Joan MacQueen Middle School

JMMS Weekly Update for 10.2.2020 https://www.smore.com/mpryg Good afternoon Alpine, this is Joan MacQueen's Proud Principal Casey Currigan. We finished our second week of the Hybrid Facilitation Schedule and are beginning to meet concerning the next stage of our opening. Although no date is selected, we are looking forward to taking the next step. I want to let you know that the kids attending in-person learning are doing fantastic. They are enjoying being on campus and are looking forward to taking the next steps. This week, many students did not have water bottles on campus, making it tough with the heat. As a reminder, the drinking fountains at all schools and public parks are turned off because of COVID. Please make sure that you send your child to school with a water bottle, which is especially crucial during these red flag days. If you require a water bottle, please let me know. Safe School Ambassadors is back at Joan MacQueen this year! The Safe School Ambassadors Program (SSA) harnesses students' power to prevent and stop bullying and mistreatment. Our students and staff will be training in a student-centered model that educates diverse social leaders with the skills to prevent and reduce bullying. The recruited students participate in a two-day interactive training along with several adults who serve as program mentors. The training gives student Ambassadors the skills and tools to resolve conflicts, defuse incidents, and support isolated and excluded students. We are looking forward to seeing the positive impact this program will have on our students, staff, and overall school culture. Lastly, we need a couple of parents to participate in our School Site Council. The School Site Council is a group of teachers, parents, and classified employees that works with the principal to develop, review, and evaluate school improvement programs and school budgets. Use the link below to submit your nomination.

What happens if a student or staff member lives with or has close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, OR been advised by their doctor that they are presumed to have COVID-19? https://covid-19.sdcoe.net/Reopening-Plan/Decision-Tree#2

Read the Entire JMMS Weekly Update for 9/25/2020 https://www.smore.com/6zrv7 Good Afternoon Alpine! I am very proud of our staff and students who did a wonderful job navigating this first week of face-to-face learning at school. It was great to see how excited students were to see their friends and teachers. Every student that I spoke to was excited to be back at school. I want to thank all the parents that shared their appreciation for our staff and the fact that we are one of the first districts to reopen for learning. I recently shared with the JMMS staff that it takes approximately 10,000 hours to master a craft, and while there are some bumps with the hybrid facilitation schedule we have only been doing this new type of learning for a couple of days. Considering how new this process is for all of us, I am very proud and appreciative of our staff and ask everyone's patience as we continue to reopen our schools. Please know that we have done everything in our power to make JMMS open safely. As the first public secondary school in San Diego to open we want to make sure that our campus continues to be safe. We have put redundant systems in place to keep our staff and students safe. Together, and only together, can we keep JMMS open and keep everyone healthy.

The Alpine Union School District has become one of the first local school districts to begin mandatory testing for all staff members. https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/alpine-schools-begin-drive-thru-covid-19-testing-for-staff-members?fbclid=IwAR1yv6V5qCicQXB2xigFLyG4U1eNO-4QOYEgV4qRmTQQEmZ_wwm-8CKTWXQ

A HUGE thanks to our famous Alpine community artist, Jorge Estrada, for painting the welcome back banners and Claudia and the Alpine Taco Shop for graciously funding the banners. Each campus has a one of a kind original banner welcoming our staff and students back to campus.

HUGE thanks to CalFire for helping implement COVID-19 testing for all district staff. @CAL_FIRE @SanDiegoCOE #Alpine

Day two of face-to-face learning. Our students once again connecting with friends and other students and using our wonderful outdoor spaces for learning. #LearningTogether #Proud OfOurDistrict

Dear Dust Devils, Day one is complete, and outside of a couple of minor bumps, we had students back to campus for the first time since March 13, 2020. The morning drop off went off without a hitch, and every student could find their Learning Strategies classroom. There were some technical issues on campus, and as soon as those were ironed out, the day proceeded smoothly. There is some confusion with students participating in live instruction but are in the cohort that is not on campus. These students will participate in Asynchronous learning the entire day; there will be no live (Zoom) instruction. Teachers will have lessons posted on their Google Classrooms. Those lessons may include: Continuations of work that they have already started Reading directions Filling out a worksheet Writing a paper Watching a video However, On Wednesday's both cohorts A & B will Zoom with their Learning Strategies class at 9:00 am, and all students will have access to their teachers during their office hours from 9:30 to 10:30 am through their Google Classrooms. In those office hours, they can clarify instructions, ask questions, etc. We recognize this isn't business as usual but remember that we are going slow to go fast. Please have a wonderful evening; remember to send students with water and their Chromebooks fully charged. Casey Currigan

