Boulder Oaks Elementary School

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.

Hello Boulder Oaks Families, Happy Monday! I hope that everyone had a fun and safe Halloween! We really enjoyed seeing the students dressed up on both Tuesday and Friday. Our PTA meets this Wednesday, November 4th, at 9:00 via Zoom. All are welcome to attend. We still have many roles that need to be filled and we would like to continue to provide all of the wonderful programs and opportunities that we have done in the past. Please plan on joining us using the following Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9386495394 As Dr. Newman communicated with you last week, the AUSD School Board will be discussing the day that we launch our Phase 3 model at the next school board meeting on Tuesday, November 10th. This meeting takes place at JMMS with open session starting at 6:15. Next Wednesday, November 11th, is Veteran’s Day and there will be no Distance Learning on this day. I will be hosting a virtual coffee with the principal on Wednesday, November 18th from 8:30-9:30. This will be an informal time for you to ask me any questions and for us to chat about our school. Grab a cup of coffee and plan on joining me using the following Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9386495394 Parent/teacher conferences take place the week of November 16th-20th. Please note that these are minimum days and staggered dismissal is from 12:27-12:57. If you have not scheduled your conference yet, with your student’s teacher, please contact her as soon as possible. The District has expanded the Grab and Go meals and is now 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.- 6:00 p.m. Meals are available free of charge for any school-age child under the age of 18. Thank you for your continued support! Have a wonderful week! Jenna Weinert

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

Hello Boulder Oaks Families, Happy Monday! We are looking forward to another great week of learning at Boulder Oaks as well as some Halloween fun! While we cannot do our usual festivities, the teachers do have engaging Halloween lessons planned for their classes. As a reminder, the kids can dress up on either Tuesday, October 26th or Friday, October 30th depending on their cohort. We ask that the costumes be school appropriate - not scary or gory and no weapons. The costumes must also not impede the students’ learning. We have had a few parents request to bring goodie bags and treats to pass out to the kids in the class. Unfortunately, we cannot allow any type of item to be passed out or shared due to COVID restrictions. The teachers are busy assessing the students for their upcoming report cards. It is critical that you have your student complete any assessments sent home and turn in all incomplete work. The teachers use the accuracy of this work as data to show if the student is making progress. Your teacher will be sharing your student’s report card with you at the parent/teacher conference which will be the week of November 16th-20th. Please note that these are minimum days and staggered dismissal is from 12:27-12:57. The District has expanded the Grab and Go meals and is now 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.- 6:00 p.m. Meals are available free of charge for any school-age child under the age of 18. I would like to remind everyone of the importance of daily attendance. On the days that your child is learning from home, attendance is taken by work completion and Zoom meeting attendance. If a face-to-face student is not present in class on their cohort day, they will be marked absent unless they are sick or quarantined and doing Distance Learning while they are out. If students are not present for reasons other than illness or quarantine, the student will be marked absent even if they complete all work and attend Zooms. Please also make sure that you are calling the school office if your student is absent for any reason. Thank you! I know that distance learning is continuing to bring daily challenges to each of you even if your students are at school two days a week. Please know that we understand this is not easy and that I know how hard both you and the teachers are working. Hang in there! You are all doing a wonderful job! :) Have a good evening and a fun and safe Halloween next Saturday night! Jenna

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!

Hello Boulder Oaks Parents, I hope you all had a great weekend! We are looking forward to a week of beautiful weather and another great week of learning. I wanted to start off by thanking each and everyone of you for your outpouring of support as we dealt with our first positive COVID case on Thursday. Upon hearing the news, I contacted Dr. Newman and Dr. Burkett and within five minutes they were on our site to assist us in our process. Because of our protocols and systems in place, we were easily able to do all contact tracing and only had to quarantine 10 students and the teacher. All parents of the quarantine students were sent an email and were called to let them know of the situation. The students and the teacher will do Distance Learning until the end of quarantine just as they did at the beginning of the year. For the students in the class that were not quarantined, a sub will be in the classroom while the teacher teaches the students remotely. I am in awe of how well everyone responded to this. Undoubtedly, there will be more cases in our future but I know that we are ready and that we can overcome any challenge that comes our way. If you received a Title 1 letter this past week, you are invited to our Title 1 parent meeting on Thursday, October 22nd where I will provide you with more information on our Title 1 program at Boulder Oaks. The meeting will be held via Zoom from 9:00-9:30am. Please use the following Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9386495394. Also this Thursday, we invite you to attend our Safety Plan Review Parent Meeting which will be held at 9:30, immediately following the Title 1 parent meeting. I will be reviewing our current public safety plan at this meeting. Please use the following Zoom link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9386495394 Next week, we will celebrate Halloween at BOES. There will be two dress-up days (one for each cohort) - Tuesday, October 27th and Friday, October 30th. The students are encouraged to wear their costumes to school. We ask that the costumes be school appropriate and not scary. We will not have our annual parade and parties with food will not take place but the teachers are encouraged to do fun Halloween lessons and activities. Parent/Teacher Conferences will take place during the week of November 16th-23rd. The conferences will be held via Zoom and the teachers will be reaching out to you to schedule. We will be on a modified schedule this week so that teachers have an opportunity to meet with all parents. School will be dismissed at 12:57 each day this week. Have a wonderful week! Jenna

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!

Hello Boulder Oaks Parents, Happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed a bit of cooler weather. We had another great week of learning at BOES. Most of the students finished up their MAP testing and I am proud of how everyone including students, teachers, and even our parents at home persevered through this task. For the first time ever, we administered the test to students at home and while it was challenging, we endured! The 2nd - 5th grade teachers use this vital data to measure our student's growth throughout the year, to identify areas of need and to help guide their instruction. Additionally, this data is used to identify our Title 1 students. Any student who scored below the norm is identified as Title 1 and receives additional support at school using Title 1 funding. If your student has been identified as Title 1, you will receive a letter from the school within the next couple of weeks. You are also invited to attend a Title 1 parent meeting on Thursday, October 22nd where I will provide you with more information on our Title 1 program at Boulder Oaks. The meeting will be held via Zoom from 9:00-9:30am. Please use the following Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9386495394. This Thursday at 7:30am, our School Site Council meets. Anyone is welcome to attend this meeting. Please use the following Zoom link if you would like to attend: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9386495394 One important task the School Site Council has is updating and improving our site safety plan. We invite you to the Safety Plan Review Parent Meeting which will be held at 9:30, immediately following the Title 1 parent meeting. Please use the following Zoom link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9386495394 Friday, October 16th is our next AUSD Virtual Fun Friday - Spread Smiles Day. Our students are encouraged to do something nice for someone to make them smile. Please send me pictures so I can post them on Instagram. One of our favorite times of the year is quickly approaching - Halloween! Due to all of our restrictions and protocols, Halloween at school will look very different this year but we are still hoping to make it as fun and as special as possible. There will be two dress-up days (one for each cohort) - Tuesday, October 27th and Friday, October 30th. The students are encouraged to wear their costumes to school. We ask that the costumes be school appropriate and not scary. Usually, I say no masks are allowed but I guess that rule has changed!!! :) We will not be having our annual parade and parties with food will not take place but the teachers are encouraged to do fun Halloween lessons and activities. Thank you for your ongoing support and have a great week! Jenna

Hello Boulder Oaks Families, I hope that you had a wonderful weekend! Our second week of the hybrid model was another success. I observed some fantastic teaching and learning and it was so nice to see our students engaged and interacting with their classmates. I am also very proud of all of the outdoor learning that is taking place. Thanks to all of our generous donations of canopies and pop-ups, we have been able to create learning environments. I have never been more thankful for our beautiful outdoor quad!!! :) As we head into our third week of the hybrid model, I would like to communicate with you the District's commitment to helping our students overcome any learning loss throughout the school closures. Last week, I shared with you that the District was working with Tutors 4 SD to provide free tutoring for our students. That is still available and you may click on the link below if you are interested. Tutors 4 SD Request Form ADDITIONALLY, the district is allowing all of our classified staff to tutor students over Zoom on their off hours. We have had six of our amazing aides sign-up to do this!! They are offering various time slots through the day including early mornings and late afternoons. You can sign-up for either math or language arts (reading or writing) tutoring. Please click on this link to request a tutor. There will potentially be two students in each session. BOES Tutoring Request Form Safe School Ambassadors is back at Boulder Oaks this year! The Safe School Ambassadors Program (SSA) harnesses the power of students to prevent and stop bullying and mistreatment. Our students and staff will be training in a student-centered model that educates diverse social leaders with the skills to prevent and reduce bullying. The recruited students participate in a two-day interactive training along with several adults who serve as program mentors. The training gives student Ambassadors the skills and tools to resolve conflicts, defuse incidents, and support isolated and excluded students. We are looking forward to seeing the positive impact this program will have on our students, staff, and overall school culture. Lastly, I would like to remind all of our families about the importance of attendance on all five days during the week. This includes the two days of face-to-face instruction and the three days of distance learning. On the distance learning days, attendance is being taken by work completion. For your student to be marked present, an appropriate amount of work needs to be completed on each of the distance learning days. If your student is ill and cannot work, please call the school office. Thanks in advance for your understanding! Have a great night and wonderful week ahead! Jenna

