JMMS Weekly Update
January 15, 2021
NO SCHOOL MONDAY, JAN. 18, 2021 IN RECOGNITION OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DAY
Principal's Message
Good Afternoon Alpine,
One of the biggest challenges for many people is the belief that we need to be independent and strong. Seeking help makes us feel less competent, vulnerable, and creates the feeling that we’re somehow weaker than we should be.
There may be no greater false premise than this. Asking for help is really a sign that we believe we are worthy of help from others. There may be no greater false premise than this. Asking for help is really a sign that we believe we are worthy of help from others. It means that we believe enough in our ability to recognize that people who help us will get something from their investment. I would like to thank the community of Alpine for your help in keeping Joan MacQueen open and the kids at school.
Our ultimate goal is to return to normal and we had planned that would begin with students attending four days a week starting on January 19th. As you know from Dr. Newman’s email on December 31st (Bottom of Newsletter) the return has been postponed and at this time the situation remains fluid. We will keep you in the loop when we do move to Phase Three. In the meantime please make sure to continue to follow the CDC guidelines and stay safe.
Lastly, please make sure that your child is caught up with their assignments. All missed or late work can be turned in ASAP.
Sincerely,
Casey Currigan
Change in Schedule for Upcoming Monday Holidays
January Action for Happiness Calendar
Click on the calendar to see a larger view.
End of Second Quarter is Jan. 22nd
The end of Quarter 2 is January 22nd. Report Cards will be available for viewing online on February 3rd.
ASB Canned Food Drive Starts January 19th
Please help our ASB help those in our community less fortunate. If you have canned or non-perishable food that you can donate the Joan MacQueen ASB is collecting food for our local food pantry.
The winning class will enjoy a hosted pizza party.
211 San Diego "Schedule a Drive up Testing Appt"
CAL FIRE COVID Testing January 20th
Attention 8th Grade Families
Class of 2025 High School Flyer
- Steele Canyon Charter - Intent to Enroll Deadline is 2/17/21
- GUHSD - School Choice - Deadline is 3/5/21
Questions? Contact Jane Smith @ jsmith@alpineschools.net
Online Expectations
- Shut Down - Stop attending and stop doing work.
- Act Out - Behavior is complicated and students who act up will do so because they don't want people to know they are struggling.
- Step Up - Pull up their boots and work even harder.
We want all of our Dust Devils to fall in category number three but unfortunately, that isn't the case. We do have a team that is reaching out to families that fall under number one to support those students and for the students in category number two will identify those students requiring all students to follow these guidelines for distance learning. The most important guidelines are that we want students to log in with an AUSD device. When they login we want them to have their full name and a live picture up and running. Please assist us in supporting your child by reading this document and discuss the requirements.
Dr. Newman's Email from December 31, 2020
Dear AUSD Families,
Happy New Year’s Eve! There is no simple way, to sum up, 2020 or the impact that the coronavirus has had on every aspect of our lives. We have faced so many challenges this year - fires, evacuations, power outages, family food scarcity, school closings, COVID cases, distance learning, mask-wearing, and learning to work and live in dramatically different ways. Yet, I am filled with pride in how our district and our community has faced these challenges.
On March 13, when our schools closed due to COVID, we stated that it was our moral imperative, when safe and possible, to provide the option for students to return to school and learn in classrooms with teachers. I am proud that AUSD has been a role model when it comes to navigating the pandemic. We were one of the first school districts in the county with a reopening plan, one of the first to be granted a waiver, one of the first districts in the county to open for in-person learning and provide in-person learning for special education students full time. In fact, our district has been operating in-person learning at all of our schools longer than virtually any other district in the county, and we have done it without a need for a school closure for 13 consecutive weeks.
We were also the first school district in California to launch learning pods. We were one of the first districts to schedule COVID-19 testing for staff and their community. We were also one of the first districts in the state to upgrade our ventilation systems. In addition, over the winter break, we had all our HVACs cleaned and disinfected and every filter was changed. We have hired new custodial staff at every school site as well as an outside firm to assist with cleaning. We have purchased three electrostatic cleaners for each school site to ensure redundancy at each campus.
We have provided personal protective equipment, classroom desk dividers, and other measures to mitigate risk. All of our actions to date were the ones that were highlighted at yesterday’s press conference, in which Governor Newsom, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and Linda Darling Hammond, President of California’s State Board of Education, outlined the California Safe Schools for All Plan.
Our Board had the foresight to begin the school year in a 100% Distance Learning model for our students, with the goal of gradually reopening our schools first with a hybrid model, and then bringing all students back for in-person learning four days a week.
While our schools will once again open Monday, January 4 with hybrid learning, we have made the decision to postpone our Phase Three return, which would have had our students attending school four days a week. The timeline for our Phase Three return will remain fluid and will be dependent upon local and county health data as well as other factors. Our goal has always been to open our schools safely and remain open. Given the current surge in COVID cases, we do not believe it is prudent to bring back our students in a manner that increases the number of students in class and risks the potential of our schools closing. We remain committed to having our students back on campus full time as soon as possible and will continue to keep you updated with any changes.
We know this news may be disappointing but I want to reiterate that our goal is to remain open and provide as much consistency as possible for our students, while also ensuring the safety of our staff.
As always, thank you for your continued support. I look forward to seeing our students return to campus on January 4, 2021.
With great appreciation,
Dr. Rich Newman
Proudest Superintendent on Earth
Alpine Union School District
Joan MacQueen Middle School
Email: ccurrigan@alpineschools.net
Website: https://www.alpineschools.net/o/jmms
Location: 2001 Tavern Road, Alpine, CA, USA
Phone: (619) 445-3245
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Joan.MacQueen