BUSD Community Connections
June 2020 Newsletter
Our monthly newsletter is a great way to learn about the latest news at Berryessa Union School District. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for daily updates and visit our website for calendar and meeting information.
Message from the Superintendent

Dear Berryessa Community,

I hope this summer break finds you and your families in good health. As you know, our community has passed the 100 day mark of being sheltered at home, and we continue to hope for a stable and safe environment that will allow us all to return to a greater level of normalcy. 

Thank you for your patience and support during this time of uncertainty. Thank you for recognizing that we are all navigating uncharted waters together. Please know that there is nothing more important to us than to keep our students, families, staff and community safe during this pandemic. 

This newsletter includes an update on planning for the fall, an invitation to a virtual BUSD Town Hall Forum on Monday, June 29th from 6-7pm, and many other important announcements and resources.

Let us continue working together to find the best strategies that will ensure the safety of our community, while continuing to nurture and inspire the young minds that we deeply care about.

In BUSD spirit,

Dr. Roxane Fuentes
Planning for Fall 2020
Although the school year has ended and we are in the summer season, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact public education services, and we wish to keep our families and staff informed of our planning efforts and the best available information.

As we all work toward what the fall might bring, keep in mind that every answer is not clear yet and throughout the summer the landscape of how schools are being asked to respond to this health crisis continues to evolve. The Board of Trustees and BUSD administration fully recognize that this is a stressful time for so many families in our community. It is understandable that you are wondering what will happen next year and continue to have many questions. We greatly appreciate the time our community of parents, teachers, and support staff took to complete the surveys about distance learning and reopening our schools. We have analyzed all the data and have created a summary of the responses from each of you, which were presented to our Board of Trustees this past Tuesday, June 23, 2020.

We have also created a Berryessa Union District Action Team composed of 25 staff members across the district tasked with reimagining school for the fall. The team has been working collaboratively to analyze the three three types of learning models (full distance learning, hybrid, and full reopening) the Santa Clara County Office of Education(SCCOE) and Santa Clara County Public Health Department (SCCPHD) asked all schools to create in order to be prepared for any situation that might arise in the fall related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the opening of schools. In our deliberation, we are including review of information from the surveys, focus group discussions with stakeholders, best practices for a quality instructional program, enhanced safety and cleaning protocols, the restrictions and guidelines provided by the California Department of Education , SCCOE and the SCCPHD .  

Keep in mind SCCPHD guidance for reopening is still pending. We anticipate knowing more about the direction of our county public health department next week. SCCPHD will have a significant local role in determining when and how our schools reopen. Their website can be found at this link .

Our intensity around pre-planning is to make Berryessa Union as prepared as possible in our mission to provide the best quality of education possible. Safety of our staff and students in all three models is of highest priority. Therefore, we are securing the necessary supplies and preparing rigorous cleaning protocols for all three models. Requirements about masks, student screening protocols, etc. will be more clearly defined for schools once SCCPHD guidance is provided. As these changes in protocol are shared with us, we will fine-tune our plans to be ready for the changes.  

Please be assured that we are working as hard as we can to make sure the transition back to the classroom will be as seamless as possible in whatever scenario we are able to offer. We are also aware of families seeking an alternative to an “in person” school model if that is allowed, and we will strive to meet those needs.  We are confident in our district leaders, teachers and other staff members that we will provide excellent educational opportunities for our students in new and alternative ways.

BUSD Town Hall Forum
Superintendent Fuentes and Dr. Joseph McCreary, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services would like to invite you to a special BUSD Town Hall Forum on Monday, June 29th, from 6-7 pm . Our goals for this virtual forum include:

  • Sharing information on our planning process for reopening in the fall
  • Insights into the key factors for our decision-making process
  • Capturing community feedback/questions through virtual chat

Meeting Login Information:

Zoom Link:
Meeting ID: 833 2175 3365
Password: 6Lw7bW

Dial-in number:

+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 833 2175 3365
Password: 793391

For those who may not be able to attend, we will be recording the meeting and sending a follow-up communication as well as other ways you can share your comments with us.