Every Monday we will be distributing Grab and Go Meal Bags from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm at JMMS! All children 18 and under are FREE!!! We are so proud to be able to serve our community . If you have any questions, please kmassey@alpineschools.net.

Hello Boulder Oaks Families, We did it! Week one of our hybrid model is complete and I am so happy with how well it went. It was absolutely wonderful to see the students face-to-face and to be able to interact with them on a more personal level. They all did an incredible job following our new protocols and are quickly getting used to social distancing at school. Our teachers took advantage of outdoor learning as much as possible and we made great use of the beautiful school grounds. We also had our first fire drill and practiced evacuating to the field. We had more easy-ups donated and we were able to get those set up this weekend. Our drop-off system is working wonderfully and our dismissal system got much better on the second day of both cohorts. We appreciate your understanding and grace as we work out the kinks in all of our new systems. This week 2nd-5th graders we will begin MAP testing in both reading and math. Our 100% distance learning students will MAP test at home with either their classroom teacher or Mrs. Kopotic. Your teacher will give you more information and how this will work for the students learning at home. AUSD is thrilled to be offering free tutoring sessions for our students through Tutors 4 SD. If you are interested in your student receiving these services, please fill out the form below. Tutors 4 SD will then be in touch with you to schedule a time. https://forms.gle/gdcvvu4qvo3U9VrTA As you know, we are expecting extreme heat this week. Please make sure you are sending your student to school with two water bottles and cool, comfortable clothing. Thank you for your continued support! Have a wonderful week and stay cool! Jenna

The Alpine Union School District has become one of the first local school districts to begin mandatory testing for all staff members. https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/alpine-schools-begin-drive-thru-covid-19-testing-for-staff-members?fbclid=IwAR1yv6V5qCicQXB2xigFLyG4U1eNO-4QOYEgV4qRmTQQEmZ_wwm-8CKTWXQ

A HUGE thanks to our famous Alpine community artist, Jorge Estrada, for painting the welcome back banners and Claudia and the Alpine Taco Shop for graciously funding the banners. Each campus has a one of a kind original banner welcoming our staff and students back to campus.

HUGE thanks to CalFire for helping implement COVID-19 testing for all district staff. @CAL_FIRE @SanDiegoCOE #Alpine

Day two of face-to-face learning. Our students once again connecting with friends and other students and using our wonderful outdoor spaces for learning. #LearningTogether #Proud OfOurDistrict

So excited to have our students back on campus for face-to-face learning. Thank you staff for being here for our students! So grateful to to our #AlpineUnion staff! @SanDiegoCOE #HeroesWorkHere

