Parentsquare Logo

  • 3-Point Thursday: March 16, 2023

    PRIORITY 1: ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND PERSONALIZED LEARNING TO SUPPORT THE WHOLE CHILD In response to the growing national fentanyl epidemic, CUSD is adding another life-saving rescue medication to all our school sites by providing Narcan nasal spray for use during a suspected opioid overdose. All our school sites have a number of emergency and rescue measures at their disposal, including AEDs to restart heart rhythms, Epi-Pen auto-injectors in the case of a severe allergic reaction, and now Narcan nasal spray. Narcan storage boxes are being distributed to all school sites and will be installed strategically near AED units and the school Health Offices. All CUSD managers were trained on how to administer Narcan this week.  ParentVenture , a leading provider of professional parent and community education in Silicon Valley and beyond that CUSD partners with for Parent Educational Opportunities, conducted an event this fall about what caregivers need to know about Fentanyl. A video recording of the event can be found here . PRIORITY 2: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND INVOLVEMENT Registration for the 2023-2024 school is ongoing. If you still need to register your child, please visit the District website for directions. If looking to enroll in a school other than your attendance area school, the opportunity to open enroll will re-open on  Monday, June 19th . Registration information can be found  here . As of March 14, CUSD has registered approximately 425 new Transition Kindergarten (TK) students! Based on the enrollment numbers, it is highly likely that  each attendance area school (not alternative schools) will have one or more Transitional Kindergarten classroom !  It is not too late to register your child for our 2023-2024 Transitional Kindergarten. TK is available for children whose birthdays are between September 2, 2018, and April 2, 2019. TK is part of a two-year Kindergarten program. In addition to our TK enrollment, CUSD has enrolled just over 1,125 Kindergarten students so far. PRIORITY 3:  DISTRICT SUSTAINABILITY   During a  Special Board Meeting held on March 7, staff presented the Second Interim Financial Report for the 2022-23 Fiscal Year. The report included current District financials as well as multi-year projections. Additionally, the January Governor's Budget assumptions and other budget assumptions changes were included within the multi-year forecast.   Pursuant to Education Code Section 42131, the governing board of each school district must certify in writing, within 45 days after the close of the period reported, whether or not the school district can meet its financial obligations for the remainder of the fiscal year and the subsequent two fiscal years. The certification is classified as either positive, qualified, or negative. Staff recommended the approval of a  positive certification for CUSD, which the Board of Education approved.    The Board's approval provided certification to the State, ensuring that the District can meet its financial obligations for the current fiscal year and the subsequent two fiscal years. The First Interim Report projected CUSD to move into Community Funding (Basic Aid) status in the 2023-2024 school year. The District has been hovering close to Community Funding for the last two years. Due to the Governor’s projected COLA of 8.13% for the 2023-2024 school year and the increase in TK enrollment, CUSD is now projected to remain a Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) for the 2023-24 school year. At this time, the current budget does not assume any salary increases for any employee groups for the 2023-24 school year or beyond. Any salary changes are subject to negotiations.

    Thursday, Mar 16 2023

  • Parent Education Opportunity - March 21

    Joyful Strategies for Raising Creative, Curious, and Caring Kids Steve Smith, Ph.D., Professor of Clinical Psychology, UC Santa Barbara Tuesday, March 21, 2023, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm PT, Online Event (Live) Click to Register Research tells us that one of the most robust predictors of success is creativity.  How do we foster creativity in children so they can grow into the innovators of the future? In this talk, Dr. Steve Smith , professor of  clinical psychology at UCSB , will describe the current research on creativity in children, schools, and families and offer suggestions for promoting your child’s unique gifts. Parents/caregivers, educators, mental health professionals, and community members are welcome! Free admission.  Simultaneous Spanish and Mandarin interpretation will be available.  NOTE: Zoom link included in your Eventbrite Registration Confirmation under "Additional Information." This presentation is sponsored by the Cupertino Union School District in partnership with  The Parent Venture . Questions? Contact Charlene Margot, MA, Co-Founder, and CEO, of The Parent Venture (The Parent Education Series), at cmargot@parentventure.org .

