Message from Principal Luna

Messages from Principal Luna
Posted on 01/31/2022
Message from Principal

Monday January 31
Dear Muirlands Community,

A reminder that Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022, is a late start day on the Muirlands campus. We will open our campus at 9:35 am, and classes will begin at 9:55 am.

Tomorrow February 1st is a COVID-19 testing day for the Muirlands campus. All Muirlands students and staff are eligible to test. Please use the following link COVID-19 Testing - San Diego Unified School District for testing information and directions on how you can register your student to test on campus if your child is not already testing. Please contact the school if you have questions or need assistance registering your student. I remind you that once registered, testing is optional for your student each week. If you would like your child to test, please instruct your student to report to the testing location when given the opportunity by their teacher. We are currently testing 240 plus students every Tuesday.

I am requesting input regarding the needs of our site for 2022-23 budget development. The site will use information from this needs assessment to develop budgets and strategies for the 2022-23 school year. All surveys received will be reviewed by the site. The School Site Council will review priorities to determine the final distribution of school funds.

As we consider our budgeting needs for the 2022-23 school year, your time and feedback are appreciated.

I have extended the deadline by a day in hopes of receiving more community responses. If you have not already done so, please complete and submit this form by 1/31/22
Survey Link: Needs Assessment Community Survey SY 2022-23 (no longer active)

Sincerely,
Principal Luna

Thursday January13
Dear Staff and Community,

With the new variant being highly contagious and guidance adjusting accordingly, I would like to update you with the most current information provided by the San Diego County of Education. In addition, it may be helpful to view our revised decision tree, which was updated yesterday. Please check this link e-decision tree for an easy-to-use tool to determine a student’s quarantine status if exposed, symptomatic, or tests positive.

I realize many questions are surrounding COVID protocols and guidelines. Therefore, here is a link to the County FAQ Regarding K-12 Decision Tree.

As we work to maintain a safe and healthy campus while maintaining an excellent educational environment, I want to recognize the following people:

  • Our nursing and attendance staff have been busy keeping our campus and your homes safe. Thank you, Nurse Pat Robbins, Health Technician Joann Hudson, and Attendance Clerk Gabby Sanchez.
  • Our administrative assistant, Deb Duncan, and special education department chair, Joey Bugbee, have done an incredible job of staffing classrooms as we navigate staff absences and a workforce shortage.
  • We currently have only one of our four custodians working onsite, Terry Carter. Mr. Carter is working seven days a week to ensure our campus and classrooms are clean and ready each morning.
  • Lastly and perhaps most importantly, I would like to recognize our incredible teaching staff who have voluntarily stepped up to cover classrooms during their prep periods.

I ask that you please help our school community by doing the following:

  1. Do not send a sick or symptomatic child to school. If your child needs to stay home, email Ms. Gabby [email protected] to report the absence. If your child can perform schoolwork, they can open their Google Classroom for each class to find their assignments. Our teachers will post their daily work here and are available by email if there are coursework questions.
  2. Please ensure you send your child to school with a mask each day. One of the best measures we can take against the spread of COVID-19, and a mandate to be on campus, is to wear a properly fitting mask while on our campus. We have masks available on campus in our front office if your child should forget to bring a mask or if their mask breaks. Cloth masks alone are not as effective as other options and are discouraged, although still allowed. A better option would be a surgical mask or an N95 mask (both have a nose wire) or a surgical mask combined with a cloth mask. Wear a surgical mask (paper disposable) under the cloth mask if wearing both masks. Do not combine two surgical masks as these masks are not designed to fit tightly. Likewise, do not combine an N95 mask with any other type of mask.
  3. Have your child participate in Muirlands onsite testing each Tuesday. We had approximately 50 more students report for onsite COVID testing this week than previous weeks. We find that some students are asymptomatic and only discover they have contracted COVID-19 after testing. If you have not already opted-in, here is the information you need to sign your child up for our onsite testing.
    1. Complete the opt-in process to allow the testers to conduct weekly testing. 
    2. Register and consent in the Primary.Health Portal to be tested.

As a reminder, onsite COVID testing is optional and students will need to self-report to the testing room when prompted to do so by their teacher.

In partnership,
Principal Luna

Monday November 8
Dear Staff and Community,

I write this letter as a follow-up to the recent communications from our district leadership regarding school options on Friday, November 12, 2021. I first want to apologize for the confusion and added stress this may have caused Muirlands Middle School stakeholders. Unless given a different directive, Muirlands Middle School will be open for an instructional day on Friday, November 12, 2021.

The district has determined that all families who choose to keep their students out of school for a mental health day on November 12 will have their absence marked as “excused.” Therefore, if you choose to have your student utilize November 12 as a mental health day, please contact our attendance office to Report an Absence and state the reason for the absence as “district-approved mental health day.” Absences that are not verified within five school days will result in an Unexcused Absence.