Hello Boulder Oaks Families, I hope that you all had a nice weekend! I am sending our weekly update one day early so that everyone has one last reminder of all of our changes and protocols before the students in Cohort A arrive tomorrow morning. I still can’t believe it is REALLY HAPPENING!!!! I am so proud to work in a district that has made getting our students back into the classroom a priority while simultaneously doing everything possible to keep our staff and students safe. We worked very hard last week and over the weekend to get everything ready and in place for the students’ return. Some of this includes putting up our canopies for outdoor learning, adding more stickers for social distancing, beautifying the campus, delivering protective supplies to the classrooms, and triple checking our protocols to ensure that we are ready. With that being said, I am about 110% sure that we missed something!!! :))) Please bear with us next week as we continue to strengthen and change our routines. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. As we head into tomorrow, I would like to remind you of our protocols that we have in place: Please screen your child for COVID-19 symptoms before you leave home. If they have ANY of the symptoms - sore throat, runny nose, cough, congestion, temperature, fatigue, headache, nausea, etc., do not send your child to school and call the school office. The students will be screened again when they arrive at their classroom. If they have any of the symptoms, you will be called to pick-up your student. Staggered drop-off starts at 8:25 and is assigned by last name (see schedule). Staggered dismissal starts at 1:37 and is assigned by last name. NOTE TIME CHANGE FROM LAST YEAR (see schedule). Please display the last name of any students you are picking up clearly in your windshield. No visitors will be allowed on campus. Parents will not be allowed to walk their students to class on the first day. All classified staff at Boulder Oaks will be assisting our students getting to their rooms safely. All students will be required to wear facial coverings at all times except for at PE, recess, and lunch. Students need to bring the following items with them daily: Backpack CHARGED chromebook Headphones Beach towel (please label with your student's name and room number). Two water bottles (they cannot be refilled at school and all drinking fountains have been turned off). Lunch or plans for a cafeteria lunch (all lunches must be prepaid). At least one extra face covering. Any other supplies, books, or work your teacher requests. Schedules: 100% distance learning students will Zoom a minimum of twice a day with their teacher and class. Distance learning students also have access to Mrs. Kopotic, a guest teacher, to assist them with any assignments as needed. Each grade level has an assigned time of when they can log into Mrs. Kopotric’s Zoom to get extra assistance. Additionally, Mrs. Koptic has office hours when she will be available to all students. Zooming with Mrs. Koptric is NOT required as she is available for extra support and help as needed. Her Zoom link will be posted in your child’s Google Classroom and here is her schedule: Time Grade Level 9:00-9:30 Open Office Hours 9:30-10:15 1st Grade and Room 12 10:15-11:00 2nd Grade 11:00-11:45 3rd Grade 12:15-1:00 4th Grade 1:00-1:45 5th Grade 1:45-3:00 Open Office Hours All students will do asynchronous (independent in Google Classroom) learning on Wednesdays. Some teachers may decide to continue to do Zoom morning meetings. Face-to-Face students will go to school twice a week. They will have asynchronous learning on all three off days unless their teacher decides to do additional Zooms. Attendance will still be taken on “off days” by work completion. Our online Book Fair through Scholastic takes place for one more week. You can use the following link to shop: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/boes Other News: Every Tuesday FREE Grab and Go Meals are available for all children 18 and under. We will be handing out meal bags with 4 breakfasts and lunches @ JMMS from 11:00 - 12:00 pm. This program will remain active when we reopen to our hybrid schedule!! If you are having technology issues with your Chromebook, please email our technology department at helpdesk@alpineschools.net for assistance. I would like to send a HUGE shout out to all of our families that have dropped off canopies and pop-up tents. We were able to place them outside of most of our classrooms. If you have an extra that you can donate, we are still accepting them. Our goal is to eventually have two per classroom. We have also had water, sanitizing wipes, and sanitizing spray donated. We will continue to accept all of these types of donations all year long! Thank you SO MUCH for your support. As we head into our first days of face-to-face on Monday and Thursday, I just want to once again express my gratitude for each and everyone of you. For the past seven months, you have endured most likely one of the greatest challenges of our lifetime. Throughout this time, you have been nothing but supportive of myself and our school. I am overwhelmed with the amount of pride that I feel to be part of Alpine. By working together, we have proved that we are capable of the unimaginable. We preserved and are finally able to be back together again. While not being able to hug all of my little Eagles this week, might be MY greatest challenge yet, I already know that my heart will be bursting with happiness as soon as I see them. Looking forward to the best week ever! Jenna

Dear AUSD Families, You may have heard the news that the County of San Diego may be moved on Tuesday to the lowest tier of the state reopening system and wonder what it means for Alpine Union. Because our waiver to reopen campuses was approved by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), we will be allowed to stay open if the county moves to the lowest tier on Tuesday. As we open on Monday it is imperative that everyone follow the protocols that we have designed. Over the last several months we have developed and adjusted our safe schools reopening plan to ensure that we adapt to the changing conditions. Additionally, I am pleased to share that we are one of the first school districts in the county to have implemented COVID-19 surveillance testing for all of our employees. 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 persistent cough, shortness of breath, or runny nose should not attend school, even if no fever is present. All students will be required to wear a face covering, and student temperatures will be taken upon entering classes and buildings. Lastly, I ask for your patience and grace as we begin this new chapter of learning. Our staff have worked incredibly hard to make this opening as seamless as possible. Everything we do on Monday will be different from years past. We will all be learning together while we balance the need to reduce the spread of the coronavirus with the desire to get students into more productive learning environments. We look forward to seeing our students once again back on campus. Stay well and healthy, Dr. Newman Proudest Superintendent on Earth