Alpine Union School District

Dear AUSD Families, Since the beginning of the pandemic, and at every crossroad since, we have tried to place the priorities of our community first and foremost. We have consistently focused on ensuring the health and safety of our students and staff. We have pushed to allow for more local control and fewer mandates from the state. We have tried to navigate the waters of the pandemic without having our schools become center stage for the mask mandate debate. From being one of the first districts in the county to open up for in-person learning and making COVID testing available to our entire community earlier on, to working together with staff and parents to develop alternatives if a vaccine mandate should be put in place, we have served as a model for the county, state, and country. All of our efforts have proven very successful, and we have not had to close a single school since the start of the pandemic. I continue to believe, and share publicly in all forums, that our parents should have a choice regarding sending their child to school with or without a mask. In fact, we were the only district in San Diego county that opened the school year with mask choice. Our decision to require masks was a result of two key factors. First, the California Supreme Court declined to hear the Orange County Board of Education’s petition seeking to overturn Gov. Newsom’s statewide mask mandate for K-12 students. Second, we received official communication from the county public health department regarding the state mandate requiring all students to wear a mask indoors. Last week, however, became an inflection point in how we, as a community, would continue to respond to the pandemic. On Thursday, a group of students at JMMS protested their opposition to California's mask mandate. Our students did it respectfully, and with pride, while sharing their perspectives. I spoke with the students and families of those involved, and as a result of their protests and actions, as well as the statewide mask protest that was to take place on Friday, I decided that we would engage our students in the democratic process and give our middle school students the opportunity to write a persuasive letter on any topic of their choice. Topics ranged from opening the new snack bar and purchasing new equipment for lunch, to improving school meals, as well as Governor Newsom’s actions at the recent football game, and ending the mask mandate in California. I believe that part of our work in schools is to teach students the skills necessary to participate actively in a democracy. Our schools and other institutions should reflect democratic principles not only in words, but also in actions. We made a conscious effort to be responsive, rather than reactive, by giving our students a forum to share their ideas on any topic. On Friday morning several of our schools had protests before school began that were peaceful in nature. Even so, we had many parents and students who were upset and felt as though the protests impacted their child’s learning. During the school day, more students participated in mask protests than the previous day. It was incredibly difficult to find a balance between supporting and honoring students protesting and supporting and honoring those students who did not wish to participate. In fact, as the day progressed it did not mirror the respect that I have seen to date. Many students were openly defiant and disrespectful to teachers and staff. I, too, was on the receiving end of disrespectful behavior. As the day continued, threats from parents and wild accusations were made, such as the idea that we are operating an illegal institution. Teachers and administrators were subjected to behavior that was not indicative of how our school community has worked together to date. This type of behavior will not be tolerated in AUSD. Our staff is on the front lines of this pandemic, and I will do everything to ensure the physical and mental health safety of our staff and students. While Gov. Newsom has recently discussed an “endemic strategy” for dealing with COVID-19 and potential changes to the mask mandate, the state requirements and public health guidelines are not something that our school district can choose to ignore. We do not have the option to pick and choose which state requirements we will follow. I implore you to write to our elected officials in Sacramento, including the Governor, to share your views and concerns and not make our classrooms hotspots of dissent and friction. As I have shared many times, the Board and I believe that there should not be a one size fits all strategy for allowing our students to fully return to in-person learning alongside their friends at school. The California Department of Public Health guidelines, unfortunately, do not take the local context of a community into consideration. However, when possible, it is our District’s goal to provide choice to our parents and families. Our community’s input is important to us and we will continue to listen to the range of perspectives. Amidst the struggles and challenges of this pandemic, I implore all of us to continue to make our schools safe places for learning where our students see all of us working together and honoring different perspectives. We cannot lose sight of the fact that our children are watching and learning from our behavior. Threatening and insulting others has no place in our schools, not with our teachers, students, staff, or families. I remain hopeful that civility and listening to divergent perspectives remains the norm and not the exception. I also hope that each of us models for our students that we must address incivility head-on, and show our children that we will both respect, and seek to understand, each other as a way of supporting our shared values and respect for one another. For those students at any of our schools who do not want to wear a mask at a school, we will continue to offer an independent study and homeschool option. Students not wanting to wear a mask while at school will be offered as many mask breaks as needed and will be treated with respect. Students will be required to wear masks in class, and parents will be called to enroll their child in independent study if they choose not to wear a mask. We are a small but mighty school district, and we will persevere and continue to advocate for ALL of our students, but we must ensure that our schools remain safe places for learning. Respectfully and with a full belief in our school community, Dr. Rich Newman Proudest Superintendent on Earth Alpine Union School District

COVID testing with CovX will take place tomorrow, Friday, February 4th from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm in the Shadow Hills parking lot. Please pre-register at https://www.covxlabs.com/prereg-form to make sure your registration is complete. Uninsured testers can use any government issued ID. Once registered you will not need to register for future tests.