In summary, on Friday, Muirlands will welcome all of our students to campus. Please feel confident that Muirlands will do everything possible to maintain a high standard of education and professionalism, as they have done throughout this pandemic, during this unprecedented situation. Our teaching staff has the autonomy to implement the curriculum of their choice on Friday as they factor in the spirit and constraints of the day. At this time, many of our staff members are still determining what their curriculum/activities will be for Friday.

I thank our parents and our staff for your continued support.

With appreciation,
Principal Luna

Wednesday September 1
Hello Muirlands Community,

I hope your student is enjoying their return to school. I want you to know I appreciate your time and dedication to reading the email messages sent from SDUSD and the messages I send from Muirlands. I know it can become overwhelming at times. I will typically send one message a week, my Sunday notes message, to our community. However, there are times when I feel it is worthy of sending you a midweek update.

Please read the following information.

  1. Your student should have brought home their 1st-day packets this week. Our ‘K-12 Enrollment Form 2021-2022’ is located through your PowerSchool Parent Portal. Please see the link below with instructions on updating your information to fulfill the 1st item on your packet’s checklist. We ask that you complete this enrollment form and that your student return this packet to their 1st-period teacher by Friday, September 3rd. Enrollment Form Instructions for Parent Portal
  2. PE Uniforms can now be purchased on the Foundation's Online Store. Please make sure you indicate your student's PE Period and PE Teacher on the order form. Your student’s uniforms will be delivered directly to their PE class. You can check out the size chart to help you decide the correct size by scrolling through the item images. If the size you select online does not fit, the PE teachers will send your student to the Finance Office for a quick exchange during PE classes.
  3. To promote a healthy environment, we have expanded our student “Lunch Area” to include an additional eating area, more benches and tables, and additional adult supervision. We also have our PE area open during lunch for students to play sports or walk the track.
  4. We are asking all families to complete the School COVID-19 Testing Option form. Families are now required to make a choice on Covid testing at the start of the new school year. Every family must complete the below form and submit their response online at this time. Free Covid testing in school helps prevent the spread of the virus and allows more students to stay in school and continue their education.

To opt-in for testing for your child, please complete the COVID-19 Testing Acknowledgement Form on PowerSchool under "Forms". Please Note: A PowerSchool Username and Password will be required to complete this form. If you do not have your student’s Access ID and password, please contact our Site Tech, Ms. Rodriguez, [email protected].

Our site will begin testing students next Tuesday morning for parents who opt-in their child for testing. These students will leave their classroom to have the test administered by the Responsive Lab Partners agency.

Directions for testing with Responsive Lab Partners - Go to the Primary Health Portal to register for an account for your child. Please sign the consent in the portal and select your child's school. No subsequent appointments are necessary.

SDUSD will offer two support sessions for completing the Testing Option Form. The first session is tonight.

The second session will be Wednesday September 8 from 5:30pm to 6:30pm. 
Zoom Meeting ID: 896 9468 5040

  • Step-by-Step support completing the Testing Option Form 
  • Support on how to create a Parent Portal account 
  • Learn the benefits of weekly COVID testing 

Log on between 5:15pm through 5:30pm if you need interpretation services 

Dates, times, and zoom information are available on the Family Engagement website: Events-2 – Family Engagement Department.

Sincerely,
Principal Luna

Monday August 30
Hello Muirlands Community,

A quick message to thank you for your support and for entrusting the Muirlands staff with your children. We had a great first day. I visited numerous classrooms today and was very impressed with the enthusiasm and participation of our students. The Muirlands teachers did a wonderful job of preparing their classrooms and curriculum to ensure a positive learning environment as we welcomed your students back on campus. I hope you have time tonight to talk with your student about their first day at school.

A couple of items as we prepare for day two.

  1. Please remember to bring a fully charged netbook to school each day.
  2. Lunch lines are always long the first week of school as our students figure out “The Process”. Please be patient.
  3. Our students will review the school handbook this week. The handbook is available on the Muirlands website . Please take some time to review the handbook with your student. Pay special attention to reviewing the cell phone and dress code policy with your student. Muirlands now allows hats to be worn on campus and during PE. Teachers may establish specific guidelines for their classrooms.

Lastly, I want to thank our parents for their cooperation this morning with drop-off and dismissal. Please feel free to share your constructive feedback regarding our opening.

Sincerely,
Principal Luna

Thursday August 26
Hello Muirlands Community,

Please read the following updates at your earliest convenience.

PowerSchool and Parent Portal and COVID Testing form

SDUSD has opened access to PowerSchool and the Parent Portal for all families. Please note that we are still working on the master schedule. Therefore, the schedule you see for your child today may change before Monday. All students will be required to pick up their official schedule when they arrive on campus on August 30th.

Today's early opening of the Parent Portal is to allow our families to complete a required form. The new form will enable parents to indicate if their child can be included in the district’s COVID-19 testing program. All parents/guardians are required to complete the form and indicate whether they choose to participate in COVID-19 testing or not.

Please log into the PowerSchool Parent Portal at https://powerschool.sandi.net, select Forms from the left-hand navigation, and select the form named School COVID-19 Testing Option. If you do not have a Parent Portal account, you may also log in using your student’s ID and password. However, you are strongly encouraged to create your own Parent Portal account.

