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  • PCS Holiday Fun Run Reminder - Registration due Nove...

    Hello PCS Community, This is a reminder that all students, families, and staff are invited to join us for our first ever 1 mile/5K/10K Family Holiday Fun Run on December 11th! This run will take place at Shollenberger Park and Ellis Creek. Our 1 mile will begin at 8:30 AM with the 5K and 10K beginning at 9 AM. Orange Theory will be leading a warm-up starting at 8:00 AM. If you or a family member are interested in participating, please complete the registration form by November 1st for each participant. If you are interested in volunteering for this event, or if you have any questions, please contact Gina Roberts at groberts@petk12.org.

    Monday, Oct 25 2021

  • All Schools Open: Monday, October 25, 2021

    PCS Families, I hope that you are all staying dry and warm on this wet weekend! Given the extraordinary amount of rain we received this weekend, I spent some time this afternoon visiting several of our schools. Our fabulous maintenance team has been out to all schools and given the information we have at this point, all PCS schools and offices will be open as usual tomorrow: Monday, October 25, 2021.  The weather forecast is for continued rain until the morning, at which point the rain is predicted to stop. If there is a significant change to the weather that would require us to close schools, an additional message will go out by 6:00 AM. See you all on campus tomorrow! Thank you, Matthew Harris, Superintendent Petaluma City Schools [Monday, Oct 25 at 5:53 AM] PCS Families, This is a quick update to last night’s message to let you know PCS will be open as usual today, Monday October 25th. The most recent weather forecast calls for the rain to stop early this morning. If you are driving to school from a far distance outside of Petaluma, please be extra careful on the roads. Thank you, Matthew Harris, Superintendent Petaluma City Schools

    Monday, Oct 25 2021

  • PJHS Bomb Threat 10/22/21 Cleared - Community Message

    Dear Petaluma City School Community, After a meticulous search of the Petaluma Junior High School (PJHS) campus, Petaluma Police Department and California Highway Patrol have deemed the campus safe for students to return to class. All schools remain in session and dismissal will be at the regularly-scheduled times.   We know that our community is feeling anxious about this incident. As this is an ongoing investigation, if you or someone you know has any information regarding this threat, please contact the district immediately.  As always the safety of our students is our priority. Thank you for your continued support.

    Friday, Oct 22 2021

  • PJHS Bomb Threat Community Message

    Dear PCS Community   We just received an anonymous bomb threat through our StopIt Reporting App at PJHS. We are working closely with the Petaluma Police Department, and they are actively investigating the threat.  We have safely moved students from the campus classrooms and have deployed CHP bomb-sniffing dogs to search the campus.  When the campus is cleared by law enforcement, students will return to class and we will resume school. We will have additional counselors to support student anxiety caused by this situation. We remain vigilant, take any and all threats seriously, and will continue to work closely with law enforcement to ensure that our school is a safe place. If you or someone you know has any information regarding this threat, please contact the school immediately.     We will notify you when law enforcement has cleared the building and students and staff return to the building. As always, thank you for your partnership. [Friday, Oct 22 at 11:52 AM] Dear PCS Community, The bomb threat that took place this morning was for Petaluma Junior High School only. This remains an active investigation and we will inform you when the search is complete. Thank you so much for your ongoing support.

    Friday, Oct 22 2021

  • Digital Citizenship Week: October 25-29, 2021

    Digital Citizenship Week October 25-29, 2021   What is Digital Citizenship?  Digital Citizenship is all about how to be responsible, safe and effective on the internet and digital devices.  Learning never stops, and neither does digital citizenship. Teaching our students digital skills and inviting them to reflect on how media and technology affect their daily lives is essential to helping them connect with the world around them. Digital Citizenship week puts a spotlight on these essential life skills and is meant to kick-off the ongoing exploration of digital citizenship. Resources for Families Common Sense Education is a research-based organization that provides media reviews and guidance for families and educators.  They have created the following conversation starters to support Digital Citizenship conversations in the home setting.  Please use these resources to explore Digital Citizenship with your student(s). K–2 Packet: English | Spanish 3–5 Packet: English | Spanish 6–8 Packet: English | Spanish 9–12 Packet: English | Spanish Resources for Educators Common Sense Education also has created a research-based Digital Citizenship curriculum for educators.  Educators are encouraged to use these lessons to explore the topic of Digital Citizenship in the classroom. Grade Specific Lesson Plans K, 1, 2 9, 10 3, 4 7, 8 5, 6 11, 12 Additional Internet Safety Resources Internet Filtering and Monitoring Petaluma City Schools provides filtered internet access to students that is monitored and CIPA compliant .  These filters are configured at the device and network levels so that student devices remain filtered on or off campus; and access for high school students who bring their own devices is filtered.  If you have any questions or concerns about content that your student can access on their PCS device, please submit a ticket through the web form at petk12.freshdesk.com , or by sending an email to helpdesk@petk12.org . Please include the following: Student’s full name Student ID number School Preferred contact information A thorough description of the content, including the URL or search terms Parent Restrictions on iPads The iPads issued to PCS students in grades K-6 include an option for parents to set additional restrictions through the Screen Time settings.  Below are some articles from Apple on how to configure these settings: Use parental controls on your child's iPad (English) Use parental controls on your child's iPad (Spanish) Please note that PCS Technology may need to override parent restrictions if they prevent access to learning resources. Cyber  Safety from FamilyZone Petaluma City Schools has partnered with Family Zone , a leading provider of cyber safety products and education, to create an educational hub for parents and teachers.   Family Zone offers similar resources to Common Sense Education with additional tools for supervising your child's personal devices. October 21, 2021

