Learn ♦ Experience ♦ Thrive Spring 2020 | Eagles #27

We are thinking of you, our Mighty Eagles! Watch video

We appreciate our teachers and staff!

Thank you, teachers! Watch video Thank you, staff! Watch video

Message from the Superintendent

Greetings from the land of ORANGE and BLACK!   We are facing one of the most challenging times in our lives as we try to navigate this COVID-19 crisis. We worry about the health and safety of our families, especially our elderly family members. We miss not being able to have social interactions outside of our homes.   For a school that thrives on social and visual language, it never occurred to us that we would be communicating with our students exclusively through Distance Learning. Things have changed dramatically for all of us, almost "overnight".  It is truly a trying time for us mentally, emotionally, and physically. Kudos to you and everyone else for being resilient. We should be very proud of our school community for working together tirelessly for our students. As we incorporate new technologies into our lessons and apply remote teaching strategies, our Distance Learning plan continues to evolve! We remain committed to our students' well being – socially, emotionally, linguistically, as well as educationally – by providing remote well-being check-ins, online evening chats, and virtual celebrations. Even as we become more "at home" with the Distance Learning experience, we remain hopeful that our campus will be able to reopen in the fall. I strongly encourage you to have your child stay connected with friends and family members during the summer by using technology options available – whether it’s Zoom , Google Hangouts , FaceTime , Wavello , videophone, WhatsApp , or Google Duo . This is a time unlike any other in recent history where staying connected is critical. With that, we bring a little humanity back into our daily lives. To learn more about CSD's ongoing response to this global crisis, please visit our COVID ‑ 19 webpage . In addition, we encourage you to take advantage of our newly developed Learning Channe l  for any resources that you might need for your child. Both sites will be updated periodically whenever new information becomes available. Before you start reading, please pour yourself a cup of coffee or morning drink of your choice and enjoy the newsletter...

From the bottom of our hearts, the executive leadership team would like to salute you for all of the effort you have made to ensure that your child continues to THRIVE. With Eagle Pride, Clark Brooke, Ed.S. Superintendent California School for the Deaf, Fremont 39350 Gallaudet Drive Fremont, CA 94538 510-344-6010 Videophone 510-823-6071 Spanish Callers

CSD takes 2 nd place at national academic bowl championship

2 nd place in the nation... “Where there’s a will, there’s a way!” A round of hand waves to Gallaudet University Youth Program for ensuring that the academic bowl teams who worked so hard all year got their chance to play in the Nationals, despite the global pandemic shutdown. We are very proud of our Brainy Eagles who played in both championship rounds at the Regionals and at the Nationals this year. Even though the team came in second place in the championship round, our Eagles played a very close game that we can all be proud of!! Great job, Brainy Eagles...til next year!  👍🧠🧡🦅🖤

Our National Academic Bowl All Stars Congratulations to junior Donovan Holmes and freshman Chang-May Tan for making the Gallaudet University Youth Program's national academic bowl all-star team this year!  👍🧠🧡🦅🖤

First CSD champions on DEAFESPN Deaf eSports competition

Senior Tiffany Kutsov won the DEAFESPN logo contest, in collaboration with a student from Texas. Senior Jose Perez won the XBOX FIFA 20 Championship (Scroll down for more information on DEAFESPN)

CSD elementary students soar at National Spelling Bee

Devika Kadu national co-champion

Emma Zhou national 3 rd place (tied)

Oisin Kulchinsky  national participant

We are thrilled to share the news that our very own 3 rd grader, Devika Kadu, was crowned co-champion at Gallaudet University Youth Program's national spelling bee competition (along with a student from Kendall Demonstration Elementary School) . Another CSD Elementary student, Emma Zhou, fought hard and finished in 3 rd place. (Emma tied for 3 rd with a student from Indiana School for the Deaf) . CSD's third Elementary student who participated in the national spelling bee, Oisin Kulchinsky, did well until mid-round. Devika Kadu, national co-champion Emma Zhou, national 3rd place (tied) Oisin Kulchinsky, national participant "We should be proud of our students' accomplishments! We are not stopping here; CSD Elementary will definitely invest more time in spelling next year!"

