BUSD News
Update
December 22, 2022
Holiday Greetings
Message from Board President
Dear BUSD Families,
As we approach the end of 2022, I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude and the Board’s gratitude to the most dedicated group of people– all of our families.
BUSD is fortunate to have the most devoted and enthusiastic families. I was reminded of this as I attended the different events in our district to commemorate the season! It is invigorating to be surrounded by so many parents, students, and teachers. The Board and I will continue to have conversations with families that will move our district forward. We love your passion for our district and your enthusiasm for what we all create, opportunities for all students to engage in meaningful and challenging learning.
The Board also wishes to extend a warm welcome to Dr. Drati and his family to our district. With Dr. Drati’s addition, the Board is looking at all the opportunities ahead. I can honestly say there has never been a better time to be part of the BUSD Family. It is the Board’s extraordinary privilege to lead this remarkable district, and we are so grateful for the continued passion of our BUSD families for the most important work that we do, educating your children. I and my Board colleagues look forward to celebrating the groundbreaking moments that will come in 2023 with all of our families. On behalf of all of us, your BUSD Board of Education and ALL staff that call BUSD home, we wish you a wonderful holiday season and a very happy and prosperous New Year. We’ll see you in 2023!
Best,
Mayra Garza & BUSD Board of Education 2023
Caring Connections
City of Bellflower BRAVO Essay Competition
Each year, the City of Bellflower has a $500 scholarship essay contest for high school seniors that reside in the City of Bellflower. The subject is, “What can residents do to make their community a safe place to live?” Recipients of the scholarship also get to attend the BRAVO Awards ceremony. Seniors who reside in Bellflower will get information regarding this opportunity from their government teacher. Essays must be limited to a maximum of two double-spaced pages and are due to teachers by Friday, January 13, 2023. This is an excellent opportunity for our students as two BUSD students will receive this scholarship.
Student Spotlight
Bellflower High School senior, Chris Guillen and his brother, Marcus Guillen (Mayfair alumni class of 2018) created Just Breathe, The Rocio Guillen Foundation in memory of their mother Rocio Guillen whose life was tragically taken October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada during the Route 91 Fest. This past Saturday, they hosted their 6th annual toy giveaway at Bellflower High School. With this year’s event, the organization has now served over 30,000 children! To see a recap of this year’s event, click here.
COVID Masking and Testing Information
In order to trigger a mask mandate for all, two metrics would need to be met. The case rate would need to top 200 per week for every 100,000 residents and the percentage of hospital beds used by coronavirus-positive patients also would need to exceed 10%. The LA County Health Department has informed us that we would have at least a week to communicate this information to all educational partners. Please remember that these mandates come from the LA County Health Department.
At this time, masks are voluntary. Should your child need one, our schools have them available. Those not able to wear masks would need to have a mask exemption written by their health care provider on file at their school site. Additionally, to continue to control the spread, we will be sending test kits home over the Winter break. While we are not requiring students to test prior to returning, we encourage everyone to do so as a precautionary measure and to help mitigate the spread. Below are two links with information regarding masks and free at home test kits.
Winter Break Learning Resources
Below are resources to help students continue their learning during the winter break.
Public Library Access: There are multiple online resources from our local libraries that are free to use. Click on the link for more information regarding how to access these resources.
Students in Grades TK-6: To help keep your child’s math skills sharp during break, students in grades TK-6 can access their “ST Math” program and play along with Jiji by logging into their BUSD Clever account, typing in their school name and pressing enter. They will be directed to the different applications that are used in their classroom. They will click on “ST Math” and proceed to interact with Jiji.
Grades 7-12: Students that currently have access to iXL will continue to be able to access the program using their BUSD Clever account throughout winter break.
Tutoring Resources: BUSD has partnered with PAPER tutoring to provide 4th - 12th grade students with on-demand tutoring homework help, writing feedback, and study support. This service promotes educational equity as it provides tutoring in English and Spanish which will help students with language barriers, and because BUSD has partnered with PAPER, the service is free for families. Students will continue to have access over winter break and can access this service through the Clever app.
Below are resources that provide more detailed information regarding the Paper tutoring service:
Holiday Festivities
Ernie Pyle Elementary held their All School Winter Performance today. It was presented by PTA and Education Through Music Los Angeles (ETMLA).
Winter Break
We hope everyone has a great winter break! We will see our students back on campus on Wednesday, January 11, 2023.