Novato Unified School District Superintendent's Weekly Update

Novato CA

10 January, 2021

11:10 AM

Description

Press release from the Novato Unified School District: January 8, 2021 Dear NUSD Family, This was another interesting week. I hope you are all doing your best to take care of yourselves and those you love during these challenging times. Topics included in today's update are: The events of January 6, 2021, in Washington DC Update on grades 7-12 returning to on-campus learning Vaccination update NUSD COVID Dashboard Virtual Learning Academy Newsletters We are all in this together The events of January 6, 2021 in Washington DC I am deeply troubled by the breaching of the US Capitol Building yesterday. What occurred is without precedent and I believe, wholly unacceptable. And while I want to say this is not America, the reality is that what we saw play out in our capital, what we have seen play out across our country over the last several years, and what I saw pour across my Facebook feed is today's America. This is not who we need to be, but this is who we are. It is my belief that we are united in title, but we are divided by ideology. It does not need to be this way. We have far more in common than we do in difference. We can be better than this. I am buoyed by what I heard from President-Elect Biden, yesterday, when he said: "Notwithstanding what I saw today and we're seeing today, I remain optimistic about the incredible opportunities. There has never been anything we can't do when we do it together. And this god-awful display today was bringing home to every Republican and Democrat and Independent in the nation that we must step up." While I understand these are just words, I believe words are a place to start and I believe the only way we will make progress is together. We must step up… together. If ever there was a time to come together, it is now. Below are some resources that may be helpful today and in the days to come. NUSD and other Community Resources CareSolace – An online resource with a live 24/7 concierge to assist individuals in finding local mental health programs and counseling services.
 Helping Children Cope
 Having Difficult Conversations with your Child
 Supporting Your Child's Mental Health
 The COVID pandemic has exhausted us all. It's also tested the way we choose to cope with adversity – a fundamental skill that we try to instill in our students. When we see adults not able to self-regulate, locally or at the national level, it reinforces how important the work is we are doing in our schools to teach empathy, compassion and social emotional competencies. I truly believe that our great Country, and NUSD, will get through this together. Update on grades 7-12 returning to on campus learning In previous communications I have provided specific possible dates for the return of our 7th-12th grade students to campus. The reality is that this decision is out of our control and also out of our ability to predict. While I cannot give you a specific date when I anticipate our 7th-12th grade students will return to hybrid learning, I can say that: Phase 4 (7th-10th grade) will return two weeks after Marin County exits the purple tier as outlined in the California Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Phase 5 (Grades 11-12) will return one week later. At this time, students in Phases 4 and 5 will not be returning on January 19 and 25, respectively. We are excited for the time these students return and are ready to face the challenges that will come with it. Vaccination update While vaccine distribution has been a significant challenge in most California counties and many other countries, Marin County has built systems to provide all received vaccinations to those prioritized in Group 1A. While distribution is successful in Marin County, supply remains a challenge. Marin County will continue to rapidly provide vaccinations as they arrive. School nurses will receive their vaccinations in Group 1A (possibly as early as next week). It is anticipated that all of those in Group 1A will be vaccinated by the end of January. All other school employees are categorized as Group 1B. These employees should expect to receive their vaccinations in February. School employees will receive a registration link from Marin County Department of Public Health when their vaccination is available. It is probable that school employees will receive their vaccinations in Marin County regardless of their home county. We will provide additional information as it becomes available. NUSD COVID Dashboard Below is a link to the new NUSD COVID dashboard. Please note that we track specific cases on this dashboard. NUSD is counting positive confirmed cases for individuals (both students and staff) who have been on campus within close contact* of others for NUSD or school supervised instruction or activities. Only cases that potentially impact individuals' health and wellness at our schools or offices will be reported. In partnership with Public Health, a close contact is defined as any individual who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to positive specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated. This dashboard will be updated one time each week by 5:00 pm on Thursday afternoons. You can view the dashboard here: https://nusd.org/covid-dashboard/. Virtual Learning Academy Newsletters Here are links to the Virtual Learning Academy newsletters: Elementary – January 7, 2021 Middle School – January 7, 2021 We are all in this together We are all in this together. Our safety is dependent on the behaviors of those around us. Please take care of yourself and those around you. Sincerely, Kris Cosca This press release was produced by the Novato Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author's own.