Special thanks goes to Joann and Stuart Ikeda for their commitment to this program. They have gone beyond the call of duty to invest in this program. We appreciate you Joann and Stuart! Now, let's cheer for our Academic Bowl team!! By Joey Baer, CSD Elementary Principal

CSD middle school teams compete at National Battle of the Books 2020

Zoe Bell Sevan Ikeda

Blue Team : 4 th Place

Buff Team: 5 th Place

Middle School students present storysigning video

Bringing iPads to students at home

With California School for the Deaf students needing to get their education through distance learning from home, we learned from the Local Education Agencies that some students did not own a computer. To remedy this inequity and ensure that all of our students were able to continue their education at home through distance learning, California School for the Deaf worked with Loc al Education Agency representatives on identifying which students needed a computer device for at-home learning, and as a result we were able to provide a total of 113 iPads to those students.  Our school had the iPads to provide for our students, but we did not have enough funds to deliver them. CORE Supervisor David Eberwein enlisted Community Resources Coordinator JAC Cook to find a solution. Since California School for the Deaf already had an ongoing account with FedEx, JAC Cook contacted Floor Man ager Cynthia Wilkerson, at the FedEx Ship Center in Pleasanton. JAC inquired to see if FedEx could offer a discounted rate for the iPad delivery, so that our Deaf students could have computer access to continue their education at home during the pandemic. Cynthia saw this as a v ery important need. She contacted her supervisor and explained the situation. Thankfully, FedEx wanted to see our students continue to thrive with their studies during the Shelter ‑ in ‑ Place, and as a result, she was able to get the approval to give our school a huge discount. Since our school already had an active FedEx account, it was very easy to work out the details for the shipping; however each of the iPads needed special packaging in order to be shipped. That was where FedEx gave our school a huge discount, which made bringing iPads to our students a reality. We would also like to recognize CSD's Association of Parents Teachers and Counselors, (AFTC) for their support with the packaging. AFTC President Sharelle Goff and Vice President Jennifer Luke, along with CORE Supervisor David Eberwein personally delivered the iPads to FedEx and assisted with packaging. JAC said, “California School for the Deaf would like to thank the Association of Families Teachers and Counselors for being a part of our core network that provides support for our students and their families.”

Above and beyond the call of duty! FedEx was able to transport all of the iPads for our students, except for five of them. Those other five students had post office boxes, and unfortunately, FedEx does not deliver to post office boxes. To solve this problem, Cynthia the FedEx Floor Manager personally delivered those five iPads to the post office. Cynthia personally covered the postage to ship those five iPads, because she was so happy to see our students have access to distance learning from home. We got pictures and it was truly a special day! JAC Cook said, “I am so happy to see that our school has that kind of relationship with our community partners. It is touching to see people with such a kind heart during this time of crisis. We do find those kind of people, and Cynthia is truly one of them! CSD is very appreciative of Cynthia, the Floor Manager at the FedEx Ship Center in Pleasanton, for advocating and supporting our school. ”

CSD provides Distance Learning for all ages

Early Childhood Education Distance Learning

When COVID-19 gives lemons , ECE makes lemonade ! While distance learning is challenging for everyone, it is particularly unusual to provide instruction to our youngest Eagle learners. However, ECE teachers have mastered the art of creativity and have provided unique opportunities for our students and their families.

Early Childhood Education prioritizes social time. Not being at school with friends is hard, but continuing to develop social language via Zoom has been so much fun! See our pre-k and kindergarten students socializing 🤟🏼.

The toddler class and families sign their good morning song. Even during this time, they are excited for school and to see their classmates.

As always in ECE, our learning takes place through play and fun. We’ve set up social dates for students and are even continuing with our home visits virtually. The most fun was the recent ECE parade. ECE staff parked in the CSD lot at a safe distance from each other while families drove through to greet everyone. While staff and students couldn’t give hugs, the smiles captured how happy everyone was to see each other again.

Each grade level has zoom snack time where the students have an opportunity to see each other and their teachers as well as share something about a common theme. Teachers are providing one-on-one instruction for students and their families. In addition, our relationship with CORE continues with storytelling every week. For parents eager to continue learning ASL, we have two different classes each week.

