Latest memo from SV School District

See the more current letter, sent out Friday, March 2o

Socorro Shiels, Superintendent of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District, today (March 19) distributed this letter:

Sonoma Valley Community: Thank you for staying Valley Strong during these incredibly challenging times. As you know, information is changing by the hour. We are left working to respond and protect our community, staff, and students. The latest information for Thursday, March 19, as it pertains to the school district: 

Building/staff: 

• With the shelter in place declared this week, SVUSD is working as remotely as possible to comply with the mandate. Take care of yourself and the ones you love. 
• Essential emergency personnel will be reporting to work remotely and in-person as required to ensure the functioning of our district, including food distribution, necessary educational services, cleaning, warehouse, payroll, and human resources. 
• All schools, campuses, and related activities are closed/suspended until April 8. Please note this date has changed to align with the shelter in place county order. Please plan now that this may be delayed as more health organizations speak of more extended periods of isolation. We will continue to communicate each week. 
• We are working with the city, county, and other agencies to coordinate services during this extraordinary time. 

Food distribution: 

• We will distribute student meals at Sassarini, Altimira, and Adele from 11 AM- 1 PM. Please note that a student must be present to pick up their meals. We will practice social distancing and safety precautions. We receive regular updates from the State and Federal government about guidelines around this, so things are likely to change and evolve. 

Student learning options: 

We are working on creating remote learning opportunities to serve our students while also protecting our community and our staff. We recognize that not all students and families have internet access and will be making plans with that in mind. We are also working to have options that provide options to students and families. 

• By Monday, March 23, we will have initial learning options identified for students. Initial learning packets will be available on our website: https://www.sonomaschools.org/. Additionally, families can pick up packets at one of the meal distribution sites between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Because not all families have internet access and will require the paper packets, if you can view the packets online or print them yourselves, please do so. 
• We will be keeping everyone informed about how this closure affects the rest of the school year, including grades, testing, and activities like prom and graduation. We know how important all of these things are, and we will balance everything with safety precautions and work conditions. 
• We will be working with staff to clarify expectations for students during the closure and publishing and distributing these expectations widely. We are working on creating remote learning opportunities to serve our students while also protecting our community and our staff. We recognize that not all students and families have internet access and will be making plans with that in mind. 

Please continue to access local medical and city/county websites for the most up-to-date and accurate information: 

• Sonoma Valley Hospital 
• City of Sonoma 
• County of Sonoma