Get Involved With Youth Spirit Artworks’ Tiny House Village Project
by Xinxin Duan, EDSET class of 2022
If you are looking to make an impact by empowering young people in the community, you may want to consider getting involved with Youth Spirit Artworks (YSA)’s Tiny House Village Project.
It is difficult for young people who experience homelessness or are at risk for homelessness to find employment and housing. In light of the recent pandemic and wildfires, low-income and unhoused youth are among those experiencing the most consequences. YSA’s Tiny House Village Project was created to combat the issue of youth homelessness and unemployment. The organization is looking for dedicated young people in the community who will help to move this project forward as it approaches its final stage.
Youth Spirit Artworks is a non-profit organization in South Berkeley that provides homeless and low-income youth in the Bay Area with job skill training, opportunities, and empowerment through art programs. At YSA, young people ages 16-25 can participate in art workshops and a professional development program.
In 2017, young people in YSA programs started a campaign to build a group of affordable residential units for Bay Area youth experiencing homelessness. For the past few years, YSA youth have been collaborating with volunteers to build a village of affordable Tiny Houses for underserved youth.
In addition to Tiny Houses painted with beautiful murals by YSA youth, the village includes restrooms, kitchens, and community spaces to be used by residents.
With the support of many volunteers in the community, YSA has just completed its first 26 Tiny Houses in East Oakland, which are ready to be moved into. They plan to continue building Tiny Houses and eventually reach their 10-year goal of “100 Homes for 100 Homeless Youth.”
If you are interested in construction and other hands-on activities, you may want to get involved with YSA by volunteering on-location. During the weekly build days, there are many jobs to do, such as helping to build Tiny Houses and yurts, doing bicycle maintenance, and painting fences and planters. If you are a young person who has experienced homelessness or has been at risk for homelessness, you can become a participant in the YSA program. In this program, participants can be trained in art sales and nonprofit management skills, receive assistance accessing educational and vocational resources, and work on their leadership skills.
To learn more about Youth Spirit Artworks and the Tiny House Village Project, visit their website at https://youthspiritartworks.org. If you are interested in volunteering or becoming a program participant at YSA, please contact Jilly de la Torre, the Tiny House Project Coordinator, at jilly@youthspiritartworks.org.
Albany Disability Squad Family Support Group
Please join us for the next meeting of…
The ADS Family Support Group:
Supporting each other in raising kids who learn differently
How is distance learning going? How are you managing multiple roles? How can we help each other and our kids?
Date: Wednesday October 14, 2020
(and the second Wednesday of every month)
Time: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88600184968?pwd=bEgvZ0NLSFY5aWM4OHN5UGxZanQwZz09
or
Dial by your location:
(408) 638 0968
Meeting ID: 886 0018 4968
Passcode: 798604
albanydisabilitysquad@gmail.com ◽ https://albanydisabilitysquad.org
Albany Unified School District is Turning the Lights Back On!
Dear AUSD Community,
I am writing to share some important news regarding the school reopening plans here at Albany USD.
As you may recall, on October 1st, the Alameda County Department of Public Health updated their Shelter-In Place orders, allowing school districts to begin reopening elementary schools on or after October 13. The Alameda County Superintendent of Schools also issued a statement on a Phased Reopening for Alameda County Schools, providing guidance permitting a limited and phased reopening of elementary schools, without the need for the waiver required previously. Furthermore, on October 6th, ACOE released their Reopening School checklist.
At the Board of Education Special Meeting last Tuesday, October 6, I shared our proposal to pivot from a 100% remote-learning model of instruction to a hybrid model of instruction. We also presented a remote only option for families who need to continue in remote learning. After hearing many concerns from community members related to the remote-only option, we decided to revise this model, and we met again on Thursday, October 8th in an emergency meeting for the Board to further review, discuss, and ultimately vote on the overall, updated proposal.
The School Board voted to approve the plan to pivot to hybrid learning, with a few amended target dates (final dates are listed below). The following is a brief summary of the plan to date; more details will be presented in future communications and will be posted on our district website.
Elementary Hybrid Blended Learning Model
Students receive in-person instruction in stable cohorts (12-15 students) on M/T or Th/Fri
Students receive remote instruction three days per week
Remote learning days will include synchronous and asynchronous instruction with AUSD staff
All students receive remote instruction on Wednesday (to allow for deep cleaning between cohorts)
Students receive daily required instructional minutes
Elementary 100% Remote Instruction Model
Students who are medically fragile or would be put at risk by in-person instruction, or who are self-quarantining because of exposure to COVID-19 may receive 100% remote learning
In addition, any AUSD family may choose to continue to receive 100% remote learning
Students in remote learning will receive instruction from AUSD staff
Remote learning will include synchronous and asynchronous remote instruction
Students will receive state-approved and standards-based curriculum
Detailed information regarding secondary hybrid and remote instruction models will be forthcoming.
Target Dates for Pivoting to Hybrid Instruction:
November 2: Preschool/School-Age Hubs (teacher/student ratio 1:7)
November 30: Preschool/School-Age (teacher/student ratio 1:14)
January 4: TK-1st Grade
January 11: 2nd-3rd Grade
January 18: 4th-5th Grade
February 1: 6th-12th Grade
Additional Next Steps Include the following:
Hubs: Opening hubs was discussed in the proposal as a high-priority and the Board’s acknowledgement included the understanding that District Staff is working to open these as soon as possible for the following groups: Special Education, 504’s, Intervention, English Learners, Mental Health and Physical Education (Dance, Yoga, hiking and other outdoor physical activities).