We look forward to seeing you!

Denouncing Racism and Support
for our Black Community
As anti-racism protests have swept the nation and demonstrators demand justice in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and far too many other Black Americans to list, on June 23rd, 2020, the Berryessa Union School District Board of Trustees passed Resolution 19-27 denouncing racism and declaring support to Black students, staff and community. 

The Board of Education vowed to work to proactively to identify class and cultural biases in our own district as well as practices, policies, and institutional barriers that negatively influence student learning, perpetuate achievement gaps, and impede equal access to opportunities for all students in order to eradicate institutional bias of any kind, including implicit or unintentional biases and prejudices that affect student achievement, and to eliminate disparities in educational outcomes for students from historically underserved and under-represented populations.

Join us in standing with our Black students, staff and community in recognizing the institutional/structural racism and injustice that has led to deepening racial disparities across all sectors of society. We recognize this moment in time as a time for both consciousness and action. We are committed to ensuring that our classrooms and schools are at the center of teaching and celebrating inclusion, diversity, and our nation’s highest ideals for a just and equitable society.

To read the full resolution click here .

Thank You and Congratulations,
BUSD Retirees!
The BUSD Board of Trustees and administration extends a special recognition to our retiring employees for their excellence, inspiration, and dedication to the high values of education, and extends its best wishes for a well-earned and happy retirement. 

Janice Anderson
Laurie Andrade
Linda Clements
Teresa Coleman
Claudia Fountain
Kailyn Higashi
Annie John
Debbie Logan
Joanne Mah
Karen Mattos
Patricia McDonald
Hieu Quang Nguyen

Thank you for your service to our students and families. You have touched so many lives and have left an indelible mark in our community.

To read the full resolution passed by the Board of Trustees, click here .

Recognizing our Employees
for their Years of Service
The Berryessa Union School District is made up of many dedicated employees who go above and beyond to further our mission of preparing lifelong learners and successful 21st century global citizens. We are especially pleased to recognize the following team members for their loyalty and enriching accomplishments demonstrated throughout their tenure, as they have reached important milestones.

Please take a moment to read the resolution passed by the BUSD Board of Trustees and the full list of employees celebrating 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years of service to our district!

Thank you for your dedicated service!

Announcing New Summerdale Principal
We are pleased to announce the selection for Summerdale Elementary school principal. Congratulations to Dr. Samantha Rainer!  

She is a familiar face to the Summerdale community. She has been the instructional coach supporting Summerdale for the last three years, and is currently serving as one of our summer school co-principals.

Dr. Rainer earned her doctorate in 2009 from the University of San Francisco in International and Multicultural Education. She has worked in Berryessa Union since 2004 and has been an instructional coach in the district since 2014. We look forward to her leadership at Summerdale. 

Dr. Rainer shares, “I'm excited to join the Summerdale community for the 2020-2021 school year. I look forward to collaborating with teachers, classified staff, and parents to provide the best learning opportunities for our students.”

Join us in also thanking Ms. Patty McDonald for her service to BUSD as she retires. We wish her well as she begins an exciting new chapter in her life!

Parent Resources Hub
We are thinking of you as you navigate summer learning and summer fun while our community is sheltered-in-place. We invite you to visit our website where our staff have centralized a number of valuable resources and tools for you.   
 

Also, keep in mind the ongoing importance of reading daily, keeping a journal, and providing opportunities to explore new places through virtual field trips right from your own home!

Important Reminders
For translation assistance, please call one of our District hotlines below:

Chinese, 408-­923-­1901
Spanish, ­408-­923­-1902
Vietnamese, ­408-­923-­1903

請利用校區熱線電話
408-­923-­1901
會有人與您聯繫,為您翻譯資料上的重要內容

Si desea más información en español, por favor llame a la línea de asistencia en español al 1-408-923-1902 y alguien le llamará para darle un resumen de este documento.

Xin gọi số hotline của khu học tại 1­-408-­923-­1903 và sẽ có người giúp quí vị để hiểu những điều cốt yếu của văn kiện. 
Connect with us
Berryessa Union School District
(408) 923-1800