Old Adobe Educator Weekly Round-Up
Monday 2/8/21 - Friday 2/12/21
MESSAGE FROM SUPERINTENDENT LOWERY
Celebrating Black History
Dear Educators,
The histories, stories, and voices of Black people should be centered, honored, and uplifted in school curricula every day. Unless Black history is taught throughout the year, it perpetuates an “othering” of Black Lives and Black students, and is also a manifestation of anti-blackness. Ensuring the ongoing integration of Black history and experiences throughout all curriculum is imperative as educators continue to uplift every student and reinforce that Black Lives Matter everyday.
BHM weekly Resources:
- The History Behind Black History Month – Teaching Tolerance
- Do’s and Don’ts of Teaching Black History – Teaching Tolerance
- Five Things Not to Do During Black History Month – Zaretta Hammond
- Mining the Jewel of Black History Month – Emily Chiariello
- Four Black History Month Must-Haves – Zaretta Hammond
- Black History Month Is Over. Now What? – Dena Simmons
#eachandeverystudent #OldAdobeStrong
Superintendent Lowery
CHILD DEVLOPMENT
Planning is in full swing for hybrid learning and also for fall 2021! With the Bright Futures Preschool team, Rebecca is working to develop several possible iterations of a small cohort preschool program. She is connecting with Site Leaders to discuss Fall 2021 capacity and enrollment, and is working with Site Managers to brainstorm what role Kids Care will play in supporting a hybrid learning model.
If families inquire about Kids Care, site Leaders can please add family information to this spreadsheet, which will act as both an information listserv and a timestamped waitlist: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PrJKHn7H7Jkp7MGCyGsSUtzAu7Q2AXESnrJEP4NyO4A/edit?usp=sharing
COVID-19 NEWS
Vaccinations for Educators Began Monday, February 8th!!
Last Friday, the Public Health Department approved the request for the COVID-19 vaccine to be administered to eligible educators beginning Monday, February 8. We contacted employees who are eligible for the vaccine and shared information on how to make an appointment. The Public Health Department defined the first group as:
- Age 70 or older at the date the vaccination is given, or
- Educators of any age who currently have regular, direct contact with students (including any school site personnel where students are present such as: kids care, custodial, food service, clerical support, etc.
This priority was set in collaboration with the county health department in order to prioritize those with the greatest exposure. In the weeks ahead, the county will move forward to vaccinate: first, all elementary school staff, then, middle and high school staff and district office staff, and finally, higher education staff who don’t currently have contact with students. More information is available at scoe.org/vaccines. We ask everyone for patience and understanding as we get this program operational. There will likely be challenges and small setbacks, and we are committed to working through them as quickly as possible.
This is wonderful news for all of Sonoma County!
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REMINDER FRONTLINE DAILY HEALTH ASSESSMENT
If you check any boxes (other than "none of the above") on the assessment 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
ELPAC and CAASPP
Until we hear otherwise, we are going ahead with planning for ELPAC and CAASPP testing. The ELPAC Summative will begin in the next few weeks in order for us to be able to assess all 500 students. Grades TK-2 will be administered in person, and grades 3-6 will be administered remotely unless our in-person learning status changes. We will begin with TK-2 and work our way up from there and will give you updated information regarding what this will look like as we finalize plans. All in person testing will take place at Miwok in room 1A.
The CAASPP window is May 9-21. Assuming we will not be back in person by then, we will administer this test remotely. Trainings by grade level will be held in April - more information to come! We wanted to make sure you at least had these items on your radar!
Nearpod: If you haven’t had a chance to take this brief Nearpod training survey, please do so. We would really like to get an additional training scheduled as soon as possible.
Check out Creative Sonoma’s latest recommendations - a fun lesson on cartooning and an article about Science and Drawing from Memory.
Arts Integrated Cartooning Lesson: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dVlrNZFQophp4lXY2aqGRh7eNixRU29Y/view
SCOE Professional Development Opportunities:
Five Minute Film Festival Workshop
Contact: Matt O'Donnell | modonnell@scoe.org
3:30 - 4:00 | Thursday, Feb. 4 - TODAY!
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
Sonoma Storysharing Project - Information and Support Sessions
Contact: Anna Babarinde | ababarinde@scoe.org or Sarah Lundy| slundy@scoe.org
Drop-In Sessions | 3:15 - 4:00 | Thursdays
February 4 - TODAY!
March 4
The Sonoma County Office of Education and CoBUILD-at-home, invite Sonoma County students in grades TK-12th to share a story of how the COVID19 pandemic has impacted you personally or impacted your community. Students may choose to share an artistic or journalistic story of the impact of the COVID19 pandemic through a wide range of expressive avenues.
Individual student participants, or a whole class may choose to share a story of the impact of the COVID19 pandemic visually, orally, digitally or through a combination of multiple mediums of expression. Teachers may choose to participate in the story sharing as a class project and submit a class story.
