Happy Sunday Allen families and friends! Please carefully read this Sunday Update. An important update was also posted on Friday, August 21st as well with an updated timeline. Please read that information here as well:
LINK to Update from August 21st
Mr. Greenwell’s Message of the Week
Please watch this week’s video message for parents and legal guardians for important information from our Principal, Mr. John Greenwell.
A PDF copy of the letter that was emailed to all families on Friday, August 21st can be found here as well by clicking “download” below:
School Meal Applications
The school encourages all families who may need assistance to apply for free and reduced meals via the district website here:
If you are unsure if your family needs to fill out this application, please contact our school office at (619) 479-3662 between 8 am and 3 pm.
Virtual Welcome Night
The Chula Vista Elementary School District (CVESD) and our Superintendent Dr. Escobedo will welcome all families back to our “District Opening Virtual Welcome Night” later this week. Join us on Thursday, August 27 from 6-7 p.m. as Superintendent Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D., hosts our District Opening Virtual Welcome Night! The event helps kick off the new school year online—in keeping with the distance learning format in our schools. The event will occur as a Microsoft “Teams Live” event and parents/guardians will be able to submit questions in real time. Click here on Thursday evening to tune in. You may also access this event via the district’s website at: http://www.cvesd.org.
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.
Your Child’s Teacher for 2020-2021
On Friday, Allen families should have received an email with a letter from Mr. Greenwell regarding some important updates, as well as the notification of your child’s teacher. Class lists were posted outside of the school office as well.
Please know that we will not make any changes to classes in the coming weeks. If you have a concern, you may contact the office and schedule a time to speak with the Principal.
School starts on August 31st for all students at 8:50 am via distance learning. No classes will take place on Allen’s physical campus as all schools remain closed to the public until further notice. More information will be coming home soon from your child’s teacher on Wednesday, August 26th, 2020.
Please check your email junk folders to make sure you are receiving important emails from the school and district. Please contact the school office if you are not getting the School Messenger emails and phone calls. We also recommend you “Follow Our Blog” by entering in your email in the field to the right of this information. This way, you will receive automatic updates as they are released.
Online Waiver to Borrow a Laptop
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 28th and 29th, 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. A limited number of laptops will be ready this coming week and we will issue the devices to the families needing it the most, as well as with families that filled out the waiver the earliest. This link will become inactive after August 27, 2020.
Click here to complete the DISTRICT LAPTOP waiver.
Waiver Online to Borrow a Wifi Hot Spot
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 28th and 29th, 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. A limited number of hot spots will be ready this coming week and we will issue the devices to the families needing it the most, as well as with families that filled out the waiver the earliest. This link will become inactive after August 27, 2020.
Click here to complete the WIFI HOT SPOT waiver.
School Expectations for Distance Learning
Our school year will begin with online instruction on Aug. 31 at 8:50 am for all students, 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 the school’s campus once it is safe to do so, with guidance from experts in science and public health.
Parents and families, Allen School needs your help to set up kids for success this year. The students and staff at Ella B. Allen Elementary School believe that a safe and positive online environment is important to a child’s learning in the digital classroom. To provide such an environment, Allen Elementary School has established the following online norms and guidelines:
Students should be ready to learn when the school day starts. This means your child should be “school-ready” and prepared for a day of learning at 8:50 am. We recommend that your child is dressed and has eaten breakfast so that learning may start when the school day starts. A computer and reliable internet connection and/or other materials such as paper, pencils, crayons or markers, books, and workbooks may be necessary to support your child’s work that day. If you need a district-provided laptop or wifi hot spot device in order for your child to learn, please inform the school office at (619) 479-3662. The school will provide required learning materials in the coming days and weeks.
Check for updates from your child’s teacher via Class Dojo or email. Two-way communication is important for your child’s success. Teachers will share schedules and ways to access lessons and activities. Please ensure the school’s office has the most up-to-date phone number and email address for your family. Please also check the school blog: https://allenelementary.org/.
Updates are usually posted on Sundays.
Create a working schedule for your household that supports academic time. You may need to ask others in the house to be mindful of a child’s learning. You may need to re-arrange some furniture or ask other members of the household to use quiet voices. If possible, please do not have students working in a bedroom. Some parents have expressed that having a headset or earpods with a microphone helps their child interact with focus in the live sessions.
Be healthy during distance learning. Take breaks throughout the day for movement. Students should drink water, eat a nutritious snack, use the bathroom, and stretch at breaks, as well as eat lunch at lunch time. Promote physical activity and health. Provide time for your child to do activities that are “off screen.”
Respect the privacy and learning of others. Students and guardians/parents should not record (neither video, nor audio) or take photos/screenshots of live sessions or others in distance learning. Online tools, such as video chats and messages, should only be used as directed by teachers and staff.
In addition, your child’s teacher may have other norms and guidelines to ensure student safety and privacy for all students.
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.
If your child is using a non-district supported program, such as Zoom or Google Classroom, please note that district technicians may not be able to assist you with those programs.
Annual Parental Notification
Annual State and federal laws require that school districts notify parents/guardians of minor pupils of their parental rights (California Education Code Section 48980). Please see the district page regarding more information about this legal notification:
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:
LINK for the Residency Verification Process
Please contact the office with pressing questions regarding this year’s Residency Verification at (619) 479-3662.
Meetings for Guardians & Parents
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 next DAC/DELAC Meeting will be on September 15th from 12 noon to 2 pm.
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 