Happy Sunday Allen families and friends! I hope you are staying cool this hot weekend. This is another Sunday Update, chock full of information and links to district and school year updates. Grab your morning coffee or tea (and perhaps a scone or donut) and settle in for a detailed update with helpful details for your family.
Mr. Greenwell’s Message
Please watch this week’s short video message for parents and legal guardians for a review of the timeline for the start of the school year from our Principal, Mr. John Greenwell.
A PDF copy of the letter that was emailed to all families can be found here as well by clicking “download” below:
Safety Starts At Home
The Chula Vista Elementary School District (CVESD) has created a short video to help students practice healthy and safe habits so that we may return to school soon! We recommend that you watch the short video below together as a family so that you can discuss it with your child.
Back to School Timeline
Over the weekend, Allen families should have received an email with a letter from Mr. Greenwell regarding some important dates. Please check your email junk folders to make sure you are receiving important emails from the school and district. Dr. Escobedo also sent a new update in his latest newsletter on Friday. Please contact the school office if you are not getting the School Messenger emails and phone calls. Please note that the timeline dates in Mr. Greenwell’s letter are subject to change and that we will update our school blog as needed. Again, a PDF copy of that letter is found below Mr. Greenwell’s Message at the top of this blog update.
Laptop Waivers
The school needs to know if your family needs a laptop computer as it will be critical for all students to have both reliable internet access and a computer or mobile device (such as a tablet) once online learning begins. We are preparing laptops for the use of our families free of charge, for all students in need. Families needing to borrow a district laptop must fill out the waiver online first. This will take the place of another survey and prompt the school to prepare a laptop for your family. We anticipate that laptops will be ready for pick up on August 27th and 28th (updated 8/21), but please complete the waiver as soon as possible and please wait until someone from our school contacts you to pick up the device. Families coming to Allen to pick up a device without having completed the waiver in advance and confirming with the school that one is ready will be sadly disappointed. The sooner we receive your request, the sooner we can process that and prepare technology devices for your family.
Click here to complete the DISTRICT LAPTOP waiver.
Wifi Hot Spot Waivers
The school also needs to know if your family needs a wifi hot spot device as it will be critical for all students to have both reliable internet access and a computer once online learning begins. We are preparing these wifi devices for the use of our families free of charge, for all students in need. Families needing to borrow a wifi hot spot device must fill out the waiver online first. This will take the place of another survey and prompt the school to prepare a hot spot device for your family. We anticipate that wifi hot spots will be ready for pick up on August 27th and 28th (updated 8/21), but please complete the waiver as soon as possible and please wait until someone from our school contacts you to pick up the device. Families coming to Allen to pick up a device without having completed the waiver in advance and confirming with the school that one is ready will be sadly disappointed. The sooner we receive your request, the sooner we can process that and prepare technology devices for your family.
Click here to complete the WIFI HOT SPOT waiver.
Final Week of SLC and RI
Our virtual, online Summer Learning Camp (SLC) and Recovery Intercession programs finish at the end of this week on August 21, 2020. Both programs incorporated daily one-on-one instruction and small group intervention with teachers online.
Only a very small number of students needing additional support were invited to attend and we had a long waitlist for the programs. We regret that we could not offer these programs to more families at Allen.
Families in the programs will want to review these norms with your child:
Distance Learning Preparation
Our school year will begin with online instruction on Aug. 31, as campuses in CVESD remain closed due to the spread of COVID-19 across the community. Meanwhile, we continue to plan for the physical reopening of schools once it is safe to do so, with guidance from experts in science and public health. In order to prepare your child for the enhanced distance learning he/she will need to do, we’d like to offer these helpful tips from the SDCOE:
Parent Helpline and Tech Support
Parents may call the Parent Help Line for Tech Support at (619) 409-6638 Mondays through Fridays from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. This help line offers technical assistance with district programs such as Microsoft TEAMS, iReady, and Achieve 3000. Parents may need to leave a message during peak times, but please be reassured that someone will contact you as soon as possible if you leave your name and phone number on your voice message.