    Thursday, Mar 16 2023

  • COVID-19: CDPH Updates Recommended Isolation

    Dear Staff and Families: In alignment with CDC Recommendations for Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19 the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is updating  isolation recommendations , effective March 13, 2023, based on the severity of COVID-19 symptoms. Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 should continue to isolate for 5 days but may leave isolation after 5 days if they are feeling well, symptoms are improving, and are fever-free for 24 hours.  Students and staff diagnosed with COVID-19 should follow the recommendations listed in Table 1 (P ersons with COVID-19) of CDPH's guidance for the general public: Persons Who Test Positive for COVID-19 Recommended Actions (effective March 13, 2023) Everyone, regardless of vaccination status, previous infection or lack of symptoms. Stay home for at least 5 days after start of symptoms (Day 0) or after date of first positive test (Day 0) if no symptoms). Isolation can end after Day 5 if: Symptoms are not present, or are mild and improving; AND You are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication). If fever is present, isolation should be continued until 24 hours after fever resolves. If symptoms, other than fever, are not improving, continue to isolate until symptoms are improving or until after Day 10.  If the confirmed case has severe symptoms, or is at high risk of serious disease or has questions concerning care, they should contact their healthcare provider for available treatments. Per  CDPH masking guidan ce , infected persons should wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, especially in indoor settings.* After you have ended isolation, if your symptoms recur or worsen, get tested again and if positive, restart isolation at Day 0. *After ending isolation (no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and symptoms are improving), confirmed cases may remove their mask sooner than Day 10 if they have two sequential negative tests at least one day apart. If antigen test results are positive, the person may still be infectious and should continue wearing a mask and wait at least one day before taking another test. Please know that there is the potential to be exposed to someone with COVID-19 (both in and out of school) and  we encourage ALL students and staff to follow the actions below, especially staying home if you are sick , as outlined by the  CDPH to protect one another:  Get Vaccinated, Boosted (and Treated) 💉 Flu and COVID-19 vaccines are your best defense to limit severe illness and death – and you can get both simultaneously. If you test positive for COVID-19, immediately contact your doctor or a test-to-treat site to seek treatment .  InspireDiagnostics now offers COVID-19 vaccines, boosters, and flu vaccines in addition to COVID-19 testing. Information can be found at: https://cusdk8.info/covidtesting . Stay Home if You're Sick! 🤒 It's crucial to stay home if you are feeling ill.   Student absences should be reported to your  child’s school front office . COVID-19 positive test results of students should be submitted to  https://cusdk8.info/covidpositive . Staff absences are reported via  SmartFindExpress . COVID-19 positive test results of staff or volunteers should be submitted to https://cusdk8.info/staffpositive . Wear a Mask 😷 Visit the  CDC website to find COVID-19 community levels and corresponding mask recommendations. Wash Your Hands 👏 Frequent handwashing, with soap and warm water – for at least 20 seconds is an easy and very effective way to prevent getting sick and spreading germs. Cover Your Cough or Sneeze 🤧 Remember to cough or sneeze into your elbow, arm, or a disposable tissue to help prevent the spread of winter viruses. Wash your hands or sanitize and dispose of your tissue after.   CUSD will continue to practice COVID-19 mitigation strategies as described in the CUSD COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines found at  https://cusdk8.info/covidguidelines . Thank you for your continued support.

