Boulder Oaks Elementary School

BOES Families, Here is a video detailing our reopening plan. It is just another way for you to learn what school will look like starting on September 21st. Thank you! Jenna https://youtu.be/z2w8Rj7SwcQ

Hello Boulder Oaks Families, I hope you are all safe and doing well. We are getting closer and closer to the 21st and I wanted to update you on our plan for reopening. In the guidebook attached, you will find information regarding our reopening plan. Hopefully, it answers all of your questions! Mrs. Darcey and I will also be posting a video later today explaining the reopening plan. Please let me know if you have any questions! Thank you! Jenna Please click here: https://5il.co/kvxl

Dear AUSD Families, We are continuing to monitor the Valley Fire situation very closely. Given the active nature of the fire, San Diego County Sheriff Gore and the Office of Emergency Services, are encouraging all of us to be prepared to evacuate with very little notice. The fire has tripled in the last four days, and Santa Ana winds are expected to impact our community beginning this evening. We realize that many of our students, families, and staff have been impacted by the Valley Fire. We are here to help and assist in any way possible. Please reach out to us if we can be of any assistance. Joan MacQueen remains an active temporary relocation center for community members and their pets. All District personnel, other than essential staff, will be working from home for the remainder of the week. Distance Learning will continue but our staff are mindful of what our students need at this time, and will be available to provide the support necessary. Lastly, I want to take a moment to remind each of you to review your evacuation plan, be prepared, stay informed and sign up for updates at www.readysandiego.org. We will get through this together united as one community. Stay safe, Dr. Newman Proudest Superintendent on Earth

Joan MacQueen Middle School remains open as a temporary evacuation center. We have A/C, food , water, restrooms, and wifi. Yes, animal friends ARE welcome! #AlpineStrong #United #OnwardandUpward

Tuesday (9/8) - AUSD will be providing FREE Grab and Go Meals for the week for all children 18 and under @ JMMS from 11:00 - 12:00 pm. #AlpineStrong #UnitedWeStand

Hello Boulder Oaks Families, I hope that this email finds all of our families safe and out of any danger. I have been thinking about you all weekend long! Once again, our community has proven how strong we are together. If you need anything, please do hesitate to ask. We had another great week of distance learning last week. I spent a lot of time Zooming with the classes and was impressed to see all of the excellent teaching and learning occurring. I know how incredibly hard everyone is working to make this happen - parents, teachers, and students and I could not be prouder of what we are all accomplishing together. We are getting closer and closer to September 21st and September 24th when our students will experience their first day at BOES since March 13th!!! We are getting soooo excited and are very busy preparing. Over the next two weeks, more information will become available as far as our reopening plan. This Wednesday night, all of the school principals will be presenting their reopening plans to the school board. Tomorrow, September 8th, the student cohorts will be posted in Google Classroom. If you have decided to have your child remain in 100% distance learning, your student has still been placed in a cohort. This gives us the flexibility to have your child resume face-to-face instruction at any point in which you feel comfortable. Please understand that a tremendous amount of time and effort has been put into creating the cohorts. The principals have all worked together to get siblings, learning pods, carpools, and other needs in the same cohorts. As I am sure you can imagine, just moving one student can cause a huge domino effect and impacts other students. So unless there is a great need, student cohorts will not be changed. Please also remember that the hybrid model is a phase to get us back fully face-to-face and we anticipate all of the students being back at one time very soon! As we get closer to the 21st, we are requesting that each child bring the following on daily basis: CHARGED Chromebook - If your child has been using their own, your child may bring it or check out a school one. We HIGHLY suggest that you check one out BEFORE the 21st as we may not have the time to do it on the 21st. Headphones Backpack Beach towel or bath towel TWO water bottles Lunch or free and reduced lunch application filled our or money deposited into your child’s lunch account At least two clean face coverings Last week, one of our families generously donated a pallet of water bottles from Costco and another family dropped off a shade structure. We are so appreciative. We still need as many shade structures as we can possibly get so that outdoor learning can occur. If you have an extra that you are willing to donate or let us borrow, please just drop it off. We will take any shape or size! Thank you! Last week we had about another 100 families fill out our school forms, but we still have quite a few more to go. Please fill these out if you have not already done so. Distance Learning Agreement: This outlines our commitment to providing your students with a high quality Distance Learning Program and lists the at home expectations to ensure success for all students. AUSD Technology/Network Acceptable Use Agreement: This form is an agreement that your student uses technology appropriately. BOES Media Release Form: This form gives us permission to post your students' photos on a variety of social media and in school publications such as our yearbook. Other News: This Friday is Virtual Fun Friday! This week it is - USA Day: wear red, white, and blue in remembrance of 9/11. Starting Tuesday, September 8th we will be resuming the FREE Grab and Go Meals for all children 18 and under. This program has recently been reinstated by the state and we are jumping at the chance to help our community. On Tuesday (9/8), we will be handing out meal bags with 4 breakfasts and lunches @ JMMS from 11:00 - 12:00 pm. This program will remain active when we reopen to our hybrid schedule!! If you are having technology issues with your Chromebook, please email our technology department at helpdesk@alpineschools.net for assistance. If you are not already, please follow us on Instagram and Facebook and download the AUSD app at the App store or Google play. Just like we did in the spring, please email me pictures of your students learning at home so I can post on Facebook and/or Instagram (only if you give permission). This is a great way for us all to stay connected until we are back on campus. Those of you that have been at Boulder Oaks in previous years, know our traditional ceremony of honoring our local heroes on 9/11. While it is extremely disappointing that we cannot do it this year, we have found another way to honor those who serve our country. Last year, Ms. Principe’s 4th grade class created a Charles Demuth inspired work with crayon, watercolor pencils, and watercolor paint. This is called “Figure 5 in Gold,” but they used the number 17 instead to honor our local Station 17. The original artwork was inspired by William Carlos Williams and his poem “The Great Figure,” which is about his impression of a fire truck passing by. In remembrance of September 11th, their artwork is displayed at our local fire station here in Alpine. I know we are all extra appreciative of them right now!! Thank you for continuing to support Boulder Oaks and for staying strong through distance learning. September 21st, will be here soon! Virtual hugs and safe thoughts to each of you! Jenna