From our CORE Department... School library brings books to life through storysigning videos

Elementary Distance Learning Introducing Elementary CSD Learning Channel   With the unexpected pandemic, we are discovering many new ways to provide Distance Learning. We are committed to maintaining and nurturing our students away from school. In order to foster our student's education at home, we have established the CSD Learning Channel.   The CSD Learning Channel is where our Elementary students can browse and learn about different subjects through ASL videos. The videos are categorized by various topics such as ASL Videos, Deaf Studies, Counseling Tips, Science, and Social Studies.   We plan to update the CSD Learning Channel with new videos, on a daily basis, for the rest of the year. We will include current news to keep our students informed of what’s going on in our country. The channel is only accessible through students’ CSD Eagles account. If you have difficulty accessing the site, please reach out for assistance. Parents and families are encouraged to check out the channel with your children and discuss the various topics with them.   We intend to continue to use this channel even after this pandemic! We can see how beneficial it is for our students. We are very pleased and proud of this accomplishment.

Image below: Sample of our learning channel for CSD students.

Available to community... CORE Learning Channel An online learning tool created entirely for California Deaf students of all ages, their families, and teachers, The  CORE Learning Channel p rovides accessible resources and information while our students are learning at home. COVID-19 information, far-flung academic sites in ASL, powerful, visually -accessible sites worth investigating, games, workouts, storytelling, and resources across the curriculum — they are all he re, carefully curated in one easy place for you explore.

Click on image below to explore the online learning toolsl

Middle School Distance Learning

Middle School department is taking distance learning to another level! While it has been challenging to transition to distance learning from physical classroom instruction, we are finding that technology has come a long way (see picture of one teacher's home set-up) .  We have a new "modified" schedule for online classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. In addition to those classes, teachers have their office hours on other days for one-on-one instruction. For apps, we have always used Google Classrooms , but now we are using more Quicktime screen recordings for storytelling, Zoom for video conferencing/classrooms, Flipgrid , IXL , using whiteboard with live instruction for math, and more.

Some teachers have finished up physical instruction projects, such as the Social Justice quilt, (seen in the picture) where it was brought home to put the final touches on!

Our Student Support Liaisons, Tom and Reyes, are helping support everyone and all students (you can see a screenshot of their Student Support Liaison Zoom meeting) .  We are proud to announce we have over 90% participation rate. We look forward to working with our families and students to close out the year strong.

Check out all of the fascinating activities happening in Middle School!  Click to enlarge photo below

High School Distance Learning With the announcement of the school closure on March 13 th due to COVID-19, our staff has been providing eLearning and materials for students to complete at home. After receiving news about the Shelter-In-Place, our staff has learned how to connect with students online that will forever change the way we teach, learn, and work. Collaboration, teamwork, and ongoing communication have helped move us forward to establishing Distance Learning expectations for our students after it became certain that the CSD campus would remain closed for the remainder of the school year.  Despite all of the challenges, our teachers and staff have created new experiences, tools, and opportunities to connect with our students online via Zoom , Google Hangouts/Meet , Google Classroom , emails , and/or other platforms for video conferencing .  Students and staff are following the new Modified Schedule, where students see their teachers in a virtual classroom once a week, with additional opportunities for support during Office Hours on other days of the week. Attendance is being monitored, so that each of our students has the opportunity to participate in order to pass classes to earn credits. So far, we are proud to successfully have of over 90% of our students being able to connect with their teachers to resume the education they deserve.

We would like to thank our families for their tremendous support and partnership in ensuring that their children continue to be involved with school, and committed to getting their education from home. CSD High School thanks teachers, staff, families and students for being awesome during this new experience under the COVID-19 Stay-At-Home orders. We are living during a time in history that will be remembered for many years to come, and we will show that CSD High School students will always continue to Learn, Experience and Thrive, no matter the circumstances or where we are! Go Eagles!

International Studies 2021 Destination: JAPAN Watch video

Career Center The Career Center Crew is hard at work ensuring that their students continue with learning, working, and staying in touch.

