WPUSD eNews
PARENT EDITION | August, 2022
WPUSD eNews: September 2022
Superintendent's Corner
It is hard to believe that we are already into September. Overall, our school year started smoothly. We had a few hiccups and appreciate everyone's patience as we make minor tweaks to our operations. We are at a record high for student enrollment and are continuing to enroll new students daily. We began tracking new student registrations in January 2022 and updated our enrollment counts and staffing needs accordingly. After schools closed in mid June until early August when they reopened, we enrolled almost 200 more new students. These late registrations, coupled with staffing shortages, have caused changes at our school sites as we work to accommodate all of our students. We, again, thank you for adapting with us.
WPUSD has five (5) global goals for the District. They are as follows:
- Develop and continually upgrade a well-articulated K-12 academic program that challenges all students to achieve their highest potential;
- Foster a safe, caring environment where individual differences are valued and respected;
- Provide facilities for all district programs and functions that are suitable in terms of function, space, cleanliness and attractiveness;
- Promote the involvement of the community, local government, business, service organizations, etc. as partners in the education of our students; and
- Promote student health and nutrition in order to enhance readiness for learning.
Recently, in alignment with our global District goals, the WPUSD Board of Trustees established the following priorities for the 2022-2023 school year:
- Safety and Well-being of Students and Staff;
- College and Career Readiness; and
- Organizational Excellence and Optimization.
It is projected to be extremely hot this weekend, so please take care through the holiday weekend.
Kerry Callahan, Superintendent
Email: kcallahan@wpusd.org
Website: wpusd.org
Phone: 916-645-6350
Board Meeting Schedule September 2022
September 6th
September 20th
INFORMATION SECTION
In This Section
🚌Bus Routes & Transportation NEW!
🤒COVID Protocols
⚠️School Safety
🌞Education Services Corner NEW!
📞ParentSquare Resources for Families NEW!
🏫School Facilities Update NEW!
🥗Food Service Information NEW!
👨🏫Updates from Personnel Services NEW!
🛠️Updates from Maintenance & Operations NEW!
Bus Routes & Transportation
Where's My School Bus?
If you're wondering where and when the bus will be arriving to take your child to school or bring them home please click HERE to check out the most up-to-date bus route times for your student.
Boyd Pyatt, Director of Transportation
Phone: bpyatt@wpusd.org
Email: 916-645-6346
COVID Protocols for 2022-2023
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently published an updated document (HERE) for guidance for COVID response for schools for the 2022/2023 school year. In addition, we created a FAQ document (HERE) to help answer questions you may have about this updated guidance and our district response to COVID for the upcoming school year.
CDPH's most recent guidance shifts the majority of requirements to a set of recommendations. The only remaining requirement, from CDPH, is that students who are ill, must be fever free for at least 24 hours without the aid of fever-reducing medication before returning to school. This requirement is in alignment with the standard practice we exercised prior to COVID when students were ill. Our district requires that students who are ill, especially students who have any kind of fever, are kept home until they are well and fever free for at least 24 hours. In addition, while not required, we encourage families to strongly consider the recommendations from CDPH when making decisions regarding their child's attendance to support us in minimizing the spread of COVID throughout our schools.
School Safety in Mind
One of our district's main focus for the 2022 - 2023 school year is safety. Each year, the District reviews and updates each school's as well as the district's Comprehensive Site Safety Plans. These plans are robust, reviewed annually and approved by Law Enforcement and school safety professionals. Beyond these plans, the district has implemented additional measures to begin the 2022-2023 school year. Bullets points in bold are highlighted below with more detail.
- We have updated all school emergency maps in connection with LPD
- We are working with LDP and the Central California Intelligence Center to update school safety plans
- Schools have or will have threat assessments completed - this information will be used to make schools safer, by adding safety measures at all school sites based on specific needs
- We will implement STOPit, the anonymous reporting app, at all school sites
- We are increasing our frequency of emergency drills
- LPD is hosting active threat training on two campuses (not during school sessions).