We have opened up Joan MacQueen Middle School gym. The gym is air conditioned and we have wifi, food, restrooms and water. We also welcome your pets. Red Cross is on site setting up. #AlpineStrong

#ValleyFire Update: Overnight, the Red Cross team provided safe shelter for three families affected by the fire. The Temporary Evacuation Point at JMMS has closed. The Temporary Evacuation Point at Steele Canyon remains open.

We are excited to once again welcome our youngest students back on campus. Today, our preschool students began face to face learning. We look forward to all students returning in the near future. #onwardandupward #learningtogether #Alpine

Hello BOES Families! Well, we did it! Week one of distance learning is done and I couldn't be prouder of the amazing effort of everyone involved - students, teacher, and parents. I know that it has not been easy on anyone and I truly appreciate everyone working together for our students to have the best possible learning environment. As you heard from Dr. Newman last week, we are scheduled to begin Face-to-Face instruction on Monday, September 21st. We will begin with our hybrid model where half of our students are onsite on Mondays and Tuesdays and the other half are on site on Thursdays and Fridays. Wednesdays is a full day of Distance Learning for all students while classrooms are deep cleaned and teachers attend professional development and have time to prepare and plan. When your students are not attending school, they are expected to engage in distance learning from home. We are aware that there are some families who prefer to continue with distance learning and not return to campus as indicated on the survey you completed this summer. If you have changed your mind, since you filled out the survey, please call the school office and let us know your preferred learning model. The district is working to finalize the details of our 100% distance learning program and details will be forthcoming. As I am sure you can imagine, we are knee-deep in preparing for the students to be on campus. All students are being assigned to a cohort and we are working with the other sites to ensure that siblings are placed together. If you do NOT want your children in the same cohort please call the school office by this Wednesdays to let us know. The cohort's assignments will be posted in your student’s Google Classroom on the evening of September 8th. Some other tasks that we have been working on include placing directional arrows around campus to support social distancing and traffic flow, ordering recess equipment for each class, and getting plastic partitions set up in all classrooms. As we prepare for the students to physically return, we want to make you aware of a few requests in advance: Every student will need to bring TWO water bottles to school each day. Due to COVID, our drinking fountains have been disconnected and we want our students to stay well hydrated during the warm months of September and October. We are asking for donations of flats of water bottles to refill student water bottles and to provide to any student who forgets one for the day. We are still in need of donations of any type of shade structures so that our students can be outside as much as possible. We are also asking that each student bring a clean beach or bath towel to school on a daily basis. This will help pad your students’ Chromebook in their backpack and will give your child a comfy place to sit for outdoor learning. If you plan on your student receiving breakfast or lunch from the cafeteria, please make sure you have prepared their account and/or filled out the free and reduced lunch application. The cafetera will not be accepting any cash. You may find links for both of these on our district website under Child Nutrition: https://www.alpineschools.net/o/ausd/page/child-nutrition-services--15 There are still quite a few students who need to pick up their math books. These are available in the school office and you can stop by anytime between 8 and 4 to get one. Last week, we asked you to fill out a number of forms. I am reattaching the forms to this Weekly Update as we only had ¼ of our students fill them out. Please do this as soon as possible. They are quick and easy: Distance Learning Agreement: This outlines our commitment to providing your students with a high quality Distance Learning Program and lists the at home expectations to ensure success for all students. AUSD Technology/Network Acceptable Use Agreement: This form is an agreement that your student uses technology appropriately. BOES Media Release Form: This form gives us permission to post your students' photos on a variety of social media and in school publications such as our yearbook. Other News: This Friday is Virtual Fun Friday! This week it is - “Our Future is Bright”: wear sunglasses Grab and Go meals are being provided every Monday at JMMS from 11:00-12:00. It is now required that you show your student’s ID number. Please call the school office if you need help accessing this. If you are having technology issues with your Chromebook, please email our technology department at helpdesk@alpineschools.net for assistance. If you are not already, please follow us on Instagram and Facebook and download the AUSD app at the App store or Google play. Just like we did in the spring, please email me pictures of your students learning at home so I can post on Facebook and/or Instagram (only if you give permission). This is a great way for us all to stay connected until we are back on campus. I am counting down the days until September 21st! Keep up the amazing work with distance learning! Have a wonderful week! Jenna

