South Bay Union Elementary School District

Here's your weekly PH/SB newsletter! It's teacher and staff appreciation next week, so let's show our SBUSD staff how much we appreciate them. Kind words, notes and air hugs go a long way to show someone they made a difference! Have a great week. https://www.smore.com/ujq3r

Here is your weekly Newsletter. Two important bits of information: Monday distance learning will begin at 8:45 for all students at both PH and SB. Also, please be sure to complete the daily Qualtrics screening carefully on Tuesday to ensure we maintain a safe environment for all students and staff! https://www.smore.com/qb7zd

Here's your weekly South Bay/Pine Hill Newsletter. It's Spring Break! Enjoy a little R & R with family! https://www.smore.com/z9bkg-ph-sb-news

Hope you had a great weekend! Here is our weekly newsletter. https://www.smore.com/cbjtx

Hope you enjoyed the Spring sunshine this weekend. Here is your weekly newsletter. Lots of important information, be sure to take a look. https://www.smore.com/zbaxef

Hello Pine Hill and South Bay. Please join us on Wednesday evening, March 31, from 6:30 - 7:30 PM as we continue our important equity conversations. Your participation will help ensure that every student in our district feels welcomed, safe, valued, and has an honored identity while laughing and learning on our campuses. Join Zoom Meeting https://southbayusd-org.zoom.us/j/84092276990?pwd=aTg4Q2lVK0t4QmdYOEdNNFljMzdDUT09 Meeting ID: 840 9227 6990 Passcode: 659172

Please read this week's PH/SB Newsletter. Lots of important info in this edition... https://www.smore.com/u4zk0-ph-sb-news

Good morning Pine Hill and South Bay families. After careful review of the 3rd Trimester survey data results and conversations with our teachers, the 3rd Trimester bell schedule will remain unchanged for both in-person and distance learners. Subtle programmatic adjustments include: 1. decreasing the physical space between students from 6 feet to 4 feet - increasing in-person learning opportunities for more student scholars, and 2. providing Special Day Class students the ability to join one other stable group - allowing regular day classroom access. If you would like to change your child's current learning plan, please contact your school as soon as possible. Any classroom adjustments will be parent-initiated and begin on March 29. If you completed the survey, you're all set, and no additional action is needed. In the coming weeks, the District will be coordinating a free teacher-led Summer Learning Program and developing a 2021-22 school schedule that provides the maximum number of students on campus for the entire school day - including EXPLORE - for the South Bay School Board's consideration. As always, please feel free to contact me at your convenience at either (707) 267-9174 or gstorts@southbayusd.org. My Very Best, Gary Storts Superintendent, South Bay Union Elementary School District

Here is the PH/SB Newsletter for the week! I hope you remembered to Spring Forward and move your clock forward an hour. Have a great evening. https://www.smore.com/js71z

Crisis Learning: March 2020—March 2021 By Gary Storts, Superintendent March 16, 2021, will mark one-year since CA Governor Gavin Newsom declared a COVID-19 State of Emergency. Every segment of society has been forever changed. At best, this past year has been trying, and at worst, this past year has been devastating. Now, as more adults are getting vaccinated and case counts are declining, the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel is beginning to get a little brighter. As a superintendent, my responsibilities continue to be listening to our families and then carrying out the South Bay School Board's directions. On February, 25, 2021, the board directed me to work with our exceptional principals and dedicated teachers’ association to accomplish the following: (1) bring more students back to in-person learning and for a more extended time (2) continue to follow the CDPH Safety Guidelines (3) provide intervention services as practicable, and (4) continue to provide a distance learning option for families. This direction will allow our dedicated staff to use the final one-third of our school year as impactfully as possible. Educators and parents alike worry about both the short-term and long-term impacts of the past year of crisis learning (see page 5). In the short-term, the school board's direction will allow school sites to address substantial attendance concerns. Currently, more than one in every three students has missed significant learning opportunities this year, with distance learning contributing to almost 90% of chronic absenteeism. Crisis learning has also impacted the most foundational of all academic skills - READING. The school board's direction to safely return more students to the classrooms will address this crucial academic indicator of future school success. An additional short-term benefit will include the ability to offer families in-person learning in the morning, followed by EXPLORE in the afternoon. Select teachers and specialists would also hold targeted social-emotional and academic supports in the afternoon hours to address crisis learning impacts. As you could imagine, a school district has many moving parts. From the staffing schedule to the instructional schedule, implementing a programmatic shift takes the careful coordination of many departments and groups. Thank you in advance for your patience and flexibility as we continue to bend but not break.

Here's this week's edition of the Pine Hill/South Bay Newsletter. https://www.smore.com/awpes-ph-sb-news Please note, picture retakes take place this week at both schools. There is also a board meeting on Thursday evening.

South Bay Picture Retake Day is Thurs, March 11. On campus students will complete during class. Distance Learners & Independent Studies can come on campus during the following times: 7/8th graders will be 9:30-10:30, 4-6th graders will be 10:45-12:15. School Photos will be in the library. mylifetouch.com picture day ID #EVTBTRM2R

Here is your weekly Pine Hill/South Bay Newsletter. Hope you enjoyed the sunshine today, Springtime here we come! https://www.smore.com/7t810

Good afternoon Pine Hill and South Bay Stakeholders. I hope this correspondence finds you and yours well. As we continue to navigate crisis learning, March 15, 2021, marks the start of the 3rd Trimester - one year since COVID-19 impacted our campuses, straining structure and routine and affecting our ability to laugh and learn as a school community. With the large majority of staff having received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, last night, the South Bay Governing Board provided direction to maximize the amount of on-campus, in-person learning we can offer our students in Trimester 3. The Board provided additional direction to maintain the safety mitigation measures outlined in the CDPH School Reopening Guidance and to continue offering our families the option of distance learning. Next week, I look forward to beginning these conversations with the South Bay Teachers' Association (SBTA) and the California Schools Employees' Association, Elk River Chapter 766. In the coming weeks, please also look for additional outdoor school sports/athletics opportunities. Lastly, the District is planning on providing a robust summer learning program for our students. Ran in unison with the EXPLORE Summer Program, a teacher-led Summer School program is in the planning stages. As a result, we are rescheduling the March Parent-Teacher Conferences for late May/early June, when teachers will have more information about their students' strengths and areas for growth. Later in the year, we will also be able to provide greater detail about our summer learning opportunities. If you have any immediate questions or concerns about your child, please reach out to your child's teacher or school principal. As a community, I much appreciate your patience and flexibility. Please know that every employee on the Pine Hill and South Bay campuses work tirelessly to provide the best learning environment possible. As a parent and superintendent, I am inspired by my colleagues and proud to part of such a loving and caring community. My Very Best, Gary Storts, Superintendent

We hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable Presidents Week Break. School is back in session tomorrow. Here's this week's PH/SB Newsletter... https://www.smore.com/67yq8-ph-sb-news

No school this week, it's President's Week. Have a great break and please stay safe. https://www.smore.com/du2e8

Hope you have enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend. Here is our PH/SB Newsletter for the week. Remember next week there is no school in honor of President's Week. https://www.smore.com/j4x7n

Hello Pine Hill and South Bay Community. Please click here for the February 2021 edition of the South Bay Times.

Here is your weekly Newsletter. There is a lot going on this week, be sure to read through the newsletter for important information! https://www.smore.com/r4wz6

Equity Coalition Meeting Wednesday evening, January 27 at 6:30 PM. Location: Zoom -- https://southbayusd-org.zoom.us/j/85376207448?pwd=eFVLTE9vSjhpY0d4K2pzSmtjQTJFZz09 Meeting ID: 853 7620 7448 Passcode: 122216 Date: January 27, 2021 Attendees: Everyone is Welcomed Time: 6:30 – 7:30 PM EQUITY COALITIONS AGENDA -- I. Welcome and Introductions a. Review Equity Coalition Purpose and Mission b. Your Connection to the South Bay Community c. Your favorite comfort food II. Establish Coalition Norms/Agreements a. Review South Bay Cultural Norms III. Establish Roles to Ensure Long-term Success a. (Facilitator, Note Taker, Time Keeper) IV. Review Exit Tickets a. What is your hope for the Equity Coalition? b. What do you hope our work will focus on? V. Building Background Knowledge a. The Opportunity Myth: TNTP b. Review and Discuss VI. Charting a Path Forward: Action Plan a. Review LCAP Goals b. Steps 1 & 2 (students and staff) c. Discuss Timeline for Deliverables: What does the Equity Committee see as our recommended first steps and when would we like to see those steps completed? VII. Next Meeting a. Establish Quarterly Meeting Schedule VIII. Exit Ticket a. What equity-related successes and challenges have you noticed during COVID-19? b. What will be the most pressing equity-related challenge our schools will need to address once students are able to return to 100% in-person, on-campus learning?