Watch the Campbell Union School District Superintendent's 9/17/21 Backyard Briefing.
Topics include:
• Staffing shortages - Seeking Guest Teachers (subs) and others
• Free COVID-19 testing 7 days/week
• Supply chain delays also impact schools
Use the Youtube settings for closed captions in English or Spanish.
Classrooms across the district tuned in to the 2021-22 Wonder Wednesday series this week and developed a clearer picture of how different school is now compared to decades past. The monthly series will also support student teams that participate in the 2021-22 Design Challenge in which students will create exhibits to display at the Campbell History Museum in April.
In the September 15 episode, Campbell History Museum Director Kerry Perkins shared photos showing what schools were like when the district was formed over 100 years ago. She described how rural this region was and how schools grew from one-room school houses where students from all grades were together with one teacher into bigger schools with a room and teacher for each grade.
Campbell Union School District Superintendent, Dr. Shelly Viramontez, spoke about her experience in the district, which began as a kindergarten student in the late 1960s.
With photos, she described the differences between what going to school was like for her versus what students experience today.
“We didn’t sit on balls or have furniture that could be moved around easily. We sat in rows at our desks and moving around was frowned upon,” she said. She added that students didn’t use Chromebooks or apps. “Our technology was a pencil.”
Wonder Wednesdays are a monthly online feature aimed at inspiring students’ curiosity and creativity. Information is online at https://cusd.link/3zbt0dr.
Save the Date! CUSD Centennial Celebration!
Saturday, April 30, 2022
Featuring Students’ Design Challenge Exhibits in Campbell History Museum
Student Art and Music Performances
Downtown Campbell Concert (with two professional bands)
On September 2nd, the Campbell Union School District Governing Board unanimously adopted a new policy mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for employees by October 4th.
“The vaccines are safe,” said Board President Richard Nguyen, “and we have a responsibility to provide a safe and meaningful educational experience to our students—most of whom are not yet able to be vaccinated.”
Under the new policy, all full and part-time employees, interns, volunteers, and contract workers must obtain all applicable doses of the COVID-19 vaccine or obtain an approved exemption as an accommodation. Employees who have a qualified disability and/or medical condition, and/or who object based on sincerely held religious beliefs may request an exemption.
More than 95 percent of Campbell Union School District’s employees are vaccinated.
“Vaccinations are the number one way to protect our students and each other,” said District Superintendent Shelly Viramontez. “That’s why we’ve provided space at our schools for community partners to offer vaccine clinics and make vaccine access easier for our families and staff.”
Supportive colleagues. Competitive pay. Safe work environment.
There is an informational meeting for those interested in applying for a vacancy on the Campbell Union School District Governing Board. The opening occurred due to the resignation of Board Member Pablo A. Beltran, Trustee Area 3, effective August 5, 2021.
The meeting will be held Mon., Sept. 13, 2021, at 6:00 p.m., at the District administration office, 155 N. 3rd St., Campbell.
Information will include the role and responsibility of a Governing Board member, and applications will be available. Application deadline is September 16, 2021 at 3 p.m. It is the Governing Board's hope to fill this vacancy with an applicant who lives in Trustee Area 3.
On September 7, 1921, the 1921-22 school year opened in the newly formed Campbell Union School District. Four separate school districts—Hamilton, San Tomas, Meridian and Campbell—combined into one that today serves families living in parts of Campbell, Los Gatos, Monte Serno, San Jose, Santa Clara and Saratoga.
Throughout this 2021-22 school year, we will have a special focus on honoring the past, celebrating the present, and designing a successful future with and for our students. Our monthly Wonder Wednesday program will feature presentations and interviews with people who know the district’s history and who can help Design Challenge teams create exhibits destined for display in the Campbell History Museum.
Visit the Centennial Web Page!
Educating students to their highest potential is our core mission. It is a long-standing tradition in Campbell Union School District that thrives today and will continue for generations to come.
Fun Fact: What year did Campbell Grammar School Open?
Campbell Grammar School opened in 1922 on the site that is now the Heritage Village, on the corner of Campbell Ave. and Winchester Blvd., in Campbell.
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on schools and students are many. Educators and children’s health professionals agree that the greatest needs for students are supplemental instruction, access to meals, and support for social and emotional well-being.
