Boulder Oaks Elementary School

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

Dear AUSD Families, We are excited to share that next Monday we will begin phase two of our reopening schools plan with students returning to our campuses for face-to-face learning. At each school site, one cohort of students have been assigned to attend school for face-to-face learning on Mondays and Tuesdays, and another cohort of students will attend school on Thursdays and Fridays. Distance learning will continue to occur online the days in which students are not on campus. Those students in a complete distance learning environment will also continue their learning online. CONNECTION Since schools closed on Friday, March 13, 2020 we have continued to be concerned about the social and emotional well-being of all of our students. We also realize that with the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic, parents may opt to move back and forth between face-to-face and distance learning during the year. In fact, one of the biggest concerns we have heard from families is the fear of losing their connection to their school and teacher this year if they choose to have their child participate in face-to-face or distance learning. We have intentionally designed our hybrid learning model around building and maintaining relationships and connections by having students remain in a class that is stable and consistent throughout the year and not have students switch back and forth between a different distance learning and face-to-face teacher. Each class will comprise both face-to-face and distance learning students. Since approximately 84% of our parents have chosen to have their child return to face-to face learning there is not a large number of students who prefer only distance learning. GRAB AND GO MEALS We will continue to provide free Grab and Go meals for all children 18 and under at JMMS each Monday. LUNCH Each school will continue to provide bagged or boxed lunches for students. We ask that you use our online portal to prepay for lunches, which is located on our website. BUSSING We will continue to provide bussing for students to school albeit will be slightly reduced this year. Similar to most districts, the Board has approved a transportation zone that would provide home to school transportation for students who live 1 ½ miles or more from school. All students will be required to wear face coverings on the bus and will be socially distanced as much as possible. Registration for bussing can be accessed via our district website. FACE COVERINGS When we return to school for face-to-face learning, all students will be required to wear a face covering (face mask or shield). Students may remove their face coverings during lunch, PE, and recess but will be required to have them on while in the classroom, even when sitting behind the plastic desk dividers. Only students that meet one of the exemptions outlined in the California Department of Public Health Guidelines and have the required medical documentation will be exempt. Previously, we shared that face coverings would only be required for students in grades three and above. We made the change requiring all students to wear face coverings for the following safety concerns. First, we set a goal of opening our schools for face-to-face learning and want to ensure we do everything in our power to keep our schools open and operating. Many of our staff have also shared concerns about contracting COVID-19 and want to be able to feel safe and comfortable so that they can focus on teaching and learning. Classroom schedules have also been designed to ensure students are not wearing a face covering for longer than two hours at a time without a break. WELLNESS 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. We know next week will be filled with excitement and nervousness. We look forward to this next phase in reopening our schools, and as always, appreciate your continued support. Lastly, if you have additional questions, please feel free to reach out to your child’s principal. Stay well, Dr. Newman Proudest Superintendent on Earth

Hello Boulder Oaks Families, I hope that this weekly update finds each of you safe and healthy. As the events of last week unfolded, I was once again reminded of the strength and resilience of our community of Alpine. Alpine truly is a special place. It is hard to believe that in less than a week we will once again have students on the campus of Boulder Oaks. Over seven months ago we said good-bye thinking that we would be back in a few weeks. Never in our wildest dreams did we think it would take this long nor that we would be coming back with all of the restrictions in place. Next Monday, we will once again hear the sound of laughter in our halls and we could not be more excited!! As we prepare to welcome our students back, we are reminded that this is completely new territory for all of us. Hours and hours of planning and preparing have gone into getting us ready for students to be back on campus. But, as we are all aware, we are undoubtedly all going to have to be flexible, understanding, and ready to change and adapt as needed to keep our students and staff safe. I thank you in advance for your patience! Last Thursday I put out two forms of communication explaining what school would like on our return. Here are the BOES Reopening Plan Guidebook and video once again: BOES Reopening Guidebook BOES Reopening Video Included in the guidebook are schedules and protocols. I know it is asking a lot, but please read everything carefully before your students’ first day so that you are well aware of the changes. Listed below are some of the key points that you will hopefully find helpful: ALL students are placed in cohorts to allow our families the flexibility to toggle back and forth between distance learning and face-to-face depending on their levels of comfort. Cohorts are posted in each teacher’s Google Classroom. No changes can be made in cohorts unless there is an extreme circumstance. 100% distance learning students will Zoom a minimum of twice a day with their teacher and class. Distance learning students will also be provided with a guest teacher that will be available to them full-time for extra support on an as needed basis. 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 and/or Zoom attendance. Staggered drop-of 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. (I know this is a hard one, I am sorry!!!!!!) 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. If your student needs a Chromebook, please stop by the office any day this week to check one out. The office will be open 8:30-3:30 daily. Schedules: Please reach out to either myself or Mrs. Darcey if you have any questions or concerns. We are still in great need of canopies and/or pop-up tents. If you have any that we could borrow, please drop it by the school this next week. We will take any shape or size. Thank you!! This Thursday our School Site Council will meet for the first time this school year at 7:30am. Congratulations to our new members - Amber McGuire, Eric Gregg, and Monika Brohamer. This meeting is open for all to attend. Please use the following Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9386495394 Password: Principal BOES will be hosting an online Book Fair through Scholastic during the next two weeks. 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. This program has recently been reinstated by the state and we are jumping at the chance to help our community. 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. Six more days until the students are FINALLY back!! We cannot wait!! Have a great week and see you soon! Jenna

We remember and honoring the victims of the #September11 attack. #UnitedWeStand

BOES Families, Here is a video detailing our reopening plan. It is just another way for you to learn what school will look like starting on September 21st. Thank you! Jenna https://youtu.be/z2w8Rj7SwcQ

Hello Boulder Oaks Families, I hope you are all safe and doing well. We are getting closer and closer to the 21st and I wanted to update you on our plan for reopening. In the guidebook attached, you will find information regarding our reopening plan. Hopefully, it answers all of your questions! Mrs. Darcey and I will also be posting a video later today explaining the reopening plan. Please let me know if you have any questions! Thank you! Jenna Please click here: https://5il.co/kvxl

Dear AUSD Families, We are continuing to monitor the Valley Fire situation very closely. Given the active nature of the fire, San Diego County Sheriff Gore and the Office of Emergency Services, are encouraging all of us to be prepared to evacuate with very little notice. The fire has tripled in the last four days, and Santa Ana winds are expected to impact our community beginning this evening. We realize that many of our students, families, and staff have been impacted by the Valley Fire. We are here to help and assist in any way possible. Please reach out to us if we can be of any assistance. Joan MacQueen remains an active temporary relocation center for community members and their pets. All District personnel, other than essential staff, will be working from home for the remainder of the week. Distance Learning will continue but our staff are mindful of what our students need at this time, and will be available to provide the support necessary. Lastly, I want to take a moment to remind each of you to review your evacuation plan, be prepared, stay informed and sign up for updates at www.readysandiego.org. We will get through this together united as one community. Stay safe, Dr. Newman Proudest Superintendent on Earth