Hello Allen Families and Staff,
We are excited to share our Read Across America Week this week and hope parents, staff, and students will choose to participate in a love for literacy!
Some friendly reminders regarding COVID-19 procedures:
- If you have a COVID Positive Case in your home and need guidance on isolation/quarantine, please email covtest4@cvesd.org, but please always notify the school office of an absence or positive case. If you are reporting a positive case to us in the office, please email allenschool@cvesd.org. You may also call us at (619) 479-3662.
- Masks continue to be required on campus indoors, for all adults and students, regardless of vaccination and testing status. As of February 28, masks are no longer required outdoors. The school will inform parents and staff if and when CDPH and/or the district change recommendations for K-12 schools.
- If your child is experiencing any symptoms, please keep them at home and notify the school office at (619) 479-3662.
- If you have someone who is known positive in your household, please also keep your child home and notify the office so that we may further support.
- Independent Study Contracts are available for students who have tested positive or who must isolate/quarantine. We thank you for your patience and kindness towards our staff as we weather this pandemic together.
We’ve got this, Eagles!
Questions about COVID-19? Want information on the free testing locations? Please see our updated page here: https://allenelementary.org/safety-and-health/
You can also download the latest cafeteria menu for the free meals served at school here.
Mr. Greenwell’s Message of the Week
Please view the short YouTube video below for Mr. Greenwell’s Message of the Week for this week, the week of February 28:
If you have not viewed the short video from our new Superintendent, Dr. Eduardo Reyes, please click the video link here:
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 Honesty. This week’s Common Courtesy is “Thank you.“
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 how to support their children if they experience a problem with another student. We suggest using “I feel…” statements, moving away from others, and seeking help from an adult nearby. Our staff prides itself in actively monitoring students at all times. 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:
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.
Allen Elementary was recently spotlighted for its Parent and Family Engagement at our most recent CVESD Board of Education meeting. A special thanks to Mr. Sergio Barajas, an Allen parent, for his participation in the video. If you missed it, please watch the YouTube video below:
A Look Ahead:
Monday, February 28 – Friday, March 4 – Read Across America Week
Monday, February 28, 2022 – El Pollo Grill Fundraiser to support Sixth Grade Camp
Tuesday, March 1, 2022
- Women’s History Month and Mardi Gras
- Online at 5:30 PM – Fifth Grade AGE Parent Preview Night (a repeat of meeting from 2/22)
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
- Ash Wednesday and 3rd grade GATE testing
- New Student Registration begins online
- Online at 5:30 PM – Sixth Grade AGE Parent Preview Night (a repeat of meeting from 2/22)
Thursday, March 3, 2022
- Online at 5:30 PM – 4th Grade AGE Parent Preview Night (a repeat of meeting from 2/22)
Friday, March 4, 2022 – Family First Friday at 8 am at Allen
- Join us in person for a cup of coffee in front of the school!
Monday, March 7 – Friday, March 11 – Spring Book Fair
Tuesday, March 8, 2022 – DAC/DELAC at 12 noon online [link at http://www.cvesd.org]
Thursday, March 10, 2022 – Conferences and Half Days begin
Monday, March 14, 2022 – Meetings
- ELAC meeting online at 3 pm
- SSC meeting online at 3:30 pm
- PTC meeting online at 6 pm
Wednesday, March 16, 2022 – CVESD BAC meeting online at 6 pm [link at http://www.cvesd.org]
Thursday, March 17, 2022
- St. Patrick’s Day – Optional Spirit Day to wear green!
- CVESD B-LAC online at 6 pm [link at http://www.cvesd.org]
Friday, March 18, 2022 – Holi and Spring Break begins at dismissal
Monday, April 4, 2022 – School resumes for all students [Min. Day for K-6 students]
Sixth Grade Camp Update
Allen Elementary will be hosting an in-person informational meeting for all sixth grade families on Friday, March 4th at 5 pm. This meeting will be recorded for any sixth grade family that is unable to meet in person. We have changed our camp dates to April 11 – 15, 2022 in order to secure a lower price for our families and get our preference of Raintree Ranch (rather than Camp Marston). A letter was sent home to the families of 6th grade students last Friday.
Sixth grade will hold fundraisers (like the El Pollo Grill night and the World’s Finest Chocolate sales) to support their students in paying for camp. Please encourage support of these endeavors.