    Thursday, Oct 21 2021

  • PCS Newsletter 10/15/21

    PCS Newsletter Dear PCS Community, As our Petaluma evenings cool down and our mornings make us want to stay under cozy covers for just a few more minutes, it’s become clear that Sonoma Fall is officially here. I recently came across an article about the Barrón family , who was recognized by Parents Magazine as the “kindest family in America.” The family started a “Kindness Club,” whose mission is to “spread kindness in their daily lives.” Not only was this a compelling and timely read, it made me reflect on how I can lead with kindness in daily interactions. I hope that you enjoy the article as much as I did. I wanted to share a couple of shout-outs this month. First of all, to the teachers, staff, administration, families, and students past and present at the Petaluma Accelerated Charter School at McKinley (PACS).   PACS was just recognized by US News and World Report as the “ #1 Ranked Middle School ” in the State of California . We are so proud to have this school and this dedicated group of educators in our District. Congratulations, PACS! I also want to recognize PCS educator Danielle Kennedy, who was recently named as Sonoma County’s 2021 Teacher of the Year . Ms. Kennedy teaches in our South County Consortium, and we are honored to call her our colleague. Ms. Kennedy’s application has now been submitted for consideration as the California Teacher of the Year. Congratulations, Ms. Kennedy! I have enjoyed the conversations with staff and families during my first two Superintendent Office Hours at Grant and McDowell. Besides discussing our current District Goals and Objectives , we have discussed what is working well, constructive feedback, and what sort of District and programs we want for our children. You can find a  list of dates and locations for future Superintent office hours on our website   - I hope to see you at your child’s site in the near future. This month, we are asking to hear from our families with young children to make sure that the programs we offer at the elementary level are in line with what you hope your children will experience in our schools. Please take a moment to respond to this brief PCS Program Interest Survey , as your input will help drive future planning for our schools. To complete the survey in Spanish , select Spanish from the drop-down menu on the top right-hand corner of the survey. In partnership, Matthew Harris Superintendent, Petaluma City Schools COVID-19 Updates It has come to our attention that some families have questions about how to report a positive COVID case. Keeping our school community safe is a shared commitment and it is very important that you alert your school site about a positive diagnosis right away so that we can take immediate and important steps to keep the rest of our school community safe. When you receive positive test results from any COVID test (i.e. PCR, rapid/antigen, or at-home test), please alert your school site immediately. A school nurse will follow up with you to learn more details about your case (e.g. date of test/symptoms onset, etc.) and provide you with specific information from the Public Health Department regarding next steps and quarantine periods. If there are any siblings in the home, each sibling is considered a close contact of a confirmed positive case. Therefore, please do not send unvaccinated siblings to school after you have received a positive test result. The school nurse will provide you with information and instructions for all other members of the household. As importantly, we understand that a positive diagnosis for COVID-19 can cause emotional, physical, and financial stress, not to mention, a significant disruption for everyone in your household. Please remember that there are free County resources are available to support you and your family. You can find out more about those services on the County of Sonoma website . If you have any difficulty accessing these resources, please do not hesitate to contact the PCS COVID Coordinator, Brian Dufour, at bdufour@petk12.org or 707-778-4626. Complete the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III Survey We are working on developing programs and supports to address students' academic, social-emotional, and mental health needs. Additionally, we want to address the academic impact of lost instructional time and any gaps in students' learning. As such, we would like to gather more input from our community. Please take a few minutes to complete the very brief ESSER III Survey . There is more information about ESSER III in these Google Slides . Help Your School Receive Funding We need your help to ensure that schools receive important federal and/or state funding. All you need to do is complete one form and you can potentially provide our schools with an extra $1,700 per student!  To complete the form online, go to Titan School Solutions and click “Apply For Meals Today,” find Petaluma City Schools, and complete the form. Once you finish, you're done! All information submitted as part of these forms is confidential and your social security number is not required. You can also find more information about completing the form, including printable versions, on the PCS Food Services Website . Free Access for Students to Tutoring, Electronic Resources, and More Every Petaluma City Schools student now has a Student OneCard public library account! Students can use their PCS student ID number as a Sonoma County Library account. With this, students can: Access 50+ electronic resources 24/7 Check out up to 10 books at a time from the public library without worrying about fines Get free online tutoring in English and Spanish And more Find out more about Student OneCards on the Sonoma County Library website . Make a Difference for Children in our Community: Career Opportunities with PCS Have you ever thought about working in education and making a difference in the lives of children in our community? Consider a job with us at Petaluma City Schools! We have multiple openings in