BOES Families, As we continue to plan for the reopening of our schools we want to ensure we have an accurate accounting of each student’s preferred learning model. We will be offering students the option of participating in Distance Learning, returning to school for face-to-face learning in the A/B Day hybrid model, independent study, or our home school program. We realize that you may have rethought which learning model you want your child to participate in. If you would like to make a change to the model your child will be participating in when we reopen our campuses on September 21, please contact the school office by Wednesday, September 3. Thank you! Jenna

Dear AUSD Families, I am thrilled that the 2020-2021 school year is finally underway. Our goal of reopening our schools for face-to-face learning is now close to reality. For the last several months, we have been preparing for the return of our staff and students to campus. We have developed and updated our reopening schools plan with every new public health order. We have purchased pallets of hand sanitizer, face coverings, personal protective equipment, electrostatic cleaners, Chromebooks, new digital books and tools, and much more, all with the goal of reopening our schools with a sound plan in place. We are also finalizing an agreement with the San Diego County Office of Education to provide free hotspots to our families who do not have reliable internet access. To ensure that we had the option to open our schools, even if San Diego remained on the county watchlist, we submitted an Elementary School waiver. Yesterday, we were notified that the county and state approved our waiver. In fact, we were one of only four public school districts in San Diego county to receive a waiver approval. We have reassigned many of our staff, including bus drivers, instructional aides, and food and nutrition staff, to support our families in our Extended Student Services child care program. We were also the first school district in the state of CA to design and develop a Learning Pod option for our parents. In short, we have been focused on adapting our district to meet the challenges our families face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While our goal is to open our schools, we want to do it in a way that ensures the health and safety of our staff, students and families. We have designed a gradual re-entry plan that will allow us to begin to open our schools on September 2 with our Preschool Special Day Class being the first to return for face-to-face learning. Our goal is to ensure that all of our planning and procedures have a chance to be put into practice and tested before we bring all students back on campus. On September 21, we will begin our hybrid learning model with all students returning to campus in the A/B Day learning model. More information will be forthcoming regarding days in which students will be attending. Having our staff and teachers feel safe is critical to our goal of ensuring the opening of our schools is done with care for our entire community. When we return to campus, all students in grades TK-8 will be required to wear a face-covering unless they qualify for one of the exemptions specified in the CDPH face-covering guidelines. With a gradual re-entry plan, we feel confident that we can monitor the success of our social distancing and sanitation measures, make adjustments as needed and ensure that everyone is as safe as possible. While there is much work that has gone into our reopening plan, there is much work ahead. I have asked our staff to assume positive intentions in all our actions and to create a working and learning environment that supports everyone. Lastly, as we move forward and open our schools, I also ask that each of you join me in supporting our students and staff as we all work together to make our community proud of the way we respond in reopening our schools. With great respect and hope for the future, Dr. Rich Newman Proudest Superintendent on Earth

