Superintendent's Message - September 3, 2020
Dear families,
Yesterday afternoon, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall made an announcement moving Salt Lake City to the "Yellow" phase of Utah's COVID-19 recovery plan. Please know this does not change our plan to start the year with remote learning. Our Board of Education voted on the following parameters for returning to in-person learning:
- New COVID-19 cases need to fall below 10 new cases per 100,000 citizens in Salt Lake County.
- The COVID-19 positive test rate needs to be below 5% in Salt Lake County.
We still haven't met those parameters. Currently, Salt Lake County is at 13.3 cases per 100,000 citizens, and the COVID positive test rate is currently at 8.95%, according to the Salt Lake County Health Department.
We are looking forward to seeing students online on Tuesday, and I have a few updates for students and families as the start of school draws closer.
CANVAS VIDEOS FOR PARENTS
We have uploaded some videos we hope will be helpful in learning how to use Canvas. These videos come from the Canvas website, and while the narration is in English, we have been able to translate the subtitles/closed captions into Spanish.
- There are three videos, but there are two versions of each video, one with English subtitles and one with Spanish subtitles:
If you can’t see the subtitles/close captions when you first start playing the videos, be sure to click on the “CC” button in the controls just below the video.
CENSUS REMINDER
Your participation in the 2020 Census is important to our schools and students. An accurate census provides increased funding for our schools, including funding for
- high poverty schools,
- student meals,
- adult education, and
- preschool education.
If you have not yet responded to the 2020 Census, you can fill out the Census online by going to http://my2020census.gov. The 2020 Census ends on September 30, 2020.
FOOD FOR FAMILIES
Title I schools in Salt Lake City School District will be working with the Utah Food Bank to keep an in-school pantry going for their school families this year. Please refer to your school for more information about the school food pantries. These school pantries are intended ONLY for their school communities.
Our Community Learning Centers will distribute food for families twice a month. Everyone is welcome to come get food from our community learning centers. Here are the dates and times for September:
- Thursday, September 3
Liberty Community Learning Center (1078 S. 300 E., Salt Lake City, Utah)
3:00 – 6:00 pm - Thursday, September 10
Glendale Community Learning Center (1388 S. Navajo Street (1340 W.) , Salt Lake City, Utah)
2:00 – 4:00 pm - Wednesday, September 16
Rose Park Community Learning Center (1105 W. 1000 N., Salt Lake City, Utah)
4:00 – 6:00 pm - Thursday, September 17
Liberty Community Learning Center (1078 S. 300 E., Salt Lake City, Utah)
3:00 – 6:00 pm - Thursday, September 24
Glendale Community Learning Center (1388 S. Navajo Street (1340 W.), Salt Lake City, Utah)
2:00 – 4:00 pm - Wednesday, September 30
Rose Park Community Learning Center (1105 W. 1000 N., Salt Lake City, Utah)
4:00 – 6:00 pm
MEALS FOR STUDENTS
Thanks to a last-minute waiver granted by the United States Department of Agriculture, the Salt Lake City School District (SLCSD) will once again resume "Grab and Go Meal Service" at 16 designated school sites. Children can receive a "Lunch Today, Breakfast Tomorrow" combo meal each weekday from Sept. 3, 2020 through Oct. 30, 2020.
To help ensure safety, all meals will be prepared, packaged and delivered by SLCSD staff directly to each family’s vehicle. For those without a vehicle, walk-up service is also available. Meals for those with specific needs will be made available upon request. Contact our registered dietician, Brianna Hardisty, to determine site location and make additional arrangements, as needed (Brianna.Hardisty@slcschools.org).
This food service program is open to the public. Free/reduced meal benefit status and school enrollment is not a requirement. These meals will be provided daily, free of charge, to ALL children ages 0 to 18.
Student Meal Sites:
- Backman Elementary (South Parking Area – Enter from 1500 West)
601 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, Utah - Clayton Middle (Southeast Parking Area – Located by front doors)
1470 South 1900 East, Salt Lake City, Utah - East High School (West Parking Area – Enter from 900 South)
840 South 1300 East, Salt Lake City, Utah - Edison Elementary (U-shaped Driveway – Located in front of school)
430 South Cheyenne Street, Salt Lake City, Utah - Escalante Elementary (West Parking Area - Enter from 900 North)
1810 West 900 North, Salt Lake City, Utah - Glendale Middle School (Northwest Parking Area)
1430 West Andrew Avenue, Salt Lake City, Utah - Highland High School (East Parking Area – Located next to main entrance)
2166 South 1700 East, Salt Lake City, Utah - Liberty Elementary (Southeast Parking Area)
1085 South 300 East, Salt Lake City, Utah - M. Lynn Bennion Elementary (Parking Area – Located next to loading docks)
429 South 800 East, Salt Lake City, Utah - Meadowlark Elementary (Northeast Parking Area)
497 North Morton Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah - Nibley Park School (Main Entrance - Driveway)
2785 South 800 East, Salt Lake City, Utah - Northwest Middle (Northeast Parking Area – Located next to main entrance)
1730 West 1700 North, Salt Lake City, Utah - Parkview Elementary (Northwest Parking Area)
970 South Emery Street, Salt Lake City, Utah - Rose Park Elementary (West Parking Area – Located next to main entrance)
1105 West 1000 North, Salt Lake City, Utah - West High School (U-shaped Driveway – Located North of building next to cafeteria entrance)
241 North 300 West, Salt Lake City, Utah - Whittier Elementary (North Parking Area – Enter from Roberta Street)
1600 South 300 East, Salt Lake City, Utah
STUDENT COMPUTERS UPDATE
We know there are a lot of questions about student devices. Demand for student devices has been extremely high. We have checked out 50-60% more devices than what was requested by parents during Online Registration. Global supply chain delays also mean that 6,000 laptops are on back order.
We know some of our schools have run out of devices, but the district is working with suppliers to send us about 1,300 devices next week, and more will be coming in the following weeks. Your school will contact you when devices arrive, but the soonest they will start arriving is next week.
I’ve had the privilege of visiting schools this week and watching how teachers, counselors, and administrators are preparing for the start of online classes next week. While there is still some work to be done in the next few days, I am amazed at what has been accomplished. Our schools are amazing! Please, if you have any questions about what online learning will look like for your student, contact your student’s teacher.
Sincerely,
Larry Madden
Interim Superintendent
Salt Lake City School District