Lion's Roar
June 4, 2021
Save the Date!
August 11 - First Day of School
Thank you for Another Great School Year!
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for all of your support this year. I have learned so much from all of you, as well as the Lietz staff and especially the Lietz students. I have truly enjoyed spending time with your children-they have brightened my life. And like I always say, THEY are the best part of the job.
As I write this newsletter and reflect on the year, my heart feels so full. I have watched you as parents and caregivers take on multiple roles through this pandemic. As you cheer on your students and their teachers at the close of the year, please take a moment to give yourselves a huge pat on the back as well. Be proud of the work you have done to ensure that your students were healthy, felt safe, and continued learning. You are, indeed, superheroes. I hope you had a chance this year to witness the outstanding work our students did (both in the classroom and outside the classroom). They have achieved in so many ways this year. Our grade level groups are ready to take on the exciting challenges of the next grade level.
I would also like to take a moment to share a heartfelt thank you to all of our staff. This year has been quite the roller coaster and we came together as a family to take care of one another. We have cried, laughed and celebrated together. We have created a bond that will remain strong for years to come.
What I appreciated most was hearing stories from teachers and staff about seeing their students again in person, and how much they wanted to just hug them. I appreciated watching staff turn their homes into classrooms, trying to create the best experience possible for their roomers and zoomers. Lietz’s staff put in countless hours this year to make sure that our students felt safe, loved and would have a rich academic and extra-curricular experience, whether they were a roomer or a zoomer. This has been no small task, and they absolutely deserve a summer break full of rest and relaxation!
Of course, our school would not function the way it does without the thousands of volunteer hours donated by our parent community. Your contributions helped support our staff and students in phenomenal ways! In addition to the volunteer hours, I would also like to thank those parents that served on the Home and School Club, Site Council, and District parent committees for all the ways that they added to the Lietz experience.
Remember…the first day of school for 2021-2022 is Wednesday, August 11.
I hope your summer is filled with memorable experiences!
We started the year in a different way, but we ended it with tradition. Congrats to our 5th graders as they move onto Middle School!
Volunteer of the Year - Jen Kubisz
She worked tirelessly on creating a fun walkathon experience, raising over 30k dollars for our school! She also designed our beautiful yearbook. All of this, while also having a brand new baby, and working as a nurse during this pandemic.
Thank you Jen for your kindness, support and glowing personality!
Math Olympiad Winners
Thank you to our Math Olympiad leads, Mike Homer and Sean Samenfeld-Specht, for all of your contributions and hard work!
Union School District's Virtual Learning Academy for 2021-2022 Academic Year
Union School District is looking forward to the return to our regular in-person school schedules for the 2021-2022 school year. Our schools are actively planning for students to be back on campus full time for in-person instruction in the fall. For the vast majority of students, we recognize that full time in-person instruction is the absolute best instructional model to meet both their academic and social emotional needs.
We also recognize that some families may be interested in continuing with virtual learning for the fall. Therefore, for the 2021-2022 school year, we are planning to offer a Virtual Learning Academy option. This program will be offered via independent study and is based on our Distance Learning instructional framework with dedicated virtual learning teachers. Students will participate in daily live small group and asynchronous instruction in their online class while still being connected with their home schools for afterschool activities, field trips and enrollment purposes. To determine if this opportunity may be of interest, please visit the USD VL Academy website to learn more about the program and enroll your child.
Lietz Construction Over Summer
Sandya Lopez
Email: lopezs@unionsd.org
Website: www.lietz.unionsd.org
Location: 5300 Carter Avenue, San Jose
Phone: (408) 264-8314
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lietzelementary/
Twitter: @LietzPrincipal