Old Adobe Educator Weekly Round-Up
Monday 2/1/21 - Friday 2/5/21
MESSAGE FROM SUPERINTENDENT LOWERY
Celebrating Black History
Dear Educators,
During February, we celebrate Black History Month or African-American History Month. This month reminds and encourages us to recognize and celebrate the contributions, achievements and sacrifices of black people throughout our nation’s history and to explore African-American heritage. Black history is American history, it is the shared and every day experiences of African-Americans that have influenced our history and have shaped our present. The Black History Month 2021 theme, “Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity” explores the African diaspora, and the spread of Black families across the United States.
During Black History Month of 2021 I challenge us all to go beyond the traditional lessons about Black pioneers. This month let us all commit to self-reflection of our work as educators through a critical race theory lens. Let's examine the commitments we made to racial injustice this past summer. Ask yourself:
"What am I doing to counter anti-blackness in my school environment?"
"How am I amplifying the voices of black students and other students of color?"
"How am I going to keep teaching Black history (which is U.S. history) throughout the year?"
"What am I doing daily to make sure black students and other students of color feel valued and affirmed in the spaces I occupy or lead?"
Each week we will provide some amazing resources to explore.
- Webinar: Engaging in Antiracism Work: During Black History Month and Beyond February 10 1:00-2:00PM Interactive webinar where we will explore the importance of taking a more antiracist approach to celebrating Black achievement throughout the year.
Historically Speaking: 400 Souls—A Conversation with Ibram Kendi and Keisha N. Blain
Tuesday, Feb. 2; 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Renowned scholars Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, and Keisha N. Blain, author of Set the World on Fire have assembled 90 extraordinary writers to document the 400 hundred-year journey of African Americans from 1619 to the present in their newly released book Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019. Each contributor writes about a five-year period of 400 years of African American history using essays, short stories, personal vignettes and fiery polemics. Register Here
- A virtual exhibition of 28 works that celebrate Black legacy in the U.S. Each night during the 28 days in February the exhibition includes an introduction to a moment in black history exemplified by the art, literature or artifact featured for the day; Discussion questions and action items. https://www.28daysofblackhistory.com/
- The Petaluma Blacks for Community Development in coordination with the Petaluma Historical Library and Museum is presenting a variety of events throughout February. Concerts, lectures, storytelling activities and a new museum exhibit take place throughout the month — most for free and held at the museum. See a listing of events at the Argus-Courier
- 91 movies and TV shows to stream for Black History - a streaming guide to historical fiction, biopics, documentaries, and sitcoms, made by and about Black Americans. 91 movies and TV shows to stream for Black History Month
#eachandeverystudent #OldAdobeStrong
Superintendent Lowery
CHILD DEVLOPMENT
We want to say a tremendous thank you to Brenda Cuevas for all that she did to assist our Kids Care Distance Learning Support Program teams at La Tercera. She will be missed!
**Spotlight on our newest La Tercera staff, Retha Healy and Jeremy Moreno**
Site Manager Jeremy Moreno
“Hello I am a new father with another on the way. I enjoy working with students after school and have been doing this work for over 12 years now. In my free time I love spending time in nature relaxing or taking advantage of some high intensity outdoor activities like Surfing, Snowboarding, Backcountry skiing and hiking. I also love playing music and learning different instruments. I feel that this work keeps me young and I enjoy supporting and being available to students families of all socio economic, and diverse backgrounds.”
Instructional Assistant Retha Healy
Hello! My name is Retha Healy. My family and I have been residents of Petaluma for 14 years, having moved from Los Angeles. I was born and raised in Malaysia. I speak 3 different languages,English, Malay and Tamil. My grandparents were immigrants from India and moved to Malaysia sometime in the 1920’s. After high school, I decided to pursue my education in England. I graduated from St. Nicholas Montessori College in London and later joined nursing school at Buckinghamshire School of Nursing in London and graduated as an R.N. I moved to California in 1993, where I met my husband, Steve Healy. We have 4 children, 2 in college and 2 in high school. After having our children, I decided to be a stay at home mom and 23 years later, and now that they are grown, I decided to slowly move into the workforce. I am happy to be part of the Kids Care Distant Learning Support Program, as an Instructional Aid at LaTercera. Each child is unique in their own ways and it has been my pleasure to see them grow each day and adjust to this new way of learning. They are doing incredibly well.
COVID-19 NEWS
Vaccinations
This past Friday the Sonoma County Department of Public Health (SCDPH) rescinded the vaccines allocated for school staff. SCDPH is reprioritizing their vaccine allocation based on age, and Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) will not be able to proceed with the vaccinations for educators 65 years of age and older scheduled for next week.
As we worked on Friday to notify the employees we were filled with excitement. I recognize that we probably share in the same disappointment and frustration as we were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and were hoping to begin vaccinating school staff. Please read the SCOE press release sharing the postponement. We are not giving up and will continue to prepare to be ready to go as soon as SCOE is allocated vaccines.
