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Happy New Year WPUSD Families,
Welcome to 2022. Although we are currently being hit hard by the omicron variant, I am extremely optimistic and hopeful that 2022 will be a MUCH better year than the previous two.
In this update, you'll see reminders/updates about our COVID cases, COVID testing, info regarding our upcoming TK/K/Bilingual Immersion Program Parent Info Night, and changes to our COVID mitigation protocols (with new information regarding the isolation period for a COVID positive person).
New in this update is new student and other registration timelines for the 2022-2023 school year, available at-home COVID tests, staffing shortages, and new roles for our Board of Trustees.
KEY DATES
Monday, January 17
No School;
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Tuesday, January 18
Regular Board Meeting (6:30pm)
Lincoln High Theater
Tuesday, February 1
Regular Board Meeting (6:30pm)
Lincoln High Theater
Tuesday, February 15
Regular Board Meeting (6:30pm)
Lincoln High Theater
Friday, February 18 &
Monday, February 21
No School;
Presidents' Day Holidays
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COVID CASES IN WPUSD - UPDATE
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The week of Dec 13 - 17, prior to our holiday break, we had 17 cases of COVID and 0 assumed school transmissions. Our cases for this week are not compiled yet, but we anticipate over 200 cases. This is 4 times higher than our previous highest case week, which was 48.
As a reminder, you can monitor our weekly COVID case counts (updated each Monday) on our website, HERE. |
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NO COST COVID TESTING OPTIONS - UPDATE
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Unfortunately due to staffing and other issues, USA Medical will not be provide testing in the mornings at Lincoln Crossing Elementary until further notice. The updated testing schedule, reflecting only afternoon testing with COVID DX / Avellino Labs is below.
Registration/patient intake forms are required for testing.
For testing with COVID DX / Avellino Labs, pre-registration is preferred. If you have medical insurance, COVID DX / Avellino Labs will bill your insurance provider, which is required to cover testing costs at no cost to you. If you do not have medical insurance, CARES Act funding will be billed for the cost of testing.
Student athletes are encouraged test weekly with their teams, but can access any of the testing options if they are unable to attend with their team. School sites do not have access to testing results. Parents may need to provide negative results to school office staff.
 If you have any questions about testing, please contact Cliff De Graw, Assistant Superintendent of Personnel Services, at (916) 645-5293 or cdegraw@wpusd.org |
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TK/K/BILINGUAL IMMERSION INFO NIGHT - REMINDER
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On January 11, 2022, beginning at 5:30pm, we will be hosting Virtual Parent Information Meetings regarding the 2022-2023 registration process for our TK, K, and the Kindergarten Bilingual Immersion program. Our meetings will be held via Google Meet. The recordings and presentation materials from each meeting will be available for families who are unable to attend due to conflicting commitments, or who just want to receive the information in this format. For parents who cannot attend, you can request a recording of the meeting.
Below is the time schedule for the meetings and the link to register for the event.
5:30 - 6:00 Transitional Kindergarten (TK); for students who turn 5 on or after September 2, 2022 but on or before February 2, 2023
6:15 - 7:00 Kindergarten (K) and Bilingual Immersion Kindergarten; for students who turn 5 on or before September 1, 2022
If you need help determining which meeting is best for you/your child(ren), please check out our District website at www.wpusd.org for additional information.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
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CHANGES TO COVID-19 MITIGATION PROTOCOLS - NEW & REMINDER
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NEW INFORMATION - This week, the CDC and CDPH adjusted their guidelines to allow for positive cases to return to school/work following a 5 day isolation period, as long as symptoms are improving. We are hopeful that despite the rise in cases, we will continue to keep healthy students and staff on campus and have quicker turnaround times for those who are at home due to a positive test. You will see these changes reflected in our Road Map for WPUSD Schools. Please note, our websites are still not functioning at 100%, so the document will not reflect the most up-to-date Road Map (updated as of January 7, 2022) until the earliest Monday. Thanks for your patience while we continue to work through our website issues.
REMINDER FROM LAST UPDATE - Our school community has done a remarkable job thus far with our COVID-19 mitigation strategies, and the proof is in the data! We have seen relatively low case rates throughout our schools and minimal school transmission. With that, we feel confident in further relaxing some of the recommended quarantine and testing guidelines put in place by the state in order to allow healthy students to stay in the classroom.
