August 28, 2020
Happy Friday WCCUSD community,
I want to thank everyone for a great second week and for being patient in dealing with continued poor air quality. Most importantly, we continue to strengthen our resolve to make sure WCCUSD is a place where racial tolerance, inclusion and love are lived values every day and in every system and practice throughout the district. The more we settle in, the more we are able to see and share the excellent work happening across the District, and at the same time highlight the challenges.
A few highlights:
Teachers used the Homeroom time to connect and build community with their students.
Technology systems remained strong for all of our teachers to deliver instruction.
District leaders and their teams hosted WCCUSD’s first virtual Back to School Night. If you missed Back to School night, check with your school about the recorded sessions and mark your calendars for the second Back to School Night on January 19-21.
High Schools like Jose De Leon and the Richmond High School team for a very different and thoughtful Distance Learning program.
Middle Schools and K-8 Schools like Julie Plaisance and the Stewart team enrolled 99 percent of students.
Elementary Schools like Kenneth Bonner and the Lake team for their work in connecting with the Lions community.
Meal distribution from 8 am to 1 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the 15 school locations.
Parents for sharing successes and concerns with us
Now, a few areas that will continue to need attention.
We believe there are still students who have not connected at all with their teachers or school over these first two weeks. We need to continue our community wide effort to connect with all WCCUSD students and family by spreading the word about Distance Learning and letting us know of any families that need help connecting whether it’s technology, academics or socio-emotional support.
We have a helpful, easy to read Distance Learning Handbook that has a variety of resources gathered from feedback, meetings and discussions with students, families, staff and community stakeholders that can help. The Handbook is in both English and Spanish and available on the District's Digital Backpack page.
We also want to make clear what attendance and engagement are and that both are required by the state in the Distance Learning environment.
Attendance is recorded in your student’s homeroom class/period. Students can also be marked present if they miss homeroom, BUT interact with the teacher via email, independent lesson, or other form of communication before 3 pm that day
Engagement is a new tracking system required by the state. Engagement is tracked through contact and assignments with your student’s teacher and can occur in a variety of ways. Engagement is NOT just showing up to class. Engagement IS some form of participating in the work or with the teacher.
Attendance and Engagement can be viewed by parents and families in their Parent PowerSchool account. To set up or update your account, please visit https://www.wccusd.net/Page/11026.
Lastly, we need EVERY family, regardless of income status, to complete the school lunch form. The federal government has provided zero flexibility on this requirement and a significant portion of the district funding that supports several programs and services is still tied to this essential piece of information. The form can be filled out by clicking either the English | Spanish link or in the Back to School Annual Forms found by accessing your Parent PowerSchool account. Please, take a few minutes to complete the form.
These are intense days. Stay safe and keep the fight for racial justice in your minds and hearts. Remember to continue to follow the physical distance guidelines and take time for yourself and your family. Thank you again for flexibility and patience. Enjoy the weekend and I look forward to a strong start to Week 3.
In community,
Matthew Duffy Superintendent