Preparations for the 2022-23 school year are underway. We are planning well in advance of the coming school year given a unique set of circumstances and challenges, including anticipated students' academic and social-emotional needs, potential vaccination requirements and other COVID-19 safety measures depending on the pandemic's trajectory, a highly-charged political environment that compromises local control, and staffing challenges that we expect to experience again in 2022-23. These factors all contribute to a high degree of uncertainty that makes education program planning and projecting future enrollment and staffing more unpredictable. Thank you in advance for partnering with us as we overcome these obstacles.

Parents will be asked to complete an interest survey in January. The primary purpose of the survey is to determine if families intend to attend Alvord schools in 2022-23, and if they are interested in alternatives to in-person instruction, given safety and health concerns related to the pandemic and/or the State of California's proposed vaccination requirements and exemption options. We are also planning our summer program. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

We are excited to expand our Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten programs beginning in 2022-23. We are also building an Early Childhood Program in Alvord to prepare students for TK/K. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months. Registration is now open for Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten. Learn more about the programs on our web site here or by contacting officials from our elementary school team via email here or by phone 951 509 5036.

Our hearts and prayers are with the families of Oxford High School in Michigan, where a 15-year old student shot and killed four students and injured seven others, including a teacher, this past Tuesday. The school shooting is a reminder that mental health is everyone's responsibility and a critical component of every school's safety plan. Our attention to the mental health and well-being of our students and staff has always been and will continue to be a priority in Alvord. We value the work of everyone on the front lines and behind the scenes who contribute to the identification and support of students struggling with mental health challenges.

Learn more about mental health in an important upcoming webinar conducted in partnership with Riverside University Health Systems. Learn how to recognize the signs of suicide and depression and how to support students suffering from anxiety and depression. The webinar is on Tuesday, December 14, from 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM. Register here to attend via Zoom or in-person at the Family Engagement Center at 5891 Rutland Ave, Riverside, CA 92503.

Since we were off from school for the Thanksgiving holiday recess, the number of students quarantined this past week was unusually low even though we had 29 positive student cases reported this past week (see this week's complete data below). We expected that there would be an increase in positive cases given the holiday. But it was manageable thanks to parents screening their children for symptoms and testing them for COVID-19. THANK YOU! Home health-screening remains the most effective of all the COVID-19 strategies we use to keep our schools open. Home-testing kits are free and available at all of our schools or from the COVID Help Center.

Positive Cases from the previous week:

• 29 students (Up from 25 last week and 20 the prior week)
• 8 staff members (up from 5 last week and 4 the prior week)

Students Identified Through Contact Tracing:

• 16 students assigned modified quarantine (which means they can continue to attend school in-person as long as they don't develop symptoms and test twice weekly for two weeks)
• 3 students assigned full quarantine (home for at least 10 days)

Overall, we have been serving students in-person for 80 school days. As of Friday, December 5, we have had 122 staff members and 443 students report a positive test for COVID-19. Stay current with our case rate by regularly tracking our COVID-19 Data Dashboard and FAQ here. Cases recorded on the Dashboard are confirmed by Riverside County Public Health officials and remain on the Dashboard for 14 days.

This past week in Riverside County, there were 579 new cases (0.2% increase) equating to 11.8 cases per 100K (7-day average), 12 new deaths (0.2% increase), and a 6.1% positivity 7-day rate (0.6% decrease from 7-days prior). There are currently 269 COVID-19 hospitalized patients, 3 more patients hospitalized since the prior day total (1.1% increase). This data is as of December 4, 2021 as reported on the State's tracking web site.

On behalf of your Board of Education, thank you for your partnership. We appreciate your trust in us. We look forward to a strong finish as we close out the first semester on Thursday, December 16, a minimum day for students.

Stay positive. Test weekly. Be well.

Sincerely,

Allan Mucerino

Our two after-school programs are HALF-Time (K-5) and PRIME-Time (6-8). They are available M-F from school dismissal until 6:00 PM. The programs provide FREE academic support, homework assistance and enrichment activities like art, crafts, music, sports and STEM (Science Technology, Engineering, and Math) along with a nutritious meal. Please register your Kindergarten through 8th grade students soon as space is limited. Sign up here in English and here in Spanish.