a variety of jobs throughout the District, including full-time and part-time opportunities. For us to best serve students, we need the community's help in getting fully staffed. Please share this information widely! We have both full-time and flexible, part-time positions available. You can find a list of our open positions on EdJoin . Check out this week's highlighted jobs below. Executive Assistant, Superintendent’s Office Elementary Teacher Instructional Assistant Special Education (RSP) - McDowell Elementary Cafeteria Assistant II - Petaluma High School Wellness Corner Substance-Abuse Support for Teens PCS and our community-based organizations are collaborating to address the current opioid/fentanyl crisis that impacts the youth in our community. To address our students' needs, PCS is partnering with Narcotic Anonymous to start a substance abuse support group at our high schools. Our district is also planning opioid/fentanyl overdose and general drug prevention parent information nights. Here are some Narcan resources to help prevent fentanyl overdoses in our community. How to Use NARCAN Video How to get NARCAN   Find NARCAN Near You Student Voice Forums November 16, 2021 at 6:00 PM via Zoom. Recently, the Sonoma County Office of Education organized a Student Voice Forum in an attempt to understand a variety of perspectives on our schools. In the same vein, PCS is organizing secondary student voice forums to allow students to share their life experiences with our community of learners. The first of these student forums will take place on November 16, 2021 at 6:00 PM and will highlight our Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) students. If you are a student who is interested in sitting on the panel and sharing your thoughts, please contact our District Wellness Coordinator, Jimena Gomez, at jgomez@petk12.org . Student and Family Engagement Parent Nights: Boundary Setting Come learn about the importance of setting boundaries, independence, types of boundaries, communication, setting limits, and barriers. Elementary Parent Night (TK-6): Nov. 2nd, 6:00-7:30 PM via Zoom Secondary Parent Night (7-12): Nov. 3rd, 6:00-7:30 PM via Zoom   Upcoming Events Community Watershed Clean-up : Nov. 13, 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM at Penry Park PCS Family Holiday Fun Run 1 mile/5K/10K : Dec. 11 - Shollenberger Park/Ellis Creek - Register here (please complete one per participant) - More details coming soon! Social Media In September, the Devious Lick TikTok Challenge emerged with students across the nation engaging in various levels of vandalism at their school campuses. PCS school sites experienced the effects of this vandalism. The “Slap a Teacher” Challenge launched this month and encourages students to slap a teacher or staff member and run away, all while ensuring the action is caught on camera. As a District, we will never condone acts of violence. Any assault on District staff will carry significant consequences, which will result in home suspension, possible expulsion from the District, and the potential active pursuit of criminal charges with law enforcement involvement. We ask that all families talk to your student(s) about why engaging in these challenges is wrong, and discuss the consequences of participating in them. More information about these challenges and the dangers associated with them may be found in this safety guide . For your reference, below is the list of monthly TikTok challenges: October: Smack a staff member November: Kiss your friend’s girlfriend at school December: Deck the halls and show your b**** January: Jab a breast February: Mess up school signs March: Make a mess in the courtyard or cafeteria April: “Grab some eggz” (another stealing challenge) May: Ditch day June: Flip off in the front office July: Spray a neighbor’s fence We appreciate your partnership as we work to keep our community and schools safe and positive places for learning and personal growth. Community Corner Drug Take Back Day - PPD Drive Thru The Petaluma Police Department (PPD) and the Sonoma County Department of Health Services are hosting an expired prescription drug drop off on October 23rd from 10 AM - 2 PM at the PPD station. With the onset of the pandemic, there has been an increase in calls for services related to drug overdose and addiction, especially related to minors. Studies indicate that a majority of abused prescription drugs come from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets, so clearing out unused medicine is essential. Please wear a mask and stay in your car during the drive thru. To learn more about Take Back Day locations in Sonoma County, please visit the DEAs Take Back website , or call 800-882-9539. You can also find information about Year-Round Prescription Disposal Boxes here . For questions about the PPD's Drive thru, contact jpritchard@cityofpetaluma.org . Free Opportunities for Students Click on the links below for information on some free opportunities for students. Girls Tinker Academy Winter Break Program - Applications Due Oct. 29 Splash at Berkeley - For 9th-12th graders - Registration Due Oct. 28 [Monday, Oct 18 at 9:06 AM] Hello PCS Community! A quick update to the Wellness Corner portion of this message: We have been informed that the "Find NARCAN Near You" link went to a Washington State resource website. As such, here is a website that has a map of the US, including California resources: https://harmreduction.org/resource-center/harm-reduction-near-you/

    Friday, Oct 15 2021

  • Free Entry to State Parks

    Hello 4th Grade Community! We wanted to let you know about the California State Park Adventure Pass, which provides free entry for fourth graders and their families at 19 state parks throughout California. This pass is through the California Department of Parks and Recreation,  not Petaluma City Schools. For more information, go to the  CA Parks and Recreation website . For those who speak Spanish, the Parks Department has staff who can help you in Spanish, just call 1-800-444-7275.