Hello Boulder Oaks Families! Happy First Day of Distance Learning! I hope that everything went as smoothly as possible for you today. I know we had some hiccups with Zoom in some classes and we appreciate your patience and understanding. I was able to visit many classrooms over ZOOM today and it was WONDERFUL to see our students engaged in their learning. I have missed them so much and I was truly filled with joy getting to “see” them. If you need help with anything, please do hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher or myself! Thank you to everyone that attended Back to School Night last Wednesday! I know that it was different than usual and maybe a bit overwhelming but I hope you found the evening helpful. If you were unable to pick up materials or a Chromebook last week, you may stop by the school auditorium from 9:30-10:30 on Tuesday or Thursday of this week. If you picked up your materials on Thursday of last week, our math books had not yet come in. You will need to drop by one more time to get one. They will be available in the school office at any time or in the auditorium 9:30-10:30 on Tuesday or Thursday. I am so sorry for any inconvenience that this causes. Just like a “normal” beginning of the year, we have forms for you to fill out. This year they are digital! You just need to click on the attached form, fill it out and then submit it. They are quick and easy! Distance Learning Agreement: This outlines our commitment to providing your students with a high quality Distance Learning Program and lists the at home expectations to ensure success for all students. AUSD Technology/Network Acceptable Use Agreement: This form is an agreement that your student uses technology appropriately. BOES Media Release Form: This form gives us permission to post your students' photos on a variety of social media and in school publications such as our yearbook. School Site Council Nomination Form (optional): We are in need of three parents to join SSC this year. This is our nomination form. Other News: This Friday is our first Virtual Fun Friday! This week it is “Dress to Impress: wear your favorite new school outfit/shoes/backpack.” Grab and Go meals are being provided every Monday at JMMS from 11:00-12:00. It is now required that you show your student’s ID number. Please call the school office if you need help accessing this. If you are having technology issues with your Chromebook, please email our technology department at helpdesk@alpineschools.net for assistance. If you are not already, please follow us on Instagram and Facebook and download the AUSD app at the App store or Google play. Just like we did in the spring, please email me pictures of your students learning at home so I can post on Facebook and/or Instagram (only if you give permission). This is a great way for us all to stay connected until we are back on campus. Thank you so much for your support during this time! The next couple of weeks will require us all to be flexible, patient, understanding, and show each other love and grace. I am confident that by all of us supporting each other and working together, our students will be successful this year. We’ve got this!! Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need ANYTHING!!! Have a wonderful first week! Jenna

Thanks to all of our BOES Families that stopped by today to get all of your materials. We will be distributing them again tomorrow from 9:00am-12:00pm. Our math books were delivered this afternoon so they will also be available tomorrow for pick up if you did not get one today. You may also stop by next week for a math book. We are so sorry for any inconvenience that this causes!

Hooray!!! It is almost the first day of school and BOES is ready for our students! Join Mrs. Weinert for a Read Aloud of "School's First Day of School." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-HrzPdCciE

The BOES Teachers are so excited to welcome our students back later this week: https://youtu.be/QIVtjmj74dU

