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Dear Families in Distance Learning,

This email is to provide information to the parents of students who will be in the full year Distance Learning program. 

You will be receiving your child’s placement for the full year Distance Learning program later today. School will start tomorrow.   You will also receive information from your child’s teacher on how to connect with the classroom tomorrow.  

Each of these classes is configured with students from more than one school.  We did not have enough students at each school, in each grade level, to have school specific grade levels.  Students from different schools are placed together along with students from their own school.  

In grades TK-6th grade, students are still enrolled in the student’s school of origin.  For example, if you are a fourth grade student at Ocean Shore, your school of enrollment is still Ocean Shore, even if your teacher is from Sunset Ridge.  

It is a bit more complicated in 7th and 8th grade because of the requirements for the teacher’s credentials.   Seventh grade students from Vallemar, Ocean Shore and Cabrillo are placed with two Vallemar teachers, Ms. Vuskovic and Ms. Jung.  In eighth grade, all distance learning students, students from Vallemar, Ocean Shore and Cabrillo as well as the students from IBL in distance learning are being taught by IBL teachers.  The seventh graders from Ocean Shore and Cabrillo are enrolled in Vallemar and the eighth graders from Vallemar, Ocean Shore and Cabrillo are enrolled at Ingrid B Lacy.  To have done separate school sections for each of the multiple classes would have made it more challenging in technology programs and grading.   Eighth graders may still attend the promotion ceremony with their home school.  

We are in the process of hiring 5 teachers.  Nico Eaglin will start teaching fourth grade on Monday and we have two more teachers who are moving quickly through the hiring process.  I am confident that we will have these positions filled soon.

Here is what the configurations for distance learning look like:

We understand that your family is taking a risk to leave your school to join a new classroom in distance learning.   The first day of school when you don’t know who is in your classroom or who your teacher is can be scary.  Your teachers are as eager to meet you as you are to meet them.  It may take a few days to learn the names of the students in your class or find others that have similar interests.  Your teachers know this is scary (and might be a little nervous, too).

You will receive an email from the district with your child’s teacher information shortly.  You will receive an email from the teacher by 8:30 tomorrow morning sharing the plan for tomorrow.

Wishing you a great first day of school tomorrow!

Heather Olsen

Superintendent of Pacifica School District