Weekly Update
Friday, May 20, 2022

e-Connections Post

Dear Sac City Unified Families,

Please review the following updates, resources and opportunities happening throughout our community. 

MASK UP FOR SAFETY

COVID-19 is spreading and newly evolving variants are increasingly infectious.  People are getting the virus multiple times and we are seeing clusters of cases impacting our schools. This means our students and staff are at risk of missing more schooling, including end of year social activities. We strongly advise everyone to wear a face mask when indoors at school/work.  Anyone exposed to COVID should face mask indoors for at least 10-days. We are in the season of celebrations, graduation/promotion ceremonies, and travel plans. This is a time to prevent COVID-19 infection, so you and your loved ones may participate in these joyful events

Sacramento County is experiencing an increase in positive COVID-19 cases, reflected in our school site testing results and positive cases reported (SCUSD COVID-19 Dashboard). We want to emphasize the importance of using the tools we have at this stage of the pandemic to keep each other safe and limit spread of the virus in our schools.  These tools include vaccination and boosters, getting tested routinely and wearing a face covering indoors. 

This week:

  • SCUSD provided 20,842 tests to our school community from May 15-20.
  • 280 positive staff and student cases were reported. 
  • 652 individuals have contracted COVID-19 and were present at school or work during the infectious period since the beginning of May.

Hospitalizations are also on the rise throughout Sacramento County. As of May 17, we had 106 hospitalizations, but 45 on April 22. In roughly the past month hospitalizations have more than doubled, warranting some quick COVID-19 updates and reminders.

PROMS, GRADUATIONS AND COVID TESTING

As we prepare for proms, graduations and other spring celebrations, even if you’re vaccinated against COVID-19, it’s a good idea to test before and after attending these events. We know that vaccinations protect against serious illness in most cases, but even mild cases can spread to vulnerable, high-risk members of our community. Protect each other by getting tested and learn more here. Have fun celebrating! 

FREE AT-HOME TEST KITS

 Check your student’s backpacks next Thursday and Friday for free at-home test kits that will be going home in advance of Memorial Day Weekend and test your student on Monday, May 30 before your student returns to school on Tuesday, May 31. There are many free COVID-19 tests available to our community in the coming weeks. The federal government is offering a third round of free tests to every household and you can order your family’s test kits here. We’ll be distributing free test kits at the Community Fair at Luther Burbank High School this weekend as well as providing free onsite testing.

NO CHANGE TO 2021-2022 SCUSD ACADEMIC CALENDAR

After not reaching an agreement to make up instructional time lost due to the recent labor strike, we have made the decision to end the 2021-2022 school year as scheduled on June 16, 2022. We will continue to pursue efforts to recover this lost learning time for students. Learn more about this district’s plan to add future instructional time here. Please note, the 2022-23 academic calendar will start as scheduled on September 1, 2022. 

ACTS OF VIOLENCE & RACISM RESOURCES

Locally and nationally, we continue to see acts of racism, hatred and violence, including in Buffalo, New York; Orange County, California; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We offer these resources from CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) and its partners to assist you in processing emotions with your children around these tragic events. The following are a few  resources that can help children and adults to heal:

SCHOLARSHARE 529 COLLEGE SAVINGS DAY

Open a new college savings account between May 24-31 and the State of California’s Treasury Department will give you a $50 bonus for meeting certain eligibility requirements that you can review here. They are also hosting two information webinars about the Scholarshare 529 College Savings Day program:

Wednesday, May 18

11am-12pm

Register here.

Tuesday, May 24

11am-12pm

Register here.

LGBTQ+ LISTENING SESSION

Our school community is invited to attend an upcoming virtual LGBTQ+ School Pushout Listening Session on Thursday, May 26 from 6-7:30pm. This event is being hosted in partnership with Black Parallel School Board and Stonewall Foundation of Sacramento and will engage students and parents in a discussion around experiences in school. It will give everyone an opportunity to be in community with one another in a supported and safe space and provide insights for advocacy for a safer school climate. Register for this event here. 

