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A Moment with Doc Ervin
Future in Focus
Quick tips, brief updates, and reminders about what’s coming up to help families, employees, and our community make the most of our schools.
Know Before You Go
With the majority of District students returning to school for in-person instruction starting Monday, August 2, SBCUSD has launched a social media campaign aimed at educating families about simple but important ways to help children stay healthy.
Know Before You Go offers tips like speaking with children about the importance of wearing face coverings indoors during the school day. Make sure you’re ready for the first day of school by following SBCUSD on Facebook and Instagram by searching for San Bernardino City USD.
Free COVID-19 Vaccines Near You
The San Bernardino County Department of Public Health encourages families to take advantage of the free vaccine sites available at SBCOVID19.com. County residents 12 and older can now receive the COVID-19 vaccine at Middle College High School, 1260 W. Esperanza Street in San Bernardino. This vaccination site is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Highlights of the Week
Highlights of key news from the week that will help you stay in the know.
SUMMER GRADUATES STRIVE FOR THEIR DIPLOMAS
On Thursday, July 22, San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) staff and families honored the 230 seniors who put forth the extra effort and spent the added hours to focus on their education during the summer so they could graduate with the Class of 2021.
“These seniors not only had to face the challenges of COVID and more than a year of distance learning, they had their own, personal challenges to overcome,” said Secondary Education Director Sudha Venkatesan, “but they were willing to put in the work and make the sacrifices to earn their high school diploma.”
Thanks to an easing of COVID restrictions, SBCUSD was able to return to in-person commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2021. This includes the 2021 Summer Graduation.
“Congratulations to the summer graduates in the Class of 2021,” said Secondary Education program specialist Bob Kirby. “We know it wasn’t easy, and we’re so proud that you stuck with it.”
The graduation was held at The Way World Outreach.
SBCUSD has a New Elementary Instruction Director
Congratulations to Amy Coker, who was appointed director of Elementary Instruction at the July 20, 2021, Board of Education meeting. A former SBCUSD school principal, Amy was previously assistant director of Elementary Instruction.
ParentSquare Corner
Starting in August, ParentSquare will be the District’s one-stop shop for information, replacing SchoolMessenger Communicate, Remind, and most other communication platforms.
Families can get a head start by downloading the ParentSquare app in your app store today. But even if you don’t download the app, you will still receive school and District information. That’s because ParentSquare automatically generates an account for each parent/guardian, using the email address and phone number on file in our student information system. Parents/guardians do not need to activate a ParentSquare account in order to receive school phone calls and emails. Parents still need to access their accounts so they can download the mobile app and update their preferences on when and how they are notified, as well as use other features.
This new communication platform allows SBCUSD to unify all parent communication from the District, schools, and teachers under one umbrella, streamlining communication. ParentSquare is available for staff and parents to use on their computers or mobile devices.
In the Spotlight
Welcome Back Letter from Superintendent Doc Ervin
July 20, 2021
Dear SBCUSD Families:
As your new superintendent, it is my honor to officially welcome you back to a new school year, which starts on Monday, August 2. Everyone in our District is excited about returning to a sense of normalcy and, more importantly, seeing your children in our classrooms. Personally, I am looking forward to meeting SBCUSD families and welcoming you all home to our schools.
We have worked hard to prepare for the return of in-person learning for more than 95% of our families and to further strengthen distance learning through our new Virtual Learning Academy for those who chose that option. Here is the summary of the Roadmap to Reopening Guidebook that I asked our team to develop as a resource for you. We know that there continue to be many questions about what school will look like as we come out of the pandemic and safety guidance continues to evolve from state and national experts. We remain in close contact with the California Department of Public Health to ensure our schools are following the latest regulations. We have also learned from schools that opened ahead of us that the best safety measures are daily home health screening, good hygiene, and mask wearing by students while indoors. We will be asking you to help us keep everyone safe with these three habits.
Aside from safety, we are refocusing our energy as a District on making sure your children feel good about being at school and that you feel good about the learning you see happening. The San Bernardino City Unified School District will be rolling out new student support systems as well as ParentSquare, a new family communication platform, to help ensure all students can reach their highest potential. I am 100% committed here, as I have been throughout my career, to making all decisions in the best interests of kids. You can expect that from me as the leader of your District, and I expect that from our employees, too.
Thank you for your enthusiasm and trust as we start the new school year together. With your partnership, this year we can be safe and our students will experience the highest levels of excellence in our schools.
Sincerely,
Doc Ervin
Superintendent