Sunday Update (1 August 2021)

Hello Allen Families,

Happy August! Thank you for a wonderful 2nd week of school! We need parent representatives for ELAC, SSC, and DAC/DELAC. Please read the letter Mr. Greenwell sent out to the Allen community here:

elac-ssc-dac-delac-vfletter-7-31-21 Download

Our Curriculum Night for grades K through 3 will be this Wednesday, August 4th from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm at Allen Elementary.

This will be on campus from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Teachers will hold two identical 30 minute informational sessions for parents.

Some helpful notes:

Please bring your patience looking for parking and feel free to use the street parking in the neighborhood surrounding Allen. Please be kind to our neighbors and do not block any driveways or park illegally.
All adults and children will wear face masks while indoors on the school’s campus, per the California Department of Public Health guidelines. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. While current mask mandates do not require masks outdoors, we do allow and encourage members of the community to wear masks outdoors, regardless of vaccination status.
There will be limited, free childcare for children age 4 to 10 in the kindergarten playground starting at 5:30 pm and ending at 6:30 pm. Please sign your child in and out of this free childcare. We ask that you keep children younger than 4 years old at home with a family member or babysitter or with you on campus. Since Curriculum Night is intended to share information with legal guardians, your Allen student does not need to attend and should stay at home.

Please note that all attendees for these curriculum night will be required to wear a mask that covers both the mouth and nose while indoors due to the California Dept. of Public Health requirements for schools.

This Friday is also our Family First Friday from 8 am to 8:45 am on Allen’s campus. Come for some hot beverages and conversation in Allen’s version of Coffee with the Principal! Link HERE

Some safety reminders:

CVESD will follow the state of California requirement of face masks when K-12 students and adults are together indoors regardless of vaccination status. Students and adults are not required to wear masks outside, but we encourage this practice based on the latest guidelines from health experts.
The California Dept. of Public Health explained that this is the best way to ensure that all kids can come back to school in-person and miss fewer days – especially when masks are combined with other safety measures such as testing, screening, disinfecting, and handwashing.
The California Dept. of Public Health will decide by November 1^st whether to update the face mask requirements in school settings and will continue to examine evidence such as whether or not vaccines are available for kids under 12, community case and hospitalization rates, and ongoing vaccine effectiveness for the community, county, and state.

Please note that we work diligently with our state, county, and district officials to put safety measures in place to protect our staff, students, and families. However, please note that the COVID-19 pandemic has not gone away completely and that there will be cases throughout our county as people gather and assemble, including in schools. An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present.

Have you downloaded the school calendar for the 2021-2022 academic year? Click this link to download it.

Mr. Greenwell’s Message of the Week

Please watch the short YouTube video below for Mr. Greenwell’s Message of the Week for the week of August 1st:

Please see our revised and updated 2021-2022 Family Handbook here: Link to Handbook

A reminder of our school’s Core Values and Common Courtesies:

The Core Value this week is Perseverance. This week’s Common Courtesy is “Good morning/Good afternoon.“

Students may earn an Allen Eagle Ticket for demonstrating the Core Values and Common Courtesies each day. Students can redeem these tickets at the Eagle’s Nest Store at the end of each quarter of the school year. Our staff is always looking for ways to celebrate our students!

If you need to conduct business with the school office, please contact the school office between the hours of 8 am and 3:30 pm, Monday through Friday. Please contact the office directly at (619) 479-3662 and we will arrange an appointment with you.

A Look Ahead:

Wednesday, August 4, 2021 – Curriculum Night for grades K-3 on campus from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm

Friday, August 6, 2021 – Family First Friday (8 am to 8:45 am) – online here

Monday, August 9, 2021 – ELAC and SSC Meetings – Public Elections for ELAC, SSC, and DAC/DELAC positions

Meetings will be available both online [Link to ELAC and SSC Meetings] and in room 201
- ELAC (English Learner Advisory Committee) meeting is 3 pm to 3:30 pm
- SSC (School Site Council) meeting is 3:30 pm to 4:15 pm
- Please note that if you join the SSC meeting early, you will be joining the ELAC meeting.

