June 2, 2021

Dear SFUSD Staff:

Today, June 2 is the last day of the 2020-2021 school year. Congratulations to all SFUSD graduates in the Class of 2021! To our entire SFUSD staff community, thank you for continuing to support our students and families, and inspire us with your resilience despite the challenging times. We hope you have a great summer, and look forward to welcoming our students back to full, 5-day in-person learning starting this fall 2021.

Please keep reading today’s digest for important updates.

Return Safely Updates

Muni Is Ready to Roll Back to School

Core Service Routes: As SFUSD students prepare to return to school in August, many families are beginning to plan out how they will travel to school and work. The SFMTA's current service includes a frequent core network of routes on major corridors along with key school Muni routes, like the 29 Sunset and 44 O’Shaughnessy. In August, the SFMTA will continue to restore service and close gaps, making it so that 98% of San Francisco residents will be within two to three blocks of an active Muni stop by the start of the new school year. 

Reinstating school trippers: In addition, to respond to the increased demand from students, the SFMTA will reinstate some of its school trippers, which are buses that meet students at the end of the school day near some of the city's largest middle and high schools. The school trippers help prevent crowding and pass ups on busy Muni routes at these key school release times. More information on the planned service restoration, as well as a full list of routes returning in August can be found in a recent SFMTA service restoration blog post.

SFMTA continues to work closely with district supervisors, community members and other stakeholders to bring back additional service and modify existing service to serve customers’ needs as the city continues to reopen and recover. SFUSD officials are in discussion with SFMTA to develop transportation plans that are aligned with new start and end times. Federal law requires properly worn masks while riding or waiting for transit and while paying for transit fares (in a subway station for example). We appreciate all our customers who have been supporting these efforts. Our mask compliance has regularly been above 90 or 95%.

Summer Digests and Communications

SFUSD remains committed to sharing up-to-date information with staff and families, and is planning opportunities for the SFUSD community to discuss Fall 2021 plans.

This is the last weekly digest for the 2020-2021 school year. We will send out and post two Summer Digests on the last Wednesday of June (June 30) and July (July 28). 

In addition, SFUSD will continue to provide regular updates regarding Fall 2021 through website announcements, monthly e-newsletters, social media and at regularly scheduled Board of Education meetings.

We will alert you to urgent and time-sensitive information by email, text and/or phone call. Families are encouraged to sign up for ParentVUE and update contact information as needed to receive critical information.

Distance Learning Updates

SF Loves Learning

Today was the last episode of SF Loves Learning!! You can browse every theme we’ve aired this Spring through this slide deck that includes all of our thematic decks. Enjoy the final segments from students, teachers, and the Superintendent below or watch the entire episode (and others) on our website, sfusd.edu/sfloveslearning.

Tuesday, June 1st:

• We are scientists! (Lesson): Maestra Meza reminices the different topics we learned about during season 3 of SF Loves Learning. She highlights what scientists do and what we have done during the season as scientists! 06/01/2021
• Inmensa comunidad/ I Need to Belong to be Strong (Music): La familia Peña-Govea sings about how community makes people strong. 06/01/2021
• It's So Quiet (Read Aloud): It's time for bed, but one little mouse just can't get to sleep—it's TOO QUIET! As the rhythmic symphony of nighttime noises build in this rollicking read-aloud, the mouse starts to wonder whether he wouldn't like a little MORE quiet. 06/01/2021
• Looking Back at Our Dance Journey! (Movement): As we come to the end of another school year and our time on SF Loves Learning, SF Ballet's Dance in Schools and Communities team shares highlights from some of their favorite episodes this season. 06/01/2021

Wednesday, June 2nd:

• Wishes from SF Loves Learning Teachers (Daily Lesson): Superintendent Matthews, Deputy Ford-Morthel, and SF Loves learning teachers share their summer wishes for our students.
• Students Love SF Loves Learning (Community): SFUSD students share what SF Loves Learning has meant to them.
• Sing What's In Your Heart (Music): This is a song about the power of expressing your unique truth.  Performed by Michael Ryther, Cynthia Luna Vazquez, John Mansfield, Rene Peña-Govea, and Peter Sroka.
• Filipinx Wellness Message from Lowell HS students (Community): Filipinx high school students share messages with family members.
• Zero Waste Hero (Community): Ms. Garica's 5th-grade class partnered with Ms. Chan to take a serious look at the impact of waste on our environment, especially waste created during the quarantine.
• Looking Ahead with SF Ballet's DISC Team (Movement): SF Ballet's Dance in Schools and Communities team shares this movement chain-letter to say goodbye to a year of dancing together from home and inspire viewers to continue moving and grooving this summer!
• Finale Farewell from Dr. Matthews and Cast.

You will be able to watch any of SF Loves Learning episodes and segments through our website library, YouTube channel, and Seesaw throughout the summer and beyond. Enjoy your summers and the love of learning.

~The SF Loves Learning Program Team

School Meal Updates

This Friday, June 4: Grab & Go meals available to all children 18 and younger. Not open on Thursday this week. Pick up the new Summer Grab & Go bag! It has 7 days of meals including breakfast, lunch, fresh fruit and vegetables, and milk is available.

Starting next week, Grab & Go meals will be open on Thursdays only, serving 7 days of meals. Open 2-3:30pm for all children 18 & younger.

• What to Bring and a Full Schedule listed on sfusd.edu/schoolfood
• Download a June Calendar here

Starting June 17, Grab & Go meals will be available for Summer 2021 at the following 15 locations:

• Bessie Carmichael PK-5 Campus
• Bret Harte Elementary
• Cesar Chavez Elementary
• Denman Middle
• El Dorado Elementary
• Gordon Lau Elementary
• June Jordan High
• James Lick Middle
• Lincoln High
• Longfellow Elementary
• Mission High
• Roosevelt Middle
• Rosa Parks Elementary
• SF International High
• Willie Brown Middle

Is your student attending an in-person SFUSD summer program? Your Grab & Go meal bag will have 2 days worth of meals. All students attending in-person summer programs run by SFUSD will be offered a healthy lunch and hearty snack at school.

Tech Tip

Get excited for Google Chat! Coming June 15

• Google is sunsetting Hangouts/Gchat (instant messaging tool) and replacing it with Chat
• Chat offers many great new collaboration features for teams working together in group chats (now called “rooms”)
• If you use Google Hangouts on your mobile device we recommend you remove the Hangouts app and add the Google Chat app instead: iPhone/iPad app or Android/Samsung App.
• Learn more about Chat & all of its helpful improvements

Join us for the 6th annual Digital District Day: Equity, Agency & Opportunity!

• The all virtual event will take place on Monday, August 9, 2021 from 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
• Digital District Day inspires SFUSD educators, staff, and leaders to dig deeper in the design of tech-enabled deeper learning experiences that build the SFUSD Graduate Profile Competencies for all students. Learn more about the day and please share the Digital District Day flyer!
• Sign up to attend at sfusd.edu/ddd.
• Questions? Contact Lindsey Blass (blassl@sfusd.edu), Allison Rothman (rothmana1@sfusd.edu), or Jessica Pederson (pedersonj@sfusd.edu)

Bright Spot

Happy Pride Month! It’s also the 30th anniversary of the creation of SFUSD’s LGBTQ Student Services. We are proud that San Francisco public schools have been nationwide leaders in affirming the rights of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning students and families. Check out this ABC7 Bay Area story to learn more about our work!

Warm regards,

Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews