BUSD: Superintendent's State Of The District On Wednesday, January 27 / (La Traducción En Español Estará Disponible El Sábado)

Berkeley CA

16 January, 2021

5:01 AM

Description

Press release from Berkeley Public Schools: January 15, 2021 Dear Berkeley Community, Families and Colleagues, Even though only two weeks have passed since New Year's Day, it feels much longer, given all that has happened. We're all contending with "pandemic fatigue," even with vaccines on the horizon. We miss being with each other, we miss school, and on top of it all, we are haunted by the horrifying assault on the Capitol and continued threats to safety, to racial justice, and to our democracy. I am hoping we can take the next few days ahead, with the commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, and the inauguration of new leadership, to take a deep breath, remember Dr. King's words about our "inescapable network of mutuality," and recommit ourselves to the well-being of our beloved community. Here at the District Office we continue working toward opening our schools for in-person learning, incorporating the Governor's new Safe Schools for All Plan, while also working to build the budget and plans for the 2021-2022 school year. I will be sharing some of my thoughts about the path ahead at the annual community meeting known as the Superintendent's State of the District on Wednesday, January 27 at 6:00 pm. Please join me at this Zoom Webinar link. We will also record the meeting to upload to our District YouTube channel. I hope we can spend this weekend being gentle with ourselves and those around us, connecting in meaningful but safe ways with friends and loved ones, grounding ourselves in the beauty of the natural world, and finding further reservoirs of hope. It is uplifting to know that on Tuesday, January 20, a former Thousand Oaks Elementary School student will be sworn in as the first woman, and the first Black and South Asian Vice President of the United States. Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris is a reminder of why we collectively do the work we do to educate BUSD students. I hope this moment is inspiring to you and your family. Warmly, Brent Stephens, Ed.D. Superintendent This press release was produced by Berkeley Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author's own.