- Staff training will focus on creating safe schools for both physical and mental health
- All classrooms have bleed kits and staff have been trained to use these kits in an emergency
- We will continue to use the Standard Response Protocol for school safety through the "I Love U Guys" foundation
Stop-it Implemented District Wide
According to the Department of Homeland Security, data shows 67% of school shooters mention their plan to a friend or classmate and 42% tell more than one person or post on social media. While some of our schools are currently using an anonymous tip reporting system, the District feels the implementation of Stop-it district-wide is prudent in putting student and staff safety at the top of our priority list. As parents/guardians of students in the district, help your student(s) understand that reporting something when they see or hear something is completely anonymous and will help keep our schools safe learning environments. It could even save lives. Each site, in concert with the District Office, our mental health specialists, and the Lincoln Police Department, will work collaboratively to ensure issues are handled with care and students are receiving the services they need.
Standard Response Protocol (SRP) - What is it?
Reno Penders, Director of Educational Services and Safety Manager
Email: rpender@wpusd.org
Phone: 916-645-6350
Education (Ed.) Services
Elementary Sites Introduce Morning Meetings
Starting off the morning right makes for a great day! To start this school year, the District introduced ‘Morning Meetings’ or MM for short, at all of our elementary sites. While social-emotional health is not a new focus for our district, we continue to enhance activities that support social-emotional learning (SEL) and our students' well-being, and Morning Meetings do just that.
The main philosophy of MM is to dedicate the first 20-30 minutes of every day to conducting a group meeting while looking at the whole child (beyond academics). Based on 4 main components, Greeting, Sharing, Group Activity and Morning Message, students and teachers can build relationships and create a community/family culture, which in turn, helps tremendously with building trust and risk taking.
CAASPP (SBAC) Scores are Now Available
Parents can now access their child(ren)'s CAASPP (SBAC) test scores! Information and instructions are located below in the ACTION section of this newsletter.
Scott Pickett, Assistant Superintendent of Education Services
Phone: 916-645-6350
Email: spickett@wpusd.org
Kathleen Leehane, Director of Supplemental Programs & Accountability
Phone: 916-645-6350
Email: kleehane@wpusd.org
Ellie Martinez, Director of Special Education
Phone: 916-645-6350
Email: emartinez@wpusd.org
School Communications
ParentSquare Resources for Parents
ParentSquare is the primary method of communication (aside from your standard email and phone call) district and site staff will use to communicate with you! It is completely optional to access your account, but those who wish, can log in through their internet browser or by downloading the ParentSquare app. It offers different notification settings, so you are in control of when and how you receive information. Learn how to get started here!
Seeing too many emails? Switch to digest mode by accessing your account and notification settings.
School Facilities
What's Happening in our Facilities Department?
Did you know here at the District Office, we have a department dedicated to planning, building, and renovating our school facilities? They work closely with the City of Lincoln to develop a Facilities Master Plan, which incorporates new housing development plans and utilizes intricate formulas to project student generation.
With the successful construction of Scott Leaman Elementary and Twelve Bridges High School and other bond-funded projects completed on-time and on-budget, and with continued residential growth in Lincoln, the Facilities Department has been busy planning and working on the updated District-wide School Facilities Master Plan, which was finalized and adopted in May 2022. The 2022 School Facilities Master Plan is a 10-15 year plan consisting of facility improvement needs assessments of existing school sites, analysis of needs and development of future school sites to accommodate growth, and needed support facilities throughout the school district. As we continue to plan and prepare our school facilities to match the exceptional teaching and support our staff gives, we wanted to welcome you all to the 22/23 school year and introduce ourselves in case you should have any questions regarding our district's facilities.
We hope you enjoy the start of the 2022/2023 school year!!
Michael Adell, Director of Facilities
Email: madell@wpusd.org
Roles/Responsibilities: Development, Facilities Master Plan, and Measure G Bond Questions
Hannah Ritchie, Asst. Director of Facilities
Email: hritchie@wpusd.org
Roles/Responsibilities: New classrooms, projects, and construction on School Campuses, Facilities Master Plan, and Measure G Bond Questions
Julie Brown, Facilities Clerk
Email: jubrown@wpusd.org
Roles/Responsibilities: Site Capacity, Developer Fees, and support on all of the above!
Food & Nutrition Services
Meal Application Clarification - IMPORTANT!