Monday, August 9, 2021 – PTC Meeting online and in person in room 201

Link for PTC Meeting is here: [Link for PTC Meetings]

Wednesday, August 11, 2021 – CVESD Board of Education Meeting at 6 pm

Free COVID-19 Testing

The Chula Vista Elementary School District is offering free testing at the Education Services and Support Center located at 84 East J Street, Chula Vista, CA. 91910:

Monday – Thursday from 8:00AM – 4:00PM
Friday from 8:00AM – 3:00 PM

To find another testing location near you, please visit: Testing (sandiegocounty.gov) OR https://bit.ly/SDCOUNTYC19TEST

El Distrito de Escuelas Primarias de Chula Vista está ofreciendo pruebas gratuitas en las Oficinas Centrales, 84 East J Street, Chula Vista, CA. 91910:

Lunes a jueves 8:00 AM a 4:00 PM
Viernes 8:00 AM a 3:00 PM

Para encontrar otro centro de pruebas cerca de usted visite: Testing (sandiegocounty.gov) OR https://bit.ly/SDCOUNTYC19TEST

covid-19-test-location-sign Download

School ELAC, SSC, and DAC/DELAC Positions Open

Complete the Nomination Form Below:

[LINK for ELAC, SSC, and DAC/DELAC positions]

Please complete the online Nomination Form found at www.allenelementary.org if you are interested in serving as a representative for the Allen Elementary ELAC (English Learner Advisory Committee), SSC (School Site Council), DAC (District Advisory Committee), DELAC (District English Learner Advisory Committee). Please review the requirements for each position below:

ELAC – English Learner Advisory Committee serves as the elected representatives and parent voice for children identified as English Learners. Please note that it is a state requirement for a legal parent/guardian to have a child identified as an English Learner in order to serve as a voting member of ELAC, an officer of Allen’s ELAC, and the school representative or alternate of the district’s DELAC. These positions are one year terms. Besides being a voting member, ELAC members are also eligible to serve one-year terms as President, Vice President, and Secretary for Allen’s ELAC. Elections will be held at the August 9th ELAC meeting for the vacant DELAC representative and alternate positions and the ELAC officer positions. This meeting will be held online and in-person in room 201 from 3 pm to 3:30 pm on Monday, August 9, 2021.

SSC – School Site Council is the school organization responsible for overseeing and monitoring the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), the monies that support the plan. The SSC committee participates in the development, monitoring, and approval of the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA), the Comprehensive School Safety Plan (CSSP), and provides input regarding the school budget. In addition, the SSC is responsible for creating and monitoring a communication plan involving parents, the Board of Education, staff, and members of the community. SSC bylaws specify that parent representatives serve a 2-year term. We have currently one opening for this year’s SSC for 1 parent representative. Any legal parent/guardian whose child attends our school and is not a paid employee on staff at the school site is eligible to be an SSC parent representative. Elections will be held at the August 9th SSC meeting for the vacant DAC representative and alternate positions and the SSC officer positions. This meeting will be held online and in-person in room 201 from 3:30 pm to 4:15 pm on Monday, August 9, 2021.

DAC – District Advisory Committee is a committee comprised of legal parents/guardians to advise the district on state-mandated matters and elevate the voice of parents. These meetings are held once a month on Tuesdays, 12:00-2:00 virtually. DAC is a District-level committee made up of parents, staff and community leaders who advise the Board of Education and District staff on behalf of Title I compensatory education program participants. Title I is a federally funded program that addresses the academic needs of under-performing students. Each school site annually elects one parent representative and a parent alternate to vote if the representative is absent. DAC provides communication, information, and training for School Site Councils. Presently, there are 25 schools with schoolwide Title I programs in the District. Elections will be held at the August 9th SSC meeting for the vacant DAC representative and alternate positions and the SSC officer positions.

DELAC – District English Learner Advisory Committee is made up of representatives from each school’s English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC), a school-based committee required if there are more than 21 English Learners at that school. The Committee’s role is to advise the district on programs and services for English Learner students. For more information, contact your school principal or ELAC chair. These meetings are held once a month on Tuesdays, 12:00-2:00 virtually. Elections will be held at the August 9th ELAC meeting for the vacant DELAC representative and alternate positions and the ELAC officer positions.

SSC, ELAC, and DAC/DELAC Member Nomination Forms are due by the close of business day on Friday, August 6, 2021 and elections will take place the week on August 9, 2021 at the ELAC meeting (for school ELAC and DELAC positions) and at the SSC meeting (for SSC and DAC positions).

Again, the ELAC meeting will be both in-person and online on Monday, August 9^th from 3 to 3:30 pm.

The SSC meeting will be both in-person and online on Monday, August 9^th from 3:30 to 4:15 pm.

Please speak to Mr. Greenwell with any questions by contacting him at the school office at (619) 479-3662 or sending him an email at john.greenwell@cvesd.org.

If you are interested in serving in one of these capacities, please note the following:

Please complete the online Nomination Form found at www.allenelementary.org if you are interested in serving as a representative for the Allen Elementary ELAC (English Learner Advisory Committee), SSC (School Site Council), DAC (District Advisory Committee), DELAC (District English Learner Advisory Committee) no later than Friday, August 6 by 5:00 pm.
Monday, August 9 at 3:00 pm is the first official ELAC meeting and the meeting will be available virtually via Zoom (link is posted on the school blog at allenelementary.org) and in-person in room 201. Elections for vacant ELAC officer positions and DELAC representatives/alternates will be at this time.
Monday, August 9 at 3:30 pm is the first official SSC meeting and the meeting will be available virtually via Zoom (link is posted on the school blog at allenelementary.org) and in-person in room 201. Elections for vacant SSC officer positions and DAC representatives/alternates will be at this time.

