Dear Members of the Alvord Community,

Happy Labor Day! I hope you and your family are enjoying a safe 3-day Labor Day weekend. As the son of a laborer who was a lifelong member of the Teamsters Union, Local 282, Labor Day has always been a special holiday for me and my family. Celebrating the contributions and achievements of American workers is appreciated more than ever in 2021 as we all have witnessed America's essential workforce respond to COVID-19 since the pandemic struck.

School district employees are among that workforce and have risen to the occasion since schools were closed for in-person learning on March 13, 2020. Eighteen months later, school districts continue to serve students and communities while managing a pandemic. We are happy to have brought our students back to school. Now, we are all adjusting, students, staff, and parents alike, to the new normal as we face a new set of challenges in the face of the Delta variant and its impact on schools.

So far this school year, we have been open for in-person learning for 21 school days. During that time, we have had 43 staff members (1.9% positivity rate) and 162 students (0.9% positivity rate) report a positive test for COVID-19. Stay current with our case rate by regularly tracking our COVID-19 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.

Over a thousand students have been identified by our contact tracers and have been placed on modified quarantine, which means they continued to attend school as long as they tested twice-weekly over a period of ten days (Day 1, 4, 7, and 10) and remained asymptomatic. Students on modified quarantine are provided four at-home diagnostic tests for COVID-19. While the at-home rapid antigen testing kits are effective, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is considered to be the gold standard for diagnosing Covid-19 infection. Parents whose children have been exposed may choose to also have them tested using the PCR test, even if they don't exhibit any symptoms (see no-cost testing sites below in the News section). The PCR tests are processed in a lab and take at least one day and usually multiple days for results to be communicated.

I expect we will continue to experience positive cases given our community's high transmission rate. It's important that our staff, students, and families continue to strictly adhere to our safety protocols. Our low transmission rate is evidence that our safety strategies are working.

What would help even more? More frequent testing. We have home-testing kits available for all students who want to participate in our voluntary testing program. Students who have been exposed to someone who tested positive must test twice-weekly over a period of ten days (Day 1, 4, 7, and 10), or choose a full quarantine and learn from home for 14 days from the day of the exposure. But students do not need to be identified as having come into close contact with a positive test case to participate in our testing program. Home-testing kits are available at all schools for all students to test weekly.

Students in modified quarantine are not permitted to participate in extra-curricular activities during the two-week quarantine period, unless they are vaccinated. Fully vaccinated students in modified quarantine may participate in extra-curricular activities, including sports, band, choir, and drama, as long as they test twice-weekly and remain asymptomatic.

We remain hopeful that the situation with COVID will improve and we will be able to operate in a less restrictive way in the near future. We are all tired of the pandemic. But until the time comes that public health officials relax restrictions, we will follow the State's and County's public health guidance.

For more details on the protocol for contact tracing, see the flowchart for positive test results below in the News section.

Time is running out to sign up to take the PSAT exam. Access the registration link here. All 10th and 11th grade students are strongly encouraged to take the exam. Students can earn a merit scholarship. We offer the exam at no cost.

This coming Friday, 9/10, we will commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Our schools and district offices will honor the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, as well as the service members, first responders and ordinary Americans who risked their own lives to save others, by observing a moment of silence.

On behalf of the Board of Education and our entire team, have a safe and peaceful Labor Day holiday...and be careful too. In the past, holidays have led to COVID-19 surges. Together, we can keep everyone safe and keep our schools open.

Stay positive. Test weekly. Be well.

Sincerely,

Allan Mucerino

Our home-based program utilizes Edgenuity™ and Accelerate™ to deliver curriculum and instruction. Both programs are computer-based, user-friendly learning management systems that structure and monitor learning. While students are assigned to a certificated Alvord Unified School District teacher, the teacher simply monitors attendance and progress. The teacher does not directly teach the curriculum. The Edgenuity courses provide direct-instruction videos featuring expert, on-screen teachers. The Accelerate courses provide direct-instruction audio featuring expert, on-screen teachers. Both computer-based programs also provides rigorous assignments, performance tasks, and assessments to engage students and ensure subject-area mastery.

Visit the Edgenuity Video Library here for a series of videos on the advantages of Edgenuity. For the K-5 Accelerate program, visit their website here for additional information. Following are key elements of the program. Contact your principal for additional details:

• Students learn from home and do not attend school in-person;
  
• Students continue to be active members of the student body at their home school.
  
• Students utilize an age-appropriate computer-based leaning program that uses a combination of animations, video-led direct instruction, relevant websites, and activities to support the curriculum;
• Modification and accommodations will be made for English learners, students in foster care or other high-needs groups;
• Students are provided with a Chromebook and an Internet connection, if needed;
• Students in grades' 6-12 use Edgenuity;
• Students in grades' K-5 use Accelerate;
• Students in grades' 3-12 with specialized academic needs use Odysseyware;
• Students in the district's moderate to severe program utilize our alternative curriculum, News‑2‑You (N2Y);
• A parent or guardian is responsible for student progress;
• Parent is responsible for ensuring student engages in learning platform for designated time per day;
  
• Students are assigned to an Alvord teacher, however;
• The Alvord teacher does not teach the curriculum;
• The Alvord teacher utilizes the Google classroom to meet with students at the conclusion of each school day for an "office hour" to record daily attendance and to ensure progress is being made;
• The Alvord teacher supports the student and parent;
• Instructional minutes are the same as they are for in-person instruction:
  • Kindergarten: 200 minutes;
  • Grades 1-3: 280 minutes;
  • Grades 4-8: 300 minutes;
  • Grades 9-12: 360 minutes;
• Meals are made available for pick-up for students in the home-based program;

• Students may transition back into in-person instruction within five days of declaring they no longer choose to participate in the home-based program;
• For high school students, access to all courses offered for graduation and approved by the University of California or the California State University are made available.

Our home-based program meets the requirements of AB130, which was recently enacted to ensure all students have the option to participate in an alternative to in-person instruction.

When we return for the 2021-22 school year on August 6, 2021, our two after-school programs, HALF-Time (K-5) and PRIME-Time (6-8), will be available M-F from school dismissal until 6:00 PM. The program 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.

CVS Pharmacy

CVS @ 6215 Riverside Avenue, Riverside, CA 92506

CVS @ 6840 Lincoln Avenue, Riverside, CA 92506

CVS @ 491 E Alessandro Blvd, Riverside, CA 92508

Mobile Van Schedule

Wednesdays @ Bordwell Park, 2008 Martin Luther King Blvd.

Thursdays @ Bryant Park, 7950 Philbin Ave.

Fridays, @ Casa Blanca Library, 2985 Madison Avenue

Saturdays @ Fairmount Park, 2601 Fairmount Blvd.

Sundays, Arlington Heights Sports Park, 9401 Cleveland Avenue

Drive-Thru Locations

La Sierra Park Drive-Thru Location
Make an appointment @ 5215 La Sierra Avenue

7 days a week (except holidays)

Open daily (except holidays)
11 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. (closed 3 – 4 p.m.)

UCR Lot 26 Drive-Thru
Make an appointment @ 3443 Canyon Crest Dr.

Riverside, CA 92507

Open daily (except holidays)
8 a.m. – 4 p.m. (closed noon – 1 p.m.)

Kiosk Location

Make an appointment @ 3900 Main Street
Open daily (except holidays)
8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (closed 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.)

For locations sponsored by RIverside County, visit their COVID-testing location finder here.