Novato Unified School District Superintendent's Weekly Update - November 20, 2020

Novato CA

21 November, 2020

10:51 AM

Description

Press release from the Novato Unified School District: November 20, 2020 En español Dear NUSD Family, It is hard to believe that it is almost Thanksgiving. This year seems to have both crawled and flown by. While full of unprecedented challenges, it has demonstrated to me how much I have to be thankful for. Topics included in today's letter are: Thanksgiving Message Update on Reentry Task Force Meetings Update on High School Bell Schedule Meetings NFT and NUSD Mediation Update United Against Hate Week – 11/30-12/6 Kindergarten/TK Information Night 12/9 at 5 PM Reminder: District Office Closed to Public During Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks Thanksgiving Message This year has been challenging beyond measure. It is my hope that it has also given you an opportunity to reflect on all you have to be thankful for. Regardless of what we have lost, we continue to have much more to be thankful for. I am deeply thankful for each of you, our staff and community members. Regardless of the challenges before us, we have continued to do the best we can for our kids. Update on Reentry Task Force Meetings This week we brought back together our 150-member Reentry Task Force that met in June to review the re-entry document approved by the Board in July 2020. This team of teachers, parents and students offered us first-hand feedback about the fall semester, and the team felt major revisions of the plan were not necessary. A summary document of their reflections and suggestions will be published before the winter break. Update on High School Bell Schedule Meetings This week our high school representative teams were brought together to discuss possible bell schedules in the first of two scheduled meetings. The teams represented students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Their next meeting is December 1. The final bell schedule will be available by Mid-December. Mediation Update Yesterday, the NUSD negotiations team met with the Novato Federation of Teachers and a state appointed mediator to negotiate the effects of returning students to hybrid instruction. This full day session was positive and productive, and we look forward to our next session on December 4, 2020. United Against Hate Week – 11/30-12/6 November 30 through December 6 is United Against Hate Week, a campaign designed to bring communities together to learn from each other, surface local concerns and seek solutions. The campaign is strongly supported by Not In Our Town Novato, a partnership between Novato Unified School District, the City of Novato, and North Marin Community Services. Not In Our Town Novato is associated with Not In Our Town, a leading anti-hate organization that serves a network of hundreds of schools and communities across the country who stand against bullying, hate and inequality and work to bridge differences, foster inclusion and build equity. On December 3, 2020, a virtual event will be held to view the TED Talk "What It Takes To Be Racially Literate" to raise awareness of implicit bias, introduce a speaker series for early 2021 entitled, "A More Just Novato," followed by a conversation on creating an inclusive community in Novato and being racially literate. Participants are asked to register at bit.ly/NIOTNovatoUAH. Information on other events planned for United Against Hate Week can be found here: https://unitedagainsthateweek.org/find-events. Kindergarten/TK Information Night December 9 at 5:00 PM We're thinking about next year's Kindergarten and TK students and families! NUSD will be holding an Information Night for incoming Transitional Kindergarten/Kindergarteners on Wednesday, December 9, at 5 pm. This will be a Zoom webinar with a presentation and time for questions. Spanish interpretation will be available. Access to the event can be found here. Please share with your friends and families that have children ready for school next year. Reminder: District Office Closed to Public During Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks The NUSD district office will be closed to the public during Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks. Please plan any visits to the district office around these closures. Again, I thank you for all you are doing to keep our kids and community safe. I wish you and yours a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. 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.