    Friday, Oct 08 2021

  • Upcoming Classified Job Fair - 10/11/21

    Have you ever thought about working in education and making a difference in the lives of children in our community? Consider a job with us at Petaluma City Schools! We will be hosting an In-person Job Fair on October 11th from 3-6 PM in the Family Resource Center at McDowell Elementary , located at 421 S. McDowell Blvd. This job fair is for all classified positions, including bus drivers, food services staff, instructional assistants, and more! You can find a list of all of our open classified positions on EdJoin here . We have both full-time as well as flexible, part-time positions. For us to best serve students, we need the community's help in getting fully staffed. If you aren't looking for yourself, share this information with someone you know!  Please wear a mask and bring your resume— we hope to see you there!

    Tuesday, Oct 05 2021

  • PCS Newsletter 10-1-21

    PCS Newsletter Dear PCS Community, It is hard to believe that October is already here! I want to start by highlighting and echoing our county Superintendent Dr. Steve Herrington’s call for civility and kindness within our schools and community . As a community still grappling with the aftershocks of local fires and an ongoing pandemic, there is an overwhelming sense of frustration, worry, and exhaustion that is taking a toll on each and every one of us. I couldn’t agree more with Dr. Herrington when he states: “we are stronger when we are unified” and “let us find ways to disagree respectfully while working towards common solutions.” In these moments, we need to support one another in assuming best intent and modeling civility, as fellow Petalumans. With the California Department of Public Health’s foundational principle of ensuring that “ all students must have access to safe and full in-person instruction and to as much instructional time as possible ” in mind, our sole reliance on PCR tests and Valencia Branch Labs has caused students to miss too many days of school when the testing process takes longer than it should. We are exploring a number of options to remedy this situation as quickly as possible. For now, we wanted to let you know that after much consideration, we are working to introduce the updated Abbot BinaxNow Rapid Antigen Tests into our COVID-19 testing ecosystem . The greatest benefit of the rapid antigen test is that it is fast, typically providing results in 15 minutes, and therefore offers us more control in our overall efforts to keep non-infectious students in school. PCR tests are still a critical component to keeping school communities safe and will certainly remain a fundamental aspect of our testing strategy. However, our goal is to keep students safe and in school, so we also want to be sure we are leveraging every option available to us to complement our PCR testing program. There will be more details to follow in the coming weeks but, for now I wanted to notify you that we are actively pursuing adding Abbott BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen tests to our testing strategy. On a personal note, I am happy to announce that my family welcomed our fifth child on August 24th. Gianna Colette is now five weeks old and both she and my wife are healthy and doing well. While there is not a lot of sleep at our house, it’s such a joy to be home with my five member “basketball team'' and to see all our children together. As I come out of the fog of having a 5-week-old baby, I want to invite you to attend Superintendent Office Hours at your site. My hope is to have a candid conversation with you, the PCS community, about all the great things happening at each site as well as any constructive feedback you may have for the District. I am interested in hearing specifically about what is working for our students and what we can do differently to serve them better. On your site’s designated day, I’d like to invite teachers and staff to come and share their feedback from 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM and then parents and community members from 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM. Please see below for a list of dates and locations for these office hours. I hope to see you there. In partnership, Matthew Harris Superintendent, Petaluma City Schools    Superintendent Office Hours 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM (staff) / 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM (students and families) Date   Site Location on campus Monday, October 4th Grant Picnic tables in the amphitheater Monday, October 11th San Antonio / Valley Oaks Picnic tables in the quad Wednesday, October 13th McDowell Picnic tables Tuesday, October 19th McNear Picnic tables in front of the multi Wednesday, October 20th Petaluma Junior Picnic tables in the quad Monday, October 25th McKinley / PACS at McKinley Picnic tables in the garden Wednesday, October 27th Penngrove Picnic tables in the garden Monday, November 1st Casa Grande / Sonoma Mountain OLE Garden Wednesday, November 3rd Petaluma High / Carpe Diem Picnic tables in the main quad Monday, November 8th Kenilworth Junior