Dear BYRON Community,

What an exciting beginning to the second half of our school year! We've had several opportunities to celebrate our incredible students at all our sites. I am proud of our families, teachers, staff, and administrators for all the support, encouragement and care everyone gives our students each day to help them achieve their goals. It was inspiring to see the many special acts of kindness spreading from our campuses and throughout our community as we appreciated and honored those around us. These are exactly the types of things that represent the WE ARE BYRON motto for our district! I look forward to our continued partnership as we round the corner to our Spring Break. The last several months of the school year include critical elements of learning and growth, looking forward to increased attendance each day at our sites and more chances to celebrate the staff and students of our schools, there is so much greatness ahead!

We need your help right now! We are looking for people to join our team. We are seeking community members to help us with our daily need for substitutes in all positions. We need crossing guards, instructional aides, food service staff, and substitute teachers. Please check out the openings and apply on edjoin by clicking this LINK to join the Byron Team!

Also, we were asked to share this with our community so please take some time to review information about the Earned Income Tax Credit to see if you qualify. Please read all of the important information in this edition of our district newsletter, thank you.

In gratitude,

Crystal Castaneda

#WEareBYRON

#CultivatingSuccessfor ALL

Byron’s LCAP(Local Control Accountability Plan) is our district's plan for utilizing funds to increase student achievement, using strategic goals with measurable outcomes. It is a multi-year plan that we create every 3 years and update annually with our district community to highlight the progress we have made and gather feedback from our educational partners to guide our plan updates for the following year.

Please join us at one of the LCAP Educational Partner presentations and feedback sessions:

• EMS PTSA Meeting (3/1/2023 at 7pm) (CLICK THIS ZOOM LINK)
• Timber Point Principal/Parent Coffee Hour (3/17/2023 9:00am)
• Mon, March 6 @ 6pm - Community Input Meeting (VIRTUAL) - Click here to join the meeting
• Wed, March 8 @ 9:30am – Community Input Meeting (VIRTUAL) - Click here to join the meeting

If you are unable to attend a meeting, please watch this overview: LCAP update for 2022-2023 and please complete a feedback survey so we can capture your important thoughts.

LCAP Input Surveys:

English: bit.ly/Spring23LCAP

Español:https://bit.ly/Spring23LCAPSp

We had a wonderful time celebrating our 21-22 Byron USD Employees of the Year! The CSEA Site Honorees were: Dani Cushman-EMS Librarian and Campus Supervisor, Sonia Cubic- TP Attendance Clerk, and Amber Rennert- DB Librarian. Our BTA Site Teachers of the Year were Julie Clarke-DB, Sandi Worrell-EMS, and Bernadette Geer-TP(also selected as the District Teacher of the Year)! This is the culminating event to end their cycle of celebration which runs mid-year 21-21 to mid-year 22-23). WE are proud of the important work they do and the contribution they make to the lives of students. Each of these honorees make a difference each day with the support they give to students, families, staff and our school community.

The voting and selection process for our next CSEA and BTA Employees of the Year is happening now and we will announce all the 22-23 winners in an upcoming newsletter.

We are excited to welcome Ms. Ana Hatarik to TEAM Byron! She is our new district-wide Community Parent Liaison. Her background is in Science, she has a Masters in Nuclear Engineering, and a Masters in Astrophysics. Her bilingual skills, caring personality, and extensive volunteer experience in the community made her an excellent fit for this position.

Ms. Hatarik will be working at each school site during the week to support families and students. She will host drop-in office hours for parents to meet with her at the beginning of each school day when she is scheduled on site. You will find her at Discovery Bay Elementary on Mondays & Fridays, Timber Point Elementary on Tuesdays and at Excelsior Middle School on Wednesdays & Thursdays.

She has a passion for supporting our Spanish speaking community and helping all families feel connected to our schools. She is focused on supporting students to reduce chronic absenteeism, supporting families with school related documents and registration, assisting with site parent meetings, and sharing community resources for support with our families. She has established a collaborative relationship with our partners at the Village Community Resource Center and with the parent leaders in the community to increase parent involvement in our schools.

We love having your children at school all school year! This is the time of year when weather and illnesses such as colds, flu, fevers, earaches and Covid-19 can take a toll on school attendance. These absences, even if they are excused, break the routine of daily attendance that contributes to students feeling connected and engaged in learning. Please consider these steps to keep your children healthy and in school.

1. Develop back up plans for getting your children to school. Check who can give your children a ride if you can’t take them or form a “walking school bus” to walk to school with other families.

2. If your children get sick or you are concerned about Covid or the flu, talk to your child’s medical provider or the school nurse for advice.

