[BHS Etree] ADMIN: Closure Update and Bulletin, Mar. 24 (Tue)

Tue Mar 24 20:38:56 PDT 2020

PLEASE do not reply to this email.

March 24, 2020

Good evening everyone.  This bulletin has quite a bit of information, some
new and some not.  You may have already received a communication from our
Superintendent indicating that it is unlikely schools will open in April,
and outlining our plan for online learning to begin in earnest after Spring
Break.  I have a few further details below that are BHS-specific, but
please look out for Dr. Stephens’ letter. I will also send out more details
about online learning in my next bulletin this week, likely on Thursday.

Please take good care of yourselves and each other.  I know that each day
can be full of overwhelming news for many of us.  Know that we are working
hard to ensure as much connection, communication, and learning will happen
in the midst of great uncertainty about the immediate future.

Thank you,

Erin

UPDATES:

Grading

We have communicated today  to all teaching staff today that Quarter 3
grades will be handled as follows:

   -

   The quarter will be extended 1 week, to the Friday after Spring Break,
   4/10.
   -

   Students will have until that Friday to make up any work or
   electronically turn in any assignment that was given before our closure on
   3/13. Teachers will grade this work for Quarter 3, but will not include any
   optional work that was given after our closure in the Quarter 3 grade.
   -

   Students: please communicate clearly with your teachers if you have
   questions about what you need to do or turn in that falls under the
   category described above.

Semester 2 grades are necessarily a bigger conversation.  We are
anticipating state-level direction, and continuing to calibrate with other
districts, as well as reach out to UC’s and CSU’s in the evolving situation.

Technology update

We began distribution of Chromebooks at BHS last week, and are continuing
throughout this week.  There are three ways to request a Chromebook if you
have not already:

   1.

   Send an email to chromebook at berkeley.net
   2.

   Leave a message at (510) 644-8931

       3) Fill out a form at berkeleyschools.net/connecting

Our BHS Pick up location will be on Milvia at the Kittredge doors
(breezeway). You can choose to come on Wednesday or Friday from between
11-1:00pm if you missed coming on Monday.

Free Internet resources/Network Information is here
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vR7IDa3L2WehamV76LIqHaxk18J1tYEL/view>.

Note that Sonic is also now offering wifi services
<https://www.sonic.com/cov19> for those in need.

This information can also be found on the Berkeley High School home page
<https://bhs.berkeleyschools.net/>.

Suggested Resources for Families
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/15KxueBGZwhBvxIVS0OLGewgkX273XVeeoBhvwmPzAqY/edit?ts=5e73fb80>

Please visit the new, updated version of this document here
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/15KxueBGZwhBvxIVS0OLGewgkX273XVeeoBhvwmPzAqY/edit?ts=5e73fb80>
. We will continue to update this document as we become aware of changes
and/or new resources.

Volunteering/Donations

The Berkeley Public Schools Fund will be leading district volunteer efforts
and donations efforts and coordination. Their work is currently focused on
providing support to the students and families most impacted by COVID-19.
They are working with the BUSD Office of Family Engagement and Equity, the
BUSD Homeless Outreach Program and the District Administration to identify
needs and to direct services to students and families. Needs they are
currently aware of include groceries, emergency housing assistance, books
and access to technology.  While the exact needs are coming into focus, it
is clear that the effects are broad and the need is great. If you would
like to get involved:

   -

   Please Donate to Support Students and Families
   <https://www.berkeleypublicschoolsfund.org/donate-2-2/online-donation/>
   -

   Sign up to Volunteer
   <https://www.berkeleypublicschoolsfund.org/forms/bsv-one-time-volunteer-events/>
   (BSF will be in touch regarding upcoming volunteer opportunities)

Athletics Update

>From our Athletic Directors:

We hope everyone is hanging in there during this public health emergency.
The school closures have been a stark reminder of how important schools are
in so many ways. Likewise, the shuttering of all athletic teams has been
very hard for many. We are holding onto hope that we will get a chance to
see our athletes compete again this spring. In the meantime, we continue to
be active on Twitter. Today was the first of what will end up being a
several day series of Tweets recognizing our spring seniors.

https://twitter.com/BHSjacketSports/

Despite the gravity of the situation, we are getting reports from various
locations that several of our athletes (usually easily identified by their
red and gold outfits - and, yes, we're getting pictures!) are not adhering
to shelter-in-place and social distancing norms. Additionally, we have
received reports from the community that athletes are hopping the fence at
BHS and playing organized games in the stadium. The school and field are
closed! This is not only dangerous given the potential to spread the
Coronavirus, but it is also trespassing. Young people are often
asymptomatic carriers of the virus and put vulnerable populations at risk.
You are putting yourself, families, and the community at risk, not to
mention breaking the law. Please stop.