Staff and Parent Surveys: We will be administering surveys regarding our reopening school options in order to plan appropriate staffing for both our hybrid and remote learning models.
AUSD Public Health Component Dashboard For Reopening Schools: we will be launching this dashboard, which is a checklist allowing us to track and communicate our progress toward reopening schools. This will be posted on the district website and will be updated weekly.
Our commitment is to keep our students, staff and community safe during these challenging times.
My hope is that you stay Safe, Healthy and Encouraged!
Sincerely,
Frank Wells, Ed.D.
Superintendent - Albany Unified School District
Help Our Students Change the World!
Dear AUSD Community,
Albany students want to diversify the narrative they are taught in school about our world--its rich and diverse cultural heritage and real history. Our students deserve an education that includes racially and culturally diverse voices. If you are one of the many in the Albany community who want to be a part of making that happen, read on...
The Albany Diversify Our Narrative student team states:
“Diversify Our Narrative is a nationwide, student-led initiative dedicated to teaching anti-racism in schools. The group was formed in June of 2020 in response to the many instances of anti-black hate and systemic racism that have been occurring for over 400 years in this country. As a group, we recognize the influence schools have in fostering a safe, supportive, and inclusive community. We believe creating this kind of environment should be AUSD’s number one priority. One important step towards this goal is to incorporate texts that are diverse and representative into English classes from kindergarten through 12th grade. While this won’t entirely resolve the issue of racism in Albany, we’re confident that it will lead to positive change that is long overdue.”
For more information regarding this campaign, please reference our linktr.ee or contact us at ausddon@gmail.com
Albany Unified School District strongly supports our students in this effort. Teachers support it, as do our administrators. AUSD receives state funds annually that must be spent on curricular materials and have often been spent to further these goals. The state-defined adequacy of AUSD instructional materials is verified annually. Although these things are done, they do not propel the District forward at the speed our students, our staff, and many in our community would like us to move.
If you want to help the District respond to this need and leap forward this year, you can help by making an earmarked donation expressly for Diversify Our Narrative curricular materials. You can donate online via MySchoolBucks (account set up is easy and free), drop a check through the mail slot on the door of the Student Enrollment Center at 1200 Solano Ave., or mail a check to:
Albany Unified School District
Diversify Our Narrative Campaign
819 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94710
All donations to AUSD are fully tax deductible and receipts are provided. All earmarked funds received this school year will be expended by June 30, 2021.
Thank you so much for your support as we help our students change the world.
Stay Safe, Healthy and Encouraged!
Frank Wells, Ed.D.
Superintendent, Albany Unified School District
Honor Latinx and Hispanic heritage with AHS Library
We are celebrating Latinx and Hispanic heritage this month at the Albany High Library. I’ve gathered together a wide variety of resources in this collection, which takes you right to our online catalog: Latinx and Hispanic Heritage. Right now, I’m reading a new collection of essays by Luis J. Rodriguez called “From Our Land to Our Land: Essays, Journeys and Imaginings From a Native Xicanx Writer.” It’s a fascinating look at identity, heritage, religion and culture from a leading author and former poet-laureate of Los Angeles.
Here are a few favorite books at the AHS Library:
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Barely Missing Everything, by Matt Mendez
Dealing in Dreams, by Lilliam Rivera
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces, by Isabel Quintero
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, by Erika L. Sánchez
In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez
The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo
Yes! We Are Latinos, by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy
Remember that the library is open every Friday from 9am till 4pm to pick up and return books. If you have any questions, just send me an email.
Mary Ann Scheuer
AHS Teacher Librarian
mscheuer@ausdk12.org
Purchase Your 2021 Yearbook
Don’t miss out on this historic book!
***All yearbook pre-orders will be done online this year.***
Visit the Herff-Jones Yearbook Order Center at:
https://www.yearbookordercenter.com/
Enter School Order #12564
Cost: $85 through Friday, Oct 2; then goes up to $90. (Personalized nameplates also available.)
Senior Families: You can also order and create yearbook senior ads using the same process.
Questions? Contact Ms Radford: jradford@ausdk12.org
AHS Library Serves Students During Distance Learning
The Albany High Library is a great resource for students during distance learning. Our librarian, Ms. Scheuer, is supporting all our students accessing Google tools and Zoom classes -- please reach out to her if you’re having trouble.
If students are having trouble, they should:
Try to problem solve on their own (try Googling it!)
Ask friends or family for help.
Ask their teacher for support.
If none of these work, contact Ms. Scheuer for help (email: mscheuer@ausdk12.org or text: 510-779-2737). She’s happy to see if she can find the best solution for you.
Would you like to check out a book from the AHS Library? Students may check out up to 10 books! Three easy steps:
Look at our catalog or Goodreads to find a book you want to read.
Fill out this Book Request Form, so we can have your book ready for you.
Come to AHS on Friday between 9am and 4pm.
I’d like to introduce our new library techs: Mary Ernst and Margaret Glendening will be helping our students this year. Many thanks to Mary, Margaret and SchoolCare for their support of our library program -- it’s invaluable!
Mary Ann Scheuer
AHS Teacher Librarian
Yearbook Distribution Takes Place Monday, August 17
This is a reminder that yearbooks will be distributed on Monday, August 17th. Anyone who purchased a yearbook should have received an email with more details. If you still need to purchase a yearbook, you’ll be able to do so in person.
For questions or to place a new order contact jradford@ausdk12.org
Join Us Online For the Commencement of the Class of 2020!
This is a reminder that we will be streaming our commencement ceremony on Zoom starting at 5p. Tune in via our Commencement page, which also contains all the pre-recorded speeches and musical performances.
Congratulations Class of 2020!