If you were not already aware, I encourage you to review the Press Democrat article from Tuesday that reported some school employees in Santa Clara county were able to jump ahead in line and get vaccinated.
We are aware that some school staff in Sonoma County may be attempting to do something similar using the online reservation system to get a vaccination appointment even though they do not qualify as a healthcare worker or a senior (65+ years old). Please be mindful the SCOE team continues to work with county health officials to roll out vaccinations for school staff as soon as possible while adhering to the designated tier system and priorities identified by the state and county.
If there are educators that have an appointment to get vaccinated out of order please be mindful of how this similar scenario played out in Santa Clara County regarding the public outcry and animosity toward educators.
Thank you for your continued patience during this monumental effort. The county has prioritized vaccinations and educators will be contacted about scheduling. As long as doses remain available, educators 65 and older will be contact to receive the first dose of the vaccine for educators.
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REQUIRED FRONTLINE DAILY HEALTH ASSESSMENT
We understand we have had some technical difficulty with the Frontline Health Portal. We are working with Frontline to correct and fix any mishaps and minimize the disruption of our goal of all District employees completing the daily health assessment each day.
Here are a few reminders:
1) All staff are required to complete the daily health screen assessment via the frontline health portal each day.
2) Whether you come to a school site/office or are working from home, all employees scheduled to work and are not on leave of absence, must take the daily health assessment.
3) The health assessment is to be completed BEFORE coming to school site/office and must be submitted daily unless the employee is on a leave of absence.
4) If you check any boxes (other than "none of the above") please stay home and call your supervisor and report that you did not pass the health screening. Please expect a phone call from Cynthia Granato, the COVID-19 Technician, to discuss next steps to take according to the Department of Public Health guidelines and requirements. This dialogue with the COVID technician is required contact tracing that we must do as en employer to the slow the spread of COVID-19. Here is some information on contact tracing from the CDC.
If you encounter any issues with registering or with completing the Frontline daily health screening, please contact Covid-19 Technician Cynthia Granato at cgranato@oldadobe.org.
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STATE STAY AT HOME ORDER LIFTED, LIMITED ORDER REMAINS IN EFFECT
Under the limited order, residents are asked to stay at home as much as possible to slow the spread. Outdoor gatherings are permitted up to three households and business and restaurants can resume outdoor activities.
LET'S ALL REMEMBER TO DO OUR PART AND FOLLOW THE 3Ws
CURRICULUM AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DEPARTMENT
6th Grade Teachers, have you heard of the CPM eWorkspace? It’s a new feature for formative assessment that we have signed up for, and Sloan is working hard to make available to you all. We will let you know as soon as it is all set up!
CPM Educational Program is excited to announce a new formative assessment feature in our online curriculum eBooks called eWorkspace. This new feature allows students to submit work electronically and teachers to provide timely, formative feedback to students. Students submit their work directly in eBooks right below each problem in a lesson. From a quick "I reviewed" your work to a customized note, give students the encouragement and direction they need to keep learning.
Review all student work by problem, see which classes have unreviewed responses, hide student names to avoid bias and more features to come.
Nearpod Survey - Please take a moment to answer this quick 3 question survey regarding Nearpod professional development opportunities.
Link to Survey: https://forms.gle/9YA7EeLd4tnVDzdM8
Primary teachers, click HERE for a webinar on using Nearpod in the Early Childhood Classroom.
Did you know that Nearpod has a Facebook group? If you are a Facebook user, head to the Nearpod Community for additional program support.
If you were unable to attend the EL Leadership Conference, you can access the slides and resources in this 2021 EL Leadership Conference Session Materials folder in Drive.
Five Minute Film Festival Workshop
Contact: Matt O'Donnell | modonnell@scoe.org
3:30 - 4:00 | Thursday, Feb. 4
If you have ever participated in or have seen the final creations from the Five Minute Film Festival that SCOE has offered annually, you will know how amazing the submissions have been. It’s that time of year again, and here is more information if you are interested in participating.
K-12 teachers are invited to attend this workshop to prepare them to participate in the festival with their students. Teachers will be provided with an overview of accessible, student-friendly video creation techniques and will receive all of the necessary information to help their students participate in the festival. Teachers will also receive focused support at their sites if requested. The goal is to develop an integrated curriculum that allows students to authentically demonstrate their learning through this fun and exciting project.
Click here to learn more and/or register
SCOE is also offering additional professional development geared toward supporting English Learners:
Intentional Instruction for English Learners
Contact: Mark Niemann | mniemann@scoe.org or Jenn Guerrero| jguerrero@scoe.org
4:00 - 5:30 | Wednesday, Feb. 24
Synchronous instructional sessions are essential for English learners. It is here that they build the deep content knowledge and language skills needed to excel in school. This session will help teachers to intentionally design their instruction to meet the unique needs of ELs and keep their learning at the forefront of planning.
EQUITY CORNER
Equity Coalition Update
Our next meeting will be Wednesday, February 10th at 3PM.
Hope you can join!
