Valley College
SBCUSD high school students can take free college classes through a partnership with San Bernardino Valley College.
Valley Now allows students to save thousands of dollars by taking college course classes along with their regular classes. Classes may be offered at the San Bernardino Valley College campus, online, at participating high schools, or in a hybrid format.
Learn more about the Valley Now program by registering for an information session on September 27 from 5 to 6:30. More information is available here.
Join the Citizens Oversight Committee
Facilities Management is seeking a few individuals to serve on the Citizens Oversight Committee. If you are interested or know of a Parent, PTA/PTO member of a San Bernardino District school, grandparent, business member (in San Bernardino), or any San Bernardino resident who is interested in serving on the committee please email or call David Sierra at [email protected] or (909) 388-6100.
Interested applicants can view application requirements as well as the past activities of the COC by visiting the Facilities website www.sbcusdfacilities.com and click here to access the Citizens Oversight Committee membership application.
Have a High School Student Interested in a Military Academy Appointment?
Representative Pete Aguilar is hosting a virtual 2021 U.S. Military Service Academy Information Session on Wednesday, September 15 at 5 p.m. for students and parents who would like to learn about the educational opportunities available at the four service academies.
These schools are the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. These institutions prepare college-age Americans to be officers of the U.S. uniformed services.
To RSVP, please contact the office of Representative Pete Aguilar at (909) 890-4445 or email [email protected].
Highlights of the Week
Highlights of key news from the week that will help you stay in the know.
Bus Riders Should Plan for Transportation Delays
Students who ride the bus to and from school are likely to experience delays due to the national shortage of drivers. Please be patient and instruct your child to remain at their designated bus stop until the bus arrives. Don’t worry, students won’t be marked tardy and they will have an opportunity to eat breakfast on arrival at school. Delays also mean students are likely to arrive home a little late. We apologize for any inconvenience.
SBCUSD is Hiring Substitutes
If you’re retired from full-time teaching or another career, consider joining SBCUSD as a substitute teacher.
Substitute teaching allows you to keep busy, stay involved in a fulfilling profession, and continue earning some income. And, you have the chance to teach students some of the most valuable life skills they need to succeed in life. Substitute teachers can earn up to $178.97 daily and have excellent working hours and a flexible schedule. Apply at https://www.edjoin.org/Home/DistrictJobPosting/1430267. For more information, please contact Certificated Human Resources at (909) 381-1101.
ParentSquare Tip of the Week
How Do I Change or Stop Notifications?
ParentSquare allows users to customize their notifications based on notification type and select their preferred delivery method for each school.
You can choose between "instant" and "digest" notifications or choose to turn off notifications altogether (excluding emergency alerts and notices). The "instant" setting will send all posts notifications in real-time. The “digest” setting sends direct messages, alerts, and time-sensitive posts instantly, but sends all non-time sensitive posts at the end of the day, reducing the number of notifications you receive daily. (We recommend the “digest” setting”.)
ACTION:
If you are using the web browser: On your home page, click your name and select "My Account." Then, select "Customize your settings" under Notification Settings.
If you are using the mobile app: From your home screen, click the triple bar in the top left corner. Click on "Account," then "Preferences," then "Notification Settings."
Better Together. Welcome Home.
Weekly Safety Reminder
Should your child become ill during the school day, it is important that office staff be able to quickly reach you and your designated emergency contacts. Log in to the Aeries Parent Portal or call your child’s school to update your information each time it changes.
In the Spotlight
SBCUSD Continues Working to Keep Schools Open for Teaching and Learning
The San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) remains committed to slowing the spread of COVID-19 so schools can stay open for in-person teaching and learning. In fact, we must. The State of California does not permit schools to offer distance learning as their primary means of education this year. Therefore, our focus is on making sure students are as safe as possible in our classrooms.
We have learned a great deal about COVID-19 over the past year as we worked closely with both the California Department of Public Health and San Bernardino County Department of Public Health to prepare for opening. One month into school we have continued to learn and tighten our protocols both for safety and communication. All schools statewide are grappling with the challenges of operating in this unprecedented environment and many are reaching out to learn from us. Most of what we planned has worked well and we appreciate the partnership we have with parents and staff, whose input continues to help make us a model for best practices.
At its most recent meeting on September 7, the Board of Education received an update from District staff on the multiple layers of protection and notification that SBCUSD is using to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Safety measures include:
- daily health assessments for students and staff
- mandatory face covering for all while indoors and regular handwashing
- regular sanitation for schools and administrative offices
- HEPA air filters in every classroom
- free, convenient on-campus COVID-19 testing for students and staff, and
- a medically trained and supervised COVID-19 liaison at each school for quick - evaluation and contact tracing
We also shared our notification protocol including the three letters parents may receive about a COVID-19 case in our schools. Most families who receive a letter will just be informed about a case that was present at school with no direct exposure for their student. Students should continue to attend school as the COVID-19 case they are notified about and anyone who was identified as having been exposed as a close contact have already been quarantined. Our systems move quickly to contain threats and keep our students and staff safe.
In addition, to promote transparency and accountability, the District began publishing an online COVID-19 dashboard, available at www.sbcusd.com/covid19dashboard. This digital tool is updated daily with confirmed data on active cases in each of our schools. The numbers on the dashboard may not be the same as the number of letters received by families because the dashboard numbers follow investigations that could prove previously suspected cases were actually negative for COVID-19.
District officials also held a virtual town hall meeting on September 9 to give families, employees, and other stakeholders an opportunity to receive information about school operations. A video of the town hall is available on the SBCUSD YouTube channel.