Dear JUHSD Community,

This past Saturday and Sunday, I had the opportunity to visit 705 Serramonte, home to our District's new Educational Staff Housing, and visit with many of the 19 staff members and their families who broke historic ground by moving into this exciting new venture. The dedication and hard work from so many groups and individuals, including our JUHSD Board of Trustees, was brought to life this weekend and I am so honored to have been a part of that moment. Please see a few photos from this past weekend's move-in day in this newsletter.

In regards to this project, I would like to thank you, the community, for passing a bond in 2018 that allowed us to move forward turning this idea into a reality for our well-deserving staff. We thank you for supporting our students, the ones who will benefit the most from this project! Scroll down to see photos from this epic move in today's Update!

This coming Friday, May 13, 5:00 pm, the District will host its golden Centennial Celebration and Educational Staff Housing Ribbon Cutting Ceremony in the courtyard of the the new workforce housing building at 705 Serramonte. All JUHSD staff and students, past and present, along with families and community members, are invited to attend this monumental event. For more information, please click here and I look forward to seeing in attendance.

Please have a restful weekend and to all of our moms and guardians, Happy Mother's Day!

Warmly,

Toni Presta

Superintendent

Though this week is National Teacher Appreciation Week, District Office Leadership will present site staffs with goodies next week. As we know, teachers and staff are the backbone of our schools. They play a pivotal role in our student’s lives, inspiring a lifelong love of learning and discovery and making a difference in their well-being and success. We thank our District staff for their heroic efforts to educate our students throughout this pandemic.

This past week, Westmoor senior Kaitlyn Reclusado won big at the 2022 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championship in Goyang, South Korea. During the tournament, Kaitlyn competed in the "Recognized Poomsae Individual Female Under 30" division competing against 64 athletes from across the globe. After placing within the top 8, Kaitlyn placed 3rd bringing home the bronze medal. Watch this video clip to see Kaitlyn in action. Way to represent WHS, JUHSD, and the USA, Kaitlyn!

Throughout the week, standout stories of student success are shared with the District Office. In this week's Good News From School , we'd like to give a shout-out to:

*Julie Nash, Adult Transition Program, finished her first week at Vallemar Child Care in Pacifica as a teacher's assistant and couldn't be happier!

*Students from Laurie Hughes' Oceana High School interim program spent a week camping in the woods and cooing their own meals made from local, organic ingredients at Pie Ranch in Pescardero.

*Cristal Menjivar, a senior at Jefferson High School, serves lunch to a 3rd grader from Susan B. Anthony school during a training at Elkus Ranch to learn about farm-life living, sponsored by the Town of Colma.

Way to represent our District and make us proud, JUHSD students! Share exciting school and student moments with us - we want to hear about it! Email District Director of Communication and Staff Housing Austin Worden with your Good News From School!

To celebrate Decision Day, a day where most colleges require seniors to make a decision for where they'll be attending school in the fall, Oceana High counselors Michelle Fortunado-Kewin and Alyssa Owyang hosted a Cookies With Counseling event in the school's courtyard during an advisory period on May 5. Seniors were encouraged to grab a cookie while sharing their academic plans for their post high school career with school counselors. We wish our Oceana High Seniors the best of luck as they prepare for college and beyond!

At this May 3 Board of Trustees meeting, two new vice principals were appointed and will join the Westmoor Ram-ily this coming school year. As read at this meeting:

Tina Kuang is an educational leader with a strong commitment to equity and inclusion. Tina started her tenure in education as a Physics teacher at Skyline High School. She has most recently served as a science teacher at Bancroft Middle School, while also assuming an increasing number of leadership responsibilities, such as serving as the Science Department Chair, Teacher in Charge and Cohort Coordinator.

Sterling He is a strategic and collaborative educational leader. Sterling entered into education as a math teacher at Skyline High School. During his time at Skyline High School, he demonstrated a deep commitment to departmental collaboration and data driven instruction to effect positive student outcomes for all students, particularly English Language Learners. Sterling has assumed increasing leadership responsibilities, such as leading all recruitment and hiring coordination of new teachers at Skyline for three years.

We wish Tina and Sterling the best as they start their careers with JUHSD!

Do you own a piece of JUHSD memorabilia from one of our school sites, past and present? If so, the District's Centennial Committee would love to borrow your items to display during the May 13 celebration! Items may include:

*Pennants and flags

*Clothing and uniforms

*Graduation programs and tassels

*Bumper stickers, buttons, and more!

If you have a piece of District history in which you'd being willing to donate or loan, please reach out to Austin Worden, Director of Communication and Staff Housing, (650) 559-7943, to work out details!

As proms have returned to our schools, we ask that you take an at-home rapid antigen test, provided to you by the District, prior to you attending the big dance. A two pack take home test will be given to you at time of ticket distribution and we encourage you to take the second test 3-5 days after the prom.

Positive test results should be shared with the local health department through this Primary Health link and please stay home, isolate, and report this to the District. Please note that participants who have already registered do not have to re-register and can locate their account by clicking on the search tool.

For COVID-related questions, please reach out to Michele Jones, District Director of COVID Response.

JUHSD Prom Schedule:

*Westmoor, April 23, Hyatt Regency, Burlingame

*Terra Nova, May 6, Filoli Gardens, Woodside

*Jefferson and Thornton, May 14, Hotel Nikko, SF

*Oceana, May 14, Gallery 308 at Fort Mason, SF

Photo: Westmoor High students check in with Activities Director Michael Simon at their April 23 prom at the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame.

Join San Mateo County Office of Education as they host the following free workshops to our parents and students:

*Latinx/Hispanic Communities and Mental Health, a live event on Thursday, May 12, 6:00 pm for all area adults and youth. Topics covered will include ways to prevent anxiety or depression, emotional well-being of Latinx/Hispanic youth, and how can adults support youth in accessing mental health resources. To sign up and receive more information on this worthwhile event, please click on this electronic flyer (English), electronic flyer (Spanish).

*Sustainable and Climate Ready Schools Challenge (TK-12 Families), Applications due May 16, 2022: Applications are now open for the San Mateo County Sustainable and Climate Ready Schools Challenge. The challenge identifies students, staff, and community members who are leading efforts in their school communities to create a sustainable and climate resilient future. Learn more.

*Understanding Severe Mental Health Conditions (TK-12 Families) May 24, 5:30-6:30pm: What should parents know about severe mental health concerns like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, psychosis, and more? Join Steve Smith, PhD, Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Psychology, UC Santa Barbara, to understand more about severe mental health conditions in children and youth. Simultaneous Spanish translation. Learn more (Spanish flyer included).