Woodland Joint Unified

 

Dear WJUSD Families and Community,

I hope you have been enjoying your summer vacation and that you are excited about the start of our new school year!

Our summer school programs and summer camps went great. It was wonderful to see so many of our students continuing their education and engaging in various extra-curricular activities including dance, music, robotics, and more.

Throughout the summer we have been busy getting everything ready for the first day of school. Our WJUSD team is getting our technology equipment ready, school sites are getting spruced up, staff is attending training, and teachers are getting classrooms ready in anticipation of students’ return.

We look forward to welcoming everyone to the 2022-2023 new school year! We are eager to continue to partner with you to support and prepare our students for a future of endless possibilities.

Working together, we will continue to make a difference in our schools and community.

WJUSD is proud to offer the Expanded Learning Program, a free after-school program for elementary students. Expanded Learning is a NEW program that includes the former ASES and YMCA programs. Students who are enrolled in the ASES program for the 2022-23 school year will automatically be enrolled into this new program.
 
All WJUSD elementary students are eligible to participate in this free program.  Please see registration links below.
 
Zamora Elementary and Spring Lake Elementary:
YMCA is providing the Expanded Learning Program for Zamora and Spring Lake students.
Zamora families interested in enrolling can apply here.
Spring Lake families interested in enrolling can apply here.
 
Science & Technology (Sci-Tech) Elementary Charter School:
The principal, Maria Martinez, will send more information for Sci-Tech students soon, as the charter school receives separate funding and manages its own program.
 
All other elementary schools:
If you are interested in our program for a student not currently enrolled, please fill out our interest form here:
To complete an interest form in English click here.
To complete an interest form in Spanish click here. 
 
Keep in mind you will be placed on a waitlist after registering your child.

We are working on hiring additional staff based on interest/enrollment.  Your school's expanded learning site support specialist (formerly ASES coordinator) will follow up as soon as possible to begin enrollment. Due to statewide staffing challenges, there may be delays in enrollment, as we do not have enough tutors to serve all interested students at this time. As we acquire additional tutors, we will continue enrolling students off the waitlist.
 
We aim to provide after school programs to all students as soon as possible, and to minimize time on the waitlist.
 
If you have questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to contact your Expanded Learning Site Support Specialists at each school site or reach out to our Expanded Learning Coordinator, Tori Peterson, at tori.peterson@wjusd.org.

This Sunday, Aug. 7, is the 7th Annual Back2School Carnival for all WJUSD elementary students. Every student receives a FREE backpack filled with supplies and entrance to the carnival.

Time and location is 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. at the Woodland High School stadium. Find your school’s time slot and more information at Back2SchoolCarnival.org. (Please note this information is being distributed as a community courtesy. WJUSD is not a legal sponsor or endorser of this activity.)

It’s time to update your phone numbers, emergency contacts, health information, and more for your students attending WJUSD. An active parent portal account is required to complete data confirmation. Contact your school office for help.
For more information click here.

Due to the transmissibility of the current variant of COVID-19 and current high case rate in the community, this is a formal notice that all staff and students are considered exposed to COVID.

Based on these updates, WJUSD will implement the following process in our schools at the start of the 2022-2023 school year:

• All students will remain in school unless they are experiencing symptoms of illness.

• Any student who becomes ill at school will continue to be evaluated by our school health staff to determine if a parent/guardian needs to take the student home. An at-home rapid test kit will be provided to take home. 

• Students and staff members who test positive for COVID are still instructed to report this information to their school or work site and follow isolation guidelines.

• The entire WJUSD community is strongly encouraged to participate in weekly COVID testing regardless of vaccination status.

• Students and staff who develop new, unexplained symptoms should not return to campus until it is clear that symptoms are mild and improving or are due to a non-infectious cause (e.g., allergies). This includes waiting until 24 hours have passed without a fever and without the use of fever-reducing medications.

We continue to work closely with the Yolo County Department of Public Health to receive updates and guidance for COVID-19 in our community.

For more information and frequently asked questions click here.

Our District continues to partner with COVID Clinic to provide free COVID Testing.
Daily COVID testing will be available from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. at the following locations.

• Monday - Pioneer High School - 1400 Pioneer Ave.
• Tuesday - Woodland High School - 21 N. West St.
• Wednesday - Douglass Middle School - 525 Granada Dr.
• Thursday - Whitehead Elementary School - 624 West Southwood Dr.
• Friday - Beamer Park Elementary School, 525 Beamer St.

Testing is also available at the District Office, 435 Sixth St., Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Please note our District accepts test results from other COVID testing providers in addition to COVID Clinic.

School sites will have rapid antigen test kits available for students and staff at school sites as needed.

Yolo County remains in high community transmission, according to the Yolo County health officials.

Yolo County strongly recommends:
 

• Wearing a well-fitting, high-quality mask in indoors

• Keeping up to date on vaccinations. Find a vaccine clinic here.

• Staying home when sick 

The federal government is offering FREE at home COVID tests to every household in America. The order includes four individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests. Shipment is free and there is a limit of one order per residential address. Click here to place your order. For those unable to order online, a phone hotline will be launched in the coming days.

We will be holding more Superintendent Meet-and-Greet events this year. This is another opportunity for us to meet each other, to get updates about our school district, and to hear your hopes and dreams for your students.

You are invited to join me at one of the events below. Light refreshments will be served.

• Tuesday, Sept. 13 at Whitehead Elementary School
• Tuesday, Sept. 27 at Lee Middle School
• Tuesday, Oct. 4 at Freeman Elementary School
• Tuesday, Oct. 11 at Douglass Middle School
• Tuesday, Oct. 18 at Tafoya Elementary School

Our District has four main goals, approved by the Board of Trustees, that we strive to achieve each day.
 
1: College and Career Ready
2: Meet Social-Emotional and Academic Needs
3: Accelerate English Learner Achievement
4: Engagement and Leadership Opportunities for Youth
 
Read more about each goal here.

At the July 28 Board of Trustees meeting the Board:

• Approved the employment of Diana Davidson as the Principal of Gibson Elementary School.

• Approved the employment of Jim Helstowski as the Director of Maintenance, Operations and Facilities.

• Approved a Resolution Allowable Under AB 361: Brown Act Teleconferencing. This allows the board to conduct or attend board meetings virtually due to safety and health issues related to COVID.

• Participated in the 2021-22 Board Self-Evaluation Workshop facilitated by Dr. Sepideh Yeoh, CSBA Educator/Consultant. The Board conducted a governance self-evaluation to identify and prioritize focus areas of improvements. The focus areas that were identified are: 1.) Staying in the “what” and not the “how.” 2.) Reasonable length of time at board meetings. 3.) Use the District's mission/vision/goals to direct decisions. 4.) Effective use of data to make decisions (make investment to support staff to gather the data needed). 5.) Board communication to all affected. 6.) Community Outreach & Involvement. 

• Approved to continue the modified practice to provide Public Comments at in-person board meetings to include the submission of comments via email to be added to meeting minutes, and the submission of comments via voicemail to be played during the board meetings. The Board will alternate between in-person comments and voicemail comments at in-person board meetings. The deadline for the public to submit comments via email and voicemail will be 2:00 p.m. on board meeting dates. This modified practice will expire on June 30, 2023.

The next Board of Trustee meetings will be on Aug. 11 and 23. Open session starts at 6 p.m., unless posted otherwise on the board meeting agenda.
 
You can read the agenda and instructions for making a public comment here.

I’m looking forward to another great year throughout our District!

Respectfully,


Elodia Ortega-Lampkin
Superintendent