    Saturday, Mar 11 2023

  • 3-Point Thursday: March 2, 2023

    PRIORITY 1: ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND PERSONALIZED LEARNING TO SUPPORT THE WHOLE CHILD On Wednesday, March 1, Superintendent Yao hosted the fifth Superintendent’s Award Night .   📹 The video recording is found here .   Students who take ownership of their learning, show innovation and seek out challenges while working in collaborative teams, are intrinsically motivated, curious, often consider the greater community, and are joyous and engaged learners are nominated for the award. Staff who work with passion and feel a profound connection to the school and District, are loyal, productive, and committed to the continuous high performance and success of the school and District, and take pride in and ownership of their work are nominated for the award. Please join us in celebrating these wonderful students and staff from Miller Middle School, Blue Hills Elementary, and Dilworth Elementary. We are incredibly proud of you! PRIORITY 2: STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND INVOLVEMENT Last month, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond hosted the 2023 California School Recognition Program Awards Ceremony, where the 2023 CA Distinguished Schools were honored. Fifteen elementary schools in the CUSD were selected for this prestigious honor! Abraham Lincoln Elementary Blue Hills Elementary C.B. Eaton Elementary D.J. Sedgwick Elementary Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary Garden Gate Elementary John Muir Elementary L.P. Collins Elementary Montclaire Elementary Meyerholz Elementary Murdock-Portal Elementary Nelson S. Dilworth Elementary West Valley Elementary William Faria Elementary William Regnart Elementary To select California Distinguished Schools, the California Department of Education (CDE) uses multiple measures to identify eligible schools based on their performance on the state indicators specified in the California School Dashboard (Dashboard) , including assessment results, chronic absenteeism, and suspension rates. PRIORITY 3:  DISTRICT SUSTAINABILITY   In November 2022, California voters passed Prop 28, providing additional funding from the state General Fund for arts and music education in all K–12 public schools. In 2023-2024, CUSD anticipates receiving approximately $1.658 million to supplement arts education programs. Arts Education includes five disciplines: dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts. Eighty percent of funds must be used to employ certificated or classified employees to provide arts education. The remaining 20% can be used for arts education support, including training, supplies, and arts educational partnership programs. Implementation plan for the 2023-2024 school year: Elementary Schools : Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, 100% of funds will be used to hire certificated music teachers to supplement the current music program. This will result in primary-grade students accessing weekly music classes provided by a CUSD employee.   Middle Schools : At least 80% of funds will be used to hire certificated arts teachers to expand electives at middle school. CUSD will begin implementing this expansion in the 2024-2025 school year. A maximum of 20% of funds will purchase supplies to support arts elective programs.  CUSD is excited to have additional funds to support a valued piece of each student’s education - arts and music!

    Thursday, Mar 02 2023

  • 3-Point Thursday: February 23, 2023

    PRIORITY 1: ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND PERSONALIZED LEARNING TO SUPPORT THE WHOLE CHILD On Wednesday, February 1, Superintendent Yao hosted the fourth Superintendent’s Award Night . 📹 The video recording is found here .   Students who take ownership of their learning, show innovation and seek out challenges while working in collaborative teams, are intrinsically motivated, curious, often consider the greater community, and are joyous and engaged learners are nominated for the award. Staff who work with passion and feel a profound connection to the school and District, are loyal, productive, and committed to the continuous high performance and success of the school and District, and take pride in and ownership of their work are nominated for the award. Please join us in celebrating these wonderful students and staff from Lawson Middle School, Collins Elementary, Eaton Elementary, and Garden Gate Elementary. We are incredibly proud of you! PRIORITY 2: STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND INVOLVEMENT On June 5, 2012, voters residing within the Cupertino Union School District passed Measure H. Measure H is a $220 million bond measure that authorizes funding for needed repairs, upgrades, and new construction projects to the District’s schools. As part of Measure H, the Cupertino Union School District must have a Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee appointed by the District’s Board of Education. We currently have one vacant committee position , and we are looking to fill this position with a qualified community member that meets the outlined qualifications: A community member who can serve as both the Parent/Guardian of a child enrolled in the District AND active in a parent/teacher organization (i.e., PTA, PTO, School Site Council, etc.) Per Education Code Section 15272, the CUSD Board of Education will appoint a Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee to ensure Measure H funds are spent as promised and specified and for no other purpose. The Measure H Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee meets quarterly. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at 7:00 pm in CUSD District Office. If you want to serve on the Cupertino Union School District's Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee, please complete and submit your application at https://cusdbond.org/application-for-membership/ by T uesday, February 28, 2023, by 12:00 pm. PRIORITY 3:  DISTRICT SUSTAINABILITY   During the Feb. 9 Board Meeting , staff shared an update on the Governor's proposed 2023-24 budget and other information related to the District's budget. The Governor's Budget forecasts General Fund revenues of $29.5 billion lower than the 2022-23 Enacted Budget. There is a projected gap of $22.5 billion in the state's General Fund for 2023-24.   CUSD is projecting to move into Community Funding (Basic Aid) status in the 2023-2024 school year. The District has been hovering close to Community Funding for the last two years. The District became Basic Aid briefly in 2020-2021 but fell out of Basic Aid status the following year due to the “hold harmless” funding provisions in the last two enacted State Budgets. Community Funding is when the District’s local property taxes exceed its Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) total entitlement amount. The total LCFF entitlement amount is based on the number of students (Funded ADA) and the entitlement per student amount.  