Multi-use room/ just outside multi. Wednesday, November 17th Valley Vista Patio near the pumpkin patch---enter thru red gate at front office Monday, November 29th Adult Ed and all non-PCS sites of our South County Consortium program (to be held at the Family Resource Center at McDowell School) McD Cluster, Room A3 Tuesday, November 30th Cherry Valley Tables to the right of the Lodge or TBA if raining- maybe in the Lodge COVID-19 Updates Our COVID testing site at the District Office has officially been open for two weeks and while our earnest hope is that it has offered some help and support to families and staff, we acknowledge that testing delays have kept students out of school. Superintendent Harris’ update outlines a number of steps we are taking to improve this experience for students, staff and families, but we also want to provide some information on the current testing environment and other options. Since testing appointments have been difficult to get in our county recently, we set up testing at our District Office . Tests administered at the district office before 12:00 PM are sent to Valencia Branch Labs for processing via overnight delivery. The lab then typically provides test results via text and/or email 24 - 48 hours, after receiving the sample . While we have done our best to make testing accessible, we cannot necessarily offer you the quickest turnaround times.   For potentially quicker alternatives, in the COVID Hub on our website there is an icon entitled COVID-19 Testing and Tracing in Sonoma County . This is a link to the County website, which has information on free testing and a calendar of testing sites and hours each day. Some of the providers listed there, like Molecular Matrix, guarantee delivery of results by midnight the day following the test. You can schedule an appointment directly through that site and they may be a quicker, more reliable alternative. We are trying to implement testing strategies that will keep our school community safe while getting kids back to school as quickly as possible, including the use of BinaxNow Rapid Antigen Tests. In the meantime, we want you to be aware of our testing solution as well as its limitations so that you can take advantage of an option that will best serve you. Online School Menus We want to make sure all of our families are aware that school lunch and breakfast menus are always available online. You can find them using this direct link to our Online Menus or by going to any school or District website, clicking on the Food Services button, and then clicking on the Menus button. ( How to Find Online Menus for PCS Video ) Please note that the menus are subject to change based on availability. Upcoming Classified Job Fair - 10/11/21 Have you ever thought about working in education and making a difference in the lives of children in our community? Consider a job with us at Petaluma City Schools! We will be hosting an In-person Job Fair on October 11th from 3-6 PM in the Family Resource Center at McDowell Elementary , located at 421 S. McDowell Blvd. This job fair is for all classified positions, including bus drivers, food services staff, instructional assistants, and more! You can find a list of all of our open classified positions on EdJoin here . We have both full-time as well as flexible, part-time positions. For us to best serve students, we need the community's help in getting fully staffed. If you aren't looking for yourself, share this information with someone you know! Please wear a mask and bring your resume— we hope to see you there! PCS Student and Family Engagement Upcoming Events Click the links below for more information Elementary Parent Night (TK-6): Boundary Setting Webinar Secondary (7-12) Parent Night: Boundary Setting Webinar PCS Community Watershed Clean-up Save the Date: December 11th - PCS Family Holiday Fun Run 1 mile/5K/10K at Shollenberger Park and Ellis Creek Please use the Student and Family Engagement Ideas Form to share any ideas that you would like us to consider for student and family engagement. These events should be for the whole district, all elementary, or all secondary. Contact Gina Roberts at groberts@petk12.org with any questions. Elementary Soccer League We are in full soccer mode and the kids are already building their soccer skills! Staff BBQ PCS staff joined together at Stafford Lake this past weekend to build community and enjoy some time as a District-wide staff. Thank you to all staff and family members who were able to join us! Wellness Corner Welcome! My name is Jimena Gomez, your new Wellness Coordinator. I am a Petaluma resident and was a student in Petaluma City Schools. I attended both KJHS and CGHS and graduated from California State University, East Bay with a BA in Business Administration before working as an Event Coordinator for the San Mateo Sheriff's Office where I coordinated family and law enforcement community engagement. I also worked as the Deputy Director for non-profit Bay Area Gardener Scholarship Foundation, where I managed the scholarship program and educational events for low-income families. Most recently, I worked for the City of Oakland