We encourage families to apply for the meal program or complete the District Household Income Form. In doing so, schools can receive additional funding for students.
The meal application system will generate a letter, letting you know if you qualify for Free, Reduced or Paid meals. While this may seem confusing, please know that even if you are 'denied' meals, that will NOT impact your students ability to receive FREE meals at school. California has adopted universal free meals. So this means any student, regardless of their eligibility status, will have access to free meals this school year! Completing the application is a formality which allows schools to generate supplemental income based on a family's economic status.
New Vendor Alert!
Welcome our new vendor, Bonami Bakery! Located in Pittsburgh, Ca, this family owned bakery is supplying us with whole grain rich dough for freshly baked croissants and cinnamon rolls. They are also supplying our ciabatta bread, hamburger buns and hotdog buns. We are so excited to offer freshly baked & local products to our students!
Local Rice from Wheatland, CA
Keep an eye out for our sustainably grown brown basmati rice from Rue & Forsman Ranch located in Wheatland, Ca. You will see this rice featured with our awesome Orange Chicken! Fun fact: Our delivery driver, Travis, with NextGen Foods attended GEMS and graduated from LHS in 2011!
Practice Makes Perfect - IMPORTANT
We are aware of lunch lines taking longer than usual. We put in place different measures to alleviate some of the congestion, including adding lunch periods at the middle school level. But depending on unforeseen circumstances, some of these measure just aren't enough, and we know how frustrating this can be. Our schools are experiencing severe staffing shortages, not only in our cafeterias but for our breakfast and lunch supervision as well.
One way you can help us move students through the line faster is by practicing your student(s) meal pins with them. It is the last 5 digits of their student ID number. Primary schools sites have scanners, but often students don’t have access to their scan cards at breakfast, so it's slowing things down. Another way you can help is by getting involved! Have a few free hours during the school day while your kiddo is in school? Apply to assist in the cafeteria or help out as a campus monitor! You can apply by clicking the button below!
Christina Lawson, Director of Food Services
Phone: 916-645-6373
Email: clawson@wpusd.org
Personnel Services
Get Involved with your Child's Education - APPLY NOW!
We have temporarily relaxed some of the job application requirements for some of our classified positions. For some, obtaining three letters of recommendation can be difficult. In order to broaden our potential pool of eligible applicants, we have made the following adjustments to encourage more people to apply:
- Required: Online application (https://www.edjoin.org/wpusd) + three references + a resume for the following positions:
- Cafeteria and Food Service
- Instructional Aide
- Paraprofessional
- Campus Monitor
- Bus Driver
- Required: Online application (https://www.edjoin.org/wpusd) + three references + a resume + a letter of introduction for the following positions:
- Bilingual School Clerk
- District Office Clerk
- Health Clerk
- Special Education Clerk
- Custodian/Grounds Worker
- Grounds Maintenance Worker
- Maintenance/Custodian
Concerns About Staff
When issues arise regarding staff, it is our policy and practice to include and attempt to resolve issues with the employee first. For example, if you have a concern regarding your child’s teacher, we encourage you to let the teacher know and work together with the teacher to resolve the concern. If the concern remains unresolved after working with the teacher (or staff member), we would then encourage you to let the principal know, so that they can further assist in the resolution of the concern. If the matter is not resolved at that level, or if your concern is with a school administrator, you can reach out to Personnel Services for assistance. You can find more information about the complaint process on our website HERE.
Cliff De Graw, Assistant Superintendent of Personnel Services
Email: cdegraw@wpusd.org
Phone: 916-645-5293
Mike Maul, Director of Personnel Services & COVID Response
Phone: 916-645-5293
Email: mmaul@wpusd.org
Updates from Maintenance & Operations
Improving Indoor Air Quality through HVAC Grant
We received a grant designed to improve indoor air quality and assess each mechanical unit district wide. This is a major step in improving our HVAC systems and taking the necessary measures to ensure their efficiency.
Weed Abatement: Sheep Take Over TBHS
Like many other land owners in Lincoln, we recently contracted with a grazing vendor, Integrazers, to tend to the weeds at TBHS. Grazing provides a method of weed control without the need of mechanically driven equipment, thereby minimizing the threat of sparking a fire and still achieving a reduction in grass levels.