NOW ENROLLING IN OUR PARENT PARTICIPATION PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS

Our Parent Participation Preschool and Toddler program, located at Edward Kelley, Thomas Jefferson and Tahoe Elementary, is now enrolling for Fall 2022. Preschool children must be fully potty trained and between the ages of 3 and 5 years old to attend. The monthly costs are: 4 day ($197), 5 day ($241) and Friday Toddler Class ($86). If you’re interested, contact alfarom@scusd.edu or call (916) 395-5780.

NOW ENROLLING IN OUR NEW 2022-2023 TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS

We are excited to offer expanded programming with the passage of Assembly Bill 130 which will make optional access to an extra year of learning available to all 4-year old students by the 2025-2026 academic year. Our Transitional Kindergarten program, previously known as Early Kindergarten, will now be offered at more school sites for half or full days and with expanded learning opportunities. Using a play-based learning model, teachers create learning environments that support safe play and exploration, while also fostering spontaneous discovery and curiosity. Learn more and enroll your young scholar for the 2022-2023 school year today! 

COMMUNITY FAIR: YOU HAD ME AT FREE TACOS

Join us this Saturday, May 21 at Luther Burbank High School for a Community Fair between 10am and 2pm. We’ll have free tacos from The Central Kitchen food truck (sponsored in part by SMUD) while supplies last, grocery boxes you can take home thanks to Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services, live entertainment, and a live painting mural jam with 13 student artists, sponsored by Wide Open Walls! Also, get your bike repaired by Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates. Enjoy free snow cones and let the kids play on an inflatable kids park contributed by Rose Family Creative Empowerment Center. Don’t miss this fun, outdoor family event, and score all the free goodies from our community partners. 

GET VAXXED, GET A $25 GIFT CARD

Also at the Community Fair at Luther Burbank High on Saturday, May 21, UC Davis Health will be giving away $25 gift cards to Target or Walmart to those who get their first dose, second dose or a booster shot to protect against COVID-19. Each eligible individual in your family who gets vaccinated will get a gift card! The free vaccination clinic will run for the duration of the event, from 10am to 2pm, and will be located in the auditorium adjacent to free onsite COVID-19 testing.

MULTICULTURAL ARTS FESTIVAL AT TAHOE ELEMENTARY

Also on Saturday, May 21, swing by Tahoe Elementary to watch Wide Open Walls artists live paint murals on the school. On Sunday, May 22, between 11am and 4pm, visit Tahoe Elementary for another FREE community event with live music, performances, food trucks and more! 

PACIFIC ELEMENTARY PUMA NEWS

Learn about the SEVA Studio that supports the creation of Pacific Elementary’s Puma News, and see how media teacher Brad Augusta helps students express their ideas, practice journalism, acquire video production skills and collaborate around a common vision. This SECCTV video showcases this excellent program. 

HOW WORDS CAN HEAL

Learn how Sacramento Area Youth Speaks (SAYS) and UC Davis Health are improving the lives of students at Luther Burbank High School. By providing them with a judgment-free opportunity for self-expression, discovering creative poetry is changing outcomes for students. Check it out in this KCRA 3 Project CommUNITY story. 

MISSION: UNSTOPPABLE

This Saturday, May 21 on CBS13 CBS Sacramento, look for a story on Mission: Unstoppable, featuring eight SCUSD high school students and their advisor, Maria Aguilar. The students represent three area high schools (John F. Kennedy, West Campus and The Met Sacramento). Their advisor, Ms. Aguilar, is a science teacher at C.K. McClatchy High. The students make up Team WInc. in the national competitive creative group, Project Invent. 

ART & SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

SCUSD is proud to partner with NorCal School of the Arts to provide many of our students with an exciting theater arts program that supports attendance, engagement and creative expression. Check out this video about this awesome program. We hope to expand this program through grants and serve even more of our students next year. 

