Happy Tuesday Allen Eagles!
PTC Election Process Update
We are excited to announce that through the nomination process, there were no seats opposed so according to the PTC bylaws, we may announce the following PTC Executive Board members for the 2020-2021 school year:
The Assistant Treasurer position is still open. Please send all inquiries regarding that position to the school secretary, Michelle Reza. We will share the virtual meeting link for the July 13th PTC meeting at 6 pm via Ms. Reza as well.
Superintendent’s Update
May 8, 2020
Dear Parents/Guardians:
Ever since schools closed in mid-March, questions at the front of mind for many parents and staff members have been, When Will Schools Reopen and How Will That Happen? Governor Gavin Newsom recently suggested schools may start the 2020-21 school year as early as late July to make up for students’ learning loss. Please be reassured that no directives or decisions have been made yet about a date for reopening schools.
In the Chula Vista Elementary School District, our current modified year-round calendar calls for a July 20, 2020 start to the new school year. However, we are exploring three distinct calendar scenarios, one each for either a July, August, or September start. Regardless of the date, we first need answers to key questions, chief among them: How to protect the health and welfare of our students, teachers, and staff?
With that in mind, I have formed a “Brain Trust” to examine what learning environments in schools might look like while adhering to state and local social distancing guidelines. I have asked several stakeholders from across our District and community to be part of our discussion—from our bargaining group representatives to parent leaders to public health officials. Among the scenarios we are exploring are “hybrid” distance learning models, where students physically attend school certain days of the week and utilize distance learning for other days of the week. Here are just some of the ideas that will be explored:
- Limiting the number of students in classrooms to ensure physical distancing. Is that number 10? 12? 15?
- Devising student schedules so that some attend in the morning, others in the afternoon.
- Devising alternate schedules, where some attend Mon./Wed., and others Tues./Thurs., with Friday as a “distance learning day.”
- Revising School Visitor/Volunteer Policies
- Devising Recess and Lunch Seating Alternatives
We also anticipate the need to purchase everything from additional cleaning supplies to thermometers to thousands of face coverings/masks. This added expense comes at a time of the worst state budget gap since the Great Recession. Schools will be asked to do more in the 2020-21 school year than ever before, radically transforming campuses and implementing rigorous health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We ask for your patience and support as we go through the careful and thoughtful process of developing a plan for reopening our schools. I want to close by sharing upcoming opportunities to recognize our incredible staff:
- May 13, 2020 is California’s Day of the Teacher, which our Board of Education also recognizes through a formal board resolution.
- May 17, 2020 is the start of Classified School Employee Week in California.
Sincerely,
Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Ella B. Allen Elementary School 