Rubin Gradually Returning to In-Person Learning, By Scott J. Turnbull

FEATURED COLUMNIST Gradually Returning to In-Person Learning

2020 is nearing its end and never has a year provided so much to reflect on. Thinking back to January, I don’t think any of us could have imagined what our society, including our public school system, was about to go through in the coming year.

Who could have imagined that Zoom, distance learning, virtual town halls, synchronous instruction, and asynchronous instruction would become common talking points when discussing our schools? Not many of us, I don’t think.

Yet, here we are. Having worked in public education for more than 30 years, the idea of closing our schools seemed next-to-impossible to me eleven months ago. COVID-19 came along and changed that reality.

As you know, all school districts in our county shut down in-person operations and provided distance learning to students as a response to COVID-19 during 2020. Our teachers miraculously transitioned their entire curriculum over to digital platforms.

Rather than moving herky-jerky with school openings and closings, our district, like all districts in our county, have instead looked for ways to serve families in new ways and gradually return more in-person learning and services.

Each part of our school district has taken on the challenge of serving families in new ways. For example, our Social Work & Counseling Team has been very proactive.

They sent out a letter that can be found on our website, acknowledging that “the sustained uncertainty of the COVID-19 health crisis may leave students with feelings of stress, anxiety confusion, and sadness that may be uncomfortable and disruptive during an already unpredictable time. To address these potential needs and ensure our students are fully supported while away from campuses, the SUESD counseling team will be available to meet with students and families through virtual platforms like Google Hangouts and Zoom.”

By Scott J. Turnbull, Superintendent, Soquel Union Elementary School District

Our Information Technology Team has distributed approximately 1,600 Chromebooks (our district serves about 1,800 students to put that number in perspective) and several hotspots to ensure all of our students have access to distance learning and other online resources. Our Community Liaison has worked with several families on the process of securing free or low-cost internet access.

Our Child Nutrition Services Department has distributed approximately 56,000 free meals to our community’s families since the onset of COVID-19. Our dedicated Child Nutrition Services staff is one group in particular that has stayed working onsite throughout the pandemic due to the nature of their work. It is not an overstatement to refer to them as unsung heroes. Our School Librarians have coordinated several days of book distribution. They did this on their initiative because of their deep belief in books’ power to enrich children’s lives. Many staff members have stepped up to work in new capacities. This flexibility has allowed us to meet the needs of our community better. For example, bus drivers have helped with food distribution, and office staff has helped our principals with materials distribution at school sites, just to name a couple.

We have been and will continue to be committed to meeting our families’ socialemotional, nutritional, and technical needs through this pandemic. These are basic needs that must be met to ensure distance teaching and learning are realistic.

We have begun to bring back small cohorts of students. We have used an equity lens to prioritize students for these small cohorts. While distance learning has provided some challenges for all students, we have identified certain factors that act as additional barriers to distance learning success.

Some of these factors include learning disabilities, language barriers, or technical challenges despite our other outreach. These and other factors were considered in bringing a small percentage of students back for in-person supervision.

To be clear, most of these students still receive their distance learning in the same manner as if they were at home, but they are doing it under the supervision of support staff members who have flexibly stepped in to monitor and help them in the process.

This small cohort approach provides us the best possible combination of safety and addressing student needs. Having a minimal number of students on campus allows us space to properly enforce physical distancing while also allowing us to serve our students who need the most support.

“Soquel Notes” page 29

SHOP LOCAL for the HOLIDAYS!

presents

v A ISuAL r TS Network

A CurATeD DIreCTOrY Of SAnTA Cruz COunTY vISuAL ArTISTS

Art on Your Schedule Any Time All Year Long

Find your favorite artists and discover new ones! Return often for updates.

preseNtiNg spoNsor Major spoNsor

ANNOUNCEMENTS

CELEBRATE BEETHOVEN’S 250TH ONLINE CONCERT SERIES Distinguished Artists Concert Series presents Beethoven’s 250th, featuring significant works for his favorite instrument — the piano — will take place at 7 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, Dec. 6-9 online.

This four-day festival features performers who are among the most esteemed interpreters of his music, including pianists Jonathan Biss, Garrick Jonathan Biss Ohlsson, Alon Goldstein and Audrey Vardanega with cellist Tanya Tomkins.