Want to learn more? Need help getting started? Please join our story sharing project team for one of the Drop-In Information & Support Sessions, using this link: https://zoom.us/j/97590342543
Our ESS team is available to offer resources, coaching and support for teachers or school teams who wish to engage their students in COVID19 story-sharing as a class project.
Click here to register to participate in the project
History/Social Science Region 1 CLIC: Continuing the Journey
Contact: Matt O'Donnell | modonnell@scoe.org
3:00 - 4:30 | Wednesday, Feb. 24
Join us for a conversation with children's book author Gayle Romasanta where will will bring educators together and share the story of Larry Itliong and the Farm Labor Movement, as outlined in the book Journey For Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong. The first 50 educators to register will receive a copy of Gayle's book.
The author discussion will be followed by breakout sessions that explore ways to listen to and incorporate a diversity of voices and perspectives in history and social science
Click here to learn more and/or register
Young Learner Teacher Network (formerly TK Network)
Contact: Brulene Zanutto | bzanutto@scoe.org
Mar. 2, May 4
(Meeting times will be adjusted based on if the meeting will be held in person or virtually, which will be dependent upon the health department recommendations at that time.)
Teachers of early learners (TK and Kindergarten) are invited to come together to engage in a rich community building and networking opportunity and take part in intentionally crafted learning experiences that address how to serve our schools’ youngest students and best meet their specific needs. Please join us as we celebrate the joy of teaching young children while deepening our understanding of how to effectively meet their needs.
Click here to learn about session topics and/or register
Click here to be added to the Young Learner Teacher Network mailing list
EQUITY CORNER
Equity Coalition Update
Our next meeting will be Wednesday, February 10th at 3PM.
Hope you can join!
The Weaponization of Whiteness in Schools
Studies show that when educators perceive challenges to their power, they disproportionately view Black students as the source. In the Fall 2020 issue of Teaching Tolerance magazine, Senior Writer Coshandra Dillard writes about why it’s time to recognize the pattern of educators weaponizing their whiteness in schools and put a stop to it.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
With a new roof and gutters recently installed at Loma Vista School, this past week we had a couple of trees removed that were hanging over the building. This will aid in long term maintenance care and longevity to the roof. Now that the trees are removed, it also added a lot more light to a dark inside walkway.
HUMAN RESOURCES
W2s went out last week for all employees. If you need additional copies, you can access those through SCOE’s employee portal.
Also, Intent to Return notices for the 2021-22 school year were sent out to certificated staff. Please complete and return those forms no later than February 15, 2021. Your responses help in our planning for staffing for the next school year. Forms can be mailed or scanned and emailed to Sonya Wasden at the district office. Sonya’s email is swasden@oldadobe.org or if you have questions, she can be reached at 707-765-4327.
REGISTRATION AND ENROLLMENT 2021-2022
All of our schools are hosting Virtual School Tours.
Here are the individual school videos.
STUDENT SERVICES
Over the next few weeks, the Student Services office would like to highlight some of the invaluable members of our Special Education Department Team. The department benefits from two categories of special education assistants. Specialized Assistants work to support the independence and academic access for an individual student or students within the general education setting. Special Education Instructional Assistants support the independence, access and learning of students within the District’s Special Day Classes or SDCs and in the general education setting.
Hannah Stewart is a Special Education Instructional Assistant in the K-2 Special Day Class at Miwok. Hannah has always enjoyed working with children. In college, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech Pathology. Hannah always enjoyed working with young children. In fact, she has been working with special education in different capacities for over 10 years. When working with students she loves to be a helper. She takes her role as a support for students very seriously to enable them to learn the most they can about their world. Hannah has taken on learning and teaching sign language to students and classroom staff. She contributes to the class by collaborating with the teacher to develop engaging and innovative lessons. Hannah and her family love to take walks. She relaxes through reading mysteries, singing and thrifting (when she can).
Julia Anthony is a Special Education Instructional Assistant in the 5th/6th grade Special Day Class at Miwok. Julia brings to the classroom a love of art and contributes by planning and implementing engaging art lessons. Her joys in life are spending time with family and friends, live music, sunshine, frolicking in the ocean and being creative. The things she finds most rewarding about her job are helping children push themselves to do their personal best and seeing their confidence grow.
TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
Explore the Newly Redesigned OAUSD Website!
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.
We love your feedback. For any questions, suggestions, or comments, please share them HERE.
OAUSD EVENTS SCHEDULED THIS WEEK:
February 8, 2021 - February 12, 2021
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Monday, 2/8
NON SCHOOL - Lincoln's Birthday
Tuesday, 2/2
Wednesday, 2/3
Weekly School Assemblies 8:30 AM
Equity Coalition Meeting 3:30 PM
Thursday, 2/4
Board of Trustees Meeting - Open Session 6:00 PM
Friday, 2/5
THE ABC's OF BLACK HISTORY
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