Message from Superintendent Amerson
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Greetings DUSD Families, Staff and Community,
I hope this message finds you well. As we look ahead to Fall, I am reaching out with an update regarding the considerable work being done to plan for the safe return of our students and staff for the 2020-2021 school year. In response to the challenges of COVID-19, DUSD established a Re-Visioning Roadmap Steering Committee consisting of key leaders from each of our district’s stakeholder groups to assist in planning our path forward. Since the first week of June, this committee has met frequently to study operational and instructional delivery models and best practices to provide a recommendation to be presented to the Board of Education on July 16, 2020.
This recommendation will be informed by the collective input of a Re-Visioning Taskforce consisting of over 100 additional stakeholders comprised of students, parents, teachers, classified staff, management, and community partners who have also been diligently working since the beginning of June collectively and in smaller groups in the areas of Instruction, Health & Safety, Social-Emotional Support, Communications & Family Engagement, and Operations.
The data points being analyzed by both the Steering Committee and Taskforce include information yielded from the Parent Preference and Distance Learning Surveys as well as guidance provided by state, county, and local authorities and public health agencies. As of this writing, we still have not received guidance for re-opening schools from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. But, in addition to the survey input, our Steering Committee and Taskforce have been carefully reviewing the
Guidebook for the Safe Reopening of California's Public Schools
issued by the California Department of Education as well as the
Planning Framework
from the Los Angeles County Office of Education.
Based on a thorough assessment of this information, several instructional models for next school year are still under consideration including the models listed below:
Traditional Model
- This model requires full-time in-person instruction at school with physical distancing and safety measures as required by the Department of Public Health.
Blended Learning Model
- This model blends part-time in-person instruction with part-time online distance learning at home. All required safety measures will also be required when at school.
100% Distance Learning Model
- This model is full-time remote learning from home utilizing online instruction.
While the health and safety information concerning COVID-19 and related governance orders continue to fluctuate daily, our Steering Committee and Taskforce members will continue to prepare for all contingencies. Following action by the Board, our entire learning community will be notified of the reopening plan for the 2020-2021 year. At this time, the date for the first day of school remains August 13, 2020.
Find more information about our Re-Visioning Roadmap process and progress updates on our district website by
clicking here
. Please send any questions to
communications@duarteusd.org
. We value the feedback we have received from all members of our learning community and appreciate your ongoing cooperation. Do continue to regularly check the district website
duarteusd.org
and social media sites
@duarteusd
on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for updates.
Be safe during this summer vacation, and know we are here for you if you need us.
Best,
Gordon
Superintendent of Schools
Duarte Unified School District
#ProudSuperintendent
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Special School Board Meeting
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A Special Board Meeting regarding the reopening plan for 2020-2021 will take place at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, 2020. In Compliance with the “Safer-at-Home Order” due to COVID-19, it will be conducted virtually. Directions to submit public comment and to access the meeting will be posted on our
website
.
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Regular School Board Meeting
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A Regular Board Meeting will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, 2020. In Compliance with the “Safer-at-Home Order” due to COVID-19, this meeting will be conducted virtually. Directions to submit public comment and to access this meeting will be posted prior on our
website
. Once posted, the agenda can be viewed
here
.
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District and School Offices Closed
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M.I.T. High School Class of 2020 Graduation
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On July 1, 2020, a drive-thru commencement ceremony was held to proudly celebrate our Mount Olive Innovation and Technology (M.I.T.) High School Graduates. Board of Education President, Ken Bell, and Board Members Reyna Diaz, Ceci Carroll, and Dr. James Finlay along with Principal Morris and Superintendent Amerson were present to congratulate each member of the Class of 2020 on their achievement. It was wonderful to see the cars decorated for the occasion and proud family members cheering from a safe distance. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped honor our M.I.T. High School Graduates. Congratulations Class of 2020, we are very proud of you!
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M.I.T. Students Selected for UCLA Film Scholarship
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We are thrilled to announce that two M.I.T. High School students, Dylan Feliciano and Juan Gonzalez, have been selected by the UCLA Department of Film, Television, and Digital Media to receive the Max G. Gluck TFT Summer Institute Scholarship. Both students received full scholarships to participate in this highly-esteemed program based on a referral from our Creating Creators partners, and we thank Polo Munoz and Jessica Just for their support. Congratulations Dylan and Juan!
