CalFire will be at JMMS in the staff parking lot (behind the JMMS office) providing COVID testing today (Wednesday, September 8) from 9:00-4:00.
Dear AUSD Families,
As a reminder, masks are required indoors at school for all students regardless of vaccination status (unless there is a medical exemption). If a student does not have a mask or face shield the school will provide one. Families who do not adhere to the mask policy will be asked to enroll in independent study through our home school program at Mountain View Learning Academy.
Please know that we are focused on ensuring all of our schools remain safe and healthy and open for in-person learning. Again, thank you for your support and for continuing to keep the politics out of our classrooms so that our staff can truly focus on helping each of our students reach their full potential this school year.
Chromebook insurance!
We are hiring!
We are hiring for many positions across the District including Bus Drivers, Child Nutrition Staff, Custodians, Instructional Assistants, Campus Safety Assistants, and more. For more information please call the District office at 619-445-3236.
Dear AUSD Families
Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year. We are so glad to be starting the school year and are truly looking forward to welcoming each of your children to campus tomorrow.
In the best of years, opening school is often stressful. However, opening schools in a highly politicized time creates tremendous pressure and demands. I ask that you give our staff the grace to figure out how everything will work, including adapting to using outdoor learning spaces and managing the many requirements and protocols. I also ask that you assume positive intentions. We truly want our students in school.
Like all communities, there exists a range of opinions and political beliefs. In fact, it is one of the important qualities that makes Alpine such a unique and special place. I ask, however, that you keep the politics out of our schools. Tomorrow is for our students.
They will have the chance to begin the time-honored tradition of beginning school, meeting and greeting new and old friends, learning alongside peers, going to recess and lunch and so much more. These are special moments that we want our students to experience and relish.
Unlike many other schools across the county, you are welcome to walk your student to class in the morning if you wish. We ask that you stay only briefly at school and let us begin the first day of learning as quickly as possible. Our students have missed being alongside their friends and we want the day to be special.
As a reminder, our staff will have masks and face shields available on campus for students needing them. Medical exemption forms will also be available in the school office.
In addition, as you may have heard, many school districts are canceling or limiting their busing due to a lack of bus drivers. While we will continue to offer busing to our students, we are also facing a shortage of bus drivers. In fact, we are hiring for many positions across the District including Bus Drivers, Child Nutrition Staff, Custodians, Instructional Assistants, Campus Safety Assistants, and more. If you are interested in a position or know of someone, please have them call the District office at 619-445-3236. At present, many of our routes are reaching capacity and will only be able to expand if we are able to hire more drivers.
Lastly, each year I am reminded that the first day of school is one of the happiest days of the year. Everyone - students, teachers, parents, and administrators - are filled with anticipation, hope, and excitement. I hope that we can once again ensure that tomorrow goes into our students’ memory banks as a great day. With your support, we will make that happen.
Thank you again for your patience and continued support. Onward and upward!
Rich Newman, Ed.D.
Proudest Superintendent on Earth
Alpine Union School District
COVID-19 Testing and Vaccinations @ JMMS
Class lists will be posted on ParentVue on Tuesday, August 17. We will also have the class lists posted on our gate by the parking lot for anyone having trouble logging into ParentVue. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!
Substitute Teachers Wanted.
We are hiring enthusiastic and dedicated staff to join #TEAMAUSD. Custodians, child nutrition staff, instructional assistants, campus safety assistants, bus drivers, etc...
Registration for AUSD busing is now open. Students who plan to ride the bus must register via our online portal by August 6. The link is located on the AUSD website under the Transportation tab. For questions please email tbagalini-rogers@alpineschools.net.
Dear Shadow Hills Families,
It is with great pride and excitement that I write this letter of introduction to you as the new Principal of Shadow Hills Elementary School (SHES). I am truly honored to be given this opportunity and look forward to immersing myself completely in our school and in our community.
As some of you may know, I have been a dedicated teacher at Shadow Hills for the past five years. I come to you with over 10 years of experience as an educator.
I am excited and eager to continue to bring my skills as an educational leader to our school. I am committed to continuing the legacy of success at SHES and partner with you to ensure your child's success. I bring a belief that students are at the center of all school-related decisions, and I am excited to unite my experiences, my openness to learn, and my child-centered approach to support our students, families, and staff. I truly believe one of my main responsibilities is to put our teachers in the best possible position to succeed, as they will in turn put our children in the best possible position to succeed.
I look forward to meeting all of you and please do not hesitate to contact me. I will be sharing more information in the coming weeks as the start of school is fast approaching.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Meghan Meris
mmeris@alpineschools.net
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Several days ago, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released updated guidelines for K-12 schools around the opening of the 2021-22 school year. There appears to be conflicting guidance causing confusion around masking requirements.
The latest guidance, released on July 12, stated that masks are optional outdoors for all in K-12 school settings. However, students in grades K-12 would be required to mask indoors, with exemptions per CDPH face mask guidance. However, on July 13, it was reported in the news that CDPH has changed its guidance and will allow school districts discretion on how to enforce mask rules. As you can imagine, it is difficult to plan with ever-changing guidelines, recommendations, and requirements. Given the ever-changing nature of this pandemic, we once again expect the roller coaster of changing health protocols, requirements, and recommendations.
Based on current conditions, if districts are allowed discretion over mask-wearing during the 2021-22 school year, AUSD will make masks optional for students. We, of course, will continually analyze conditions and respond accordingly and make changes to ensure that our students and staff are safe. Last year, our mitigation strategy, which did include mask-wearing, was very effective. We will continue virtually all of our safety protocols. This will include a requirement for temperature checks upon entering campus. Students will also continue to be assigned restrooms and hand-washing stations across campuses. Frequent hand hygiene practices will be encouraged. Continued sanitizing and electrostatic spraying will also remain in place. We will also continue to offer COVID testing options for students, staff, and parents.
Last, with the ongoing and important conversation happening in our country—and in our own community—around opening schools safely, I want to remind us all that we take the safety of our staff, students and families, seriously. We also take the input of the community we serve seriously.
Last year, early on in the pandemic we made a decision to open our schools because we believed it was our moral responsibility to provide in-person learning for our students when safe and possible. We took this responsibility seriously and were one of the first Districts to receive a waiver from the state and county to reopen, and were one of the first school districts in the county to actually reopen schools for in-person learning. We were also one of the first districts in the state to upgrade our ventilation systems, and we were also the first District in the state to fully vaccinate our staff, provide District-led learning Pods, and begin COVID testing for staff, students, and our community. We continue to believe that our students need to return to school and resume life in as regular a fashion as possible. We remain committed to opening our schools as safely as is possible given the ever-changing nature of this virus.
While we are keenly aware that things will continue to evolve and change, we wanted to make sure our community knew where the Board and I stood in terms of mask requirements for students. We will continue to provide updates as necessary.
Sincerely,
Dr. Rich Newman
Proudest Superintendent on Earth
Happy 4th of July!
Good Morning Shadow Hills Families,
Happy first day of Summer Break. It may be your lucky day if you are looking for a fun Spanish MAD Science camp to attend. We have 25 spots available starting Monday, June 14 at 12:30 pm on the Shadow Hills Campus in room 15. The first 25 to register will be able to attend this camp for FREE. The camp will be conducted by Mad Science. Students will participate in a range of hands-on experiments to inspire children through science, sparking lifelong imagination and curiosity. The fun STEM experiences form the foundation of a lifelong love of science, technology, engineering, and math!
Please use the following registration link:
https://campscui.active.com/orgs/AlpineEducationFoundation1?orglink=camps-registration#/selectSessions/2991033