Zone Transfers & New Student Registration
Please complete this Zone Transfer (or ZT) process ASAP to keep your child at our school, or families risk losing their child’s spot at our school if a new family moves into the neighborhood. Please also remember that a Zone Transfer or Intradistrict Transfer may be denied if a child’s behavior or attendance require improvement.
NEW STUDENT registration will begin on March 2 online for the following:
- Kindergartners who will be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2022.
- NEW students in grades 1st through 6th
- All registrations will take place online. There will be no paper packets. To register please visit our district website beginning on March 2nd: www.cvesd.org
Allen Elementary has plenty of space in our Kindergarten class for next year, but has limited openings in our upper grades. Please contact our office for questions about space availability at (619) 479-3662.
Changes in Mask Policy
With decreasing COVID-19 positive cases, reduced hospitalizations, and more individuals being vaccinated, we are re-examining our mask mandates. Currently, we are happy to announce a lifting of the requirement to wear masks outdoors at school. This policy update will take effect on Monday, February 28th. Of course, any student or staff member who feels more comfortable wearing a mask while outdoors at school is welcome to continue to do so. At this time, we will continue to have the mandate to always wear masks indoors for all students and adults. We will continue to monitor health organizations recommendations, and local, state, and federal mandates to determine the best course of action as we navigate through this pandemic.
Update on Volunteers and Chaperones
Volunteers on campus must complete the following:
- Fingerprints and background check via Livescan Clearance CLICK HERE FOR FORM
- TB Clearance
- Proof of full COVID-19 Vaccination (all doses) – or see more information below
- RAPTOR system clearance and government-issued ID on file
- Volunteer Contact Information Forms
- Complete the 20 minute Allen Elementary Volunteer Training (offered by appointment at the school office)
Please email our Principal, Mr. Greenwell, at john.greenwell@cvesd.org or Secretary, Ms. Reza, at michelle.reza@cvesd.org for more information.
Effective February 22, 20022, all CVESD schools will be allowing “unvaccinated parents” to participate as volunteers/chaperones if they test weekly (or less frequently if they are just chaperoning a field trip, etc). These volunteers must comply with all the requirements for volunteers/chaperones at Allen Elementary with the addition that they:
- must wear a mask while on campus, regardless of other masking requirements that may or may not be in place
- test at one of our testing sites, Kiosks, or School During weekly testing
- share their results with staff who handles site volunteers
Eagles Soccer
Below is the schedule for our Eagles Soccer team! All games start at 4 pm.
Eagles Basketball
Ms. Farlow (3rd Grade Teacher) is holding tryouts for Allen Elementary’s CoEd Basketball Team on Monday & Tuesday (March 7 & March 8 ) from 3:20-4:30 PM. Students must attend BOTH tryout days and students who were on the team 2019 must tryout again. The start of the season will be the week of April 11th and season ends in May. Practices will be held typically on T, W, and Th. after school.
– Games are played on Tuesday and Thursday at 4:00 and 5:00 PM
– Games are played outdoors at CVESD schools and City of Chula Vista Parks
– The attached form is required for student participation in CVESD intramural sports. Following CDPH guidance, student-athletes must participate in weekly COVID testing. Please contact Ms. Farlow with questions.
Spring Break Reminder
Please see the reminder for Spring Break 2022 below.
YMCA Campaign 2022
March 2022 is the final month for this important fundraiser! Students and families in our area benefit from free and reduced services from the YMCA of San Diego. Help give back by joining the YMCA Campaign for 2022! Read Mr. Greenwell’s letter below and the see the campaign details for “Open Hearts, Open Doors.” You can make a tax-deductible donation securely here: https://www.classy.org/fundraiser/3687811
Optional, Weekly COVID Clinic Testing
The free, “opt-in” COVID-19 testing program continues every Thursday as part of our district’s efforts to keep classrooms open and support our families with testing requirements for the state of California.
If you still need the link to give consent, it can be found here: https://school.covidclinic.org/register. Please know that giving consent for the COVID Clinic kiosks (at Clear View, Castle Park, or Eastlake) also automatically gives consent for your child to be tested via Allen’s weekly on-site testing.
We hope that you will choose to opt in and participate in this weekly testing program. No child will be tested without proper parental consent in this program.