Uxmal Alcaraz Rodriguez is in process of being transferred from Sprouts Farmers Market in Fremont where he was placed by staff at Work Readiness Program. During the Shelter-In-Place, the WRP staff did not stop working. Remotely, they were able to transfer him to his local Sprouts Farmers Market in Modesto near where he lives.    Claudia Cortez-Valdez is thrilled to know that she is able to return to the Work Readiness Program (WRP), during fall of 2020, for one more semester. She values her education with WRP so much! Her being able to return is because of a change in the California state law that allows for students to continue in a special education program beyond their 22 nd   birthday, pr ovided that student is still enrolled in secondary education.  Historically, the D epartment of Rehabilitation has only provided services to students through age   21; however recently, the Department of Rehabilitation made a change in how they provide their Student Services so that it aligns with revised California state law.

Career Technical Education Distance Learning

Talon Media #27 See news about the Elementary T-Shirt Contest and Battle of the Books competition. Watch video

Talon Media #26 Find out about the new DEAFESPN logo and preview the new CSD Junior NAD video introducing its members. Watch video

Talon Media #25 Breaking News with Reza, Zoom Etiquette by Joey Baer, ECE's drive thru parade, Top Stories with Miles, Fun Facts about Netflix with Mahlia, Pets and fun facts about them and Coco's Chat, "The NO Challenge" game. Don't miss this show! Watch video

Talon Media #24 Top Stories with Miles, DEAFESPN with Robert, COCO's Chat, and some funny videos for you to enjoy! Stay safe, everyone! Watch Video

Talon Media #23 New video coming out from Talon Media crew while we all are being quarantined during the coronavirus pandemic. Checking in to see how everybody is doing. A fun game for you to guess while at home – Baby Pictures! Stay home and save lives. Watch Video

Physical Education Distance Learning

Since the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the shutdown of our school, our Physical Education teachers have faced a new challenge: transitioning to remote learning in the absence of a structured physical education classroom. PE teachers learned quickly how to use Zoom and Google Classroom , since those platforms are key to communicating with our students. Teachers post various types of workouts with YouTube links so that the kids can follow along, in addition to posting the students' homework assignments. Students record on a workout log. They also have the opportunity to follow their teacher's workout via Zoom meetings in small groups. It is important that we encourage our students and their families to exercise at home, as exercising is essential to living a life of wellness and happiness. --JoDee Dike-Pedersen, Physical Education & Athletics Supervisor

New Terms with the Pandemic... Shelter-in-Place Remote Classrooms Distance Learning On-line Teaching Zoom meetings Google Classrooms 1-on-1 FaceTime meetings Email & Text Working from home?! These were all terms that I had little or no knowledge or experience with before the pandemic. To say the transition from in-person teaching (where I was quite comfortable after nearly 40   years) to onl ine teaching was overwhelming and stressful might be an understatement. When this all came down, my head was swimming. I quickly reached out to anyone I knew in the profession for help!!!!!

And what about the students?! Would they know how? Did they have the access and support to make this thing work?  After six weeks, students are tuning into weekly Zoom meetings where they make me smile & laugh and where they can see fellow classmates whom they dearly miss. Between meetings, students are doing their homework: weekly diet & exercise logs; watching PowerPoint presentations; watching PE with Coach Wood on YouTube ; checking out Jason Coleman’s Sports Performance videos; and enjoying exercise with Tiny Bods on YouTube . Technology has been a blessing!

As we all work through this time pushing & challenging ourselves to learn new skills, we will come out stronger on the other end. Featured in the picture here is Logan Pendergraft dressing up to participate in his online PE Class, PE with Coach Wood, an energetic teacher that is in the trenches everyday reaching so many young people. Each day he has a theme. Check it out! — Debbie Ayres, Physical Education Teacher

Check out this new video... CSD Athletics Staff wears their best! Watch video

Celebrating Principals & Supervisors Day

CSD's outstanding instructional leaders ensure that both students and staff make learning central to their daily classroom, activities and extracurricular activities. It is what our school's mission and vision is all about. Early Childhood Education - Michele Berke Elementary School - Joey Baer Elementary & Middle School - Ryan Souza Middle School - Rory Osbrink High School - Alan Davary High School - Sulghi Hong Career & Technical Education - Liann Osborne Career Center - Frank Lester Physical Education & Athletics - JoDee Dike-Johnson CORE - David Eberwein This year, we had two unexpected events: a power outage last October and the COVID-19 pandemic that we are experiencing presently. I personally saw how hard our instructional leaders worked, and how organized they were during both of these events. They put students first! They are dedicated to their departments, day in and day out! Kudos to all of the principals and supervisors at California School for the Deaf for their leadership. I am deeply appreciative of what they have done and continue to do for our school. — Len Gonzales, Director of Instruction

