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Dear Students, Staff, and Families,

I hope you and your family are healthy and well this Labor Day weekend. This weekend is usually a time we gather with family and friends to celebrate the contributions and achievements of American workers while we symbolically recognize the end-of-summer and the start of a new school year, even though most schools now open in August. But there is nothing "usual" about much of anything these days. Nonetheless, I hope you and your family are able to make the most of a holiday weekend.

Labor Day marks the 5th week of school. September 18 marks the first progress report of the school year. Below are all of the progress report dates for your information. Access all student progress reports from the Aeries Parent Portal. Watch a brief instructional video in English or Spanish to learn how to sign up for weekly parent notifications and all progress and attendance reports.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRESS REPORT DATES
1st Progress Report: 8/10/20 – 9/18/20

Deficiency Notice: 9/21/20 – 10/30/20

1st Semester Report Card: 12/17/20

2nd Progress Report: 1/4/21 – 2/19/21

Deficiency Notice: 2/22/21 – 4/9/21

2nd Semester Report Card: 5/28/20

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL PROGRESS REPORT DATES
1st Progress Report: 8/10/20 – 9/18/20

2nd Progress Report: 9/21/21 – 10/30/20

1st Semester Report Card: 12/17/20

3rd Progress Report: 1/4/21 – 2/19/20

4th Progress Report: 2/22/20 – 4/9/20

2nd Semester Report Card: 5/28/20

Labor Day also marks the date the Board of Education had expected to reevaluate the physical return of students to school after announcing on July 16, 2020 (see the Press Release here) that all students would begin the school year in a remote learning environment. Under Governor Newsom's latest Executive Order, schools in the Widespread (purple) Tier aren’t permitted to reopen for in-person instruction, unless they receive a waiver (for elementary school TK-6 grades only) from their local health department. Twenty-five private schools have applied to Riverside County for a waiver. Of the twenty-five schools that have applied, four are in the city of Riverside. No public schools have applied for a waiver. We will continue to work closely with our neighboring school districts, the Riverside County Department of Education, city officials, and Riverside County Public Health officials to monitor local conditions and prepare for the physical return of students when the time comes that it is safe to do so.

Under the Governor's new plan, schools may consider reopening fully for in-person instruction for all grade levels when the county in which the school resides has been in the Substantial (Red) Tier for two weeks. The new 4-Tier model replaces the former system in which counties were either on or off the state's monitoring list. Riverside County was on the state's monitoring list and is now in the Widespread (purple) Tier (see the entire 4-Tier model below).

Last week, our featured topic for our parent live virtual webinar series was Building Resilience Within Yourself and Your Child. The workshop was led by Family Engagement Coordinator, Alejandro Cisneros, along with our Mental Health Coordinator, Tanya Gillick. Watch a recording of the webinar below. You can find all of our instructional videos on our YouTube channel here. You can reach Alejandro by phone 951-396-0126 or email for all of your questions related to parent engagement and student support.

On September 23, the Family Engagement Office in collaboration with the Assessment Office will be host a webinar titled, Assessments in Distance Learning. Assessment plays a major role in the distance learning model. And the role parents play in assessment is equally important. We utilize the diagnostic and learning platform i-Ready to assess reading and math readiness for all TK-12 students. The i-Ready Diagnostic is a unique assessment that students take three times per year. i-Ready assesses more than grade level mastery. It meets students where they are, assesses a range of skills, and lets teachers know exactly what students know and what they need to learn.

It's great practice for the State tests too. There is a high correlation between the i-Ready Diagnostic and the annual state tests students take every spring. i-Ready assessments are designed to inform teachers and students. Assessment results provide teachers and students with a clear snapshot of what students have mastered at certain points throughout the year. These assessments are not designed for grading purposes, but rather to provide feedback to district leaders, teachers, students, and families in an effort to support learning.

The i-Ready suite of assessments also includes a personalized learning path for students in K through 8th grade. This is a supplementary instructional program to support classroom curriculum. During this time of distance learning, students will take these diagnostics from home. In an effort to gather accurate information, parents are expected to support their students and encourage and motivate them to complete the assessments. Our Coordinator of Assessment, Erin Askier, will discuss the parent's role during the September 23 webinar. Find the details below.

The most frequently asked question I've received this past week was about class-size adjustments and changes to some student's schedules and some teacher's schedules: Why must we make changes? Every school year we project our enrollment and staff our schools with enough teachers to meet those projections. But like all projections, it's simply an estimate. After the first few weeks of school after it becomes apparent what our exact number of students are per grade level, we balance class sizes to not exceed the class average maximum number of students. This is a process that takes place the first month of every school year. This year has been particularly challenging given the health and economic crisis and lots of movement in our community. Please know that principals work closely with teachers to minimize the impact of the changes and thoughtfully place students based on their needs.

On behalf of the Board of Education, thank you for your continued partnership and support. Please continue to make communication a priority to ensure we are all working together towards our common goal of educating our children.

Stay healthy. Be well.

In partnership.

Allan Mucerino

DAILY PICK-UP TIMES:

• 7:15 am to 8:15 am at Hillcrest, La Sierra & Norte Vista
  
• 7:30 am to 8:00 am at Arizona, Villegas & Wells

Parent also have the option of picking-up five meals once per week on Fridays at the sites and times below:

FRIDAY 5-MEAL PICK-UP TIMES:

• 7:15 to 8:15 am or 12:00 to 1:00 pm at Hillcrest, La Sierra, and Norte Vista
  
• 7:30 to 8:00 am or 12:30 to 1:15 pm at Arizona, Villegas, and Wells
• 12:30 - 1:15 at Loma Vista

IMPORTANT NOTICES:

• Only Alvord students can receive meals during the school year.
• Parents may pickup with student ID. Students do not need to be present.
• School site safety protocols include face covering & temperature taking for all who enter our campuses.