Getting Creative with Cleaning Solutions
In constant effort to achieve efficient methods of cleaning and disinfecting, the site custodians had the opportunity to utilize a hydrogen peroxide system specifically targeting selected restrooms.
Thomas Butcher, Director of Maintenance & Operations
Phone: 916-434-5000
Email: tbutcher@wpusd.org
ACTION SECTION: PARENT 'TO-DO'S'
In This Section
📚Accessing Your Child's SBAC Test Scores NEW!
🚨Update Your Emergency Contact Information
🏡Fill Out The Annual Household Income Form
🥕Meal Application
Accessing Your Child’s CAASPP (SBAC) Test Scores
If your student was in grades 3-8 or grade 11 last year, they took a state test in the spring called the CAASPP. The test measures your student’s academic performance in English Language Arts and Math. All CAASPP test results are now available for parents and guardians to view, and that is done via our PowerSchool Parent Portal.
Here is a quick overview on how to retrieve your student’s SBAC results via the
PowerSchool Parent Portal. Note: the Score Reports are not yet available using the
PowerSchool mobile app, so please use a web browser to access this content.
- Log on to the PowerSchool Parent Portal
- Once logged in, scroll down and click the Score Reports link near the bottom of the left-hand menu. (Note: if you have multiple students enrolled, make sure you have the proper student selected up top prior to clicking the Score Reports link.)
- Click the ‘Assessment’ drop-down to choose the desired test, select the desired year from the ‘Year’ drop-down, then click ‘Get Report’
- If the assessment results are available, details will appear on the screen below. Click ‘View’ to see the report. It will open on your computer as a PDF.
For more detailed instructions, see attachment below.
Review/Update Your Emergency Contact Information
Online access is now LIVE!
If your child is returning to WPUSD for the 2022-2023 school year, you will need to review your child’s emergency contact and health information for any updates before your child starts the school year. When reviewing and updating your child’s information you will also be electronically signing your child’s 2022-2023 Technology Use and Waiver Agreements, Student Health Insurance option, and Photo Release Opt-Out Forms.
Please contact your child's SCHOOL office if you have any questions. School offices open August 8th! If you've already completed this process, no action is needed. If you have not completed this process, it may impact your child's ability to get their schedule or attend school events.
**If don't have a Parent Portal account you should have received an email or letter with information and instructions to set up your account. If did not receive an email or letter or you forgot your student’s Access ID/Password, please contact your child’s SCHOOL and we can help.**
If you need technical assistance, please email HelpDesk@wpusd.org.
CLICK HERE TO UPDATE/REVIEW YOUR EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION
Annual Household Income Form
Families: Please Complete a 2022-23 Household Income Form to Help Your School Maximize Its Funding! PLEASE COMPLETE and SUBMIT by OCTOBER 31, 2022 by 5:00pm.
DID YOU KNOW?
A portion of every school's funding is determined by the needs of its students. Extra funding is usually distributed to schools based on free/reduced meal applications but they are not required this year. For the 2022-2023 school year all students are eligible for FREE meals, so extra funding will be distributed differently. Please complete this Household Income Form to help us maximize our schools' funding!
WHY FILL OUT THE FORM?
- additional support staff for schools, like Instructional Aides, Intervention Support Providers, and after school tutors
- more resources for classrooms and teachers - additional health and wellness services
- fee waivers for college applications
- fee waivers for college admissions exams (i.e. SAT/ACT/AP)
It’s a quick process and only needs to be completed once for each household. By taking the time to fill out this form, you are taking part in a process that might provide thousands of dollars in funds to the school your student attends.
Click Here to fill out Household Income Form - English
Click Here to fill out Household Income Form - Spanish
*You only have to fill this form out per household.*
You can also request a paper copy of the form from your school office or the District Office, 600 Sixth Street, Suite 400, Lincoln, CA 95648. If you need assistance in completing this form please contact your child's school office or the District Office (916) 645-6350 and we can help!
Western Placer Unified School District
Website: www.wpusd.org
Location: 600 6th Street, Suite 400, Lincoln, CA, USA
Phone: 916-645-6350
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WPUSD/
Twitter: @WPUSD
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