I'm sharing a picture of this year's school picture. It centers our students in carefully spaced, socially distanced rings emanating from a vibrantly painted Sycamore leaf. To me, it's a beautiful reminder of our current connection as a school community. We are highly conscious of our distancing and keenly aware that we are also quite close. I have been so very thankful this week of the care each of you are taking to support your student and others. As a staff, we appreciate the open communication, quick responses and questions. As we move through this time, with conditions we cannot fully control, I hope you'll continue to celebrate and make the most of the ripples of connection that ripple though the Sycamore community. Stay in touch.

Amy Stanger

Since our return from break, we have been revisiting practices that support health and safety at school. We continue to require mask wearing indoors at all times, with masks covering the nose and mouth. New LACDPH protocols for mask wearing were outlined in the Superintendent's letter from last evening and include:

• Staff will wear medical/surgical grade masks or double mask.
• Students will wear well-fitting masks; non-cloth masks with a nose wire (medical/surgical) are advised.
• Masking is now required for all outdoor activities where physical distancing is not feasible. Markers are on the ground to support distancing where students line up, and in addition, we'll ask students to wear masks as they enter school, stand in line for snack or lunch, move through the hallways at the start or end of the day, or as they wait or play in crowded areas.
• When students remove masks to drink and eat, we are supporting them in extending the spacing they have with peers.

We'll continue to remind students of their options for mask breaks as they need them. Thank you, adults, for modeling best practices for mask wearing and physical distancing around campus.

It is essential that everyone is feeling well while at school. Ask your child how they are feeling before leaving for school, and keep your student at home is any symptoms are present. If your child is not feeling well, use our 24 hour attendance line, 909-398-0325, to contact Norma or email her at nperez@cusd.claremont.edu. If a child does not feel well while at school, a family member will be contacted to immediately pick up the student. We also ask that you stay in contact regarding any positive cases or exposures for your child as all exposures have the potential for impact on others.

Please be aware that our students eat outside each day. On cooler days, please send your child with a jacket and/or dressed in a way that they will be comfortable sitting outside for their breakfast, snack and lunch. Since jackets often get taken off later in the day, please put your child's name on the tag of the jacket. That makes it easier to return the jacket to your child.

Don't forget, personal water bottles are key! Students need to remain hydrated to stay healthy, and our water fountains are closed except to water bottle filling. Refillable bottles are much more efficient that providing disposable cups.

PCR testing for COVID-19 will be required prior to the return to school if COVID symptoms are present. CUSD will continue to provide testing at school sites (see below). Additionally, testing will be available on Saturday, January 8 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Upland Ontario Medical Clinic at 1520 N. Mountain Ave, Suite 128, Ontario, CA 91762. If this is your first time attending one of our testing sites, see the link below to access a one-time testing form.

Student Testing Form

Adult Testing Form

CUSD's Weekly Testing Sites

Mondays: at El Roble from 2:00-4:00 PM and Sycamore from 2:45 to 3:45 PM.

Tuesdays: at Vista del Valle Elementary from 2:45-3:45 PM.

Wednesdays: at Sumner-Danbury Elementary from 1:00-2:00 PM

Thursdays: at CHS from 3:30-5:00 PM

Testing can also be obtained through one of the resources below or your physician:

• LA County COVID testing locations: https://covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/
• San Bernardino County COVID testing location: https://sbcovid19.com/testing-sites/
• CUSD contracted testing location: Upland Ontario Medical Clinic, 1520 N Mountain Ave #128, Ontario, CA 91762, (909) 949-9299 (let them know you are a CUSD family).

Many families are finding that the use of technology has increased at home since the pandemic. Setting safe and healthy boundaries around texting, social media, gaming and binge watching is important for our children, ourselves and our relationships. This Wednesday, January 12, we'll hold our Governance meeting at 6:00 PM, then shift at 6:30 PM to hear from a guest speaker, Lori Getz. Lori will help us learn strategies for "Healthy Habits Around Technology." She will focus on topics that relate to elementary parents, including the language for conversations about technology use as well as its role in emotional, mental and physical health and wellness. Simply join us via Zoom.

https://cusd-claremont-edu.zoom.us/j/84703823799?pwd=OGs3WFVmL0ZvTHpUZ1Z6a0Y1Ry9NUT09

Meeting ID: 847 0382 3799

Passcode: 229346

Sycamore’s Equity & Inclusion Committee will hold its monthly meeting this Monday, January 10th from 6-7pm PST. Come help us plan our spring Amplifying Voices: Neurodivergent Student Voices event and hear more about our February event, a discussion of Resmaa Menakem’s book about racism and body-centered trauma, titled My Grandmother’s Hands (2017). The book discussion, co-sponsored with El Roble’s E&I Committee, will take place virtually on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022 from 6-7:30pm PST. Please register at https://bit.ly/34gPM9f to receive zoom information and suggested reading sections. We also have some complimentary copies of the book available. Reach out to Anthea Kraut (anthea.kraut@ucr.edu) to request a copy.

The Zoom link for Monday’s meeting is https://ucr.zoom.us/j/98176963043?pwd=QUd0QUE4amZMc3dZTlltVkpIVVJjUT09

Meeting ID: 981 7696 3043 Passcode: equity