Richard Newman, 5 days ago

Dear AUSD Families:

We were notified today that an individual at Boulder Oaks has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Due to privacy laws, information regarding this individual's identity cannot be released. This individual is currently not on campus per public health guidelines. The school will remain open for in-person learning. We have cleaned and disinfected appropriately following all health protocols.

We understand that this information is concerning. Staff members and students who may have come into close contact with the individual will be contacted directly by San Diego County Public Health and the school office with further instructions. We are working with public health to continue to monitor the situation, and we are strictly following all public health guidelines.

As a reminder, we ask that you monitor your student for any signs of illness each day such as cough, shortness of breath, runny nose, and fever at home before coming to school. Anyone with a fever of 100°F or more should not go to a school site. Those experiencing symptoms including a persistent cough, shortness of breath, or runny nose should not attend school or ESS, even if no fever is present. All students are required to wear a face covering, and student temperatures will continue to be taken upon entering classes and buildings.

Thank you for your cooperation and support.

Sincerely,

Dr. Rich Newman
Superintendent
Alpine Union School District

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Richard Newman, 8 days ago

We will be distributing free Grab and Go Meal Bags today, Monday 10/12 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm in the JMMS parking lot. The meals are FREE to all children 18 and under!

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Richard Newman, 13 days ago

CalFire will be at JMMS today (Wednesday) for free drive through COVID-19 testing from 8:00 - 2:00. No flu shots will be provided today. All staff and community members are welcome!

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Richard Newman, 14 days ago

Dear AUSD families,

We are almost two and a half weeks into our return to face-to-face learning and I wanted to provide a few updates. First, I am pleased to share that the opening of our hybrid learning model has gone exceptionally well. Overall, our teachers and students have been adjusting very well to the new procedures and protocols, while also adapting to a new model of instruction. The one constant that has provided us a healthy, safe, and smooth opening is the united effort of our school staff to keep our students, families, and community safe.

To prepare for phase three, which is a return to face-to-face learning four days a week, we are monitoring the following to ensure our district’s preparedness: the effectiveness of our current schedules and strategy; the number of students who are opting for each learning model; community rates of COVID spread; staffing scenarios; and, most importantly, the strength of our health and safety protocols. In the near future, our Board will make a determination on the date for our phase three return to face-to-face learning.

There has never been a bigger moment to examine our education system and improve our practices to further close opportunity gaps and support the unique needs of our students. As part of our continual improvement process, we are launching Operation Home Court Advantage, which is focused on directing all of our District’s human, financial, and knowledge resources to mitigate the learning loss that has occurred as a result of the school closures and distance learning. In short, we are focusing on a well-rounded approach to providing increased services and safety measures. Here are some recent changes we have made to our schools:
Added over 2,000 new K - 8th grade digital and audiobooks to our Sora Digital Library, including Spanish titles in every grade.
Increased student digital curriculum options, including adding science and social studies content for our students using IXL in grades three and above.
Added additional tutoring options at each of our schools with Tutors4sd.org.
Increased our special education staff to provide additional support in speech, occupational therapy, and other special education services.
Updated the social studies curriculum for our middle school students.
Piloting a new digital science curriculum that would span K-8 and offer both English and Spanish instruction.
Increased our social and emotional outreach to students.
Updated our technology infrastructure and hardware, including new Chromebooks, docucams, and digital learning tools.
Provided hotspots to our families who have unreliable or no internet access.
Hired additional custodial staff at all schools, including the use of an outside cleaning firm to train and assist our custodial staff in best practices to clean our schools.
Equipped every school with at least two electrostatic cleaners.
Scheduled drive through COVID-19 testing at JMMS for all staff twice a month.
Provided Grab and Go meals for all students 18 years old and younger.

We are in the process of implementing the following supports to our schools:
Hiring additional teachers for every school to support our teachers and students and increase our ability to provide personalized attention to our students.
Creating a unique one of a kind tutoring program for our students by channeling the expertise of all of our support staff to design an 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM tutoring program.
Updating our air filtration and ventilation systems at all schools.
Launching new training for our staff to support their development as teachers.
Launching a new option on our COVID-19 webpage to provide complete transparency and an accurate picture of COVID-19 cases associated with our schools.

As you can tell, our staff are working incredibly hard to lead in a very challenging new environment. I am proud of the innovative and student-centered approach our District is taking. These are dynamic times, therefore we want to be upfront that some changes to our learning model may occur as we continue to adapt and update our strategy and support for our students. As always, we thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,
Dr. Newman
Proudest Superintendent of Earth

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