September 16, 2020

Dear SFUSD Staff:

I hope this week’s digest finds you safe and well, and that you’ve had an opportunity to enjoy the fresh air today. Please keep reading today’s digest for important updates and reminders.

Updates

City of San Francisco Food Resources

Use the San Francisco Food Resources Map to find food resources near you. The Food Resources page on SF.gov provides additional food options, including community providers and information on public benefits. The following resources are also available:

ASSISTANCE FOR OLDER ADULTS AND ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES

Older adults and adults with disabilities can call the Department of Disability and Aging Services (DAS) telephone helpline at (415) 355-6700 (select “Case Management” as the reason for your call), Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to request help with food, including grocery delivery, take-away meals, and home-delivered meals. If you need assistance visiting an SFUSD meal site due to a disability and are unable to leave your home due to the Shelter in Place order, we encourage you to call the DAS helpline to learn about available resources. Learn more about programs and services available to older adults and adults with disabilities during COVID-19.

ISOLATION/QUARANTINE FOOD HELPLINE

The City of San Francisco Isolation/Quarantine Food Helpline can assist people in isolation or quarantine with food delivery. This resource supports those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, are awaiting test results, or are considered a “close contact” (someone instructed to self-quarantine due to close contact with a COVID-19+ individual). If you qualify, your entire household will receive groceries or three prepared meals per person per day. Call 311 to get connected to this special food resource.

SFUSD Tech Tips

GOOGLE SUITE FOR EDUCATION

Meet Your Google Suite for Education Tools: Access SFUSD resources for teachers and families on our top Google tools!

ZOOM: TIPS TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE

Want to improve your Zoom performance? Try these steps to decrease the load on your Internet bandwidth. They may help! 

Education Funding Measures on November Ballot

This Election Day, San Franciscans will vote on Proposition J, which addresses a legal loophole to continue providing funds to SFUSD, and California Proposition 15, which would increase revenue for public education and other services.  Learn more about these measures.

Free Grab & Go Meals and Account Credits

Free meals are now available to all students, regardless of eligibility, and are now available to siblings not enrolled in SFUSD as well. At this time, our meal sites serve SFUSD students and their siblings only. Adults can continue to pick up meals for children. Every Wednesday, a bag of 5 days' worth of meals (including breakfast, lunch, supper, fresh fruits and vegetables, and milk) is available at 18 school sites. Learn more about locations and what identification to bring at sfusd.edu/schoolfood.

If your SchoolCafe account was charged for school meals Aug. 19 - Sept. 9, 2020, all charges have now been reversed. If you do not see this reflected in your account, please contact us at SchoolLunch@sfusd.edu.  

Developing a New Policy for Elementary Student Assignment

On Dec. 8, 2020, the Board of Education will vote on a new elementary school student assignment policy; any new policy would likely go into effect for students enrolling in kindergarten for the 2023-24 school year. 

The Ad Hoc Committee on Student Assignment will meet on Sept. 29 at 4 p.m. and Oct. 14 at 5 p.m. to continue developing a policy recommendation, and we encourage you to join the discussions.  All materials from prior meetings are posted on the web at www.sfusd.edu/adhoccommittee, and all policy development materials are posted on the web at www.sfusd.edu/studentassignment.  These are great resources to get caught up on discussions to date and to stay informed as the conversations continue to evolve. 

In addition to the Ad Hoc Committee meetings, Stanford University and UC Berkeley are hosting an online speaker series about issues related to Student Assignment Policy in San Francisco.  In an effort to infuse policy discussions with additional evidence, this speaker series will examine research related to the history of school desegregation efforts, school integration, school choice, and SFUSD’s student assignment policy options. Sign up here.

Need tech support? Sign up for a 30 min. tutoring session

Trained volunteers are ready to teach you essential distance learning technology tools. You can sign up for free, 30-minute phone or video conference tutoring sessions for help with Seesaw, Classroom, Zoom, Meet, and Chromebooks. Tutoring is offered in 20 languages! Get more information and sign up. The program is coordinated by the San Francisco Education Fund.

Nominate a School Lunch Hero!

Show your appreciation and support for the School Lunch Heroes serving our community. Share photos, videos, letters, songs, artwork to nominate a School Lunch Hero. Submit an entry before Oct. 2 for a chance to win $500. The winning team of School Lunch Heroes will also receive $500!

Our School Lunch Heroes have served over 3 million meals since March—here’s a snapshot through Sept. 4. 

Encourage families to submit the Multipurpose Family Income Form. There are benefits beyond school meals! 

Despite the recent policy change allowing free meals, it is still essential that all SFUSD families complete the Multipurpose Family Income form for the 20-21 school year. Besides free school meals, benefits include:

• Eligibility for free meals through September 2021
• Eligibility for future P-EBT funds
• Discounted utilities and internet access
• Free enrollment in Excel after school programs
• SAT fee waivers
• Benefits available regardless of citizenship status
• Provides essential funding for your school

Complete the Multipurpose Family Income form for the 2020-21 school year today! Visit sfusd.edu/MFIF. 

Support for Digital Learning

The Department of Technology continues to offer daily office hours for teachers and staff to support digital learning tools and best practices for distance learning. Other upcoming webinar offerings include:

• Grading for Equity with Synergy and Google Apps for Education (GAFE)
• What Can You Do With a Google Form?
• Making Student Thinking Visible with Interactive Notebooks
• Reflection, Portfolios, PBL, and Student-Led Conferences with the Graduate Profile Showcase
• ...and more!

You can find office hours and all professional development offerings listed on the district’s PD calendar. 

New Moderator Controls in Google Meet

Meet released some new moderator controls this week. If you’re the creator of the Meet, you now have a little blue shield button in the bottom bar that offers two new settings. These allow you to turn off the chat and/or the ability for participants to share their screen. Watch our 4-minute “Welcome to Meet” video to get a quick refresher on Meet and to see how to use these two new moderator controls.
 

Bright Spot

This month we’re joining the nation in celebrating Latinx Heritage Month. Is your school doing something special to honor and uplift Latinx culture? Share it with us on social media using the hashtag #WeAreSFUSD!
 

Family Digest

Read today's family digest.
 

Warm regards,
Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews