ALVORD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Choose "Translate Newsletter" above for your language of choice

Elija "Traducir boletín informativo" más arriba para el idioma de su elección

Dear Student, Parents, and Staff,

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Alvord Unified School District is dedicated to the prevention of suicide, which is the second leading cause of death for young people between 10 to 24. We believe that through communication we can spread the word about actions we all can take to prevent suicide. It's never been more important than now, with social isolation, the absence of school structure, the impact of unemployment and other financial worries, and various forms of abuse all contributing to adverse mental and behavioral health, which contributes to suicide. Our school counselors are prepared to help students and their families with mental health concerns or other threats to their wellbeing. Please reach out to us.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline [Call 800-273-8255 (TALK)] offers free, confidential crisis counseling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. People do not have to be in crisis to call. Or text NAMI to 741-741. NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, among the numerous organizations we work closely with to prevent suicide. Another great resource is CareSolace, an online resource with a live 24/7 Help Line designed to assist individuals in finding local mental health related programs and counseling services. Email CareSolace at weserve@caresolace.org or call 888-515-0595. Their counselors speak English, Spanish, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Tagalog and Korean.

Below in this message is a recording of the webinar on resiliency that our Parent Engagement and Mental Health Coordinators teamed up to present on September 2. Resilience is a life skill that leads to positive self-concept and optimism. Critical thinking, stress management, conflict resolution, problem-solving, and coping skills are all important life skills. Many of our students, staff, and families have developed or improved these critical life skills in the face of COVID-19. A comprehensive approach to suicide prevention in schools includes building these life skills and supporting students with mental health conditions since nearly half of everyone who dies by suicide had a diagnosed mental health condition. Supporting student wellbeing in the distance learning model is not without its challenges, but with increased parent-school communication and being highly proactive we're confident we can help our students build resiliency and prevent suicide.

#BeThe1To is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s message for National Suicide Prevention Month and beyond, which helps spread the word about actions we can all take to prevent suicide. The Lifeline network and its partners are working to change the conversation from suicide to suicide prevention, to actions that can promote healing, help and give hope. Learn more about it by clicking on the image below.

Among our multiple responses to COVID-19, we bolstered our Student Services department by adding a Mental Health Coordinator, Tanya Gillick, to the Student Services team this year. Mrs. Gillick is a longtime Riverside resident and grew up attending Alvord's Terrace, Wells, and Norte Vista schools. She credits her teachers, particularly her choir teacher, for helping her get through the challenging middle school years when life was particularly difficult for her. From there, her life and eventually her career blossomed. She attended CSUSB and the University of Redlands and became a specialist in multiple areas of mental health. She has worked in a variety of student support services positions, including school counselor and now Mental Health Coordinator. Among her primary responsibilities is supporting our most vulnerable students, including homeless, foster, and at-promise youth. She works closely with multiple agencies in the city and county to provide services to our children and their families. Contact Mrs. Gillick via email here or call 951-509-5139. Watch her September 2, 2020 webinar on building resiliency below. Choose English or Spanish. Also, find useful publications from the National Alliance on Mental Health below.

Among the agencies Mrs. Gillick works closely with is the Assistance League. She is currently

launching Operation School Bell, which provides clothing to school-age children in Alvord and our neighboring communities. Watch the video on Operation School Bell below.

Mrs. Gillick also supports partnerships with Northgate González Market and La Sierra University, among other organizations in and around our community that share our passion for providing children and families an equal opportunity to succeed and thrive.

Parent Engagement Coordinator Alejandro Cisneros will host a Roundtable Discussion on Government Services this coming Wednesday from 4-5 pm. The discussion features representatives from the offices of Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, California State Senator Richard Roth, U.S. Congressman Mark Takano, and Riverside’s City Councilmember Steve Hemenway. We welcome questions ahead of time that we will address during the webinar. Submit your questions here via email or call Alejandro 951-396-0126. Watch the live stream here on our YouTube channel. Or watch it on Zoom here. You can also call 669 900 6833 and enter meeting ID 997 3512 1861.

On the following Wednesday, September 23, Alejandro teams up with Erin Askier from the Assessment Office to present, Assessments in Distance Learning and the Parent's Role. All of our webinars are live and interactive from 4 - 5 pm, but are also recorded to watch at your convenience on the Alvord YouTube channel. See the Fall schedule of webinars below.

Riverside County remains in the first tier and consequently there is no change in status related to our plans to reopen schools for in-person learning. We will continue to work closely with County health officials and prepare to reopen for students and staff in the hybrid program as soon as it is safe to do so. Recent guidance from the California Department of Public Health provides details on limited in-person instruction and targeted support services in small group environments for a specified subset of children and youth with exceptional or extraordinary needs. We are exploring possibilities within this structured cohort model (a cohort is a stable group of no more than 14 children or youth and no more than two supervising adults in a supervised environment in which supervising adults and children stay together for all activities [e.g., meals, recreation, etc.], and avoid contact with people outside of their group in the setting). I will update progress on this special program and our reopening plans weekly in this space.

On behalf of the Board of Education, thank you for your continued partnership and support. Please continue to reach out to us. Whether your needs are related to home or food insecurity, social and emotional support, or teaching and learning, we are here to serve you.

Stay healthy. Be well.

In partnership.

Allan Mucerino

SCHOOL PICK-UP TIMES:

• As scheduled at your home school.

EXTRA DAILY PICK-UP TIMES:

• 7:15 am to 8:15 am at Hillcrest, La Sierra & Norte Vista
  
• 7:30 am to 8:00 am at Arizona, Villegas & Wells

Parent also have the option of picking-up five meals once per week on Fridays at the sites and times below:

FRIDAY 5-MEAL PICK-UP TIMES:

• 7:15 to 8:15 am or 12:00 to 1:00 pm at Hillcrest, La Sierra, and Norte Vista
  
• 7:30 to 8:00 am or 12:30 to 1:15 pm at Arizona, Villegas, and Wells
• 12:30 - 1:15 at Loma Vista

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

• School site safety protocols include face covering & temperature taking for all who enter our campuses.

Email: 2Superintendent@alvordschools.org
Website: https://www.alvordschools.org
Location: 9 Kpc Parkway, Corona, CA 92879, USA
Phone: 951) 509-5000
Facebook: facebook.com/alvordunified
Twitter: @AlvordUnified