in their Finance Department. I am English/Spanish bilingual. In my new role as your Wellness Coordinator, I hope to bring resources and support to our students, families, and staff by working with community-based organizations in order to develop a system of support for our community. Student Voice Forums Recently, the Sonoma County Office of Education organized Student Voice Forums in an attempt to understand a variety of perspectives on our schools. In the same vein, PCS is organizing several secondary student voice forums to allow students to share their life experiences with our community of learners. Our first of several student forums will take place on November 16, 2021 at 6:00 PM and will highlight our Black Indegenous People of Color (BIPOC) students. These forums are a great venue to hear directly from our BIPOC student community. If you are a student who is interested in sitting on the panel and sharing your thoughts, please contact our District Wellness Coordinator, Jimena Gomez, at jgomez@petk12.org . Parent Workshops Are you looking for support and parenting ideas? The following free online workshops are sponsored by the Child Parent Institute (CPI) in the coming weeks: Disciplina Positiva  : Martes 5-19 de octubre, 3 sesiones, 6:00 - 8:00 PM.  Parenting and Coping with Stress - Tuesday, October 5-26, 4 Sessions, 6:00 - 7:30 PM Mindfulness for Families - Tuesday, October 12 - November 16, 6 Sessions, 5:00 - 7:00 PM More information and helpful workshops found on the CPI website . In the News: Casa Grande Students Help Save Endangered Coho Salmon Students at Casa Grande stepped up to help rescue endangered Coho Salmon! Wildlife officials have moved several thousand coho to Casa's state-of-the-art, student-run fish hatchery, which promotes environmental awareness and activism through hands-on habitat restoration. This week, ABC7 News came by to see the hatchery and interview students about the experience. Check out the San Francisco Chronicle's article and/or the ABC7 News piece to find out more! On top of that, when the President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and other AFT officers and members came to visit our schools last month, the group captured some of what they saw on film and made this wonderful video about both the Petaluma Wildlife Museum and the Casa Grande hatchery . New Electric Buses Check out the new electric school buses we have in our fleet! Petaluma City Schools was awarded nearly $1M in funding through the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust for California to purchase five all-electric, zero-emission school buses. The district has already taken delivery of three electric buses, two with capacity for 78 students and one for 66 students. One of the buses is currently transporting students to and from the Coast Guard Base in West Petaluma. The remaining two buses will accommodate students with wheelchair needs and are expected to arrive before the end of the year. Driver training is already under way. Electric buses will be added to more routes as more electric buses are delivered to the district and drivers receive training. A second grant has been secured through the Bay Area Air Quality Management District that provides funding for 12 more electric buses this year, plus the infrastructure to support them. These two programs have helped the district transition from old, polluting diesel school buses to zero-emissions vehicles, improving the health of our community by limiting the exposure to transportation-related air pollution and building a greener environment. In addition to health and environmental benefits, we expect a savings of up to 80% in fuel and up to 50% in maintenance costs over traditional diesel-powered buses. A big thank you and congratulations to Marcia Short, Director of Transportation, and Chief Business Official, Chris Thomas, for all their hard work to secure these grants! Sonoma County Kids Gran Fondo Please see the message below from Petaluma Active 20-30 #30 about this year's Sonoma County Kids Gran Fondo. The Sonoma County Kids Gran Fondo is a bike race for kids. Each year, through kid-activated fundraising and the community effort of Petaluma and the surrounding area, the Fondo raises money for local families of children dealing with life-threatening illnesses or disabilities- We call these brave kids our Heroes. You can find out how to participate and learn more about our heroes (both are seniors in high school this year) on the Sonoma County Kids Gran Fondo webpage . Student Accident & Sickness Insurance Renewal – 2021-2022 School Year The safety of our students is of critical importance to all of us and we want to protect them from injury. Even so, accidents do happen at school and elsewhere and required medical care can be expensive. Please know that your school does not assume responsibility for such costs, but does offer you access to several student accident insurance plans for voluntary purchase. Details about Student Accident & Sickness Insurance can be found in the Current Families section of our website . Check Us Out on Social Media Facebook • Instagram • Twitter • YouTube