CSD teachers featured in online Roundtable Discussion

Transitions to Online Teaching II From California School for the Deaf: Stacy Eilbert, host Nia Lazarus, elementary teacher Watch video

Junior National Association of the Deaf at California School for the Deaf

Student-produced video Meet CSD's Junior NAD team! Video project was edited by: Miles Gonzalez CSD Senior & Junior NAD President Watch video

Jr. NAD video transcript (See video above)

Mepper Beshears, Member playing basketball outside. Christopher Renetria , Member cleaning shoes’ laces. Christopher Navarrete , Member running outside on the road. Kenasia Brown , Member watching video on the laptop. Tiffany Kutsov , Member doing artwork outside. Kara Wolfangle , Member making a desert in the kitchen. Anabel Amador , Member highlighting her lower hair. Jalina Dietz , Member biking outside on the sidewalk and then waving to the camera. Jasmine Jimenez Lara , Member feeding animals. Maricela Sanchez , Member playing a game on the mobile. Alexis Bravo Calvillo , Member reading books on the bed. Jaden Reader , Member throwing baseball outside with someone behind the video. Donovan Holmes , Member  polishing his shoes. Samuel Brown , Member picks up letters at his home. Nayely Colmenares Rodriguez , Member doing homework and checking the laptop.

Fernanda Alvarez-Barba , Member making tropical juice. Enos Zornoza , Member playing with darts outside. Aims to hit the bullseye Levi Biser , Member doing a 360 degree flip on his skateboard. Jaylen Johnson , Member watching television on the couch. Landen Gonzales , Member practicing how to drive. Liliana Ortiz Tapia , Member jumping on the bed along with the young kids. Courtney Bronson , Member playing and signing the music on the laptop. Reza Mosher , Media Team laying and petting dogs as they are on the top of her body. Jayvon Harmon , Media Team doing pushups outside. Amy Ngo, Treasurer drawing on the tablet. Nate Goff , Secretary doing a back-flip on the trampoline. Talia Boren , Vice President skateboarding on the road with her dad. Miles Gonzalez , President reading books on the bed and then “hello” to the camera. Daniel Girard , Advisor making a smoothie and then drinking it outside on a peaceful day.

Junior NAD members prep for future job An impactful event from early March (before Shelter-in-Place)

Courtney Bronson describes her experience at the event... I remember before the interviews, I felt nervous. I had no idea idea what to expect. I kept asking myself, "What if I mess up? What if I don't give the interviewer the answer they were looking for? Do I look okay? Do I need to change anything?" After realizing it was pointless to worry, I tried to keep it cool. The first interview was not what I expected. On television, there is always suspense, a bit of drama. That made me nervous, but during the first interview, the interviewer asked simple questions. I answered it honestly with a bit of background information. That was it! The very first question, I was nervous, but over time, with each passing question, I felt more and more confident. By the third interview, I was much more confident. My favorite moment during the event was the resume development workshop. Before the workshop, I was never satisfied with my resume. It had a lot of details, but it still felt like it was missing something appealing. During the workshop, I added, rotated, and deleted some information. When I finished, I could see a big difference. I was very satisfied with the result. It made me feel like a professional when I haven't even done a full-time job. I learned a lot from the event. Before the mock interviews, I had no idea what an interview would look like. I knew the basics — answer this and that questions, but I knew that an actual interview would be different. After the interviews , I felt like I gained a lot of experience. I know how to prepare. I always wanted to work at Starbucks, for example. This event really helped me know what to expect for future interviews to come. Should this event happen every year? Yes, of course! Every year, we have new people coming in. One group is not going to stay the same forever. New Jr. NAD members should have a chance to experience mock interviews and the resume development workshop. This event was very important for us Jr. NAD members. It helped us to prepare for our future. If the mock interviews and resume development workshop ceased to exist, we would have no idea how to prepare for our first real job interview. Because of this event, we know what to expect, how to answer questions flawlessly, and how to remain professional.

