NUSD: 5.21.2021 NUSD Supt. Update – Full Return For 2021-22, Pausing School Closure Process, Student And Staff Recognition And More

Novato CA

22 May, 2021

10:16 AM

Description

Press release from the Novato Unified School District: lbenjamin May 21st, 2021 5.21.2021 NUSD Supt. Update – Full Return for 2021-22, Pausing School Closure Process, Student and Staff Recognition and More En español Dear NUSD Family, I want to thank you for reading these communications each week this year. I hope they have been helpful as we have navigated through both the good news and the not-so-good news of this challenging year. Topics included in today's update are: Full Return for 2021-2022 Board Action – Pausing the School Closure Process NISA Award Recognition Retiree and Employee Recognition May is Mental Health Awareness Month VLA Newsletters Full Return for 2021-2022 I don't think we can say this often enough that NUSD is excited to return to a full pre-pandemic schedule in the 2021-2022 school year. Students will be on campus for full days five days a week and bell schedules will be available in mid-June. Our confidence in this plan is buoyed by the recent release of the Beyond the Blueprint for a Safer Economy document by the California Department of Public Health. In the accompanying press release, California Governor Gavin Newsom stated, "Schools and institutions of higher education should conduct full-time, in person instruction, in compliance with Cal/OSHA emergency temporary standards and public health guidelines." Board Action – Pausing the School Closure Process On Tuesday, May 18, the NUSD Board of Trustees approved the pause of any school closure discussions. This was recommended by staff for several reasons. First, pausing this important topic allows NUSD staff to focus their efforts on preparing to bring students back to schools rather than on this divisive issue. Second, NUSD is in the midst of receiving information from the Governor of California that provides greater clarity for our budget next year and in the years to come. Finally, staff recommended finding other ways to save the estimated $400,000 through a mix of savings elsewhere and revenue generation. NISA Award Recognition At the May 18 Board meeting, the Board recognized NUSD's Novato Inspirational Student Achievement Award recipients with a virtual video presentation.  This award honors those students, who throughout their school years, have demonstrated the 6C's of NUSD's Graduate Profile:  Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, Conscientious Learner, Cultural Competence and Character.  Every school in the Novato Unified School District, including the Virtual Learning Academy, honored two students from the fifth, eighth, and twelfth grade levels. The list of students receiving the award can be found here. Congratulations to all our NISA Award recipients! Retiree and Employee Recognition We also recognized our employees who are retiring this year as well as our employees who have given 20 and 25 years of service.  We wish our retiring employees the best as they start a new chapter in their lives and thank those employees who have spent those many years in service to the students, their families, and NUSD.  The presentation of all honorees can be found here. Congratulations to all! May is Mental Health Awareness Month As we head into the end of May, the Marin County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services continue to offer community events.  Below are events for the week of May 24: Now thru the end of May. Youth art campaign submissions May 24th – 2 pm. Building a Safe Community for Older Adults in Marin: A Suicide Prevention Training May 25 – 3 pm – NAMI Marin Story Telling Series May 25th – 4 pm. Focus group–Older adult men and mental health (age 65+). Interested? Sign up here. May 26th – 10:30 am. Age Friendly Marin Forum: Isolation and Loneliness and the Antidotes May 26 – 1 pm. Addressing Trauma through Decolonizing Mental Health May 27–6 pm. Middle age men and mental health (ages 45-64 year old). Interested? Sign up here. Virtual Learning Academy Newsletters Here are links to this week's VLA newsletters: Elementary School – May 20, 2021 Middle School – May 20, 2021 Take care and have a great weekend. Sincerely, Kris Cosca www.nusd.org/COVID   Novato Unified School District 1015 7th street Novato, CA 94945 415.897.4201 415.612.3500 [email protected] Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM       This press release was produced by the Novato Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author's own.