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DHS Highlighted in Learning Policy Institute Study
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In partnership with the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), Community Schools have been keeping families healthy and hopeful during these uncertain times. Learning Policy Institute highlights these bright spots, including our very own Duarte High School who is one of the schools selected to be part of the LACOE Community Schools pilot program. Duarte High School provides support, from hot spots and meals to celebrating college acceptances, giving birthday shout outs and offering a weekly resource newsletter. Please read this article entitled,
In the Fallout of the Pandemic, Community Schools Show a Way Forward for Education
,
that features the incredible work being done to support our Falcons and their families.
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Participants Needed for UCLA Virtual Focus Group
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Calling all Duarte High School students and parents! UCLA is asking for participants for a virtual focus group to gain feedback regarding our Community Schools initiative in partnership with the Los Angeles County Office of Education. See flyers below for details.
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STEAM Summer School Update
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DUSD's 100% online STEAM Summer School is going swimmingly! Over 1,000 students dived into our first-ever distance learning program for students in Grades 1-12 that runs July 1 - July 29, 2020. A variety of enrichment and credit courses are being offered for free to students enrolled within DUSD as well as those not attending our schools. Our summer school teachers are utilizing Google Classroom and Meets to provide online instruction Monday through Friday. The Principals facilitating the program are Russ Earnest (Grades 9-12), Char Wilson (Grades 5-8), and Leslie Bartlett (Grades 1-4).
If you have questions or would like further information, please contact our STEAM Summer School team by clicking here.
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Grab-n-Go Summer Meals June 1 - July 31, 2020
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Online Registration for Preschool, TK/Kindergarten, & New Students is Still Open - Enroll Today!
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If you have a child that will be ready to start Preschool, Kindergarten, or Transitional Kindergarten (TK) next school year, it's time to register! Please register online at
register.duarteusd.org
.
We offer full-day Kindergarten at all of our Academies, and TK is offered at Andres Duarte Arts Academy, Beardslee Dual Language Academy and Valley View Academy of Technology and Creative Learning. Students new to the district entering preschool - 12th Grade next school year are also encouraged to register now.
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DUSD Social Media Directory
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As you know, you can follow
@duarteusd
on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. But, w
e have also put together a
DUSD social media directory
of all the official sites operated by our district, schools, and staff for your convenience. In addition to following @duarteusd, we encourage you to follow these other sites too for important information and updates during summer.
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Payroll Information for DUSD Classified Staff
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Business Services would like to remind our DUSD employees that payroll checks will be available for pick-up on their respective pay dates at the District Office front entrance lobby at the dates and times listed below. If you need to retrieve your check in-person, please adhere to all "physical distancing" directives, wear a face-covering, and do not come if you are feeling ill.
All Classified Staff:
Friday, July 24, 2020, from 10:00 a.m. - Noon
Employees who do not pick up their checks during the pick-up period will have their checks mailed to their home address on the day that checks are disbursed. Employees using automatic deposit will continue to receive their deposits on the usual payroll deposit dates with no changes. Direct Deposit forms are available for those who would like to start direct deposit. Required for direct deposit is either a voided check or direct deposit authorization form from your bank. Contact our Business Services Team if you have any questions by email.
Find our staff email directory here.
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COVID-19 Safety and Public Health Information
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The
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
reminds everyone the best protection against COVID-19 is to wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, self-isolate if you are sick, practice physical distancing, and wear a clean face
covering w
henever in public. Also avoid the three C's: crowds, confined spaces and close contact with people outside your own household.
The Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Surveillance Interactive Dashboard, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website,
www.publichealth.lacounty.gov
.
Always check only trusted sources for the latest accurate information about COVID-19:
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Congrats Falcon Scholarship Awardees
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Congratulations to these Duarte High School scholarship recipients! We are so proud of each and every one of you!
👏🎓
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Duarte Counts! Census Information
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Download it Today for FREE
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Stay up to date with everything that is taking place at every school across our district by downloading the DUSD APP. Check your child's grades, attendance, lunch balances, sports scores, notices from teachers, calendar of events and more all in one place! Download our free app from the Apple App and Google Play Stores.
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School Flyers Available Via Email
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Save Paper & Stay Informed
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DUSD uses Peachjar to send home school-approved flyers digitally, saving our schools time and money while eliminating paper waste. This means that now our parents can opt to receive flyers via email.
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Submit Your Newsletter Ideas
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Have an idea, information or a suggestion for a story for our newsletter?
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DUARTE UNIFIED | 626.599.5000 | communications@duarteusd.org
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