The festival will include favorites like the Pathetique Sonata and Les Adieux, as well as the towering Hammerklavier. The opening concert will begin with remarks from the director of the Center Tanya Tomkins for Beethoven Studies at San Jose State University, Dr. Erica Buurman, and will conclude with a live Q & A session featuring the performers. The schedule is: • Sunday, Dec. 6—Alon Goldstein, piano Garrick Ohlsson • Monday, Dec. 7—Tanya Tomkins, cello, and Audrey Vardanega, piano • Tuesday, Dec. 8—Jonathan Biss, piano • Wednesday, Dec. 9—Garrick Ohlsson, piano The price is $3 in advance or $15 the day of the concert. To RSVP, see https://www.groupmuse.com/events/11193distinguished-artists-presents-beethoven-s-250th-celebration Nonprofit Grey Bears is offering its first drive-through Have a virtual or live event you want to promote? Holiday Dinner at 2710 Chanticleer Ave., Santa Cruz, and the Watsonville Senior Center, 114 E. Fifth St.,

Send your information to info@cyber-times.com by Dec. 14 Watsonville, with requirements for people to sign up in advance at https://www.greybears.org/dinner-2020/ to HOLIDAY WINDOW CONTEST It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Capitola Village, where the holiday window contest is underway and you have a chance to win. Participating stores have a flyer in their window with a code to scan to take you to the voting form or an online address you can type in. The competition runs for 3 weeks with two winners. The winners will get to donate $150 to a charity of their choice. fire resilient and solutions around biomass. Short talks will address broadband access, progress on a vaccine for COVID-19, and the importance of local investing. State Sen. Anna Caballero will address next steps for housing in California. This year’s Community Impact Award goes to leaders who battled 2020’s incredible fire siege. Accepting on behalf of their colleagues are: David Fulcher, CalFire San Benito/ Monterey Unit Chief, Michael Urquides, Monterey Regional Fire Chief, Jonathan Cox, CalFire San Mateo Division deputy chief and Chief Chris Clark of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s choose a 10-minute pickup slot. With 400 requests for Chanticleer, that site is fully booked, and a second day has been added to allow everyone to receive their dinners. Pick-up slots are still available in Watsonville on Dec. 6 by reserving at https:// www.greybears.org/dinner-2020/. The new chef, Matt Hereford, will prepare a delicious, healthy dinner plus dessert, with help from his volunteers. See https://www.greybears.org/after-hours-sale/ Wednesday December 9 DATED EVENTS Office. Tickets are $59. Register at https://attendify.co/WX2UbtG GREY BEARS THRIFT SALE 4-6 p.m., at 2710 Chanticleer Ave., Santa Cruz Wednesday December 2 SIXTH ANNUAL STATE OF THE REGION 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Monterey Bay Economic Partnership Virtual Event Monterey Bay Economic Partnership’s 6th Annual State of the Region will be a virtual event from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 2 Bruce Katz, founding director, Nowak Metro Finance Lab at Drexel University, will share insights on how COVID-19 Thursday December 3 ONLINE ART SALON 6:30 p.m., Pajaro Valley Arts Zoom Showcase Pajaro Valley Arts in Watsonville will host an art salon at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3 on Zoom. Join Heidi Alonzo, Randie Silverstein, and John Babcock who will present their work and processes, including painting, glass, and papermaking. Grey Bears Thrift Store will host its 6th Annual After Hours Holiday Boutique and 50% Off Sale. The shop has one-of-a-kind items, holiday decorations, housewares, furniture, TVs, computers, laptops, audio-video gear, art, knick-knacks, clothing and accessories — plus books, books on CD, DVD & VHS movies, audio CDs. See https://www.greybears.org/after-hours-sale/ has highlighted the power of local communities. He is an expert in shifting demographic and market trends and policies that are critical to metropolitan prosperity. Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82003209226 Meeting ID: 820 0320 9226 • Passcode: artsalon Wednesday December 9 UNDERSTANDING ALZHEIMER’S AND DEMENTIA

Dr. Micah Weinberg, CA Forward CEO, will discuss how Sunday December 6 10:00-11:30 a.m., The Alzheimer’s Association and Salinas California is building an equitable and resilient recovery. Jessica Morse, deputy secretary for forest resources And Sunday December 13 Public Library Webinar Alzheimer’s disease is management at the California Natural Resources Agency, GREY BEARS’ DRIVE-THRU HOLIDAY DINNER PICKUPS not a normal part of will speak on lessons learned from this year’s fire siege, Reserve 10-minute Time Slot in advance, 2710 Chanticleer aging. Learn about the including strategies implemented to make the state more Ave., Santa Cruz and Watsonville Senior Center, 114 E. Fifth St impact of Alzheimer’s;

the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia; stages and risk factors; current research and treatments available for some symptoms; and Alzheimer’s Association resources.

