Letter From YUSD Superintendent
April 3, 2020
Parents/Students of Yreka Union School District
Re: Distance Learning - Phase Two
We hope you all are doing as well as expected in these uncertain and difficult times. Please recognize that your safety and well-being are the top priority for our district. With the announcement this week that school campuses will be closed to students for the remainder of the year, we are devising plans on how best to serve the students, parents/guardians and staff in our district. Additionally, we need to recognize the fantastic approach all stakeholders have taken during the first two weeks of distance learning.
Next week, April 6-10 is Spring Break. Then, we anticipated returning on Monday, 4/13/20. However, that will not be the case. Teachers have prepared lessons that have brought us to this point and will be working on the next phase of distance learning when we return from spring break. When we return from spring break, there are eight weeks left in the school year. Teachers and administrators have met to develop a plan. Please note….plans may change as circumstances change in our world.
Teachers will be preparing lessons for the remainder of April (they will do so for the remainder of the year at a later date). Beginning on Monday, 4/20/20, families will be allowed to pick up their student’s materials from their school. This will be done on a “drive up” basis where a staff member will get the needed materials to the responsible adult in the vehicle. We do not want families exiting the vehicle during this process.
We continue to have discussions about the ability to turn work in. There are concerns about physical papers coming to/from the school site. So, hopefully most work can be turned in digitally. There are a few instances where this may not be possible and we are working on a safe plan to get that work turned in. Those individual teachers will notify their students on how that will work for their particular class. Be sure to check your email, google classroom, remind, Class Dojo, or whatever method your teacher uses to communicate, on a frequent basis.
There are concerns about grades, work being graded, pass/fail, retention, etc. All valid concerns! However, it is far more important for a student to practice the skills being provided and doing the best they can instead of getting a grade. That being said, we are hopeful to try and have students perform end of year assessments for their current grade level, so we can get a gauge on their progress, or in some cases, get an idea of where they may need intervention. We are NOT using these assignments or assessments as a means of retention. For some students that are not completing any of the work, we are having conversations as to the best method to get that student caught up with their grade level peers as soon as possible, including the possibility of summer school and/or remediation classes next year.
We are not ready to completely give up on graduation. We need to continue to have conversations about the possibility of having a ceremony to recognize the achievement and milestone of our graduating 8th graders. Will graduation look the same? Most likely not...just like student learning is not the same. However, we are exploring ideas on how best we can accomplish this task.
There have been great questions and discussions that have come out of this whole new concept for our district. Teachers are working incredibly hard, most students are putting forth their best efforts and parents are absolutely amazing in their efforts to continue. We have received very appropriate feedback as many families are maxed with multiple children in the household trying to get their school work done! I can assure you….YOU are doing a great job! Thank you! Generally speaking, TK-1 grades could spend about 1 - 1.5 hours per day doing academic activities, while grades 2-5 could spend about 1.5 - 2.5 hours per day on school work. Then, for middle school, roughly 2 - 3 hours (total) per day. Keep in mind that it is not healthy to be on a device for that many hours!
We are working on a plan to be able to get a chromebook to those students in need. Individual teachers will be getting information from their students and then hopefully the week we return from spring break, we can get that process completed as well.
Parents, guardians and families….you have done a wonderful job! We applaud your efforts! Moving forward, we are here for you and we want to genuinely support you. Please don’t hesitate to contact your teacher, their aide, the site principal or the district office.
Please take a look at our California Healthy Kids Survey HERE.
Welcome to Yreka Union School District!
It is the mission of the Yreka Union School District to provide each student with a safe, caring and supportive atmosphere which will foster the intellectual, emotional, and social growth necessary to become a productive and responsible citizen who accepts cultural differences. All parents, students, teachers and staff are part of a supportive team helping children develop personal, educational, social and ethical values.
Yreka Union School District offers students an outstanding education. We are committed to our student's learning the academic and social skills they need to be promoted to high school and be successful.
- K - 3rd grade all classes at 22-25 students
- 4 - 8th grade classes are from 23-26 students per room
- 7th - 8th grade departmentalized program with highly qualified staff teaching: English, Algebra, Social Studies, Science, Art, Physical Education, Music (band and choir programs), and Intramural and team sports
- After School Program (SAFE) from end of school until 6:00 PM every day
- Instructional aides in all primary grades
- Computer labs and skills taught at all schools
- Interactive white boards with overhead mounted LCD projectors in most classrooms for teachers to use as a teaching tool with students
- Highly qualified teachers and paraprofessionals
- We have over 1,000 Chromebook devices district-wide
