We all knew this was going to be a long month when it started. There are five weeks between our last three day weekend for President's Day and Spring Break. Every year it seems like this is the time when we see a lot of extreme behaviors on campus and the rain doesn't help.

However, what I love about this time of year is that Spring is coming. And with all of this rain, I've seen some beautiful rainbows and the parks and hills around us are breathtaking. There is goodness that comes out of every gloomy day.

I'm going to keep this newsletter short and sweet. I want to use this platform to remind us to treat one another with kindness. Enjoy the sweet moments together as a family as much as you can or as long as you can. Embrace these stages of life that you are in. These years may seem long and relentless, but they are fast and fleeting.

Take care of one another.

First, THANK YOU for everyone who came out to spend their evening with us on Tuesday. We love any opportunity to connect with families AND any opportunity to celebrate the amazing things happening on campus.

Second, if you were here on Tuesday you also witnessed the medical emergency that took place. This resulted in called for medical aid for one of the individuals in attendance. THANK YOU for everyone who was near by and helped us monitor the individual and call for help. This is what we mean by "it takes a village." We apologize that this incident prevented us from continuing with the Principal's message portion of the evening. However, we THANK YOU for your calm presence and following directives to evacuate the building so that we could provide necessary aid to the individual in need. We are happy to report that the individual went home that night and is recovering.

Below we are including the presentation that we would have shared on Open House. Please view the slide deck at your convenience.

We have recently learned of a new social media trend that is beginning to make it’s appearance on our school campus. It appears that some (not all) students are viewing their “minors” as a badge of honor instead of an opportunity to correct behavior that goes against our PACK values.

If you recall, a “minor” can be given to a student who has violated one of our agreed upon commitments (PACK= Proactive, Accountable, a positive member of the Community, and Kind). When a student receives a minor, the mark is given in their student visits section of Q, the student is counseled by the teacher or staff member, and a parent is contacted after the 2nd minor (email or phone call). When a student receives 3 or more minors for the same incident, they are escalated to a referral. A student with a referral meets with an administrator and, again, parent is contact.

This system is designed so that we can work together to hold students accountable to the rules of the campus. What saddens me is that I’ve heard of students posting and bragging about their minors on social media. This is not behavior we condone or appreciate. Minors are not badges of honor, they are reminders that we (1) have high expectations for you and (2) challenge you to be better. Parents, please talk with your students about their minors. We understand that viewing minors on ParentConnect is not possible, so if you are wondering whether or not your students has started to accrue too many minors, please reach out to us.

If you’ve frequented social media in the past few weeks, you understand that we are seeing an increase in false threats being make against the school community. In response to this surge, we are asking families to please have their child watch the video below. Please speak with your child regarding the importance of saying something if they know something to be wrong. Often times, students know first if there may be a threat to their school community, and telling a trusted adult can save lives. If you know something, report it right away.

Most importantly, CNUSD takes any direct threat (real or fake) against the school or students very seriously. When surveyed, many students reported that they did not know of the severity regarding make a false threat. Please understand, false threats carry severe consequences. Our priority is to keep our students and our school safe. Thank you for taking the time to discuss this very important issue with students.

Ramirez Intermediate after school clubs have started! Be sure to communicate with your child about what club they will be a part of, so you are aware of where they are after school.

See the updated flyer below to view the days and times of clubs.

Central Counseling Services is here to serve our students. For details, please see the information below. If you have any questions, please contact Raul Gutierrez rgutierrez@cnusd.k12.ca.us or Rachel Niles rniles@cnusd.k12.ca.us

We plan on practicing our safety drills monthly.

It is important to us that staff and students know how to respond in the event of an emergency. This past Friday we practiced a lock down drill. I know these drills can be scary and cause anxiety. However, student and staff safety is our number 1 priority. Please speak with your students about taking these drills seriously and following the directions of all staff members. In the event of a lockdown drill, students must comply when teachers ask them to move away from lines of sight and sit silently. We know we live in uncertain times and we cannot predict what danger may come. But we can be prepared!

Thank you for partnering with us to keep students safe!

We understand students may forget items at home, but we would greatly appreciate it if student drop-offs can be kept to a minimum. Students who have items dropped off in the office will be called on the intercom during passing period. Please refer to our school office guidelines below:

• Our office will not be accepting money to give to students.
• Students are not to have fast food lunches dropped off on campus.
• Food from Doordash, UberEats and other delivery services are not accepted.
• Students will not be called out of class to pick-up items.
• No Cellphone Drop-offs.

Safety Concern: Please do not ask your child to meet you in the front office during passing period and/or their lunch time. We ask all visitors to check-in in the front office with their ID before seeing students.

Thank you for your cooperation in minimizing disruptions to the school day and following our safety guidelines.

• Any individual picking a child up early from school needs to be an emergency contact and have an ID to sign-out a child. (Students will not be released to anyone that is not on the emergency list and/or do not have an ID.).
• Our office staff will not be accepting over the phone verification of emergency contact updates.
• All visitors need to check-in with our front office staff, scan their ID and wear the given visitor badge.
• Students are not be picked up after 2:00pm on regular schools day and not after 1:10pm on early release Wednesdays.

*Please ensure the emergency contact information in Parent Connect is updated to avoid delay when picking up your child early.

Update your Parent Connect Emergency Contact Information:

https://parentconnect.cnusd.k12.ca.us/

What type of communication can you expect in an emergency?

In the event of a major emergency on a school campus, school site administrators, law enforcement, and district administration will work together to first and foremost secure our campuses and ensure student and staff safety. In addition, parent communication will be a top priority. Parents can expect to receive information via text, phone calls, and email in a timely manner. Please be sure to check your Parent Connect account to ensure your contact information is accurate and up to date.

We know that information spreads rapidly and rumors often hit home, prior to official messaging and we would like to remind families that the first priority is student safety, followed closely by quick and accurate communication. We encourage parents to also follow the District and our local law enforcement partners on social media for the latest news.