So excited to have our students back on campus for face-to-face learning. Thank you staff for being here for our students! So grateful to to our #AlpineUnion staff! @SanDiegoCOE #HeroesWorkHere

StudentVUE and ParentVUE are both up and running. Thank you for your patience.

JMMS Weekly Update 9/18/2020 https://www.smore.com/p5wze

Dear AUSD Families, You may have heard the news that the County of San Diego may be moved on Tuesday to the lowest tier of the state reopening system and wonder what it means for Alpine Union. Because our waiver to reopen campuses was approved by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), we will be allowed to stay open if the county moves to the lowest tier on Tuesday. As we open on Monday it is imperative that everyone follow the protocols that we have designed. Over the last several months we have developed and adjusted our safe schools reopening plan to ensure that we adapt to the changing conditions. Additionally, I am pleased to share that we are one of the first school districts in the county to have implemented COVID-19 surveillance testing for all of our employees. We ask that you monitor your student for any signs of illness each day such as cough, shortness of breath, runny nose and fever at home before coming to school. Anyone with a fever of 100°F or more should not go to a school site. Those experiencing symptoms including persistent cough, shortness of breath, or runny nose should not attend school, even if no fever is present. All students will be required to wear a face covering, and student temperatures will be taken upon entering classes and buildings. Lastly, I ask for your patience and grace as we begin this new chapter of learning. Our staff have worked incredibly hard to make this opening as seamless as possible. Everything we do on Monday will be different from years past. We will all be learning together while we balance the need to reduce the spread of the coronavirus with the desire to get students into more productive learning environments. We look forward to seeing our students once again back on campus. Stay well and healthy, Dr. Newman Proudest Superintendent on Earth

Dust Devils: If you have not registered for your child's bus pass please do so now. The Website is https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1KU-Byu69GDDbPxH6csZcPJaIgJcJMFT48WLfJ-TRffM/viewform?ts=5f0cb09c&edit_requested=true

Dear AUSD Families, We are excited to share that next Monday we will begin phase two of our reopening schools plan with students returning to our campuses for face-to-face learning. At each school site, one cohort of students have been assigned to attend school for face-to-face learning on Mondays and Tuesdays, and another cohort of students will attend school on Thursdays and Fridays. Distance learning will continue to occur online the days in which students are not on campus. Those students in a complete distance learning environment will also continue their learning online. CONNECTION Since schools closed on Friday, March 13, 2020 we have continued to be concerned about the social and emotional well-being of all of our students. We also realize that with the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic, parents may opt to move back and forth between face-to-face and distance learning during the year. In fact, one of the biggest concerns we have heard from families is the fear of losing their connection to their school and teacher this year if they choose to have their child participate in face-to-face or distance learning. We have intentionally designed our hybrid learning model around building and maintaining relationships and connections by having students remain in a class that is stable and consistent throughout the year and not have students switch back and forth between a different distance learning and face-to-face teacher. Each class will comprise both face-to-face and distance learning students. Since approximately 84% of our parents have chosen to have their child return to face-to face learning there is not a large number of students who prefer only distance learning. GRAB AND GO MEALS We will continue to provide free Grab and Go meals for all children 18 and under at JMMS each Monday. LUNCH Each school will continue to provide bagged or boxed lunches for students. We ask that you use our online portal to prepay for lunches, which is located on our website. BUSSING We will continue to provide bussing for students to school albeit will be slightly reduced this year. Similar to most districts, the Board has approved a transportation zone that would provide home to school transportation for students who live 1 ½ miles or more from school. All students will be required to wear face coverings on the bus and will be socially distanced as much as possible. Registration for bussing can be accessed via our district website. FACE COVERINGS When we return to school for face-to-face learning, all students will be required to wear a face covering (face mask or shield). Students may remove their face coverings during lunch, PE, and recess but will be required to have them on while in the classroom, even when sitting behind the plastic desk dividers. Only students that meet one of the exemptions outlined in the California Department of Public Health Guidelines and have the required medical documentation will be exempt. Previously, we shared that face coverings would only be required for students in grades three and above. We made the change requiring all students to wear face coverings for the following safety concerns. First, we set a goal of opening our schools for face-to-face learning and want to ensure we do everything in our power to keep our schools open and operating. Many of our staff have also shared concerns about contracting COVID-19 and want to be able to feel safe and comfortable so that they can focus on teaching and learning. Classroom schedules have also been designed to ensure students are not wearing a face covering for longer than two hours at a time without a break. WELLNESS We ask that you monitor your student for any signs of illness each day such as cough, shortness of breath, runny nose and fever at home before coming to school. Anyone with a fever of 100°F or more should not go to a school site. Those experiencing symptoms including persistent cough, shortness of breath, or runny nose should not attend school, even if no fever is present. We know next week will be filled with excitement and nervousness. We look forward to this next phase in reopening our schools, and as always, appreciate your continued support. Lastly, if you have additional questions, please feel free to reach out to your child’s principal. Stay well, Dr. Newman Proudest Superintendent on Earth