Mock Interview & Resume Development Junior National Association of the Deaf (Jr. NAD) members from California School for the Deaf took advantage of an excellent opportunity to prepare themselves for their future careers. On March   5, our school’s Jr.   NAD organization celebrated National Deaf Youth Day by inviting bosses from the Deaf Counseling Advocacy and Referral Agency; Facebook; Google; and Deaf Plus Adult Community to come on campus and offer our students the chance to polish their interviewing skills in a simulated job application interview. Participating in the interview process with bosses from actual companies and organizations allowed CSD’s Jr.   NAD members to experience what it would be like when they applied for their first job. Jr.   NAD provides several leadership opportunities for CSD students each year. Some examples are: Battle of California leadership retreat; Jr .   NAD National conference; 5k   Run   and   Walk fundraising event, Jr.   NAD scholarship for seniors; and the National Deaf Youth Day – Mock Interview and Resume Developmen t.  The Mock Interview and Resume Development Day was d ivided into a morning session and an afternoon session to ensure that all 20 of the Jr.   NAD members could benefit from the one-on-one mock interviews, as well as the group discussions. During each session, five students rotated between three different “bosses” to experience the interview process; while five other students observed the interviews; and yet another five students worked on developing their resumes for future employment with Mark Vanni from DCARA and Katie Canfield from CSD. The other five students became volunteers during each session. Jr. NAD members got the experience of doing interviews using an ASL/English interpreter, as well as with direct communication, since they would need to be prepared for both kinds of interviews in the world of work. Following the interviews, all 20 of the participating students were able get tips and feedback from the same community bosses with whom they had just interviewed. In between sessions, Jr. NAD members and CSD staff, along with the community employers, got the opportunity to mingle and enjoy their social time together at a taco bar lunch that was prepared by CSD’s FEAST students and their teacher, James   O’Brien . Check out all the wonderful photos from the event, along with the enthusiastic comments from our students! Special thanks to the interviewers: Emily Kastner – Facebook Ann Lynn Parker – DCARA Tri Ngo – Google Lisa Gonzales – DPAC LeeAnn Dreffs – CSD Special thanks to our team of organizers:  Chanel Gleicher Bonheyo, NAD Youth Programs Director Zainab Alkebsi, NAD Policy Counsel & Supporting Chanel with event logistics Daniel Girard, High School Student Support Liaison & Jr. NAD Advisor Sulghi Hong, High School Administrative Principal & Hospitality Coordinator Oskar Schugg, Supervisor of Residence Program & Hospitality Coordinator Alan Davary, High School Instructional Principal Liann Osborne, Career Technical Education Principal Frank Lester, Career Center Supervisor Kevin Bella, Career Exploration Teacher This event would not have been possible without our interpreters: Carla   Wetzel , Jacelia   Washington , Shelby   Cook , and Amy   Eshelman .

Student Testimonials Amy Ngo: This event should happen every year because it is critical for high school students to have the opportunity to experience doing interviews. It will benefit them for their future. Nate Goff: My experience was awesome. I was very nervous, but after the first interview, I started to know what to do. It was great to build my confidence by practicing with a person. I was able to get feedback and tips afterwards from the interviewer. I also got a lot of feedback from resume builders. It was good to have someone to help me with my resume. I would love to do it again in the future. My favorite part was when I sat down with the interviewer. I was both nervous and excited. I thought I would freak out during the interview, but I didn't. So I definitely enjoyed that! I learned that I was supposed to ask the interviewer if they want my resume. During my first interview, I didn't ask them if they wanted it; instead I just gave it to them. They explained to me that I was supposed to ask after the greeting part. I gained a lot of tips from them when they gave a "workshop" about it. I'm really grateful for this opportunity. This should happen every single year. It is a great experience for anybody to participate in. It was very important for us. We all need to build our confidence and our skills when facing a situation where we are nervous or flabbergasted by an interview. I would recommend anyone to be part of this event.  Reza Mosher: Jr. NAD Mock Interview should happen every year. This experience is very beneficial. We get to improve from our interview. This is something everybody should experience.  Talia Boren: I think the event is really an amazing opportunity for all of us. Everyone should experience the mock interview and resume development! It helped me to prepare for future jobs.

