Community Update
September 30, 2021
Lancaster School District
Website: www.lancsd.org
Location: 44711 Cedar Avenue, Lancaster, CA, USA
Phone: (661) 948-4661
Facebook: facebook.com/LancasterSchoolDistrict
Twitter: @lancsdtwit
To read this newsletter in Spanish, click the "view in my browser" link. In the menu to the right, choose Translate and pick "Spanish" in the dropdown box.
Para leer este boletín en español, haga clic en el enlace "ver en mi navegador". En el menú de la derecha, elija Traducir y elija "Español" en el cuadro desplegable.
Message from Superintendent Bowers
Happy New School Year!
School has been back in session since August 10 and so much has happened in the past few weeks. The great news is that close to 95% of our students and families chose to return to in-person instruction! We are really pleased with the high number of students that we are able to safely support in our schools and classrooms - full day Monday through Friday. This speaks very highly to the continued commitment to safety from our entire school community – staff, students, and families! I want to express my gratitude and appreciation for everyone’s understanding and cooperation during this time as it is extremely important that we all do what we can to keep our students and staff safe and our schools open.
I’m sure you’ve noticed that a few things are different as we continue to monitor and evaluate COVID-19 transmission rates, as well as changes in guidance and information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and the Los Angeles County Office of Education. We have erred on the side of caution to mitigate, to the greatest degree possible, the need to quarantine excessive numbers of students/staff, school outbreaks, or school closures. In addition to the recommended layered safety measures that we already had in place, such as masks, physical distancing, hepa filters, and protective shields, I would like to share some additional measures that we have taken to promote school safety:
- Outdoor hand washing stations
- Individual student supplies
- Whenever practicable, PE and lunch activities are outdoors
- Dedicated seating assignments in classrooms and cafeterias to manage contact tracing and reduce the number of individuals that may need to be quarantined in the event a positive case is reported
- Bottled water is available upon request or as needed
We have learned that though we are excited and happy to be back in school, we aren’t “back to normal” quite yet, meaning that we haven’t fully returned to doing everything the way it was done pre-COVID. Thank you for your patience as we work to be responsive to the quickly changing priorities and mandates.
I want to commend our staff on the creative ways that they have found to make this new learning environment work to provide students access to band, assemblies, picture day, sports conditioning, and other events that safely promote student engagement, extended learning opportunities (virtual and in-person), and family involvement.
I will close my message by sharing that it has been such a joy visiting our schools and hearing the laughter and excitement of our students. Seeing them play with their friends, engage in class, learn, explore, and create is absolutely one of the most exciting and best things I’ve seen in 18 months. School is back in session!
Back to fun. Back to friends. Back to school!
NEW! Dashboard for COVID Cases in Schools
We're proud to say that, to date, Lancaster School District has not reported any outbreaks and our overall percentage of positive cases is significantly less than 1%. It is important to also note that LACDPH reported that most identified cases are from community exposures unrelated to school. Thank you to our entire school community for doing your part to keep our schools open and our students, staff, and families safe!
Self-Care is Essential for Everyone. Here are 5 Important Tips!
Returning to full time in-person learning is an adjustment for not only our students, but adults too. It is important to remember that before we are able to provide care and support to our children, we must make sure we are psychologically and mentally healthy ourselves. Here are five tips you should keep in mind to make sure you are exercising adequate self-care:
- Exercise regularly – Regular exercise is a great way to manage stress. Working out may help increase your body’s endorphins, which are the feel-good hormones associated with what is referred to as a “runner’s high.”¹ Another bonus associated with exercise is increased self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment. The America Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week to stay healthy.² So get out there and get active by walking, running, swimming, or engaging in another activity!
- Take care of your basic needs – Oftentimes, taking care of ourselves is secondary to addressing work and personal obligations. Getting enough sleep is a basic need that need to be prioritized Did you know that getting at least 7 hours of sleep will lead to better concentration and productivity? Adequate sleep also improves immune function and helps us recognize social cues and process emotional information. ³ Setting a bedtime every night and sticking to it is a great way of working towards getting enough sleep.
- Set boundaries – Having a separation between work and your personal life is essential for your mental health. Many times, work seeps over into after-work hours. Although it is important to keep up with professional responsibilities, there are limits. A good way to set boundaries is to adhere to a schedule. For example, you may designate work activities until 5:30pm daily but be committed afterwards to engaging in time with family or self-care activities without interruption or distractions. Being efficient with your work time helps to feel good about making your personal time work-free.
- Meditate/Pray – Taking time to meditate or pray is associated with reducing stress, loneliness, and fear. With or without the spiritual component, taking time to focus on the here and now and not worrying about what has happened in the past or what will happen in the future is therapeutic. Research supports that meditation improves attention and cognition.4 There are many apps and YouTube videos that will guide you through the meditation process. Check one out to see the benefits yourself!
- Family time – There are many benefits to spending time with family. Some of those include reducing stress, lengthening life expectance, and improving mental health. Not only are there positive benefits for adults, but there are even more for children. Kids who have healthy family relationships perform better in school, have less risk of behavioral problems, and demonstrate higher self-confidence.5 Investment in the lives of your kids will beget well-adjusted, happy adults. Our kids are only young once. Be an active, supportive influence in their lives when it’s important!
References:
1. “Exercise and Stress: Get Moving to Manage Stress.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 18 Aug. 2020, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/exercise-and-stress/art-20044469.
2. “American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults and Kids.” Www.heart.org, https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/aha-recs-for-physical-activity-in-adults.
3. Leech, Joe. “10 Reasons Why Good Sleep Is Important.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 25 Feb. 2020, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-reasons-why-good-sleep-is-important#10.-Sleep-affects-emotions-and-social-interactions.
4. “5 Health Benefits of Daily Meditation According to Science.” PositivePsychology.com, 23 May 2021, https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-meditation/.
5. Thatcher, Dr. Todd. “The Top Ten Benefits of Spending Time with Family.” Highland Springs, 6 Aug. 2021, https://highlandspringsclinic.org/blog/the-top-ten-benefits-of-spending-time-with-family/.
Need Help?
Lancaster School District is continuing our partnership with the Princeton Reviews for tutor.com and has made the tutoring program available to all students in our district. Tutor.com provides 24/7 online access and help to students who might be experiencing difficulties in their homework and in some of their content area courses. There is no need to feel alone in having to struggle through homework or for a parent to feel discouraged in trying to help their student achieve high standards. Through tutor.com, students have on-demand access to get connected to an expert tutor within minutes in the area where they need help. Tutor.com offers experts in every subject taught in Lancaster School District, and can provide help in any language.
For assistance or questions about tutor.com, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Jordan Goines, Director of Special Programs at goinesj@lancsd.org.