Alpine Union School District

AUSD School Closed Thursday, December 3 Power is out in many areas across Alpine and the winds are expected to continue. At present SDGE is stating that the power outages could be sustained for long periods of time. In an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety of all of our students and staff, schools will be closed Thursday, December 3.

Dear AUSD Families, The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning in effect for inland Orange County and San Diego County valleys and mountains from 6 p.m. today through 10 p.m. on Saturday. They also issued a high wind watch from 1 a.m. Thursday morning until Friday at noon. Should power shutoffs occur while students are on campus, the school day will continue as normal until students are picked up or the day ends. We remain in close contact with the San Diego County Office of Education, SDGE, and other officials and will keep you updated on any impact. You can get more information about public safety power outages through SDG&E’s public safety power shutoff mobile app. For location details and updated information on outages and when power may be turned back on, visit SDGE.com/Outages. Sincerely, Dr. Rich Newman Proudest Superintendent on Earth

Free COVID-19 tests and flu shots will be available tomorrow Wednesday, December 2 at JMMS from 9:00-3:00. All students, families, and community members, are welcome. The drive through process is quick and easy.

Our next COVID-19 test and flu shot date is scheduled for November 18, 2020. Testing will take place from 9:00 - 3:00 at JMMS. All community members and students are welcome to get COVID-19 testing and flu shots free of charge.

Join the Alpine Union school District as a substitute teacher. We offer the highest substitute teacher pay rate in San Diego at $200 per day. @SanDiegoCOE @SanDiegoCounty @CityofSanDiego @sdschools

The community is welcome to preview AUSD's proposed science adoption curriculum.

We will be distributing free Grab and Go meals today, November 16, 2020 from 11:00-12:30 and 4:30-6:00 in the JMMS parking lot. Meals are free to children 18 and under.

AUSD's phase three reopening will occur on January 19, 2021. Students will return for face to face learning four days a week.

We will be distributing free Grab and Go Meal Bags today, Monday 11/9 from 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm in the JMMS parking lot. The meals are FREE to all children 18 and under!

Free drive through COVID-19 tests and flu shots are available at JMMS today from 9:00-2:00. All students and community members are welcome.

Halloween is always fun no matter what the age!

October 26, 2020 Dear AUSD Families: As we enter week six of our hybrid learning model I wanted to provide some important updates. First, I want to sincerely thank all of our staff, parents, and families for their support and effort these past weeks. As one of the first public school districts in the county to reopen schools, we were chartering a new and uncertain path. We built our reopening plan on strong health and safety protocols, and the belief that our students would be best served by learning in person at school with their teachers. I am extremely grateful and appreciative of all the hard work and collaboration that has made our reopening of schools both safe and a model for other districts. Additionally, I am pleased to share that on Tuesday, October 20th, the Board of Trustees approved the installation of indoor air filtration systems in all of our classrooms and buildings. These new systems will be similar to what you find in hospitals and medical settings. I am proud to share that we are among the first school districts in the state to install these units. A HUGE thanks to our Board of Trustees for ensuring that Alpine Union continues to place the health and safety of our students and staff front and center, while also setting an example for how to effectively and safely reopen schools and plan for the future. A Superintendent’s Advisory Task Force has also been working to develop plans for our Phase Three reopening. At our Board of Trustees meeting on November 10th, the Board will discuss the Task Force recommendations and a target date for a full return to in-person learning. A month ago we implemented COVID-19 testing for all AUSD staff. Every two weeks free drive through COVID-19 testing and flu shots are available at JMMS. The testing plan has been expanded, and all community members, students, and families are welcome to receive a free flu shot or a COVID-19 test during our test days. I hope you and your family members will take advantage of this free service. Dates are posted on our website and social media. Last, we have expanded our Grab and Go meals, and are offering meal pick up on Mondays during the day from 11:00 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. and in the evening from 5:00 p.m.- 6:30 p.m. Meals are available free of charge for any school-age child under the age of 18. Please help spread the word so that we can continue to support our Alpine families and community members. As always, thank you for your continued support. We are all in this together, and we can only get through it together. Stay safe and healthy, Dr. Rich Newman Proudest Superintendent on Earth

FREE Grab and Go Meal Bags are happening at JMMS today, 10/26 at 11:00 am to 12:30 pm and 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. All children 18 and under are FREE, no application or sign-up needed!!

CalFire had a cancellation in their schedule and will return to JMMS on Thursday, October 22 for free COVID-19 tests and flu shots @ JMMS from 9:00 - 12:30.

Free drive-through COVID-19 test and flu shots are available at JMMS today from 8:00-2:00. All adults and children are welcome. Stay safe and healthy!

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

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!

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!

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

Free drive-through COVID-19 testing will be available at JMMS from 8:00-12:00 tomorrow, Wednesday, October 7, 2020 for all staff and community members. Free drive-through flu shots will also be available from 1:00-3:00.