Association of Families Teachers & Counselors supports families

The Association of Families, Teachers, and Counselors established a fundraiser to help families by establishing a GoFundMe page to support CSD families and teachers affected by the impacts of the shelter-in-place. This would not have been possible without the heartfelt effort of Warren Keller working in collaboration with the AFTC board. Warren said, "Many families have contacted us to let us know that they are struggling right now with their jobs. We are proud of our incredible community who willingly opened their hearts for others. A total of 140   individuals and families donated money to raise $9,450. AFTC went through a long pro cess with GoFundMe to register as a nonprofit organization, so we will get the full amount without tax or service fees to donate directly to our families. AFTC can't wait to start sending money to the families!"

Community Support for Families

CSD athletic director establishes international Deaf tournament

Watch interview with Warren Keller on The Daily Moth

As a result of the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, Athletic Director Warren Keller from California School for the Deaf established a high school eSports platform called DEAFESPN. This new eSports platform enables Deaf students from around the country and around the world to participate in a variety of competitions through technology. DEAFESPN has also expanded to include a logo competition, and an ASL competition (which will have categories for elementary, middle school, and high school participants). We can look for many more competitions in the months ahead! Check them out on Instagram or sign up online. The first DEAFESPN tournament with Madden 20 (Football) brought 32 gamers from 10   schools together. Our junior student Jaylen Johnson made it to the championship game but lost. It was a lot of fun and a good kickoff to this new era of video gaming.  T he second tournament was Mario Kart on Smartphone which saw 64   gamers from 21   different schools participating. The farthest CSD finisher was Tiffany Kutsov who made it to the final four!  Th e third XBOX FIFA 20 Soccer Tournament had 110   signups from 10   countries! Jose   Perez , a high school senior from California School for the Deaf, was the champion. CSD senior, Tiffany Kutsov , won the recent logo competition in collaboration with a student from Texas School for the Deaf. Upcoming side contests for 3 rd - 12 th graders: (submissions based on video competition) Cooking Contest - due on Friday May 22 Trick Shot Contest - due on Thursday May 28 Dance Contest - due on Friday June 5

Congratulations to our Student Athletes CSD ATHLETICS WINTER ALL AMERICANS, LEAGUE & TOURNAMENT

Landen Gonzales Freshman Clerc Classic All Tournament Shaelyn Johnson Freshman Clerc Classic All Tournament Samuel Brown Senior NDIAA Wrestling Honorable Mention Willigan Classic 132-lb Champion George Quirie Senior NDIAA Wrestling Honorable Mention MVAL League Finalist

Esther Biser Senior NDIAA Second Team BCL First Team All DeafDigest Sports Clerc Classic All Tournament CSD Classic All Tournament Talia Boren Junior BCL Second Team Jhada Meyer Senior BCL Second Team Leonardo Vergara Senior NDIAA First Team BCL First Team CSD Classic All Tournament

Robert Gregor Junior NDIAA Second Team BCL Second Team All DeafDigest Sports Clerc Classic All Tournament CSD Classic All Tournament Jaylen Johnson Junior NDIAA Honorable Mention BCL First Team CSD Classic Most Valuable Player Calel Aramboles Senior BCL Honorable Mention Miles Gonzalez Senior BCL Honorable Mention

CSD Counseling Team supports positive mental health & well-being

The Counseling Team would like to recognize students’ families for being a huge part of providing supports, information, and technology supports during this unexpected pandemic. We value our partnerships with families and school staff to work as a team—together. Thank you!

Counseling Services For students who have IEP Counseling services, individual counseling continues to be offered through Zoom with their assigned school counselor. School counselors are also checking in with families for additional supports and collaborations. Parents who have concerns about their child’s emotional well-being and would like to request short-term counseling can email Nancy Moser , Supervisor for Counseling Services or leave her a message at 510-344-6054 (VP). Anxiety Education Last fall, we had a series of conversations with students through school-wide mental health education about anxiety. We covered topics such as "What is Anxiety?"; "How to cope with anxiety?"; and "How to ask for help?".   To reinforce what students have already learned, the Counseling Team has put together several videos posted on the CSD Learning Channel for students related to coping messages and coping strategies (series of seven short videos) . We continue to provide a Wellness Series of short videos for students.  Tips for Families/Caregivers Many of us are learning how to balance work, our children’s distance learning and technology supports, supporting our families, and self-care, while keeping worries under control. These are not easy tasks, and here are some things that can help.

