It was uplifting to welcome our students and their families back to school this past Thursday. There was a high level of excitement and a lot of positive energy. Lots of smiles too. Working together as a school community these last couple of years to overcome the adversity and obstacles we have all experienced has built our resiliency and a greater appreciation of things we may have taken for granted.

When school started last year, we were happy to be back in-person. But COVID restricted our ability to deliver our educational programs at the highest level possible due to severe staff shortages, high rates of absenteeism and quarantines, masking and barriers, classroom closures, learning loss, mental health challenges, misbehavior, and consequently lost instructional time. Many students had not been on a campus for over a year or more. For many primary-grade students, they had never been in a classroom. Learning is social. It happens in a context that prioritizes interaction, application, dialogue, and sharing. For students to be comfortable with the vulnerability that learning entails, our schools, teachers and support staff create trusting environments where students feel safe.

It was demoralizing at times last year when new and unanticipated problems emerged, especially given the heroic efforts of students to learn and educators to teach and parents to parent under incredibly difficult circumstances since 2020. The fallout effected learning and behavior. Now that we're a year removed from it, I expect the challenges to be somewhat less severe, but still evident. But we have learned from the experiences of the 2021-22 school year and it is showing us the way forward.

What lies ahead in 2022-23? There will be many more experiences in which we will learn from and make important decisions about, relative to interventions and strategies to implement to mitigate learning declines and behavioral challenges. We are grounded by the reality of our challenges but equally optimistic and positive about meeting the needs of our students. We all have a choice to see the good over the bad. An attitude of positivity and love is contagious and goes a long way towards creating safe and affirming spaces that will help our students find themselves and be their best (it helps adults be the best version of themselves too). The transformative power of positivity is far reaching and impacts much more than what meets the eye.

Make no mistake, there is considerable work to be done, and the challenges for students, educators, and parents will push us all to our limits. Which is why there has never been a more critical time to partner with your district, schools and teachers. Together, we are at our best and able to accomplish practically anything.

Our department of family engagement centers on growing and strengthening our schools’ capacity to engage families in partnerships that build stronger schools and support home learning environments. Erik Ramirez is the new Coordinator of Family Engagement and can be contacted at erik.ramirez@alvordschools.org or 951-396-0126. Visit the Family Engagement Office home page here.

On behalf of the Board of Education, thank you for being our partner in your child's education. When home and school work together, the learning outcomes for kids are exponential. When kids see that their parents support their school and teachers, it can go a long way to helping them trust the adults at their school. It provides both security and a sense of peace so the focus can be on learning, growth, and a positive school experience.

We value our partnership with our students and parents and look forward to a successful 2022-23 school year.

In partnership,

Allan Mucerino

Students Reporting a Positive Case: 104
Staff Reporting a Positive Case: 5
Cases Requiring Contact Tracing: 25

Riverside County Data COVID-19 Community Level
Level: Medium (last week Medium)

Weekly Metrics Used to Determine the COVID-19 Community Level

Case Rate per 100,000 population: 288.15 (Last Week 329.72)

New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population: 8.4 (Last Week 9.6)

% Staffed inpatient beds in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19: 6.7% (Last Week 7.6%)

Recommended actions based on current level

Wear a mask indoors in public and on public transportation. Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines. Get tested if you have symptoms. If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider taking additional precautions.

This data is as of August 4, 2022, as reported on the State's tracking web site.