3. Stomach pain and headaches can be signs of anxiety and may not be reasons for keeping a child home. If you feel that anxiety or stress is playing a role, talk to your child’s teacher, the school nurse or counselor or your medical provider about how best to support your child.

4. Encourage children to wash their hands before and after eating and after using the restroom.

5. Avoid sharing cups and utensils with other individuals.

6. Dress your children for the cold weather. If you need help with winter clothing, call the school.

7. Encourage healthy habits such as getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, drinking fluids and getting exercise.

8. If your children need to stay home for a prolonged period due to illness, talk to your child’s teacher to find out about resources, including computer or internet access, that they can use at home to keep learning once they feel well enough.

Let us know how we can help you. If you’re having trouble, need resources or advice, please call us at 925-809-7500. Thank you for partnering with us!

If you live outside the Byron Union School District and wish to attend school within our Byron USD school boundaries, a parent or legal guardian may apply for an Inter District Transfer request. To start this process, a parent or legal guardian must first obtain an Inter District Transfer request from their district of residence. Your request must be approved by your school district of residence to be considered. BUSD will not review or consider requests that are denied by their school district of residence.

• PLEASE NOTE: If your district of residence approves your inter-district transfer request, this does not mean that you have been accepted into BUSD. Please do not dis-enroll your student or try to register your student within the BUSD school boundaries until you have received an official transfer decision notification letter from our Student Services Department.
• REQUESTS MUST BE SUBMITTED EACH SCHOOL YEAR
• NEW INTERDISTRICT TRANSFER REQUESTS ARE DUE BY MARCH 31.
• You will be notified within 30 days from the date that you submit the inter-district transfer form.

Please email cbendoyro@byron.k12.ca.us for more information.

Intradistrict Transfer Request apply to students who are currently attending school within the Byron Union School District (BUSD), who are requesting a transfer between schools within Byron district boundaries. This request is available to parents/guardians to fill out for their student to attend another school other than the students school of residence within the district.

Students must be enrolled to have their transfers considered. If you haven’t registered your student, please start the process at your student’s school of residence, which is their boundary school. If you aren't sure which school is your boundary school, you can enter your address at FindMySchool.us Once you have finished the registration process at your boundary school, you can request the Intradistrict transfer form at that time.

• PLEASE NOTE, all transfers are granted based on space and program availability in the requested school. Availability is determined by current and projected enrollment needs. Please read the back of the Intradistrict Request form carefully before submitting. Transportation will not be provided for students who chose to attend outside their boundary school except as required by 20 USC 6316, for transfers out of the Title 1 program.

Please email cbendoyro@byron.k12.ca.us for more information.

It’s National Thank You Month! Thank You Month is an opportunity to spread kindness by thanking all the people who’ve helped us along the way.

To kick off Thank You Month, we want to thank you for your dedication. Every day, you encourage your student to learn and grow. You are a major reason for the success of our students, and it’s an honor to serve your family.

We encourage you to spend some time thinking about what you’re thankful for and express gratitude for those who have helped you. Help from others is so appreciated and, at times, needed. If you or a family member needs extra support, Byron Union School District partnered with Care Solace to support the well-being of students and their family members. If you or a family member are looking for help with mental health or substance use treatment and would like to use Care Solace to help you find a provider:

• Call 888-515-0595. Multilingual support is available 24/7/365.
• Visit caresolace.com/byronusd and either search on your own OR click “Book Appointment” for assistance by video chat, email, or phone.

Thank you again for your dedication to your students and this community.

DISTRICT BOARD MEETINGS, 6:30pm at the District Office Board Room

March 2nd

March 16th

Excelsior Middle School:

March 1st: PTSA Meeting, 7pm via ZOOM

March 7th: DC/NY Student Lunch Meeting #1

March 13th-16th: Book Fair

March 7th-14th: Q3 Finals

March 15th-17th: Spring Conf, Min. Days Release @ 11:55am

March 20th-31st: Spring Break- No School

Discovery Bay Elementary School:

March 1st: K Registration, 2:30pm-7pm

March 8th-16th: Book Fair

March 15th-17th: Minimum Days, 11:40am Dismissal

March 20th-31st: Spring Break-No School

Timber Point Elementary School:

March 1st: 7:50am Breakfast Book Club

March 1st: TK/Kinder Packets Returned 2:30-7:00pm

March 9th: Superintendent-Community Meeting RE: New TP Principal (5:30pm,TP Library)

March 15th,16th,17th: Conferences, Min Day Release at 11:40am

March 16th: PTA Meeting 6:00pm

March 17th: Coffee with Principal & LCAP Stakeholder Meeting

March 20th-31st: Spring Break- No School

March 1st, 8th: Early Release Wednesday K-3- 12:45pm & 4/5- 1:15pm