Mountain View Learning Academy

Dear SHES and MVLA Families, Shadow Hills Elementary School will be utilized as a polling place. Election officers and poll workers will be on-site beginning today through Wednesday of next week. To ensure the safety of our students and staff, and to keep our health and safety protocols in place, election officers and poll workers will not be on campus other than in the multipurpose room. Portable restrooms have been ordered for the election workers so that we can continue to keep our campus secure and our protocols in place. All individuals voting will enter through the multi-purpose room and exit the same way thus avoiding having anyone other than staff and students on campus. As always, thank you for continued support and focus on our students.

October 26, 2020 Dear AUSD Families: As we enter week six of our hybrid learning model I wanted to provide some important updates. First, I want to sincerely thank all of our staff, parents, and families for their support and effort these past weeks. As one of the first public school districts in the county to reopen schools, we were chartering a new and uncertain path. We built our reopening plan on strong health and safety protocols, and the belief that our students would be best served by learning in person at school with their teachers. I am extremely grateful and appreciative of all the hard work and collaboration that has made our reopening of schools both safe and a model for other districts. Additionally, I am pleased to share that on Tuesday, October 20th, the Board of Trustees approved the installation of indoor air filtration systems in all of our classrooms and buildings. These new systems will be similar to what you find in hospitals and medical settings. I am proud to share that we are among the first school districts in the state to install these units. A HUGE thanks to our Board of Trustees for ensuring that Alpine Union continues to place the health and safety of our students and staff front and center, while also setting an example for how to effectively and safely reopen schools and plan for the future. A Superintendent’s Advisory Task Force has also been working to develop plans for our Phase Three reopening. At our Board of Trustees meeting on November 10th, the Board will discuss the Task Force recommendations and a target date for a full return to in-person learning. A month ago we implemented COVID-19 testing for all AUSD staff. Every two weeks free drive through COVID-19 testing and flu shots are available at JMMS. The testing plan has been expanded, and all community members, students, and families are welcome to receive a free flu shot or a COVID-19 test during our test days. I hope you and your family members will take advantage of this free service. Dates are posted on our website and social media. Last, we have expanded our Grab and Go meals, and are offering meal pick up on Mondays during the day from 11:00 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. and in the evening from 5:00 p.m.- 6:30 p.m. Meals are available free of charge for any school-age child under the age of 18. Please help spread the word so that we can continue to support our Alpine families and community members. As always, thank you for your continued support. We are all in this together, and we can only get through it together. Stay safe and healthy, Dr. Rich Newman Proudest Superintendent on Earth

CalFire had a cancellation in their schedule and will return to JMMS on Thursday, October 22 for free COVID-19 tests and flu shots @ JMMS from 9:00 - 12:30.

Free drive-through COVID-19 test and flu shots are available at JMMS today from 8:00-2:00. All adults and children are welcome. Stay safe and healthy!

Dear AUSD Families: We were notified today that an individual at Boulder Oaks has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Due to privacy laws, information regarding this individual's identity cannot be released. This individual is currently not on campus per public health guidelines. The school will remain open for in-person learning. We have cleaned and disinfected appropriately following all health protocols. We understand that this information is concerning. Staff members and students who may have come into close contact with the individual will be contacted directly by San Diego County Public Health and the school office with further instructions. We are working with public health to continue to monitor the situation, and we are strictly following all public health guidelines. As a reminder, 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 a persistent cough, shortness of breath, or runny nose should not attend school or ESS, even if no fever is present. All students are required to wear a face covering, and student temperatures will continue to be taken upon entering classes and buildings. Thank you for your cooperation and support. Sincerely, Dr. Rich Newman Superintendent Alpine Union School District

We will be distributing free Grab and Go Meal Bags today, Monday 10/12 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm in the JMMS parking lot. The meals are FREE to all children 18 and under!

Please use the following link to access this month"s newsletter. https://www.smore.com/m75fe Thank you, Yvette Maier

Every Monday we will be distributing Grab and Go Meal Bags from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm at JMMS! All children 18 and under are FREE!!! We are so proud to be able to serve our community . If you have any questions, please kmassey@alpineschools.net.

Good Evening MVLA Families, I would like to welcome cohort B back to the school site. Please use the main gate at Shadow Hills for drop off and pick up purposes for first, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth graders. Kindergarteners and second/third graders are to use the Creekside gate. We can avoid traffic congestions if you plan on picking up your child from SHS campus at 1:25 pm. The teachers will meet you at the front entrance of Shadow Hills. Thank you for following the no visitor rules and remaining off campus. We hope that we can return to some normalcy as soon as possible, but until then I appreciate your help with keeping our site safe. We are expecting some hot days by the end of the week, so please send water to school with your child. If your child has been using their own device from home, please let your child’s teacher know and they can check a computer out for school use. I hope you have a great week. Yvette Maier

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

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

Good Evening Families, I am looking forward to having the children return to site this week. We have many new protocols in place. I know the routines that many of you have become familiar with over the past years will now be different, however, I hope that you will follow all the guidelines to ensure that we can return to school safely. The staggered drop off and pick up times will be the biggest change, but will help alleviate traffic if all parents adhere to the schedule. The teachers will take the children on a tour of the school to ensure they are familiar with the campus. I hope they are as thrilled as I am to return to some normalcy. See you next week! Yvette Maier

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

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

MVLA Reopening Video: https://vimeo.com/457958139

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

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