Hello Allen Eagles!
Please read the last few updates if you have not done so:
Link to District Update from August 25
LINK to Sunday Update from August 23
LINK to Update from August 21st
Verification of Residency Process Update from August 12th
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:
Virtual Kindergarten Orientation
A letter was sent by email to all Kindergarten parents regarding our Virtual Kindergarten Orientation on Friday, August 28, 2020 at 9 am. Please read that letter here:
To access the Virtual Kindergarten Orientation at 9 am on Friday, August 28, click the link and then click “Continue on this Browser”:
To access the Kindergarten Parent Survey, click here:
Digital Literacy Trainings for CVESD Families
Parents,
Trainings are support are available for families during Distance Learning! Please see the district website here: Distance Learning for Parents
The district is providing support for families to learn about our online programs, such as the Microsoft Office 365 Suite, Achieve 3000, and Smarty Ants. Please see the 3 flyers in PDF format for more information at the links here:
Application for Free or Reduced Meals
The school encourages all families who may need assistance to apply for free and reduced meals via the district website. These forms must be completed every year, so please do not wait! Find the forms and information at the district link 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.
Your Child’s Teacher for 2020-2021
Allen families should have received an email with the notification of your child’s teacher. Some families reported that they did not receive this. We encourage all families to update their information with the school office. Families may also wish to check their junk folder or spam folder in their email. Adding “cvesd@schoolmessengermail.com” to your safe email list might help. Class lists were posted outside of the school office as well.
Please know that the school office is unable to make any changes to class rosters within the first two weeks of the school year. 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.
Accessing Distance Learning
In order for your child to access distance learning, please follow the steps:
User Names: Your child’s username is <student ID #>@live.cvesd.org
Passwords, Transitional Kindergarten through First Grade: Lowercase first initial + lowercase second initial + student ID + equal sign(=) . For example, my name is John Greenwell so my password would be jg12345=
Passwords, Second through Sixth Grade: Capitalized first initial + lowercase second initial + birthday. For example, my name is John Greenwell and I was born on October 4th, 2010 then my password would be Jg10042010
School starts on Monday, August 31st for all students at 8:50 am and attendance will be taken throughout the day, every school day. The schoolwide lunch time is 1:05 to 1:55 pm each day. Your child’s teacher should have sent you an email yesterday regarding the detailed schedule for their class, but in general all students have a schedule similar to this:
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. For families that have completed waivers before August 27th, laptops will be ready for pick up on August 28th (between 2 pm and 4 pm) and August 29th (between 9 am and 12 noon).
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
Update: Please know that the district currently has a waitlist for wifi hot spot devices. We will do our very best to support your family.
In light of this limited supply, the school still 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 currently have a waiting list for wifi hot spots. 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:
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!
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 