Please call 800.272.3900 or visit tinyurl.com/ UADM120920 to register.

Once you complete registration for the meeting, you will receive an email confirmation with the call-in information and instructions for joining our webinar. This event will be conducted via phone and web meeting.

Friday December 18 thru Sunday December 20

AGAPE DANCE ACADEMY’S NUTCRACKER BALLET 5:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Drive-In Theater Melanie Useldinger, founder of Agape Dance Academy, is staging Nutcracker Ballet, Covid-style, as a movie to be viewed at the Boardwalk drive-in theater shows the evenings of Dec. 18-20. She hopes to create beautiful memories of triumphant times in the challenging year of 2020.

Rebecca Hallock is Clara, Ian McHatton is the Nutcracker Prince and Aly Ely is the Sugar Plum Fairy in this holiday production, which features dozens of dancers as sweets and gingersnaps and the famous Snow Waltz and Waltz of the Flowers. Rebecca Hallock is Clara, Ian McHatton is the Nutcracker Prince and Aly Ely is the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Agape Ballet’s 2020 Nutcracker movie.

Showtimes will be 5:30 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets, which are $45 per car at www.agapedance.com, will benefit Jacob’s Heart and Agape Dance Foundation Inc.

Monday January 4

SUPERVISORS SWEAR IN Time and Location TBA The swearing-in of the newest member of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors is slated for Monday, Jan. 4, with the time and location to be announced.

Manu Koenig, elected to represent the First District, begins serving at noon that day, succeeding John Leopold, who held the post for 12 years. The election results were expected to be certified by County Clerk Gail Pellerin by Nov. 26. n

“Soquel Notes” from page 27

At one point earlier this year, when the COVID-19 case rate had decreased, we had hoped for the possibility of implementing a hybrid learning model in January.

A hybrid model would increase the number of students receiving in-person learning on any one day to approximately 50% of a school’s enrollment. As you know, though, case rates have since significantly increased. At the time of writing this article, our county was in the Purple, or Widespread, Tier on the Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

Given that we are approaching winter, cold and flu season, and the holidays, it is no longer realistic to transition to a hybrid model of instruction in January. We will continue to be in a distance learning environment in January.

We are staying the course on two essential items. First, we are staying the course with our small student cohorts that are currently in place. Secondly, we are staying the course on the planning of hybrid

“Love You Madly” from page 24

Since Love You Madly launched in September, performances from more than 50 artists have been shared to raise awareness and funds.

“This streaming event continues that work, kicking it up a notch with incredible music from a new collection of artists with hearts as big as their talent” said Jon Luini, producer of Love You Madly with co-producer Matthew Swinnerton. “We recognize the arts as a critical tool to supporting those impacted by the fires and all of this music is just one representation of the outpouring instruction. We will take all the stakeholder survey data we have collected and build our hybrid program’s details. This way, we can continue to monitor the Blueprint for a Safer Economy and be ready to implement our hybrid program when it is safe to do so.

For all of us in society, 2020 has indeed been a challenge,and school districts are no different. I want our community to know that we have approached this challenge by identifying our families’ basic needs and how to address them.

We have always put the safety of our students and staff first. We have balanced the need for physical safety with the equity-based need to serve small cohorts of students inperson. We are committed to implementing a hybrid model of instruction when it is safe to do so. I wish all of our students could be back on campus now. They are the reason all of us got into are in the field of education. n •••

Scott J. Turnbull is superintendent of

Soquel Union Elementary School District. of love and support for our community. It’s really incredible to see these artists take time to share personal messages along with their music. It helps to lift spirits, raise funds that go directly into helping the long road to recovery, but especially makes for a great virtual concert to enjoy!”

“Santa Cruz County has been a haven and inspiration for musicians, artists, poets, and storytellers for generations,” said Susan True, Community Foundation Santa Cruz County CEO. We are grateful to all of the artists that are contributing their hearts and art to this fundraiser, and to the community of listeners who are giving so generously.” n

425 Encinal Street Santa Cruz, CA 95060 kirby.org

Empowering Students to Shape Their Futures with Confidence

Continuity of education is a top priority for Kirby. Ask us about our increased commitment to Tuition Assistance. Contact our Admissions Office to help you through the application process (831) 423-0658 x 202 or email admissions@kirby.org. KIRBY.ORG