If you are an athlete, please be in contact with your coach and our
Athletic Trainer to discuss safe and effective workouts that you can do.
Coaches and our athletic training staff have been in contact with athletes
providing them with workout and exercise routines they can do to both
practice safe social distancing and stay in shape during this time away
from our teams. We've seen wonderful examples from crew, track, cheer, and
football to name a few where they have utilized Zoom and Google Hangouts to
have group workouts while practicing safe social distancing.

This is a tough time - we know it. We will get through this if we work
together.

GO JACKETS!

Ross Parker & Robin Vegt

Health Center

Students, check your email for an important update I sent last week about
health services while the health center is closed  There are City of
Berkeley services available.

Testing updates

State SBA testing: Governor Gavin Newsom has suspended all state tests for
the 19-20 school year.

IB assessments: International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) has informed
us that they have cancelled the May 2020 in-person testing portion and
instead students will earn IB Course Certificates (individual IB exam
results) and IB Diplomas based on their Internal Assessment and IB
Coursework this year. Details can be found here
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LHKwjo8Du1oHjXD4GSt1gY7X-DI2MkBBS0wvcArBLTA/edit>;
please note that we will update this a living document as we learn new
information. IAs will now be due to teachers by May 1, 2020; Mr. Clegg will
send information to students about World Language IOs and Art and Music
Exhibitions by 3/30. The IBO will send us more information about how IAs
and coursework will be used by 3/27. If you have questions or concerns,
please contact IB Coordinator Keldon Clegg (keldonclegg at berkeley.net) or
BIHS Vice Principal Carrie Berg (carrieberg at berkeley.net).

Advanced Placement (AP) testing:

Please check out the most recent update from the College Board
<https://apcentral-preview.collegeboard.org/about-ap/news-changes/coronavirus-update>
today.  Some highlights below:
Free AP Review Classes

Beginning on Wednesday, March 25, students can attend free, live AP review
courses, delivered by AP teachers from across the country through the
College Board. These courses:

   -

   Are optional, mobile-friendly, and can be used alongside any work your
   teacher may give you.
   -

   Will be available on-demand, so you can access them any time.
   -

   Will focus on reviewing the skills and concepts from the first 75% of
   the course. There will also be some supplementary lessons including topics
   from the final 25% of the course.

To access the live classes and recordings, visit the AP YouTube channel
<https://www.youtube.com/advancedplacement> or find your course schedule
below. The College Board will be adding more courses soon.

Download the daily schedule for 32 courses
<https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap-class-schedule-daily.pdf>
(.pdf/151 KB).

   -

   Traditional face-to-face exam administrations will not take place per
   the College Board, exams will be taken at home.
   -

   Some students may want to take the exam sooner rather than later, while
   the content is still fresh. Other students may want more time to practice.
   For each AP subject, there will be 2 different testing dates.
   -

   The full exam schedule, specific free-response question types that will
   be on each AP Exam, and additional testing details will be available by
   April 3. Look for more details to come as we learn new information. If you
   have further questions, please email Tammy Rose, VP at
   tammyrose at berkeley.net

SATs and ACTs: College Board has cancelled May SATs
<https://pages.collegeboard.org/natural-disasters> and April ACTs
<https://www.act.org/content/act/en/covid-19.html>. We still have openings
in the June 6th SAT, so please sign up directly with the College Board. We
are unable to limit sign-ups to just BHS students, so instead are
encouraging our students to sign up as quickly as possible. BHS has not had
plans to offer the June 13th ACT, as it falls during BHS graduation.

------------------------------------

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BUSD 2019-2020 Calendar: http://bit.ly/BUSDCalendar1920
<https://www.berkeleyschools.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/BerkeleyUSDCalendar-K12-2019-20-v6.pdf>

BUSD Non-Discrimination Statement / la Política de No Discriminación:
http://bit.ly/BUSDNDPolicy

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