    Friday, Oct 01 2021

  • PCS Newsletter 10/1/21

    PCS Newsletter Dear PCS Community, It is hard to believe that October is already here! I want to start by highlighting and echoing our county Superintendent Dr. Steve Herrington’s call for civility and kindness within our schools and community . As a community still grappling with the aftershocks of local fires and an ongoing pandemic, there is an overwhelming sense of frustration, worry, and exhaustion that is taking a toll on each and every one of us. I couldn’t agree more with Dr. Herrington when he states: “we are stronger when we are unified” and “let us find ways to disagree respectfully while working towards common solutions.” In these moments, we need to support one another in assuming best intent and modeling civility, as fellow Petalumans. With the California Department of Public Health’s foundational principle of ensuring that “ all students must have access to safe and full in-person instruction and to as much instructional time as possible ” in mind, our sole reliance on PCR tests and Valencia Branch Labs has caused students to miss too many days of school when the testing process takes longer than it should. We are exploring a number of options to remedy this situation as quickly as possible. For now, we wanted to let you know that after much consideration, we are working to introduce the updated Abbot BinaxNow Rapid Antigen Tests into our COVID-19 testing ecosystem . The greatest benefit of the rapid antigen test is that it is fast, typically providing results in 15 minutes, and therefore offers us more control in our overall efforts to keep non-infectious students in school. PCR tests are still a critical component to keeping school communities safe and will certainly remain a fundamental aspect of our testing strategy. However, our goal is to keep students safe and in school, so we also want to be sure we are leveraging every option available to us to complement our PCR testing program. There will be more details to follow in the coming weeks but, for now I wanted to notify you that we are actively pursuing adding Abbott BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen tests to our testing strategy. On a personal note, I am happy to announce that my family welcomed our fifth child on August 24th. Gianna Colette is now five weeks old and both she and my wife are healthy and doing well. While there is not a lot of sleep at our house, it’s such a joy to be home with my five member “basketball team'' and to see all our children together. As I come out of the fog of having a 5-week-old baby, I want to invite you to attend Superintendent Office Hours at your site. My hope is to have a candid conversation with you, the PCS community, about all the great things happening at each site as well as any constructive feedback you may have for the District. I am interested in hearing specifically about what is working for our students and what we can do differently to serve them better. On your site’s designated day, I’d like to invite teachers and staff to come and share their feedback from 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM and then parents and community members from 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM. Please see below for a list of dates and locations for these office hours. I hope to see you there. In partnership, Matthew Harris Superintendent, Petaluma City Schools    Superintendent Office Hours 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM (staff) / 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM (students and families) Date   Site Location on campus Monday, October 4th Grant Picnic tables in the amphitheater Monday, October 11th San Antonio / Valley Oaks Picnic tables in the quad Wednesday, October 13th McDowell Picnic tables Tuesday, October 19th McNear Picnic tables in front of the multi Wednesday, October 20th Petaluma Junior Picnic tables in the quad Monday, October 25th McKinley / PACS at McKinley Picnic tables in the garden Wednesday, October 27th Penngrove Picnic tables in the garden Monday, November 1st Casa Grande / Sonoma Mountain OLE Garden Wednesday, November 3rd Petaluma High / Carpe Diem Picnic tables in the main quad Monday, November 8th Kenilworth Junior Multi-use room/ just outside multi. Wednesday, November 17th Valley Vista Patio near the pumpkin patch---enter thru red gate at front office Monday, November 29th Adult Ed and all non-PCS sites of our South County Consortium program (to be held at the Family Resource Center at McDowell School) McD Cluster, Room A3 Tuesday, November 30th Cherry Valley Tables to the right of the Lodge or TBA if raining- maybe in the Lodge COVID-19 Updates Our COVID testing site at the District Office has officially been open for two weeks and while our earnest hope is that it has offered some help and support to families and staff, we acknowledge that testing delays have kept students out of school. Superintendent Harris’ update outlines a number of steps we are taking to improve this experience for students, staff and families, but we also want to provide some information on the current testing environment and other options. Since testing appointments have been difficult to get in our county recently, we set up testing at our District Office . Tests administered at the district office before 12:00 PM are sent to Valencia Branch Labs for processing via overnight delivery. The lab then typically provides test results via text and/or email 24 - 48 hours, after receiving the sample . While we have done our best to make testing accessible, we cannot necessarily offer you the quickest turnaround times.   For potentially quicker alternatives, in the COVID Hub on our website there is an icon entitled COVID-19 Testing and Tracing in Sonoma County . This is a link to the County website, which has information on free testing and a calendar of testing sites and hours each day. Some of the providers listed there, like Molecular Matrix, guarantee delivery of results by midnight the day following the test. You can schedule an appointment directly through that site and they may be a quicker, more reliable alternative. We are trying to implement testing strategies that will keep our school community safe while getting kids back to school as quickly as possible, including the use of BinaxNow Rapid Antigen Tests. In the meantime, we want you to be aware of our testing solution as well as its limitations so that you can take advantage of an option that will best serve you. Online School Menus We want to make sure all of our families are aware that school lunch and breakfast menus are always available online. You can find them using this direct link to our Online Menus or by going to any school or District website, clicking on the Food Services button, and then clicking on the Menus button. ( How to Find Online Menus for PCS Video ) Please note that the menus are subject to change based on availability. Upcoming Classified Job Fair - 10/11/21 Have you ever thought about working in education and making a difference in the lives of children in our community? Consider a job with us at Petaluma City Schools! We will be hosting an In-person Job Fair on October 11th from 3-6 PM in the Family Resource Center at McDowell Elementary , located