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<p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(255,37,0)"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px">PLEASE do not reply to this email, contact <a href="mailto:mimipulich@yahoo.com?subject="><span class="gmail-s2" style="letter-spacing:0px;color:rgb(71,135,255)">mimipulich@yahoo.com</span></a> if you have any questions. </span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px"><i>Heidi Weber is the first principal of Berkeley Independent Study (BIS) and Berkeley Technology Academy (BTA) since they were restructured in 2018 to be under one administrator. BIS continues to be a learning community within BHS and serves around 175 students. BTA remains an alternative high school distinct from BHS and serves around 75 students. Both schools share a campus on Derby at MLK. </i> </span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px"><b>Your entire career in education has been in BUSD, right?</b></span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px">Almost. I got my teaching credential at Cal, I student taught at BHS and King, and then for the next 20 years I taught English and English Language Development at BHS in AHA, AC, and the multilingual EL program - I was its teacher leader. After getting my administrative credential through Cal’s Principal Leadership Institute, I was a vice principal at a high school in Pittsburg for a year before I was lured back to BHS to become its first Dean of Attendance. I was in that position for 2 years, was the BIS coordinator for a year, and I’ve been the BIS/BTA principal for 2 years now, a total of 6 years out of the classroom. </span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px"><b>How did the shut down and distance learning impact BIS and BTA students?</b></span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px">I think engagement was really difficult. Students didn’t feel great about shelter-in-place which amplified their feelings of isolation, and they struggled with learning. Having regular contact with teachers is important. A lot of things that can impact mental health happened and were exacerbated by shelter-in-place. Some students’ families struggled because members were losing jobs and livelihood was at state. BTA students took on jobs as first responders in places like grocery stores, which made their learning harder. These things impact student mental health and they aren’t new to us, but it was different because students didn’t have access to support and resources. Our therapists rallied and offered tele-therapy in lieu of in-person sessions; it was pretty amazing that this work continued.</span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px"><b>How did BIS and BTA teachers mobilize to address shelter-in-place and distance learning?</b></span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px">I’m very proud of how our teachers responded. They were quick to turn on a dime and use Google Classroom if they weren’t already doing so. We made an agreement that not just academic but social-emotional check-ins were equally important, and all teachers made a point of doing them. We had the Berkeley Mental Health therapist explain to us how to look for signs of well being and how to promote the Warm Line for students in need of support; with the BHS health center closed, the Warm Line was established so students could call a number and talk to a therapist (see below).</span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px">Additionally our teachers embraced using new technology platforms beyond Google Classroom such as Zoom and Google Meet. To further engage students, teachers had students use Flip Grid to record themselves in a less than 5 minute video to show their ideas. Using Google Classroom Forum for some assignments facilitated student collaboration and building on each other ideas, and students used Padlet which lets students see others responses to a question their teacher asks of all. </span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px"><b>What do you foresee will happen on the BIS and BTA campus next year?</b></span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px">Currently BUSD and BFT are in negotiations about what next year will look like for all schools, including how many hours teachers will be able to do direct instruction through distance learning. In addition, the City of Berkeley Health Department is in close communication with BUSD about what is possible; Berkeley is one of two cities in the State to have its own health department. </span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px">We hope to have some sort of hybrid for BTA students so that all students can come in on some basis. Classes can’t last more than an hour or you start breathing each other’s air. BTA has more classrooms than BIS which doesn’t have enough space for social distance spacing in its classrooms, so BIS students will continue with distance learning. I anticipate that students will receive regular grades versus pass/fail, and what was optional during shelter-in-place will be required. All is being negotiated and will be ultimately be decided upon by the school board. </span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px"><b>What about mental health?</b></span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px">Our teachers will continue to have social emotional check-ins with students. Student safety and mental health are important to us, and distance learning is not going to help. We’re going to have in-person mental health counselors for 1:1 counseling on the campus; I’ve met with the Berkeley’s Mental Health Services and we’ve had a walk-thru and identified spaces that will work. The Warm Line will continue as will tele-therapy. Health protocols have not yet been identified, and questions arise about how students and staff will be screened every day. But it will be similar to what’s happening in elementary and middle. It will all have to be uniform. </span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px"><b>What might the teachers do differently?