To assist you with submitting the form, a job aid is available with instructions.

Any parents/guardians who indicate that they would like to enroll in the District’s COVID-19 testing program will be directed to one or two additional forms based on the school of enrollment.

If you need assistance with the parent portal, please contact Ms. Rodriguez at [email protected]

Covid testing dates on the Muirlands campus

Please see the SDSUD Covid website for updates and Muirlands testing schedule.

Nursing and Wellness Mask Update:

I am forwarding the following message released today by the SDUSD Nursing and Wellness Department regarding updates to the mask policy. The new policy is as follows:

  • Masks are always required indoors. Masks are now required outdoors at all times while students are on campus unless they are eating. Currently, large-scale events are not recommended for any school sites due to the increased risk of exposure.
  • We highly encourage students to take mask breaks outdoors. During these breaks, students should maintain 6 feet distance from each other. Wearing masks outdoors lessens the likelihood of student exposure and allows more students to qualify for a modified quarantine.
  • Masks may be removed outdoors in certain situations and with certain distancing recommendations during physical education, athletics, and performing arts programs.

Message from PrimeTime/ ARC regarding the ARC Breakfast Club

We are starting a before-school club this year called the Breakfast Club, but we need at least ten students to sign up to get started. If we get enough interest, the club will run from 7:00 am until the start of school every day. If you’re interested and would like more information, please follow this link and fill out the interest form: https://forms.gle/VfJf2gfZESBAK9AQA
If you have any questions, contact the club organizer:
Jared Padilla-Elliott
661-610-7610
[email protected]

Ordering PE Clothes

PE Clothes will be available for online purchase beginning next week. Your child’s PE teacher will share ordering information with your child. Please contact the school if you have questions or need assistance. Sincerely, Principal Luna

In partnership,
Principal Luna

Tuesday August 17
Hello Muirlands Community,

I hope this message finds you well and enjoying your summer in our beautiful city or wherever you might be traveling. We are officially 13 days from our first day of school.

We are working hard to prepare for the school year and are getting ready to welcome our teachers back on August 25th. As we have seen, the impact of COVID-19 is still tremendous in our community and our nation. While we are preparing for a full return to in-person learning, we are also planning to ensure the health and safety of all staff and students on our campus. We appreciate your patience as we are gaining an understanding of district guidelines and planning for the specific needs of our Muirlands campus and community. In addition, I ask that all families please be diligent in taking the steps necessary to ensure we have a healthy and safe school opening and year.

Soon, SDUSD will send a “Back to School Guide” to all families. This guide will contain much of the information families need before sending their children back to school.

Muirlands will host two virtual orientation sessions on August 24th. The first session is from 8:00 am - 9:00 am. The second session is from 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm. We will post a recording of the orientation on our school website if you are unable to attend the live presentation. A zoom link and additional information will be sent to families later this week.

As you begin to prepare for the start of the year, here are some general guidelines:

  • All staff and students will be required to wear masks indoors
  • Mask will not be required while outside
  • Students will suit up for their physical education classes. Your child’s PE teacher will share how to purchase a PE uniform during the first week of class. 
  • We will continue air filtration mitigations with MERV-13 filters or air purifiers in each room and the opening of windows and doors when appropriate
  • All students who received school transportation in the past will continue to receive transportation this year
  • We will resume our “normal” school schedule
    • Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday, Thursdays, Fridays 8:35 am-3:15 pm
    • We will have a late start day once a month to allow our staff to attend Professional Development. On our late start dates, the school will meet from 9:55 am - 3:15 pm.
      Please calendar the following late start dates: October 6, 2021, November 3, 2021, December 1, 2021, January 5, 2022, February 2, 2022, March 2, 2022, April 6, 2022, May 4, 2022
  • Important Dates:
    • Wednesday, August 18 - School office Re-opens 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
    • Tuesday, August 24 - On-line new student orientation, two sessions 8:00 am and 2:30 pm A Zoom link will be emailed to each family
    • Sunday, August 29 - Unofficial student schedules will be available in PowerSchool
    • Monday, August 30 - First Day of School!!! We will welcome all students to in-person learning. Gates will open at 8:15 am. Students will pick up their official color-coded schedule in the school quad. The official color-coded schedule is required for entrance into classes on 8-30-21.

Last year our Phase 2 reopening was a success and a tremendous opportunity to learn what works best for our school and our students. We intend to lift a lot of our best practices to ensure a successful 2021 Fall. Please regularly check your emails for ongoing communication and updates.

Our success last year rested upon our amazing partnership with you, our community. Your ongoing positivity was an invaluable component of our ability to navigate reopening our school with grace.

Please monitor your email for additional information. We encourage all families to sign up for the Muirlands Foundation e-Splash. We look forward to a wonderful school year. Please reach out to the school if we can assist in any way.

In partnership,
Principal Luna

Website by SchoolMessenger Presence. © 2024 SchoolMessenger Corporation. All rights reserved.