“We’re excited to be able to offer the kinds of support that our community said they need,” said Whitney Holton, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services. “This grant makes it possible to offer a range of supplemental support to our students participating in in-person instruction.”
To address those needs, Campbell Union School District secured a $4.3 million one-time Expanded Learning Opportunity (ELO) grant from the California Department of Education. The money is restricted and may be used only for the following purposes:
“We looked at feedback from students, staff and families in order to design a plan tailored to the needs of our own students,” Whitney Holton, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services. “The result for the 2021-22 school year is a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) that schools can access to meet the needs of their respective communities.”
For example:
The grant also paid for expanded summer programs, including:
The district received feedback through its annual ThoughtExchange online conversation, the Panorama survey of students and staff, responses to questionnaires related to reopening schools, meetings with advisory committees of parents and teachers, and public input at board meetings.
“We are interested in what our stakeholders think about how the programs are working and what other needs they see for our students,” said Superintendent Shelly Viramontez. “After the programs are fully operational we will seek additional input from them.”
This year, Campbell Union School District is celebrating 100 years of educating the elementary and middle school students of this community—a community that includes parts of Campbell, San Jose, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Los Gatos and Santa Clara. The District was formed in 1921 when four districts merged into one.
Educating Campbell Union School District students to their highest potential is a long-standing tradition that thrives today and will continue for generations to come.
Throughout this 2021-22 school year, we will have a special focus on honoring the past, celebrating the present, and designing a successful future with and for our students. We invite our alumni, retirees, and all members of the community to be part of celebrating this centennial with us.
To stay informed of activities and to share your stories, photos and expertise, please visit our centennial web page.
For schools, education is job one, and providing a safe learning environment for students and staff is essential. Our partnerships with public health professionals and with families help us to stay informed as new information and opportunities for maintaining safety arise. Following are a few of the recent updates.
No-cost COVID-19 Tests for Students
As an additional layer of protection, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends screening testing in schools to stop the spread of the virus and prevent outbreaks. Campbell Union School District has partnered with professional testing experts at Grapefruit Testing to conduct no-cost COVID-19 screening tests of students and staff at our schools.
All students will require parent/guardian permission to participate. Information and consent forms were emailed to families this week, and printed copies can be obtained from the school office. The links are also provided below.
We encourage families to complete the consent form and submit it directly to Grapefruit Testing so that your student may participate in this important on site, health screening opportunity. This testing will also allow us to test students who may qualify for a modified quarantine.
The following links will provide more details about the testing opportunity.
COVID Web Page and Safety Plan Updates
Information about the testing program and other safety measures is available on our COVID-19 Resources web page. Recent updates to the COVID-19 page and the Safe School Opening Plan include:
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every facet of our society, leaving many employee positions unfilled, creating shortages in key supplies, and taxing the nerves of even the most sanguine people. Our students rely on the adults in their lives to persevere calmly and continue weighing the benefits and risks as we decide what is best for them. It is our hope that this information will help.
While air quality in our own community remained in the good to moderate zones, and students were able to be outside, many wondered how schools would manage COVID safety if the air quality worsens for us.
Local conditions with COVID and air quality are key as school administrators navigate safe operations on campus each day. The Airnow.gov website allows us to see local Air Quality Index (AQI) levels and the recommended actions for each level.
As the chart on the the Airnow.gov site shows:
We work with Santa Clara County Public Health Department (SCCPHD) to manage the health impacts between poor air quality and COVID-19.
While in classrooms, the hospital grade (MERV 13) air filters in our ventilation systems are able to trap 90 percent of particulates from smoky outside air. The settings allow maximum outdoor airflow as a COVID mitigation strategy. If adjustments to the classroom airflow system is recommended, such as closing doors and windows, they will be communicated to staff and families.
Our office staff provides teachers with notifice of all asthmatic students in their class so they can check in with these students during poor air quality days.
The Public Health Department has shared with us that our ventilation system, and masking allow for any instances that may require bringing all activities indoors. If we are required to have students eat indoors, we will work with our school staff to allow 6 feet between students as much as is practicable.
As we have done since the beginning, we will work with public health officials to balance the health needs related to bad air with the mitigation strategies for preventing COVID-19. Our decisions will be based on local conditions and under the guidance of experts in these areas.