</b></span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px">We’re looking at project based learning as well collaborative interdisciplinary projects that teachers will design and then assign together. It’s a conversation that hasn’t happened before, and it’s exciting because it means the quality of our instruction can improve. At BIS, finding and trying out new technologies as a means to promote student collaboration will continue. At BTA, we will continue to work on our CTE pathways in Public Health and Computer Science. We’re hiring another teacher to develop our health pathway and our current computer science pathway will be grown. Schooling is going to look different but it isn’t going to change our overall school goals and plans for moving forward.</span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p3" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px"><i>Thank you Heidi for your leadership and your commitment to addressing the mental health needs of your students. </i></span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p4" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(255,38,0)"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px"><b>The Warm Line</b> is a phone-based mental health resource provided by the BHS Health Center to support Berkeley’s high school students, families, teachers and administrators by providing emotional support, psychoeducation, consultation, referrals, and other general information during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides Information about mental health and coping skills as well as support for anxiety, depression, stress, and other mental health needs, and it can connect callers with ongoing mental health services and/or community resources</span></p>
<p class="gmail-p5" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(255,38,0);min-height:17px"><br></p>
<p class="gmail-p4" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(255,38,0)"><span class="gmail-s1" style="letter-spacing:0px"><b>The Mental Health Warm Line phone number is 510-981-5240.</b> It operates Monday through Friday from 11:30 AM until 4:00 PM (during the summer break as well as the school year). The Warm Line is operated by licensed mental health clinicians and services are available in English and Spanish.</span></p>
<p class="gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:15px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial;min-height:17px"><br></p><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr">
<p style="margin:0px;font:14px Arial"><span style="letter-spacing:0px">_____________________________</span></p>
<p style="margin:0px;font:12px Arial;color:rgb(87,124,173)"><span style="letter-spacing:0px">Nicole Chee, Jenny Fosket, and Chaghig Walker are the parent-volunteer facilitators of the E-tree; please direct any questions about the E-tree to them at <a href="mailto:bhs-owner@lmi.net?subject=" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration:underline;letter-spacing:0px">bhs-owner@lmi.net</span></a>.</span></p><p style="margin:0px;font:12px Arial;color:rgb(87,124,173);min-height:14px"><span style="letter-spacing:0px"></span><br></p><p style="margin:0px;font:12px Arial;color:rgb(87,124,173)"><span style="letter-spacing:0px">BHS E-tree archives: <a href="http://lists.lmi.net/pipermail/bhs/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration:underline;letter-spacing:0px">http://lists.lmi.net/pipermail/bhs/</span></a></span></p><p style="margin:0px;font:12px Arial;color:rgb(87,124,173)"><span style="letter-spacing:0px">BHS website: <a href="http://bhs.berkeleyschools.net/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration:underline;letter-spacing:0px">http://bhs.berkeleyschools.net/</span></a></span></p><p style="margin:0px;font:12px Arial;color:rgb(87,124,173)"><span style="letter-spacing:0px">BUSD 2019-2020 Calendar: <a href="https://www.berkeleyschools.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/BerkeleyUSDCalendar-K12-2019-20-v6.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration:underline;letter-spacing:0px">http://bit.ly/BUSDCalendar1920</span></a></span></p><p style="margin:0px;font:12px Arial;color:rgb(87,124,173)"><span style="letter-spacing:0px">BUSD Non-Discrimination Statement / la Política de No Discriminación: <a href="http://bit.ly/BUSDNDPolicy" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration:underline;letter-spacing:0px">http://bit.ly/BUSDNDPolicy</span></a></span></p><p style="margin:0px;font:12px Arial;color:rgb(87,124,173);min-height:14px"><span style="letter-spacing:0px"></span><br></p><p style="margin:0px;font:12px Arial;color:rgb(87,124,173)"><span style="letter-spacing:0px">To post a message, send to:<a href="mailto:bhs@lmi.net?subject=" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration:underline;letter-spacing:0px"> bhs@lmi.net</span></a>.</span></p><p style="margin:0px;font:12px Arial;color:rgb(87,124,173);min-height:14px"><span style="letter-spacing:0px"></span><br></p><p style="margin:0px;font:12px Arial;color:rgb(87,124,173)"><span style="letter-spacing:0px">To </span><span style="text-decoration:underline;letter-spacing:0px;color:rgb(255,38,0)">unsubscribe</span><span style="letter-spacing:0px"> from the E-tree, send an email to <a href="mailto:bhs-request@lmi.net?subject=" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration:underline;letter-spacing:0px">bhs-request@lmi.net</span></a> with one word only in the subject line: <b>unsubscribe</b>.<span> </span>The request must be sent from the email address that is subscribed to the list.<span> </span>If that does not work, visit the URL at the bottom of each message, or put your email address at the end of this URL:<span> </span><a href="http://lists.lmi.net/mailman/options/bhs/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration:underline;letter-spacing:0px">http://lists.lmi.net/mailman/options/bhs/</span></a>, or contact the e-tree moderators at <a href="mailto:bhs-owner@lmi.net?subject=" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration:underline;letter-spacing:0px">bhs-owner@lmi.net</span></a>.</span></p><p style="margin:0px;font:12px Arial;color:rgb(87,124,173);min-height:14px"><span style="letter-spacing:0px"></span><br></p><p style="margin:0px;font:12px Arial;color:rgb(87,124,173)">
</p><p style="margin:0px;font:12px Arial;color:rgb(87,124,173)"><span style="letter-spacing:0px">To </span><span style="text-decoration:underline;letter-spacing:0px">subscribe</span><span style="letter-spacing:0px"> to the E-tree, send an email to <a href="mailto:bhs-request@lmi.net?subject=" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration:underline;letter-spacing:0px">bhs-request@lmi.net</span></a> with one word only in the subject line: <b>subscribe</b></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div>