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PERMIT NO. 30 JULIAN, CA
ESTABLISHED
An Independent Weekly Newspaper Serving the Backcountry Communities of Julian, Cuyamaca, Santa Ysabel, Shelter Valley, Mt. Laguna, Ranchita, Canebreak, Sunshine Summit, Warner Springs and Wynola.
Julian News
PO Box 639 Julian, CA 92036
1985
Change Service requested
DATED MATERIAL
The Newspaper of Record.
For the Community, by the Community.
Wednesday
www.JulianNews.com
September 30, 2020 Volume 36 — Issue 09
Julian, CA.
ISSN 1937-8416
Back To School For Some, Not All, At Elementary/Jr High
ESTABLISHED
1870
by Michael Hart
YEARS
County Emergency Rental Assistance Available To 8,000 Households
by José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office
September 22, 2020 - San Diego County residents who have been economically impacted by COVID-19 could qualify for onetime assistance of up to $3,000 to pay for past-due or upcoming rent. Due to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many residents have been unable to pay rent, which can cause them to be evicted and lead to an increase in homelessness. Understanding the financial burden for both tenants and landlords, the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors allocated $24 million in funding for an Emergency Rental Assistance Program to ease that burden for thousands of county residents. The County of San Diego will be accepting applications for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program from September 24, 2020 –to October 8, 2020. Eligible applicants will then be selected at random. Interested people can find more information about the program and apply during the two-week application period at www.SDHCD.org. Those who apply will be able to check their application status online at any point in the process. To be eligible, households must be renting and have experienced a financial hardship directly related to COVID-19. This includes a loss or reduction of income due to COVID-19 or an increase in medical expenses incurred as a direct result of COVID-19. Households must also fall under 60% Area Median Income to qualify. For example, to be eligible, a single-person household can earn up to $48,540 and a four-person household can earn up to $69,300. The program will be able to assist about 8,000 households. Residents who live in cities with their own COVID-19 rental relief program would not be eligible for the County program unless their cities’ funds have already been depleted. Also, applicants must not receive any other forms of rental subsidy such as Section 8 or other rental assistance programs, rapid rehousing assistance or rental assistance from nonprofit agencies. Only one application per household will be accepted and the applicant’s landlord must agree to participate in the program for the County of San Diego to process the one-time emergency rental assistance grant. For more program information, including how to apply and detailed eligibility criteria, visit www.SDHCD.org.
You could say that Julian Elementary and Jr. High Schools dodged a bullet with the classification of San Diego County remaining in the “red zone” of the State’s monitoring metrics. It meant that the plans that had been put in place for reopening the schools could move forward and not have to wait for a later - unknown - date. Through the survey of parents over the past couple of weeks and a few last minute phone calls to the administration it appears
that about 70% of student would be returning to school to start on campus learning and be able to interact with their teachers for the first time mask-to-mask.
Making Distance Learning Fun
by Kim Simas
We’ve all had that one special teacher that helped shaped our school years. The teacher who inspired us to work a little harder and learn in new creative ways. Julian Union School District’s fifth grade teacher, Marisa McFedries is just that teacher. For years, she has been known for her innovative ways of engaging with her students. Whether it was the use of alternative seating options or artful classroom decorations, McFedries finds stimulating ways to connect with her students and make learning fun. When the schools closed in March and distance learning became the new norm, McFedries knew that she had to find a way to connect with her students. She decided to post videos of herself reading chapters from The Hobbit. With being online for most of the day, students were finding other ways to amuse themselves rather than spending time completing assignments. So McFedries then began to dress up as characters from the novel in an effort to not only amuse her students but to engage them in a more entertaining way. She realized that she could “bring a little happiness and fun to the students who might be struggling with online learning in any grade.” McFedries feels that she needs to do anything she can to help her students learn the material during this difficult time.
McFedries hopes to help her students become engaged, more focused and eager to learn by viewing her videos. She has taken her videos to a new level in an effort to reach her audience. McFedries’ recent videos include writing assignments or math lessons disguised as fun storylines. For example, McFedries took on the role of a Math Chef in her “Multiplication Recipe” as a fun way to remind her students that they need to follow the directions when completing multiplication problems. “I was really happy when I received feedback from parents that said they were watching the videos with their kids! I love the idea that the family can learn the math together because they watched one of my silly videos,” said McFedries. Students and parents have given McFedries and the school district many positive reviews about the YouTube channel. McFedries has even received comments by former students which keeps her motivated to do more. She understands that when the schools reopen, she will have to make a lot of changes to the way that her class operates. McFedries said, “I want to bring my best, and use every talent and tool that I have to keep every student engaged and learning. I want every student who passes through my fifth grade to feel important to me, even if I have to embarrass myself to do it!” Many students and parents eagerly subscribe to her YouTube channel (Mrs. McFedries) to see what fun production she does next while they learn at the same time. The pandemic may have changed the way education looks like, however the experience of having a teacher like McFedries is an asset that students will cherish for many years to come.
Please send any fall color photos you would like to share to share@visitjulian.com
ESTABLISHED
1870
YEARS