    Thursday, Feb 23 2023

  • 2023-2024 Proposed Start Times

    Dear CUSD Families (CC: CUSD Staff), During the February 9 Board Meeting , staff shared background and considerations leading to proposed shifts in the elementary start and end times for the 2023-2024 school year due to the newly mandated 8 am start time for all middle schools by Senate Bill (SB) 328 . The proposed shifts range from 10 to 15 minutes.  Time-shift considerations for elementary schools include: Current traffic patterns, success, and challenges Traffic observations, feedback, and studies Preliminary percentage of students attending 1st period for the 2023-2024 school year Not all middle schools will have 100% of students attending first-period Below images indicate preliminary percentages Input gathered from multiple stakeholder groups: All Principals, FAC/Leadership Teams/School Site Staff, City Agencies, CUSD Student Nutrition Services, and CUSD Transportation Department The below images illustrate the proposed start times  for each CUSD elementary school, by middle/high school feeder pattern, beginning August 2023. *click to expand image on desktop/laptop or use fingers to zoom on mobile device. The complete presentation and video recording can be found here . Information will continue to be provided to families with as much advance notice as possible to help ensure a smooth start to the 2023-24 school year. Thank you for your continued engagement and support. Related Resources Community/Staff Message sent on January 27, 2023 January 19, 2023, Board Advance April 7, 2022, Board Advance February 2, 2022, Board Advance November 30, 2021, Board Advance

    Wednesday, Feb 15 2023

  • Measure H Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee

    CUSD CITIZENS’ MEASURE H BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE Dear CUSD Community Members, On June 5, 2012, voters residing within the Cupertino Union School District passed Measure H. Measure H is a $220 million bond measure that authorizes funding for needed repairs, upgrades, and new construction projects to the District’s schools. As part of Measure H, the Cupertino Union School District is required to have a Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee appointed by the District’s Board of Education. We currently have one vacant committee position, and we are looking to fill this position with a qualified community member. If you are a community member who can serve in the both the Parent/Guardian of a child enrolled in District AND active in a parent/teacher organization (i.e. PTA, PTO, School Site Council, etc), we encourage you to apply. Per Education Code Section 15272, the CUSD Board of Education will appoint a Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee to ensure Measure H funds are spent as promised and specified and for no other purpose. The Measure H Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee meets quarterly. The next meeting will be held on: Wednesday, February 15, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. CUSD District Office 1309 S. Mary Ave. Suite 150, Board Room, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 If you are interested in serving on the Cupertino Union School District's Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee, please complete and submit an online application . You can access this application on our district website: http://cusdbond.org/online-application/ . To be considered,  applications should be submitted by Tuesday, February 28, 2023, by 12:00 p.m. For questions, please contact: Chris Jew, Chief Business Officer jew_chris@cusdk8.org 408-252-3000 ext. 61323 Thank you so much for your consideration and interest. ====================================================================== [Tuesday, Feb 7 at 4:03 PM] UPDATE - DATE CORRECTION: The next CBOC Meeting is March 15, 2023.

    Tuesday, Feb 07 2023

  • 3-Point Thursday: February 2, 2023

    PRIORITY 1: ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND PERSONALIZED LEARNING TO SUPPORT THE WHOLE CHILD CUSD is excited to share that 47 middle school students were accepted (through audition) to the prestigious California All-State Honor Band and Orchestra. This record number of CUSD students is a testament to our knowledgeable music teachers, supportive families, and dedicated student musicians.  Each year, all the California Music Educators associations hold the California All-State Music Educators Conference in February. The Conference strengthens future music educators, provides honor ensemble opportunities to California's top Intermediate and High School musicians, and supports K-12 music educators through extensive professional development opportunities, inspirational experiences, and the cultivation of rewarding performance opportunities. Thousands of students across the state audition to make these prestigious groups!  The students in the all-state ensembles rehearse with a world-class conductor/educator during the conference culminating in a performance. Congratulations to our CUSD students !  PRIORITY 2: STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND INVOLVEMENT Last week, The California Department of Education (CDE), in partnership with the Great Kindness Challenge (GKC), encouraged all teachers, staff, students, and families of California schools to participate in the GKC, January 23-27, 2023. CUSD staff members received close to 600 thank-you notes from families, students, and colleagues!  Thank you for spreading kindness, CUSD! Did you want to send a thank you but forgot? There's still time!   Go to cusdk8.info/thankyou to send your note.   As thank you notes come in, we will be sure staff receives them. Thank you for making someone's day a bit brighter! PRIORITY 3:  DISTRICT SUSTAINABILITY   During last month’s Board Advance , staff provided an update on the District's Surplus Properties. Terra Realty Advisors made the following recommendations: Montebello Site Exchange the Montebello property for a property that can be used for District purposes or an income-producing asset that does not require active management.  Meyerholz Site Options to consider Relocate the District office to this site.  Lease the site to a private party.  Move owned portables to other CUSD sites to replace leased portables.  Expand uses to include Education Center, etc. Field uses to include community, City, and other. Nan Allen Site Consider constructing a new Central Kitchen at this site.  Luther Site Consider issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) similar to Regnart to ascertain the market value of this site. Serra Site Consider issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) similar to Regnart to ascertain the market value of this property. 

