Bulldog Beat
School Closure Edition
Principal's Message
Dear Bulldog Family,
The last few days have been filled with courageous conversations, tough decisions, and hard work. As I met with district leadership, my administrative team, and staff, one thing that was very apparent is the love that we have for our students and our community.
The difficult decision to close the school is for precautionary measures, and currently there are no known cases of novel coronavirus in our district. These measures are to help slow the progression of the virus and protect our students, staff, and community. This closure includes all extra-curricular activities, after school programs, and district-sponsored events during this time.
We understand the closing of any school has real consequences beyond the loss of instructional time. With that in mind as we move forward, we want to provide you with as much information as possible. The following are things that we currently have in place, with additional pieces to be added in the coming days:
Our teachers are currently working on supplementary resources, digital and non-digital, that can be used at home to review and reinforce knowledge and skills learned this school year. Students and families will not be required to use these resources but are encouraged to as we feel that during this unplanned break it is important for students to continue to exercise their brains and bodies.
Teachers will be sending out an email this week that provides you with virtual office hours that they have established as well as their expectations for students.
Beginning this week, Nutrition Services will be providing breakfast and lunch free of charge to children 18 years of age and under. Meals will be available for breakfast between the hours of 7:30am-8:30am and lunch between the hours of 11:30-12:30 through Friday, March 20th. Starting on Monday March 23rd, the hours will change to 11-12:30. Lunch and breakfast for the following day will be provided. Although meals will not be provided at VHS, please feel free to access the school site that is closest to you.
- Markham Elementary - 101 Markham Avenue
- Willis Jepson Middle School - 580 Elder Street
- Vaca Pena Middle School - 200 Keith Way
- Will C. Wood High School - 998 Marshall Road
I thank you for your patience and trust as we work together to protect and support your students during these uncertain times. You have my unwavering commitment to do all we can do to help in any way that we can.
We will continue to do our best to keep you informed. Facts and circumstances may change quickly so we encourage you to regularly check our website and your email. We also will provide updates, as they become available, via SchoolLoop.
Thank you again for your patience and support.
Ron Thomas
Principal
Vacaville High School
Closure Timeline
The school closure has been extended by VUSD through Friday, April 17th. We are tentatively scheduled to reopen on Monday, April 20, 2020. During this time all school activities have been cancelled. If this should change, you will be notified.
Please see this link for the most recent school closure update from our Superintendent.
Self Care
The following are resources to help families through this process.
How to Talk to Kids and Teen about the Coronavirus
5 Ways to Help Teens Manage Anxiety About the Coronavirus
For additional mental health resources click here.
If you have non-emergency mental health questions regarding your student, please contact one of our mental health clinicians for VHS.
Kate Abellorentzen: katherinea@vacavilleusd.org
Norma Hernandez: normah@vacavilleusd.org
Academic Support
Teachers are reaching out to students/families via Loopmail, Google Classroom and/or Remind with resources and expectations for what students can be working on during this time. If you are not currently registered on Schoolloop, click "Login" and then select "Register Now". You will need your student's 6 digit student ID number. This can be accessed via the Parent Portal. If you need support with accessing this, please contact an administrator.
Samantha Working (students with last names A-L): samanthaw@vacavilleusd.org
Andrea Kamman (students with last names M-Z): andreak@vacavilleusd.org
Academic Counseling Corner
Testing at VHS
Credit Recovery Students: Time to Catch up on Odysseyware
Ms. Nothstine: dnothstine@vacavilleusd.org
Mr. Davis: bdavis@vacavilleusd.org
Mr. Riley: briley@vacavilleusd.org
Ms. Kaufenberg: kkaufenberg@vacavilleusd.org.
Seniors-Class of 2020
Here is an article from a teacher from Louisiana, and we could not have said it better. We care and we are here for you. We hope you find comfort in this article we wanted to share with you all.