Effective January 3, 2022, asymptomatic close contacts (regardless of vaccination or masking status) will be allowed to remain on campus as long as they follow the criteria outlined in our Road Map for WPUSD Schools. Updated quarantine information can be found in our COVID-19 Response Scenarios beginning on page 12.
In addition, weekly testing will no longer be required for those participating in indoor sports and there are new options for unmasking while performing in choir. While we strongly encourage continued weekly testing, with the low transmission we are seeing in our district, we are comfortable relaxing our current mandatory testing requirement. Specifics on these changes are also outlined in the Road Map for WPUSD Schools. |
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NEW STUDENT & OTHER REGISTRATION INFO FOR 2022-2023
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NEW STUDENT REGISTRATION FOR THE 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR STARTS JANUARY 24TH!
Key Dates for 2022-2023 New Student and other Registration (Grades TK-12)
January 11, 2022
TK/K & Bilingual Immersion Virtual Parent Information Meetings (English)
- 5:30-6:00 – TK
- 6:15-7:00 - K & Bilingual Immersion
January 13, 2022
TK/K & Bilingual Immersion Virtual Parent Information Meetings (Spanish)
- 5:30-6:00 – TK
- 6:15-7:00 - K & Bilingual Immersion
January 24, 2022 @ 8:00am
- Online Registration goes live & parents can start submitting complete registration on-line
- Intra-district Transfers (on-line) accepted
February 18, 2022 @ 4:00 pm
Complete registration submitted online and any required registration documents that are not uploaded to the registration portal must be turned into the home school office
February 24, 2022
Lottery for Bilingual Immersion Program
February 25, 2022 through March 4, 2022
Parent notification/confirmation of Bilingual Immersion placement
February 28, 2022 @ 4:00 pm
Deadline to submit Intra-district Transfer Form (on-line)
Early March
Notification to TK students of their assigned class (AM or PM) and school
For more details and information on student registration check out the WPUSD website HERE or contact your home school office. To find out which school your student will go to please click HERE.
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COVID TEST KITS FOR STUDENTS FOR AT-HOME USE
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Earlier this week the District received COVID test kits from the State for student use at-home. We worked as quickly as possible to get them distributed to school sites for parents to access and they are now available for pick-up as needed. If you would like access to a kit, which includes two tests, please contact your child's school directly.
As a reminder, at-home tests - including these ones - are not allowed as confirmation for a student being deemed negative for COVID. The same rules apply as CDPH has not updated guidance to allow for us to accept at-home results.
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STAFFING SHORTAGES DUE TO RISES IN COVID CASES
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Due to the significant increase in positive cases, which are affecting our staff as well, we are experiencing extreme staffing shortages. We are doing everything we can to ensure schools remain open for student learning. Right now, our #1 priority is keeping students at school as we understand the impact that school closure has on student learning and on parents in need of care for their children during working hours.
That said, we ask that you understand that in order for us to keep students at school, their normal learning day may have to be disrupted and alternative supervision arrangements made in the absence of their teachers, etc. to ensure that they are safely supervised. After securing ways to ensure students are at school each day, we will work hard to minimize the impact that alternative schedules/settings may have on their opportunities for learning.
If we do have to close a school or multiple classes due to staffing shortages, we will do our very best to notify families ASAP.
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NEW ROLES FOR WPUSD BOARD OF TRUSTEES
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Every year, at the last meeting in December, the Board of Trustees conducts a Board reorganization at which time the Trustees nominate and appoint their fellow Trustees to serve as President, Vice President, or Clerk for the subsequent calendar year.
On December 21, 2021, the following Trustees were appointed to serve in the aforementioned leadership roles:
- Damian Armitage, President
- Jason Price, Vice President
- Criste Freymond, Clerk
I would like to thank Kris Wyatt for serving as Board President for the 2021 calendar year. As many of you know, Kris has been a staunch advocate for the students of WPUSD and for the community of Lincoln for many, many year. She led the Board through one of the most difficult years in the history of education and certainly our District. We are so fortunate, now more than ever, to have leaders like Kris supporting our District and community.
I look forward to working with President Armitage during the 2022 calendar year as we continue to navigate these tumultuous times. |
| January 7, 2022 - Update #23 (2021-2022) |
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