On Your Radar: Michaela Goade becomes the first Indigeious Caldecott award winner for her illustrations in We Are Water Protectors, written by Carol Lindstrom.
"Inspired by the many Indigenous-led movements across North America, We Are Water Protectors issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth’s water from harm and corruption."
Interested in becoming a revolutionary educator?
Consider attending the Revolutionary Educators Conference on March 6th and 7th.
During this virtual conference, the speakers will cover topics ranging from how to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline to restorative justice practices and anti-racism in the classroom.
Check out the website for more information on the presenters and topics: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-revolutionary-educator-conference-activating-liberation-pedagogy-tickets-135799829947
If you need to reach the Equity Coalition to share resources, express concerns or ask questions, you can now email the group at equitycoalition@oldadobe.org.
FOOD PANTRY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Sign Up Today:-)
We need more volunteers to ensure that we can continue this service and provide this much needed resource.
Please sign up by clicking the button below.
FACILITIES
Join us in giving a loud shout-out to custodian Crispin Santiago at Loma Vista school. The 4 portables that are being removed to make room for new modular classrooms, needed to be completely emptied of belongings before removal. Crispin’s initiative took on the responsibility of doing most of this himself. This was a very impressive work for one person to do. Loma Vista and Dominic Lazzarro are very lucky to have Crispin as an employee. Thank you Crispin!
REGISTRATION AND ENROLLMENT 2021-2022
All of our schools are hosting Virtual School Tours.
Here are the individual school videos.
STUDENT SERVICES
Please mark you calendars for our March 9th Community
Advisory Commitee Meeting
Student CAC 5:30 pm
CAC Meeting 6:00pm
The CAC's ultimate goal is to ensure that students succeed in maximizing their potential, receive the best possible education, and have equal access to all services. The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) acts in an advisory capacity to the Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA). The Community Advisory Committee supports individuals with exceptional needs and their families. This committee provides an opportunity for parents, professionals and other community members to provide important input as it relates to our special education programs.
Regular meetings ensure that members are well informed about current programs and legislation. All Community Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public.
SPECIAL EDCUATION ASSESSMENTS
The District is beginning to conduct one to one, in person, special education assessments. We are required to continue social distancing, health precautions and restrictions on activities, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are prepared to serve our students as best we can under these challenging circumstances and consistent with current public health orders and guidance while continuing to fulfill our obligations for comprehensive, legally required special education assessments for our students.
In line with these directions, District School Psychologists, Speech and Language Pathologists and/or other certificated special education staff will meet in person with individual special education students to conduct required special education assessments. Special education assessors will carefully consider which assessments are essential at this time to ensure appropriate decisions regarding special education plans (IEPs), for critical transitions (e.g. initial school placement, transition school placement, triennial IEPs, etc.) and whether the assessments may be conducted remotely. Tele-practice or remote assessment may not be practical and/or is not likely to produce reliable results in all cases and, therefore, in-person assessment would be necessary or the preferred practice, at this time. Consistent with state and local public health orders and guidance, to protect students and the assessors, the District has implemented precautions to mitigate the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in connection
with the assessment. School staff are committed to keeping everyone safe from the spread of the virus. If a student is unable to adhere to safety protocols and precautions or the student demonstrates any signs of illness at the time of the assessment, the session will end immediately, and the student will be sent home.
The safety of Old Adobe Union School District Staff, students, and families is our priority. We are confident that our District can conduct appropriate and necessary special education assessments on campus with individual students in a manner that ensures the health and well-being of our community.
TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
It’s Here! Announcing the Launch of the Newly Redesigned OAUSD Website!
We are delighted to officially announce the launch of the newly redesigned OAUSD website!
The website will go live on February 1, and more modifications will be made as necessary as we fine tune the layout and content.
We want to share about all the amazing things happening in the Old Adobe School District! Our goal with this new website is to provide students, families, staff and the community with an easier way to find school and district information, to improve the aesthetics, to simplify our content, add to new resources and increase communication.
The new design is interactive and also allows for streamlined menus, clear navigation, and a responsive layout for all electronic platforms. We will constantly update our content with helpful information, events, newsletters, and announcements.
Explore our new website to learn more about our District, and be sure to check back in regularly!
We love your feedback. For any questions, suggestions, or comments, please share them HERE.
OAUSD EVENTS SCHEDULED THIS WEEK:
February 1, 2021 - February 5, 2021
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Monday, 2/1
Tuesday, 2/2
Wednesday, 2/3
Weekly School Assemblies 8:30 AM
Miwok ELAC 6:30 PM
Old Adobe Virtual Tour 6:30 PM
Sonoma Mountain PTA 7:00 PM
Thursday, 2/4
La Tercera Virtual Tour 6:30 PM
Sonoma Mountain Virtual Tour 7:00 PM
Friday, 2/5
Loma Vista Spirit Wear
Amanda Gorman's Ted Talk
Old Adobe Union School District
Website: https://www.oldadobe.org/
Location: 845 Crinella Dr, Petaluma, CA 94954, USA
Phone: 707-765-4321
Twitter: @OAUSD_Super