Please double check that you have completed the registration process correctly and placed an order for your child to be tested. Once these two steps have been completed, there is no need to update this each week. If you previously gave consent for your child to participate and have changed your mind, please notify COVID Clinic directly via email at k12@covidclinic.org before Wednesday morning. Please be sure to state your name and your child’s name, as well as their school in that message.
Please note that the district does not want to test students and staff via this program who have tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 90 days as they will likely test positive again via this PCR test. An at-home rapid or antigen test is a better option to use if you would like your child to return to school from an absence.
Free COVID-19 Testing
Testing is for staff and students at these locations.
*** We recommend that you check www.cvesd.org for the most updated times. The Chula Vista Elementary School District is offering free COVID-19 testing for students and staff at the following locations:
Education Services and Support Center at 84 East J Street, Chula Vista 91910
- Monday – Thursday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (line closes to walk ups at 3:40 PM)
- Friday 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM (line closes to walk ups at 3:40 PM)
Hedenkamp Elementary School at 930 East Palomar Street, Chula Vista 91913
- Monday – Thursday 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM (line closes to walk ups at 2:30 PM)
- Friday 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM (line closes to walk ups at 2:30 PM)
Three more PCR testing sites are now available via COVID Clinic, outside of the weekly testing opportunity at Allen. Hours are 10 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday, at EastLake Elementary, ClearView Elementary, and Castle Park Elementary.
Are you unsure if you should bring your child to school and/or test them for COVID-19? Click here for an easy-to-view handout. We highly recommend getting a COVID-19 test at a free County facility, at a medical provider, or at our District Office (Education Services and Support Center). If showing symptoms, a person will need a PCR/NAAT test. Otherwise, an antigen/rapid test will suffice. If you are unable to get a COVID-19 test from your healthcare provider, free testing is available at several locations across San Diego County. Click here to view a complete listing of no-cost testing options.
Please contact the school office at (619) 479-3662 with questions. Please note that if a child presents with any COVID-19 symptoms, we are required to send that student home until symptoms improve and families provide a negative test result.
We are happy to provide an independent study contract for families negatively impacted by the surge of COVID-19 cases in our community. Please contact the school office for help with this.
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.
Equity and Access for All Students
View this page here: https://allenelementary.org/equity-and-access/
COVID-19 Corner: Health and Safety
Vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 are now available. Please understand that the state of California may in the future be requiring children to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 in order to attend a public school, just as they already do for other diseases (polio, mumps, rubella, etc..). This decision is not a school-based or district-based decision, but rather a state government decision.
The CVESD Board of Education requires masks to be worn indoors on all sites within the Chula Vista Elementary School District, regardless of vaccination status. Masks must cover the mouth and nose for all staff, students, parents, and visitors while indoors on campus. Masks outdoors are optional. 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.
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.
If your child experiences any symptoms of COVID-19, please keep your child home and contact the school office at (619) 479-3662. If any person (regardless of vaccination status) presents with symptoms of COVID-19 while at school, that person will be immediately sent home and may only return with a negative 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
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.
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.
Please help support Allen’s PTC by shopping at smile.amazon.com! AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of all eligible purchases to the Allen Elementary PTC when you shop on smile.amazon.com and choose Allen Elementary School Parents Teachers Club Inc as your charity.
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 Families & Staff
Allen School needs parents and legal 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, March 4, 2022 at 8 am. This meeting will be in person at school with a coffee cart available in front of the school.
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, March 14th 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, March 14th 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 usually 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, March 14th 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, March 9th 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 March 8, 2022 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.
Calendar for the 2022-2023 School Year
Next year’s School Calendar (2022-2023) is available online! Click this link to download it.
Students in our District are scheduled to start the 2022-2023 school year on Wednesday, July 20, 2022 and end the school year on Friday, June 2, 2023.
Student Starting Date: July 20, 2022
Student Ending Date: June 2, 2023
Key breaks include:
- Fall Break: September 26 – October 7, 2022
- Thanksgiving Break: November 21 – November 25, 2022
- Winter Break: December 19, 2022 – January 6, 2023
- Spring Break: March 20 – March 31, 2023
Be well Eagles! Stay safe: As a California public school, we encourage everyone to get the COVID-19 vaccine and to test regularly. The health and safety of our students, staff, and community is our number 1 concern!
Ella B. Allen Elementary School 