If you have any questions regarding this or need additional information, please contact the school office. Thank you for considering to serve your school community.

Complete the Nomination Form Below:

[LINK for ELAC, SSC, and DAC/DELAC position s]

Download the letter Mr. Greenwell sent to the Allen Community on July 31, 2021 below:

elac-ssc-dac-delac-vfletter-7-31-21 Download

School Office Hours

The school office hours are 8 am to 3:30 pm, Monday through Friday. If you have any questions, you may contact the school office at (619) 479-3662 and we will respond as soon as possible.

We will continue to provide brief 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 regular updates.

Bus Schedule and Arrival/Dismissal Procedures

Please see the new 2021-2022 bus schedule here and arrival/dismissal procedures here.

Now Enrolling Students!

We still have room in our Kindergarten. Enroll your child in our school now by going to https://www.cvesd.org/parents/welcome_to_enrollment!

See our school flyer below or download it here

Ella B. Allen Elementary Flyer-2021 Download

Safe Reopening Playbook for Parents

The Chula Vista Elementary School District recently released its Safe Return to School Playbook for Parents. This document outlines procedures for our safe return to in-person instruction. Please review this “Parent Playbook” thoroughly. As you may know, the California Department of Public Health states that multi-layered mitigation strategies are key to ensuring safe workplaces for teachers and other staff, as well as safe learning environments for children. As outlined in the playbook, our District plans to use this multi-layered mitigation approach. Please know that our district is committed to in-person learning this year and will follow the latest guidance from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Please know that we will communicate with parents on the latest guidance from state, county, and district officials regarding the safety of students on Allen Elementary’s campus as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Please note there is an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 in any public place where people are present. The school and district strive to reduce this impact to staff, students, and families.

Is Your Child Immunization Ready?

While our school is taking full precautions to keep everyone safe at school and limit the spread of COVID-19 at school as much as possible, we wanted to remind you that there are other infectious diseases, such as measles and chicken pox, which can impact our school also. All of our children should be up to date on their immunization shots.

We ask all families to check with your child’s doctor now to get caught up on any required shots your child may have missed. If your child is 12 years or older, ask their doctor about how to get the COVID-19 shot. As you may be aware, doctors are taking extra steps to keep you and your family safe during in-person appointments. If your child does not have health insurance, please contact our school nurse, Nurse Linda, at (619) 479-3662 or visit 2-1-1 San Diego’s website at https://211sandiego.org/ to find a clinic that offers free or low-cost immunizations. Please visit the CDC website to view the recommended child and pre-teen/teen immunization schedules.

Thank you in advance for helping keep our students, staff, and community safe.

Verification of Residency Process

All students continuing at Allen Elementary must complete this process and update any information each school year. If your child will not be returning to Allen this school year, please notify the office at (619) 479-3662.

Residency verification will take place online this year. All students returning to any school in the Chula Vista Elementary School District for the 2021-2022 school year are required to show proof of residency at their school of attendance before the start of school in order for their child’s name to be placed on a class list.

If you have questions or need support with this new online process, please contact the school office by phone at (619) 479-3662 and one of our friendly staff members will assist you.

COVID-19 Corner: Health Updates

Please follow all district and school safety guidelines at school. We encourage families to monitor the latest state guidelines from the County of San Diego and California Department of Public Health. Parents, please assist in monitoring your child’s health before sending them to school.

CVESD will follow the state of California requirement of face masks when K-12 students and adults are together indoors regardless of vaccination status. Students are not required to wear masks outside.
The California Dept. of Public Health explained that this is the best way to ensure that all kids can come back to school in-person and miss fewer days – especially when masks are combined with other safety measures such as testing, screening, disinfecting, and handwashing.
The California Dept. of Public Health will decide by November 1^st whether to update the face mask requirements in school settings and will continue to examine evidence such as whether or not vaccines are available for kids under 12, community case and hospitalization rates, and ongoing vaccine effectiveness for the community, county, and state.

If your child has a chronic health condition, such as allergies or asthma, please contact the school office for a form to have your child’s doctor complete and send it back to the school’s nurse. We recommend doing this in advance of a child showing symptoms.

