Novato Unified School District Superintendent's Weekly Update

Novato CA

06 December, 2020

10:48 AM

Description

Press release from the Novato Unified School District: December 4, 2020 En español Dear NUSD Family, I hope that each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you found time to reflect on all that you had to be thankful for. This was a big week for NUSD as we brought our 3, 4, 5, and 6 grade students back to our campuses. Topics included in today's update are: Phase 3: The return of grades 3-6 What does Governor Newsom's announcement from yesterday mean for NUSD? What happens to NUSD if Marin goes to the purple tier? Youth sports guidance Important staffing update Reminder about free and reduced lunch applications Reminder about back to school Aeries Confirmation forms Phase 3: The return of grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 Monday and Thursday represented the return of our grades 3, 4, 5, and 6 to hybrid learning. I am so appreciative of everyone who played a role in making this happen, especially our teachers and staff who worked diligently, both behind the scenes and on the front lines, to make the beginning of Phase 3 a success. Phase 4 is scheduled for January 4 when grades 7 and 8 and January 5 for grades 9 and 10 are scheduled to return to hybrid learning. We will share the high school bell schedule with you next week. What does Governor Newsom's announcement from yesterday mean for NUSD? Yesterday, Governor Newsom announced a new strategy to slow the spread of COVID-19 in California. He broke California up into five regions with Novato being in the Bay Area Region. From the San Francisco Chronicle, The Governor will: …close personal care services such as hair and nail salons, playgrounds, bars and wineries, movie theaters, museums and zoos in places where fewer than 15% of intensive care unit beds are available across an entire region. The orders will remain in effect for at least three weeks after the state imposes them and can be lifted only if the available ICU capacity in the region is projected to rise above 15% again within four weeks after that. At that point, counties in the region will return to one of the state's current color tiers, with associated restrictions, based on their individual case rates. If the Bay Area continues its current path, it is anticipated that we will have less than 15% of our ICU beds available near mid-December. If the Bay Area does experience this shutdown, that would pause our reentry plan. Schools currently open will likely be allowed to remain open. This is all very new information and we are waiting for the specific impacts on schools. We will provide that information as it becomes available. What happens to NUSD if Marin goes to the purple tier It is possible that Marin County could return to the purple tier as numbers surge across California. In our reentry plan we said the following: What would pause this return plan? As outlined in the COVID-19 and Reopening In-Person Learning Framework for K-12 Schools in California, 2020-2021 School Year (California's COVID-19 Reopening Plan), if Marin County were to move from the Red Tier back to the Purple Tier, NUSD would be forced to pause the reentry plan. The plan, and accompanying timelines, would remain paused until two weeks after Marin County returned to the Red Tier. However, students who are on campus at the time of Marin County's move to the Purple Tier would remain in the on-campus learning model. Those in distance learning would remain in distance learning. Timelines would be adjusted accordingly. We anticipate that we will follow this plan acknowledging that adjustments could be made due to timing should Marin County move back towards purple. Youth Sports Guidance Many months ago, we were advised that we would receive an athletics update from the State of California and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) on December 7. Earlier this week we received news that we would not be receiving that anticipated update until January 1 at the earliest. This means that athletics practice, outside of the conditioning already occurring, cannot begin in December as anticipated for any school in California. The update also made some minor adjustments to end of season competition and which sports will be played in the "fall" season set to begin in January and the spring season. You can read the CIF update here. While this is very disappointing news, it was not surprising given the rising COVID rates across the State and region. We continue to hope for competition for all our student athletes in the 2020-2021 school year. Important staffing update Effective December 31, 2020, our Assistant Superintendent of Education Services, Dr. Amie Carter, will be leaving NUSD and joining the Marin County Office of Education as the County Assistant Superintendent of Education Services and liaison to the California Collaborative of Educational Excellence. While we are disappointed to see Amie go, we understand her desire to take on this new challenge. We are thrilled that Dr. Carter will continue to support NUSD, and all the districts in Marin County and beyond. NUSD will conduct a thorough search to fill Amie's current position beginning in February. In the meantime, I have asked current Director of Student Success, Jennifer Larson, to step into the role of Interim Assistant Superintendent of Education Services effective January 1, 2021. I am currently working with Jen and other members of our team to determine how we, temporarily, fill Jen's current Director of Student Success position between now and the completion of our job search. Reminder about free and reduced lunch applications While free and reduced lunch applications are not currently required for students to receive free lunches this year, these applications are critically important for NUSD funding. These applications are the basis for various school funding formulas including our LCAP, Title I programs, and countless other Government funded programs. Information was sent out earlier this week and here is the link to the application: https://www.nlappscloud.com/District.aspx?apply=1. Reminder about back to school AERIES confirmation forms At the beginning of each school year, families must confirm or update their student's information in Aeries, our student information system. This year we transitioned our 'back to school forms' or 're-enrollment' to Aeries Data Confirmation This allows families to use the same platform and Parent Portal already being used to access their child's information in Aeries. As we wrap the first semester, please log into your Aeries Parent Portal to ensure that you have fully and successfully completed the annual update process. This information is important, so we have accurate records in case of an emergency. If you have any questions or need help, please contact your child's school. Again, I thank you for all you are doing to keep our kids and community safe. I anticipate that the rising COVID numbers across California and in the Bay Area are causing additional stress. Please know that we are watching these numbers and working closely in partnership with Marin County Public Health as we move forward, and we will keep you posted as anything changes. Sincerely, Kris Cosca www.nusd.org/COVID This press release was produced by the Novato Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author's own.