Remember, your child’s whole world has just changed.   C hildren are very aware of the disruptions and dangers of the pandemic. Two huge changes—school has been changed to distance learning education and we are all under Shelter-in-Place. These are huge changes and we are all slowly learning new daily routines, putting our coping skills into action, taking this opportunity to learn new skills, having family time together, and appreciating simple moments.  If you or a family member are essential workers or someone you know has become sick with COVID-19, your child may worry about what that means for your health and their own health. Your child may be more aware of and worried about your family or other families’ financial situation. Give developmentally appropriate facts and it is okay if you do not have answers for some questions. Focus on what you are doing to stay safe and healthy, such as hand-washing and social distancing.

Validate feelings. Your child may be bored, disappointed about cancelled events, and/or worried about the future. Validate your child’s feelings and discuss strategies to handle these feelings. Come up with new activities/projects. It is okay to share your own disappointments with missed events, feeling overwhelmed, or becoming fatigued using Zoom daily. Check in with your child often and find out if your child has any questions or worries, and activities they would like to do. To reduce stress, find ways to laugh and have fun.

Pay attention to behavior changes. If you feel that something is “off”, or see new or more frequent concerning behaviors, check in with your child and offer validation and reassurance. For example, perhaps your outgoing child now is becoming more withdrawn and not reaching out to friends through social media; or maybe your child is clingier, upset, and having chronic difficulties with sleeping?  If behaviors continue to escalate and coping strategies are not helping, you can also reach out to your child’s pediatrician or local mental health services. You can also contact Supervisor of Counseling Services, Nancy Moser .

CSD staff in the news

Screenshot above shows JAC Cook's ASL signing in combination with English captions.

CSD's very own Community Resources Coordinator, JAC Cook , was Governor Newsom's Deaf interpreter for his COVID-19 briefing. Gratitude to NorCal Services for the Deaf for coordinating ASL interpreters for all the Governor's briefings. Our community spirit is alive! Watch video

Reflections from Kenneth Norton, CSD Alum & former Dean of Students

Spanish Flu vs COVID-19 COVID-19 has drastically changed the way we live and it is thought this is the first time it has happened. But that is not true. The world and the San Francisco Bay area experienced the deadliest flu epidemic in American history over 100 years ago. Called the 1918 Spanish Flu and like today it caused businesses and schools to shut down throughout California. Streets were empty and events were canceled. Mask-wearing was required, hospitals were improvised and people were warned to stay home. The 1918 flu started at the end of World War I, when everyone was exhausted and ready for the fighting to end. Suddenly, the Spanish Flue appeared in March 1918. The epidemic ended in the summer of 1919 with more than one-third of the world’s population having been infected with the virus and more than 50 million dead. More people died from the virus than from all the fighting during World War I. To many people that is old history. But to me it much more personal. In 1918 my parents, Ernest and Annie Norton, and my brother, Earl, were living in San Francisco. (I was not yet born into this typical Deaf family.) My father became seriously ill and was diagnosed with the Spanish Flu. A doctor informed my mother and brother that my father might not survive. It seemed unbelievable at the time, but my father did survive. Much like COVID-19, the Spanish Flu spread rapidly around the world. It was far more severe than the common flu and could even be fatal to young adults between the ages of 20 and 35.  Serious mistakes were made during the 1918 epidemic. The virus spread rapidly between people at public gatherings due to California and most of the nation not using social distancing long enough. During the early spread of COVID-19 the San Francisco Bay Area counties quickly required people to shelter-in-place and that has helped save many lives. Today, I often think back to when I was young and my father told me about how he almost died from the Spanish Flu. Bless my father for bravely overcoming the deadly illness. For if he did not overcome the virus, I would never have been born, and my own family would never have existed.

Early Childhood Education field trip (from before Shelter-in-Place)

Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten visit San Jose Children's Discovery Museum.

Students enjoy a "trip" to Japan while at the museum.

Pre-K students enjoy outdoor creativity in the huge playground.

California School for the Deaf 39350 Gallaudet Drive,  Fremont, CA 94538 (510) 794-3666 ‌ ‌ ‌

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Meta Metal , Editor Clark Brooke , School Superintendent