LOCAL CONTROL AND ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN MEETING

The next LCAP Parent Advisory Committee meeting will be held on Monday, May 23 from 6-8pm. This meeting is open to the public and will be conducted both virtually and in-person at Serna Center in the Community Room. Public comments can be submitted to lcap@scusd.edu prior to noon the day of the meeting and will be read during the agenda item and included in the meeting notes. If you wish to join online, the meeting info is below: 

C.K. MCCLATCHY BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Congratulations to the C.K. McClatchy Baseball team for reaching the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Championship Game! The CKM Lions take the field against Whitney High School at Sacramento City College on May 26 at 6pm!

CIF SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION TRACK & FIELD MASTERS

Congratulations to our track & field student athletes who qualified for the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Track & Field Masters Meet at Davis High School on May 20 & 21.

FRIDAY

Event 1 Girls 4×100 M
Heat 1 of 4 Prelims
Kennedy (Sac) 1) Jada Henriques 11 2) Cadence West 10 3) Alanna Gillette 12 4) Marlee Cavitt 11

Event 6 Boys 110 M Hurdles
Nejemiah Smiley 12 Kennedy (Sac)
Davion Paris 11 Rosemont 

Event 8 Boys 400 M
Owen Sullivan 12 West Campus 

Event 9 Girls 100 M
Arianne McCullough 10 McClatchy
Marlee Cavitt 11 Kennedy (Sac) 

Event 12 Boys 800 M
Jackson Wedel 12 McClatchy 

Event 14 Boys 300 M Hurdles
Nehemiah Smiley 12 Kennedy (Sac)
Davion Paris 11 Rosemont 

Event 15 Girls 200 M
Marlee Cavitt 11 Kennedy (Sac) 

Event 19 Girls 4×400 M
McClatchy 1) Emily Stibor 10 2) Alejah Crump 9 3) Olivia Johnson 11 4) Kira Comfort 10

Rosemont 1) Lakayla Brown 12 2) Kaleeah Bryant 9 3) Julia Taranchuk 9 4) Vanessa Kawaharada 9

Event 24 Girls Triple Jump
Nikki Tosta 12 McClatchy 

Event 30 Boys Triple Jump
Miles Hammond 12 McClatchy 

Event 32 Boys Discus Throw
Adam Wanlin 12 Rosemont 

SATURDAY

Event 3 Girls 1600 M
Louisa McNatt 11 McClatchy 

Event 4 Boys 1600 M
Kai Sorensen 12 McClatchy
Alec Redmond 11 McClatchy 

Event 17 Girls 3200 M
Louisa McNatt 11 McClatchy
Katelyn Wong 11 West Campus 

Event 22 Girls Pole Vault
Kiana Sen 12 Kennedy (Sac) 

Event 23 Girls Long Jump
Arianne McCullough 10 McClatchy 

Event 29 Boys Long Jump
Michael Cherry 10 Rosemont
Isaiah Griffin 12 Burbank 

Event 31 Boys Shot Put
Mar’tavian Charles 11 Burbank 

HELP CODY REACH HIS GOAL

Cody Malicsi of Golden Empire Elementary is dedicating his entire month of May swimming yards in the pool to bring awareness to ALS – commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. There is no cure for this debilitating disease. Cody’s principal, Dr. Irene Eister, was diagnosed with ALS. His school family and the Rosemont community have been deeply impacted by her retirement and diagnosis. Learn more and donate to Cody’s goal of raising $3,000 here. 

BOARD MEETING STELLAR STUDENTS

Congratulations to our May 19 Board of Education Meeting Stellar Students, School of Engineering and Sciences Senior Lailoni Street, 8th Grader Megdelaweet “Maggie” Kemper, and 8th Grader Christobal Trujillo Montiel.

VOTE ARTS AND MUSIC

Did you know that 1 in 5 California public schools has a dedicated arts or music teacher?  Vote Arts and Music is a ballot initiative to increase funding for arts and music programs in California schools. Learn more at voteartsandmusic.org.