at 421 S. McDowell Blvd. This job fair is for all classified positions, including bus drivers, food services staff, instructional assistants, and more! You can find a list of all of our open classified positions on EdJoin here . We have both full-time as well as flexible, part-time positions. For us to best serve students, we need the community's help in getting fully staffed. If you aren't looking for yourself, share this information with someone you know! Please wear a mask and bring your resume— we hope to see you there! PCS Student and Family Engagement Upcoming Events Click the links below for more information Elementary Parent Night (TK-6): Boundary Setting Webinar Secondary (7-12) Parent Night: Boundary Setting Webinar PCS Community Watershed Clean-up Save the Date: December 11th - PCS Family Holiday Fun Run 1 mile/5K/10K at Shollenberger Park and Ellis Creek Please use the Student and Family Engagement Ideas Form to share any ideas that you would like us to consider for student and family engagement. These events should be for the whole district, all elementary, or all secondary. Contact Gina Roberts at groberts@petk12.org with any questions. Elementary Soccer League We are in full soccer mode and the kids are already building their soccer skills! Staff BBQ PCS staff joined together at Stafford Lake this past weekend to build community and enjoy some time as a District-wide staff. Thank you to all staff and family members who were able to join us! Wellness Corner Welcome! My name is Jimena Gomez, your new Wellness Coordinator. I am a Petaluma resident and was a student in Petaluma City Schools. I attended both KJHS and CGHS and graduated from California State University, East Bay with a BA in Business Administration before working as an Event Coordinator for the San Mateo Sheriff's Office where I coordinated family and law enforcement community engagement. I also worked as the Deputy Director for non-profit Bay Area Gardener Scholarship Foundation, where I managed the scholarship program and educational events for low-income families. Most recently, I worked for the City of Oakland in their Finance Department. I am English/Spanish bilingual. In my new role as your Wellness Coordinator, I hope to bring resources and support to our students, families, and staff by working with community-based organizations in order to develop a system of support for our community. Student Voice Forums Recently, the Sonoma County Office of Education organized Student Voice Forums in an attempt to understand a variety of perspectives on our schools. In the same vein, PCS is organizing several secondary student voice forums to allow students to share their life experiences with our community of learners. Our first of several student forums will take place on November 16, 2021 at 6:00 PM and will highlight our Black Indegenous People of Color (BIPOC) students. These forums are a great venue to hear directly from our BIPOC student community. If you are a student who is interested in sitting on the panel and sharing your thoughts, please contact our District Wellness Coordinator, Jimena Gomez, at jgomez@petk12.org . Parent Workshops Are you looking for support and parenting ideas? The following free online workshops are sponsored by the Child Parent Institute (CPI) in the coming weeks: Disciplina Positiva  : Martes 5-19 de octubre, 3 sesiones, 6:00 - 8:00 PM.  Parenting and Coping with Stress - Tuesday, October 5-26, 4 Sessions, 6:00 - 7:30 PM Mindfulness for Families - Tuesday, October 12 - November 16, 6 Sessions, 5:00 - 7:00 PM More information and helpful workshops found on the CPI website . In the News: Casa Grande Students Help Save Endangered Coho Salmon Students at Casa Grande stepped up to help rescue endangered Coho Salmon! Wildlife officials have moved several thousand coho to Casa's state-of-the-art, student-run fish hatchery, which promotes environmental awareness and activism through hands-on habitat restoration. This week, ABC7 News came by to see the hatchery and interview students about the experience. Check out the San Francisco Chronicle's article and/or the ABC7 News piece to find out more! On top of that, when the President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and other AFT officers and members came to visit our schools last month, the group captured some of what they saw on film and made this wonderful video about both the Petaluma Wildlife Museum and the Casa Grande hatchery . New Electric Buses Check out the new electric school buses we have in our fleet! Petaluma City Schools was awarded nearly $1M in funding through the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust for California to purchase five all-electric, zero-emission school buses. The district has already taken delivery of three electric buses, two with capacity for 78 students and one for 66 students. One of the buses is currently transporting students to and from the Coast Guard Base in West Petaluma. The remaining two buses will accommodate students with wheelchair needs and are expected to arrive before the end of the year. Driver training is already under way. Electric buses will be added to more routes as more electric buses are delivered to the district and drivers receive training. A second grant has been secured through the Bay Area Air Quality Management District that provides funding for 12 more electric buses this year, plus the infrastructure to support them. These two programs have helped the district transition from old, polluting diesel school buses to zero-emissions vehicles, improving the health of our community by limiting the exposure to transportation-related air pollution and building a greener environment. In addition to health and environmental benefits, we expect a savings of up to 80% in fuel and up to 50% in maintenance costs over traditional diesel-powered buses. A big thank you and congratulations to Marcia Short, Director of Transportation, and Chief Business Official, Chris Thomas, for all their hard work to secure these grants! Sonoma County Kids Gran Fondo Please see the message below from Petaluma Active 20-30 #30 about this year's Sonoma County Kids Gran Fondo. The Sonoma County Kids Gran Fondo is a bike race for kids. Each year, through kid-activated fundraising and the community effort of Petaluma and the surrounding area, the Fondo raises money for local families of children dealing with life-threatening illnesses or disabilities- We call these brave kids our Heroes. You can find out how to participate and learn more about our heroes (both are seniors in high school this year) on the Sonoma County Kids Gran Fondo webpage . Student Accident & Sickness Insurance Renewal – 2021-2022 School Year The safety of our students is of critical importance to all of us and we want to protect them from injury. Even so, accidents do happen at school and elsewhere and required medical care can be expensive. Please know that your school does not assume responsibility for such costs, but does offer you access to several student accident insurance plans for voluntary purchase. Details about Student Accident & Sickness Insurance can be found in the Current Families section of our website . Check Us Out on Social Media Facebook • Instagram • Twitter • YouTube

    Friday, Oct 01 2021