Albany Unified School District Superintendent's Community Update For March 5

Albany CA

08 March, 2021

9:15 AM

Description

Press release from Albany Unified School District: March 5, 2021 Dear AUSD Community, "AUSD's hybrid reopening plans were solidified today as the Board of Education approved the Memorandum of Understanding between AUSD and Albany Teachers Association for Hybrid Instruction (TK-12th Grade) during COVID-19. We are just a few days away from bringing our students back to campus. To prepare for this transition, all students will receive asynchronous instruction for a few days near their grade's hybrid reopening date. This gives teachers time to prepare their lessons and their classrooms for the students' return. Note the schedule detailed in the table below. The asynchronous schedule for transition days will mimic the student's current asynchronous schedule (Wednesday schedule for elementary students). Grades Return to Hybrid 4 Transition Days (Asynchronous instruction only for all grades) TK/K* Monday March 15 Tuesday March 9 Wednesday March 10 Thursday March 11 Friday March 12** 1st-3rd Grade Monday March 22 Wednesday March 10 Friday March 12** Thursday March 18 Friday March 19 4th-5th Grade Monday March 29 Wednesday March 10 Friday March 12** Thursday March 25 Friday March 26 6th Grade Monday March 29 Friday March 12** Thursday March 18 Friday March 19 Friday March 26 7th-8th Grade Monday April 5 Friday March 12** Thursday March 18 Friday March 19 Friday March 26 9th-12th Grade Monday April 5 Friday March 26 Wednesday March 31 Thursday April 1 Friday April 2 *Conference and assessment days for TK/K may change. **Friday March 12 is a non-instructional day. School Schedules School schedules are changing. This will affect both students participating in Hybrid Instruction as well as those students who remain with Remote Learning. Schedules are posted here on the District website, as well as on each school's website. Secondary schedules are also posted. Hybrid Reopening Family Forums Many attended online Family Forums about the Hybrid Program this week. If you missed a Forum, video recordings are posted below for each school. FAQs are being developed based on community questions and will be posted soon. Albany & MacGregor High Schools: Video FAQ Albany Middle School: Video Slides Cornell Elementary: Video Marin Elementary: Video (enter passcode: YEFz#^43) Ocean View Elementary: Video (enter passcode: 9e%s!50G) No Classes On Friday, March 12 According to the AUSD 2020-2021 Academic Calendar, Friday, March 12 is a professional development day for staff. No classes will be held on Friday, March 12. AUSD Stands Against Anti-Asian Hate Since the outbreak of COVID-19 last year, there has been an increase in hateful behavior against Asians and Asian Americans. Many of us have seen video footage of disgusting acts of anti-Asian violence in the Bay Area and across our nation. The Asian community has faced scapegoating that has made many feel increasingly unsafe in their own communities. Our nation has a long history of racism, xenophobia, and prejudice and we must stand together with our Asian and Asian American students, colleagues, and neighbors to reaffirm that bigotry has no place here. Central to the work of educating our children is reinforcing everyone's sense of belonging—this belonging supersedes racial and ethnic lines. Anti-Asian racism is not new, is rooted in the same systemic oppression that devalues all people of color, and grows when communities turn against one another. I want to take a moment to reaffirm our district's commitment to providing an equitable and inclusive environment and to our ongoing work of addressing systemic racism and oppression. To those in our community who have been directly affected by this bigotry, know that we see you, sympathize with you, and are here to support you. A parent engagement group for those who identify as Asian Pacific Islanders is forming. I welcome our Asian Pacific Islander Parent Engagement Group and applaud their desire to raise a voice in support of their students. For more information about the Asian Pacific Islander Parent Engagement Group, contact [email protected]." Stay encouraged, Dr. Frank Wells Superintendent of Schools Albany Unified School District This press release was produced by the Albany Unified School District. The views expressed are the author's own.