Welcome back! I hope the Thanksgiving holiday and break from school was peaceful and restful. We return tomorrow for the final three weeks of the first semester, which ends on Thursday, December 16. It's a minimum day for students. Schools are closed on Friday, December 17. Encourage your children to finish the first semester strong. Report cards will be available in the Aeries Parent Portal.

School resumes after winter recess on Monday, January 3.

Plan ahead to attend this important webinar conducted in partnership with Riverside University Health Systems. Learn how to recognize the signs of suicide and depression and how to support teenagers suffering from anxiety and depression. The webinar is on Tuesday, December 14, from 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM. Register here to attend in-person at the Family Engagement Center at 5891 Rutland Ave, Riverside, CA 92503, or via Zoom.

Plan ahead to attend an insightful webinar on special education services. Learn strategies to support students with special education needs. Register here to participate via Zoom on December 15, from 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM.

Health screening at home is the most effective of all the COVID-19 strategies we use to keep our schools open. Leading up to the Thanksgiving break, students testing positive for COVID-19 have increased for three consecutive weeks. Thank you in advance for closely monitoring your child's health. Home-testing kits are free and available at all of our schools or from the COVID Help Center.

Since school was closed there were no cases reported this past week.

Positive Cases from the previous week:

• 25 students (Up from 20 last week and 19 the prior week)
• 4 staff members (down from 7 last week and 5 the prior week)

Students Identified Through Contact Tracing:

• 137 students assigned modified quarantine (which means they can continue to attend school in-person as long as they don't develop symptoms and test twice weekly for two weeks)
• 18 students assigned full quarantine (home for at least 10 days)

Overall, we have been serving students in-person for 75 school days. As of Friday, November 19, we have had 114 staff members and 414 students report a positive test for COVID-19. Stay current with our case rate by regularly tracking our COVID-19 Data Dashboard and FAQ here. Cases recorded on the Dashboard are confirmed by Riverside County Public Health officials and remain on the Dashboard for 14 days.

300 new cases (0.1% increase)

13.4 cases per 100K (7-day average)

This past week in Riverside County, there were 300 new cases (0.1% increase) equating to 13.4 cases per 100K (7-day average), 23 new deaths (0.4% increase), and a 4.4% positivity 7-day rate (0.1% decrease from 7-days prior). There are currently 241 COVID-19 hospitalized patients, 11 fewer patients hospitalized since the prior day total (4.4% decrease). This data is as November 27 2021 as reported on the State's tracking web site.

The WIC program provides supplemental foods, health care referrals and nutrition information for families with children 0 to 5. Check your eligibility here. Learn more about the County Public Health program in the video below.

On behalf of your Board of Education, thank you for your partnership. We appreciate your trust in us and we look forward to finishing the first semester strong.

Stay positive. Test weekly. Be well.

Sincerely,

Allan Mucerino

Our two after-school programs are HALF-Time (K-5) and PRIME-Time (6-8). They are available M-F from school dismissal until 6:00 PM. The programs provide FREE academic support, homework assistance and enrichment activities like art, crafts, music, sports and STEM (Science Technology, Engineering, and Math) along with a nutritious meal. Please register your Kindergarten through 8th grade students soon as space is limited. Sign up here in English and here in Spanish.