Hello Boulder Oaks Families, Welcome to your first official Weekly Update of the 2020-2021` school year! Usually these messages will come on Monday nights at 5:30 but I wanted to ensure you had all of the information you needed as early as possible this week. It is hard to believe that our school year officially starts this Thursday! The teachers and the rest of the BOES staff have been working hard to get ready and to make this the best school year that we possibly can! The teachers have been learning a lot about teaching virtually and have been sending me sneak peeks of all of their hard work all weekend long. We are all very excited to finally get this school year going!! As you know, we will be starting with 100% Distance Learning but hope to transition to the hybrid model soon! The first two days, August 20th and 21st are set aside for individual one-on-one assessments via Zoom. This is a wonderful opportunity for the teacher to get to know your student on a more personal level and for the teacher to get a few baseline data points. You will receive the information you need to access this meeting on Wednesday from your child’s teacher. Distance Learning will then officially launch on Monday, the 24th at 9:00am! This Wednesday, August 19th, you will receive a Welcome Email from your child's teacher. It will contain the Zoom link and scheduled time for their one-on-one assessment, the Zoom link for Back to School Night (that night!), and your child’s Google account login information. You will use the Zoom link for Back to School Night Wednesday night to attend one of two sessions - 5:30 or 6:15. Your teacher will walk you through her Google Classroom and tell you everything you need to know to ensure success on the first days of school. This Thursday and Friday, are our material distribution days. You may come to the BOES auditorium anytime between 9:00am and 12:00pm to pick up your child’s consumable textbooks and any other supplies that you need or that your teacher has provided. Please line up outside of the auditorium remembering to socially distance and wear a mask. Chromebooks will also be provided at this time. Please fill out ahead of time the two forms needed to borrow a Chromebook on the AUSD website: https://www.alpineschools.net/o/ausd/page/chromebooks--73 You will be given the opportunity to purchase insurance for it using Venmo, a link on the AUSD website, or by check. The cost is $25 per Chromebook. Both forms must be filled out even if you do not plan on purchasing the Protection Program. Chromebooks will also be available on the 18th and 19th from 9:00-12:00 in the auditorium. In summary, here are the dates you need to know: August 18th-21st: Chromebook Distribution 9:00am-12:00pm August 19th: Welcome Emails are sent out Virtual Back to School Night (two sessions: 5:30 and 6:15) August 20th and 21st: One-on-one individual assessment Zooms with students and teachers Material Distribution 9:00am-12:00pm August 24th: Distance Learning starts at 9:00am! Over the summer, we had four of our beloved teachers retire. Mrs. Andersen, Mrs. Cross, Mrs. Loresnsen, and Mrs. Pool have each made an everlasting impression on us that will never be forgotten. They have left a legacy behind that will forever be embedded in our hearts. Their years of experience and endless wisdom made all of us better and we have all become stronger educators because of them. They will be missed beyond words and many tears have been shed over the past few weeks as we said our good-byes. Congratulations to each of them! With the retirement came the need to fill their open spots. We are thrilled to welcome four new general education teachers to BOES. We had MANY applicants and were able to hire the best of the best! Please read more about them here: https://www.smore.com/xd6fp-welcome-boes-new-teachers Other News: Please note the following changes to food distribution: Monday, August 17th - No Food Distribution Thursday, August 20th - Distributed at JMMS Every Monday after August 20th - Distributed at JMMS The district is still working with the county on providing hot spots for families that need them. Please call the school office so that you can be added to our list if you do not have internet access at your home. As we embark on the 2020-21 school year, our mission holds strong in providing the best education possible rooted in love and deep relationships. Thank you for putting your faith in us during this very challenging time and for trusting that we will do our very best to provide your child with a wonderful educational experience despite the circumstances. Thank you in advance for your support, patience, understanding and grace as we navigate these first couple of weeks! Most Sincerely, Jenna Weinert

Update on COVID-19 Watchlist Dear AUSD Families, You may have heard the news that the County of San Diego was removed from the state’s COVID-19 watchlist and wonder what it means for Alpine Union. This is encouraging news that could help pave the way for us to reopening schools this fall. However, there are some important things to keep in mind. First, these numbers will need to stay within the acceptable range for at least 14 days before schools in San Diego County will be allowed to reopen without a waiver. Second, when we are allowed to return to face-to-face instruction, we hope to make the transition as seamless as possible for our students, staff, and families by beginning with our hybrid model as outlined in our AUSD Reopening Schools Plan and the AUSD Safe Schools Parent and Student Reopening Guidebook. While we keep a close eye on the watchlist, we are also planning on submitting a County of San Diego Elementary School Waiver next week so that we may begin to reopen our campuses. The process for reopening our schools remains the same as our plans have outlined. For the last several months, we have been developing and updating our reopening plans to do everything possible to ensure healthy environments for our students and staff. As you can imagine, the process for reopening is very complex. District leadership has also been working with our employee associations to develop memorandums of understanding that address working conditions in our schools before employees return to school sites. As a reminder, we have created two options to support our parents as Distance Learning begins: Extended Student Services and Alpine COVID-19 Learning Pods. Information on both options are available on our website on our COVID-19 webpage. I appreciate your flexibility, support, and understanding as we adjust to these ever-changing conditions. I will continue to share updates as they become available. You can also find the most current information on our reopening plans on our COVID-19 webpage. I very much look forward to seeing our students back on campus in the very near future. Stay well and healthy! Sincerely, Dr. Rich Newman Proudest Superintendent on Earth

BOES Families - Please mark your calendars for these upcoming dates. "See" you soon!

Welcome Back BOES Eagles! Below you will find the link to our Welcome Back Letter. We cant wait to "see" you all on August 24th! https://www.smore.com/zu5ya