Superintendent
October 12, 2020
Dear SCSD Community,
I hope you and your family enjoyed the long holiday weekend and beautiful fall weather! We have completed the first six weeks of the school year. Thank you for partnering with teachers last week during parent/student conferences. We know that the collaboration between teachers and parents/guardians has never been so important during this year of nontraditional learning from a distance. Our hard-working teachers continue to “Wow me!” with their dedication, effort, and care they provide to create an engaging learning experience for our students. Please reach out to your teacher, school counselor, or principal if you need support or assistance of any kind. This year is challenging for all of us in different ways and we need to support each other as we navigate these times.
Return to School Planning Update
During this pandemic, which comes with complex and challenging rules and protocols for interacting safely in person, we are continuing to find the best path forward for the district. Health conditions appear to be improving locally, and San Mateo County is remaining in the Tier 2-Red: Substantial Spread level according to the state monitoring system. Schools in San Mateo County can begin to take incremental steps to bring students back to campus for some in-person learning without a waiver and must follow the safety guidelines, Four Pillars, from the San Mateo County Office of Education Pandemic Recovery Framework.
During last Thursday’s Board meeting on October 8, Trustees heard from our Principals about the next steps we are ready to take to prepare for in-person learning on campus. You can see the board meeting video here and the slide presentation here. We are taking a measured, incremental approach to preparing for in-person learning to ensure the safety of staff and students, and continue with daily engagement with teachers. The first step was approving Phase 1 of our draft Return To School Procedure Plan where teachers and staff return to campus by November 13 and deliver their distance learning program from their classrooms. We will continue to engage with our teachers, staff and parents for input in the coming weeks to develop the next phases of our Return to School plan.
Thank you for your partnership, support and patience as we all navigate this uncharted journey together.
Sincerely,
Michelle Harmeier, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Fall Important Dates - District Calendar
- October 22 - Regular Board Meeting: Budget Discussion
- October 30 - 2+2 Committee 9:00 AM: City of San Carlos and SCSD Quarterly Meetin
- November 5 - Regular Board Meeting
- November 11 - Veteran’s Day Holiday - No School
- November 13 - End of Trimester 1
- November 19 - Regular Board Meeting
- November 23-27 - Thanksgiving Week Holiday - No School