    Thursday, Feb 02 2023

  • 3-Point Thursday: January 26, 2023

    PRIORITY 1: ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND PERSONALIZED LEARNING TO SUPPORT THE WHOLE CHILD On Wednesday, January 18, Superintendent Yao hosted the third Superintendent’s Award Night . 📹 The video recording is found here .   Students who take ownership of their learning, show innovation and seek out challenges while working in collaborative teams, are intrinsically motivated, curious, often consider the greater community, and are joyous and engaged learners are nominated for the award. Staff who work with passion and feel a profound connection to the school and District, are loyal, productive, and committed to the continuous high performance and success of the school and District, and take pride in and ownership of their work are nominated for the award. Please join us in celebrating these wonderful students and staff from Kennedy Middle School, Stevens Creek Elementary, and Lincoln Elementary. We are incredibly proud of you! PRIORITY 2: STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND INVOLVEMENT Annually at this time of year, CUSD begins planning for fall and gathers input from families to inform District focus areas for the following school year. This process includes a brief parent survey to collect feedback on CUSD's strengths and areas for improvement.  Your input on this survey will help staff and the Board of Education set goals and finalize plans for the 2023-2024 school year as part of the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and our Strategic Plan . In the spring, a summary of feedback ( anonymized ) will be shared at CUSD Board meetings. Responses are due by  February 17, 2023 . Families with more than one child enrolled in CUSD may submit a response for each child. Click here to share your input . PRIORITY 3:  DISTRICT SUSTAINABILITY   During a Special Board Meeting on January 19 , the CUSD Board of Education approved the 10-year lease agreement with Tessellations for the surplus property at the former Regnart Elementary School. The District will receive approximately $3 million annually in additional revenue from this lease. The District's Selection Team selected Tessellations from the Request for Proposals (RFP) process to lease Surplus Property at the former Regnart Elementary School. Chief Business Officer Jew oversaw the negotiations of the Lease Agreement, which was also reviewed by the District's legal firm Dannis Wolliver Kelley, Attorneys at Law. The Board of Education discussed the Lease Agreement at the January 12, 2023 meeting. Tessellations is a K-12 independent, progressive school tailored for gifted students with two locations in Cupertino. During the January 12 Board Meeting , the Head of Tessellations School, Mr. Grace Stanat, answered questions from the Board of Education. He shared that Tessellations is a commuter school, and only about five percent of students are from CUSD. He also shared Tesselations will work collaboratively with CUSD to help support minimal impact on neighborhood school traffic. In addition to the $3 million annual revenue from the lease, Tessellations will conduct approximately $5 million worth of improvements to the campus, as approved by CUSD. CUSD is excited to have completed this leasing process and work with Tesselations as a tenant.

    Thursday, Jan 26 2023

  • Submit Input for Next Year's LCAP

    Annually at this time of year, CUSD begins planning for fall and gathers input from families to inform District focus areas for the following school year. This process includes a brief parent survey to collect feedback on CUSD's strengths and areas for improvement.  Your input on this survey will help staff and the Board of Education set goals and finalize plans for the 2023-2024 school year as part of the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and our Strategic Plan . In the spring, a summary of feedback ( anonymized ) will be shared at CUSD Board meetings. Responses are due by February 17, 2023 . Families with more than one child enrolled in CUSD may submit a response for each child. Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey.

    Tuesday, Jan 24 2023