Sunday Update (12 Sept. 2021)

Hello Allen Families,

It’s the week before Fall Break and our final week of minimum days and conferences.

We know that, compared to earlier forms of COVID-19, the Delta variant strain of COVID-19 is even more infectious and presents a bigger challenge to even a vaccinated immune system. It can cause more severe illness than previous strains in unvaccinated persons. The vaccine is still the most powerful tool against the COVID-19 virus, as it severely decreases the likelihood of hospitalization or death. Last week, the County of San Diego, in an effort to further protect public health, recommended that all employers require their employees to show proof of vaccination. Our partner organizations, including the County of San Diego, want to help all our community members access a COVID-19 vaccine when they become eligible.

Also, as you have likely heard, the CDC currently recommends wearing masks in public indoor settings regardless of vaccination status in areas of substantial or high transmission, and San Diego County falls into that category. Many health experts also advise that vaccinated people wear a mask if they are outdoors with people whose vaccination status is unknown. Although breakthrough infections in vaccinated people are rare, we recommend taking every step possible to keep yourself, and others, safe and healthy. Our school continues to enforce physical distancing, frequent handwashing/sanitizing, and mask wearing on district property. These safety measures are working and keeping us all safe and healthy.

The CVESD Board of Education recently approved a change to the IIPP (Injury and Illness Prevention Program) requiring masks to be worn on all sites within the Chula Vista Elementary School District. Masks must cover the mouth and nose for all staff, students, parents, and visitors on campuses.

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

Watch Mr. Greenwell’s short video Message of the Week for the week of September 12th below via YouTube:

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 Respect. This week’s Common Courtesy is “I apologize for…“

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!

Kindness counts! A few parents have wondered if their child is experiencing a problem with another student how to handle it. We suggest using “I feel…” statements, moving away from others, and seeking help from an adult. What our staff has noticed is that students are learning how to interact with one another and having some problems or conflict. This is not bullying. It may be due to trauma and other sudden social-emotional issues with a child.

See the helpful graphic below:

bullying-vf Download

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:

September 13 – 17, 2021 – Fall Conferences Continue (Minimum Days)

Grades K-3 dismissal at 1:40 pm
Grades 4-6 dismissal at 2 pm

Monday, September 13, 2021 – Parent Meetings: available online only

ELAC (English Learner Advisory Committee) at 3 pm [LINK here]
SSC (School Site Council) at 3:30 pm [LINK here]
PTC (Parent Teacher Club) at 6 pm [online meeting only; link here]

Wednesday, September 15, 2021 – Hispanic Heritage Month begins; Mayor Salas visits Allen’s 3rd grade classrooms; CVESD Board of Education meeting at 6 pm

Friday, September 17, 2021 – Fun Run at Allen; Dismiss for Fall Break afterschool (Grades K-3 at 1:40 pm; Grades 4-6 at 2 pm)

*** Fall Break is September 18 to October 4, 2021.

Tuesday, October 5, 2021 – Students and staff return from Fall Break with regular dismissal

Awards Ceremonies – Parents and legal guardians wearing masks are welcome to attend.

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Blas and Davies – Award Ceremony at 9 am

Thursday, October 7, 2021

Sinong, Gurule, Schultze, Venegas, Farlow, & Kriss – Award Ceremony at 9 am

Friday, October 8, 2021

Family First Friday from 8 am to 8:45 am and online only via Zoom
Monis, Messina, Michel, Rechif, Manaig, and Linderman/Gonzalez – Award Ceremony at 9 am

Monday, October 11, 2021 – Indigenous People’s Day

ELAC (English Learner Advisory Committee) at 3 pm [LINK here]
SSC (School Site Council) at 3:30 pm [LINK here]
PTC (Parent Teacher Club) at 6 pm [Link here]

Tuesday, October 12, 2021 – DAC/DELAC online from 12 noon to 2 pm

Wednesday, October 13, 2021 – CVESD Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) at 6 pm

Essential Funds for Our School

We are asking all of our families to participate in an important survey – the Local Control Funding Formula Collection Data for 2021-2022. This quick survey will have a critical impact on your child’s support and services.