Superintendent’s Update (14 August 2020)
The Superintendent of Chula Vista Elementary Schools, Dr. Francisco Escobedo, released another newsletter update for families by email on Friday evening. If you have not yet read that update, it is available here:
Superintendent’s Newsletter #3 (14 August 2020)
CVESD FAQ on Reopening Schools
Our district will continue to update its FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page regarding the reopening of schools later this year at this website:
Online Student Registration
Please spread the word to share how wonderful Allen Elementary is! Online registration for all new incoming students to Allen is still open on the district’s website! This process is only for families new to Allen Elementary and all incoming kindergarten students. Questions? Email michelle.reza@cvesd.org.
Click the link here for more information regarding zone transfers (within CVESD) and interdistrict transfers (from outside CVESD). Current Ella B. Allen Elementary students do NOT need to re-register online. They are automatically enrolled for 2020-2021 school year; however, if your child attends Allen on a Zone Transfer or Interdistrict Transfer, that must be renewed each year.
If your child will NOT return to Allen Elementary in 2020-2021 academic year, kindly send a courtesy email to both michelle.reza@cvesd.org and john.greenwell@cvesd.org.
Verification of Residency Process
New this year, the Verification of Residency process can be completed online or in person this week. Information on this process is available here:
Residency Verification Process Details
Please contact the office with pressing questions regarding this year’s Residency Verification at (619) 479-3662.
Parents/Guardians Meetings
PTC Meetings
Allen’s PTC Meetings will continue to be held virtually online in accordance with state and county health guidelines until further notice. Allen PTC Meetings generally occur on the second Monday of each month at 6 pm. Parents will have the opportunity to connect with other parents at Allen. For a complete list of the dates of the PTC, please click here: PTC Meetings
CVESD Board of Education Meeting
The district’s Board of Education meetings are also being held online and generally occur the second Wednesday of each month. The next CVESD Board of Education meeting is Wednesday, September 9 at 6:00 pm.
To access these public meetings, please click the link here: https://www.cvesd.org/board_of_education/board_meetings
CVESD DAC/DELAC Meeting
The district will continue to conduct all meetings online until further notice, including all DAC/DELAC meetings. DAC is the District Advisory Committee. DELAC is the District English Learner Advisory Committee. Both of these groups are designed to support and inform parents in a shared communication setting with the district. Parents learn with other parents and district leadership at the DAC/DELAC meetings.
The first DAC/DELAC Meeting will be on August 18th from 12 noon to 2 pm. Dr. Escobedo will also hold a town hall for parents before this meeting at 11 am. The link for both of these events is the same. Both meetings are available by a link here: DAC/DELAC Meeting Link
Below is a schedule of all DAC/DELAC meetings for the upcoming school year. I recommend all parents download this schedule if they are interested in learning more about theses district meetings.
School Site Council and ELAC
Allen School needs parents and guardians to support our school through important parent groups, such as the PTC (Parent Teacher Club), the School Site Council (often referred to as SSC), and the English Language Advisory Committee (often referred to as ELAC). The site-based groups work with the Principal, staff, and other community members to ensure that community voice is part of the shared decision making process of a public school. More details about how you can get involved will be shared in the coming weeks!
State Guidance on COVID-19 and Schools
We would like to again provide the guidance from the state of California regarding K-12 education by sharing the information posted on this website: https://covid19.ca.gov/education/#top
We will continue to provide weekly updates on this blog every Sunday. Please continue to check the district’s website, http://www.cvesd.org, and the school blog at http://www.allenelementary.org for weekly updates.
Health and Safety Reminders
COVID-19 presents real health risks to our community. Please continue to stay safe: Wash your hands, wear a mask or facial covering, and maintain physical distancing of at least 6 feet when around people from outside your household. We all play a role in keeping our community safe and healthy!
Be well Eagles! We love you and we miss you.
Ella B. Allen Elementary School 