Dear Members of the Alvord Community,

Educators strive to inspire students to be the best they can be. We want our students to want to be the best they can be. We help students reach their potential by setting expectations high and doing everything in our power to provide every student with the opportunity to meet and exceed those expectations. We hold ourselves to high expectations too.

Supporting students has been more challenging than ever in the COVID era. Learning loss has altered the approach to instruction. Mental health challenges have altered the approach to behavior management and support services. Overall, the impact of the pandemic has altered everyone's lives in one way or another. As we approach the end of the 2021-22 school year, it's amazing what our students, their families, and our team of educators and support staff have accomplished together since March, 2020, when all of our lives were forever changed.

On behalf of the Board of Education, it will be a proud moment for our students, their families, and our school district when our seniors walk across the stage with their diplomas in hand. The Class of 2022 diploma is unique in that it was earned under extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances. The same can be said for all of our students promoting to the next grade level.

Congratulations to all of our seniors, our underclass students, our families, and our staff for overcoming many obstacles on the way to reaching this monumental point in time.

Many of our seniors are continuing their education in some of the best 4-year colleges in the state and nation. Some seniors are continuing their academic journey at a 2-year school with intentions to complete a college degree. Some seniors are joining the workforce in apprenticeships and jobs they've been preparing for in career technical education programs. Some seniors will serve our nation by joining the military workforce. We are proud of our senior success. The Class of 2022 has endured an incredible amount of adversity as high school students and have emerged strong and resilient and prepared for the next phase in their lives.

Congratulations to twenty-five remarkable Riverside teens. Three of the twenty-five are Alvord students: Ahtziri Adame and Kiana Jara from La Sierra High School, and Bianca Perez from Norte Vista High School. The students were recognized for their exceptional work, academic excellence, and contributions to the community by Mayor Lock Dawson, the Riverside Youth Council, and the Riverside Police Department. We are proud of our students' accomplishments. Special thanks to Riverside City Council Member, Ward 6, Mr. Jim Perry, and Riverside City Council Member, Ward 7, Mr. Steve Hemenway, for being present to honor our students and for your tireless support of our students and our schools. On behalf of the Alvord Unified School District, congratulations to all 25 Remarkable Teens, their families, and their schools.

Alvord was granted $1.7M to participate in the A – G Completion Improvement Grant Program, recently established by the State of California. The purpose of the grant is to provide resources to school districts committed to increase the number of students who graduate from high school college and career ready. The resources support activities that directly support pupil access to, and successful completion of, the "A - G" course requirements. The A - G courses are college entrance requirements that students must complete (with a grade of C or better) to be minimally eligible for admission to the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU), as well as all competitive colleges.

Below is a celebration at La Sierra High School for students meeting or striving towards meeting the rigorous A - G standards.

School nursing, a specialized practice of nursing, protects and promotes student health, facilitates optimal development, and advances academic success. School nurses, grounded in ethical and evidence-based practice, are the leaders who bridge health care and education, provide care coordination, advocate for quality student-centered care, and collaborate to design systems that allow individuals and communities to develop their full potential. Let your favorite nurses and school health aides know how much you appreciate them.

This week we will celebrate Classified School Employee Week to recognize the important contributions classified school employees make to support our mission to serve our children and our community. Our classified employees are the backbone of our school district. They help schools and the district office function and operate safely and efficiently. Classified employees support our instructional program, they manage our school offices, they keep our campuses safe and clean, they maintain our facilities, they feed our children, they support our management team, and much more. Plan ahead to let your favorite classified employees know how much you appreciate them.

On behalf of your Board of Education, thank you in advance for recognizing your favorite classified employees this week during Classified School Employee Week. Our classified employees are the engine that keeps our schools and district operating efficiently and functioning at a high level.

Let's work together to finish the school year #AlvordStrong.

In partnership,

Allan Mucerino

California has established an Expanded Learning Opportunities Program, authorized by Senate Bill 129 and Assembly Bill 130, as amended by AB 167. It is the intent of the Legislature that expanded learning programs are pupil-centered, results driven, include community partners, and complement, but do not replicate, learning activities in the regular school day and school year. Expanded learning will include before school, after school, summer, and intersession learning programs that focus on developing the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs and interests of pupils through hands-on, engaging learning experiences. Look for additional information and a parent survey in the coming weeks.

Data for the week ending Friday, May 13:

• 40 students (up from 22 the previous week)
• 7 staff members (up from 6 the previous week)

Contact Tracing:

• 460 identified (up from 275 the previous week)
• 32 placed in full quarantine (up from 13 the previous week)

Overall, as of May 13, including the first semester, we have had 3,347 students and 421 staff members report a positive test for COVID-19. Stay current with our case rate by regularly tracking our COVID-19 Data Dashboard and FAQ here. Cases recorded on the Dashboard are confirmed by Riverside County Public Health officials and remain on the Dashboard for 14 days.

62 COVID-19 hospitalized patients

2 more patients hospitalized from prior day total (3.3% increase

During the week ending May 13, in Riverside County, there were 612 new cases (0.1% increase), equating to 12.4 cases per 100K (7-day average), 3 new deaths (0.05% increase), and a 6.6% test positivity (7-day rate), which is a 0.7% increase from 7-days prior. Since many people are now testing at home with antigen rapid tests, the positivity rate is estimated to be much higher since all cases are not reported. There are currently 62 COVID-19 hospitalized patients, 2 more patients hospitalized from prior day total (3.3% increase).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's newly created Community Level COVID-19 rating system, the community level in Riverside County remains Low. The Community Levels are a new tool to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. Levels can be low, medium, or high and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area.

This data is as of May 13, 2022, as reported on the State's tracking web site.