The survey is as simple as answering two questions:

How many people are living in the home?
What is your total monthly income?

Please be honest and accurate in answering this short survey. The link for this survey is located at our school blog, www.allenelementary.org. Those forms are available here in 3 different ways.

You can complete this form online here: Local Control Funding Formula Collection Data Online Form

You can download the form here and complete it in blue or black ink and return it to the school:

lcff-form-revised-070721 Download

You can also scan the QR code here:

Benefits for your child include:

Instructional materials
Classroom technology
Additional staffing to provide supports for students
Extended learning opportunities for students
Before and after school programs

Teachers and our school team will be monitoring participation of this as it will make a big impact on our school’s budget. To encourage participation, all classrooms with 100% participation will receive extra recess and a healthy snack party. We appreciate your time and support in ensuring your child receives what they need and deserve in our school. Please return the survey on or before Friday, September 10, 2021.

Your cooperation and participation will keep our students at the core of our district’s decisions. Thank you!

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. This is for staff and students of our district only.

Monday – Thursday from 8:00AM – 4:00PM. *Please note that walk ups stop at 3:40 pm.
Friday from 11:00AM – 4:00 PM. *Please note that walk ups stop at 3:40 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. Esto es solo para el personal y los alumnos de nuesta distrito.

Lunes a jueves 8:00 AM a 4:00 PM. *Tenga en cuenta que los “walk ups” se detienen a las 3:40 pm.
Viernes 11:00 AM a 4:00 PM. *Tenga en cuenta que los “walk ups” se detienen a las 3:40 pm.

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

Parent – Teacher Conferences

For the comfort and safety of staff and parents, conferences may be offered virtually in order to better accommodate the needs of our school community. Thursday, September 9th to Thursday, September 16th are minimum days to ensure that teachers are able to meet with legal parents and guardians.

Grades K-3 dismiss at 1:40 pm.
Grades 4-6 dismiss at 2 pm on those days.

Please know that our teachers will make every effort to meet with any legal guardian or parent that has educational rights for a child and that you may also request a follow up meeting if you have further questions or concerns.

Please contact the school office at (619) 479-3662 with questions or reach out to your child’s teacher directly.

Parent Leadership in CVESD

The Chula Vista Elementary School District invites you to their next session in the Parent Leadership Series, “How to Have Effective, Efficient Meetings”, which takes place virtually on Sept. 14 from 6 pm to 8 pm. See the flyer below:

parent-leadership-module-2-v2 Download

Equity and Access for All Students

The Chula Vista Elementary School District is working towards eliminating opportunity gaps by providing equitable educational experiences for each student. Supporting and fostering students’ excellence in academic pursuits occurs by focusing on the whole child—their race, culture, language, heritage, gender/expression, and experiences. The unique aspects of each individual are valued by educators and used to inform students’ learning and development.

To get the facts on the district’s Equity Policy and learn how all children are supported by this policy, please visit:

https://www.cvesd.org/parents/equity-and-access

what-is-equity Download

Bonitafest 2021 – Back in the Saddle!

Bonitafest is “back in the saddle” this year. Join the 49th annual Bonitafest for the Twilight Trail Parade on Friday, September 17th, the Car Parade on Saturday, September 18th, and the Melodrama on September 22-25. More details are available on Bonitafest’s Facebook page.

Now Enrolling Students!

We still have room in a few of our classrooms, including 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.

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, staff, parents, and visitors are required to wear masks outside and indoors when on campus due to recent changes approved by the CVESD Board of Education.
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 and download the form below 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.

certification-of-chronic-medical-condition-1 Download

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, September 13th 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, & 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, October 8, 2021 at 8 am, available online only.

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 scheduled for Monday, September 13th at 3 pm.

This meeting will be held only 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 scheduled for Monday, September 13th at 3:30 pm.

This meeting will be held online only 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. The next PTC meeting is Monday, September 13th 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, September 15th 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 on October 12th 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!