COVID Testing with CovX will take place Wednesday, February 2nd and Friday, February 4th from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm in the Shadow Hills parking lot. Please register at https://covxlabs.formstack.com/forms/prereg_alpine_schools

COVID testing will take place Monday, January 31 at JMMS in the staff parking lot from 7:30-2:00. You can pre-register at https://www.covxlabs.com/prereg-form Testing is open to all members of the community.

COVID Testing with CovX will take place tomorrow, Friday, January 28th from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm in the Shadow Hills parking lot. Please pre-register at https://www.covxlabs.com/prereg-form to make sure your registration is complete. Uninsured testers can use any government issued ID. Once registered you will not need to register for future tests.

COVID Testing with CovX will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, January 26th and Friday, January 28th from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm in the Shadow Hills parking lot. Please register at https://covxlabs.formstack.com/forms/prereg_alpine_schools.

COVID Testing

Calbiotech will be in the JMMS Gym on Monday, January 17 during MLK Day to provide COVID saliva tests to staff, students and the community from 7:30 am to 2:00 pm. Register at https://patient.mdiqhealth.com. Please note the change of location from the staff parking lot to the gym for this day.

Dear AUSD Families, We have scheduled a COVID vaccine/booster clinic for Wednesday, January 19. The clinic will take place at JMMS in the staff parking lot from 7:30 am - 10:30 am. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will both be available for all eligible for the vaccine (students and adults). Spots are limited. Here is the link to register: https://kordinator.mhealthcoach.net/vcl/1637119729918 In an effort to make COVID testing easily accessible to our families and community we will continue to make COVID testing available three times a week at our school sites (Monday at JMMS and Wednesday and Friday at SHES). This Monday, January 17 testing will take place in the JMMS gym. We are posting to hire additional custodians to support each of our schools. If you know of anyone interested in this or the many other positions we have available please have them look online or call the District office at 619-445-3236. Keep the faith! We will get through this together! Dr. Rich Newman Alpine Union School District Proudest Superintendent and Principal on Earth

We will be offering three different COVID testing sites this week. The Monday testing site at Joan MacQueen Middle will offer the saliva COVID test and Wednesday and Friday at Shadow Hills Elementary will offer the nasal swab COVID test. All sites are open to the general public.

Dear AUSD Families, Happy New Year! As we begin 2022, I wanted to share a few important updates. Through Friday, we will provide a third and final opportunity for any parent who did not pick up a free At-Home COVID for their child test to pick one up in the front office of their child’s school. Please note that the tests are only for AUSD students and we do not have extras to give to those who already received one. We have also increased the number of COVID testing days at our school sites. For the next two weeks, we will be offering three testing opportunities. COVID testing will take place on Monday at Joan MacQueen Middle in the staff parking lot from 7:30-1:00 and on Wednesday and Friday in the bus lane at Shadow Hills Elementary from 7:30 -12:30. As a reminder, testing is open to anyone in the community. A COVID vaccine and booster clinic has also been scheduled for Wednesday, January 19 at JMMS. More details will be forthcoming shortly. As always, we appreciate your support! Stay healthy, Dr. Rich Newman Alpine Union Proudest Superintendent and Principal on Earth

COVID tests and testing

Winter Break Grab & Go will happen today (12/20) from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm at Joan MacQueen Middle School. Come by to get 2 weeks worth of Breakfast and Lunches for FREE for all children 18 and under.

We have been in close contact with the Alpine Sheriff’s Department regarding the latest school threat Tik Tok Challenge. While there has been no threat made to any of our schools, there will be increased patrols in our community and around our school campuses. We take any potential threat seriously and appreciate our local law enforcement for their commitment to the safety of our students, staff and community.

Dear AUSD Families, We would like to clarify the information you received yesterday regarding the free and voluntary iHealth At-Home COVID-19 test. In the Alpine Union School District, these tests are NOT a requirement and are NOT mandatory. They are available for families in the school office that would like to pick up the test. They are optional and are offered as a courtesy to families who would like the option to test their child at home prior to returning to school in the new year. As always, we appreciate your continued support.

Free At Home COVID Tests

Winter Break Grab & Go will handed out on Monday, December 20th at Joan MacQueen Middle School from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. We will be providing two weeks worth of Breakfasts and Lunches. This is FREE to all children 18 and under!! Your child does not have to be a student in the AUSD district or be present. Come by and let us help you with your grocery bill during the break. If you have any questions, please email kmassey@alpineschools.net or call (619) 445-3639.

A message from AUSD!

Thank you Veterans!

Dear JMMS Families, Let me begin by thanking you for your patience and grace as we dealt with the unexpected circumstances of a power outage. We fully expect to be open and welcome our students back on campus tomorrow, Thursday, October 28. Crews have been working all day and expect to complete the installation of new power lines early this evening. Please download our District App on the Apple or Google play store. It will ensure that you receive all of our messages and communications. Again, thanks for your patience. Let the learning begin once again! Sincerely, Dr. Rich Newman Proudest Superintendent and Principal on Earth Alpine Union School District