Dust Devil Update: To make the transition to hybrid more seamless, we have postponed the schedule changes set to take place tomorrow. They are now going to take place on Friday Evening. New schedules will be available on StudentVUE and ParentVUE Saturday morning, until then both websites will be down. Students will continue with their current schedule through Friday. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility; this is new for everyone.

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE This is Joan MacQueen's Proud Principal, Casey Currigan. JMMS Weekly Update 9/11/2020 https://www.smore.com/rt1wc I am excited to have students return to campus on the 21st. The last six months have been challenging and the wildfires over the last week have added to our challenges. I hope that with this being the 19th anniversary of 9/11, we take the time to remember all of those who perished on 9/11 and the incredible sacrifice of our heroic first responders. We are all capable of incredible empathy when we join together. I was able to see this first hand as the people of Alpine and its surrounding communities came together this last week around the Valley Fire. Stay Strong Alpine! In this week's newsletter, I have enclosed a ton of valuable information about the reopening of Joan MacQueen. Please take the time to read and watch the information, then have a conversation about the content with your child. The last thing that any of us want is to open and then have to close school back down. Please note that there will be some schedule changes resulting from trying to even out class size. We have done everything that we can to minimize the impact on students. Families will be notified this weekend if there child's schedule will change. Additional information about bussing and the hybrid schedule will be forthcoming. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. P.S. The JMMS Reopening Plan is a video for you to watch and all of the images in the newsletter will expand if you click on them.

We remember and honoring the victims of the #September11 attack. #UnitedWeStand

Reopening Presentation given to the Alpine School Board https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nbdtEwXtWdkjptD6krLUMaiWhmjAk2BH/view?usp=sharing

Dear AUSD Families, We are continuing to monitor the Valley Fire situation very closely. Given the active nature of the fire, San Diego County Sheriff Gore and the Office of Emergency Services, are encouraging all of us to be prepared to evacuate with very little notice. The fire has tripled in the last four days, and Santa Ana winds are expected to impact our community beginning this evening. We realize that many of our students, families, and staff have been impacted by the Valley Fire. We are here to help and assist in any way possible. Please reach out to us if we can be of any assistance. Joan MacQueen remains an active temporary relocation center for community members and their pets. All District personnel, other than essential staff, will be working from home for the remainder of the week. Distance Learning will continue but our staff are mindful of what our students need at this time, and will be available to provide the support necessary. Lastly, I want to take a moment to remind each of you to review your evacuation plan, be prepared, stay informed and sign up for updates at www.readysandiego.org. We will get through this together united as one community. Stay safe, Dr. Newman Proudest Superintendent on Earth

Joan MacQueen Middle School remains open as a temporary evacuation center. We have A/C, food , water, restrooms, and wifi. Yes, animal friends ARE welcome! #AlpineStrong #United #OnwardandUpward