If your child experiences any symptoms of COVID-19, please keep your child home and contact the school office at (619) 479-3662. If an unvaccinated person presents with symptoms of COVID-19 while at school, that person will be immediately sent home and may only return with a negative PCR/NAAT test and no more symptoms. All schools in CVESD must follow the latest County of San Diego COVID-19 Decision Tree (see below) for persons with symptoms associated with COVID-19.

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19 and should stay home:

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

*** Please see the latest COVID-19 Decision Tree here: LINK to Newest Decision Tree

Parent-Teacher Club (PTC) Corner

Visit the PTC website at AllenPTC.org to become a member of the PTC and make a donation to support the latest initiative at the school. Allen’s PTC is a 501(c)(3) organization that supports the school’s educational mission through funding programs and initiatives. Allen’s next PTC meeting is Monday, August 9th at 6 pm. Details regarding this meeting will be released soon, but we anticipate that we will meet in person in room 201 and will also have a Zoom link available here: [Link for PTC Meeting]

Please help support Allen’s PTC by shopping at smile.amazon.com! AmazonSmile has the exact same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping as the Amazon you know and already use. AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of all eligible purchases to the Allen Elementary PTC when you shop. Make sure to shop on smile.amazon.com and choose Allen Elementary School Parents Teachers Club Inc as your charity. Thank you!

AmazonSmile customers can now support Ella B. Allen Elementary School’s PTC in the Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones! Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start generating donations.

Open the Amazon Shopping app on your device
Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app and tap into ‘Settings’
Tap ‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process

Please choose Allen Elementary School Parents Teachers Club Inc by clicking this link for your Amazon purchases: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/95-4403426

Meetings for Parents, Guardian, and Families

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.

Family First Friday Meeting

The first Friday of every month is reserved for our Family First Friday, Allen’s version of Coffee with the Principal. Our next Family First Friday will be on Friday, August 6, 2021 at 8 am. Link here.

We encourage parents and legal guardians to join this meeting with a cup of hot coffee or tea and listen to Mr. Greenwell give an update on the school year and meet other amazing Allen families.

English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC)

Ella B. Allen’s next ELAC Meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday, August 9th at 3 pm.

This meeting will be held in-person in room 201 and online via this link: [LINK for ELAC and SSC Meeting]

Please note that this online meeting link is the same for both ELAC and SSC. All ELAC members are welcome to attend SSC meetings for additional information. The school encourages all legal parent/guardian of students designated as an English Learner to attend both of these meetings.

School Site Council (SSC)

Allen School’s next SSC Meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday, August 9th at 3:30 pm.

This meeting will be held in-person in room 201 and online via this link: [LINK for ELAC and SSC Meeting]

Please note that this online meeting link is the same for both ELAC and SSC so if you join early, you will be joining the ELAC meeting. All SSC members are welcome to attend ELAC meetings for additional information.

SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL (SSC) is composed of five elected parent/community representatives and five elected staff/teacher representatives. The role of the SSC is to develop, approve, and monitor the School Plan for Student Achievement.

With a few exceptions, meetings are held the second Monday of every month. Until further notice, meetings will be held online. All parents and staff are welcome to attend. Council members serve for two year terms.

Parent Teacher Club (PTC) Meeting

Allen’s PTC meets the second Monday of every month at 6pm. Until further notice, all meetings will be held online via this link and in room 201. The next PTC meeting is Monday, August 9th in room 201 (yes, in-person) and online at 6 pm. Please also check out the new PTC website to become a member and make a donation: AllenPTC.org

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 regularly scheduled CVESD Board of Education meeting is Wednesday, August 11th at 6 pm. Limited in-person access is permitted, but check the district’s website for more information on this.

To access these public meetings, please click the link here: https://www.cvesd.org/board_of_education/board_meetings

CVESD DAC/DELAC Meeting

District Advisory Council (DAC)

The DAC is composed of parent and staff representatives from each School Site Council. It meets regularly during the school year in open public forum to share information, study instructional issues, approve school planning schedules, and make recommendations to the Board of Education on specific items. District meetings take place once a month, mid-afternoon. Most meetings occur on Tuesdays from 12 – 2 pm, with a parent training beforehand. This is an elected position to serve a one-year term.

District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC)

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 in August (Date: TBD) at 12 noon. You can access the meeting here at the district’s website.

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.

2020-21-dac-delac-general-meeting-schedule Download

Calendar for the 2021-2022 School Year

This year’s School Calendar (2021-2022) is available online! Click this link to download it. All students will be on campus for in-person learning in the 2021-2022 academic year. Distance Learning is not allowed due to changes in CA state laws. The district is offering a Virtual Academy, but this would require a transfer process and your child would no longer attend Allen Elementary.

Be well Eagles! Stay safe: We encourage everyone to get the COVID-19 vaccine when you are eligible to do so. The health and safety of our students, staff, and community is our number 1 concern!