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To remember the courageous, historic, and nation-changing “walk” of Ruby Bridges in November of 1960, and to promote healthy living, Silverwood Elementary held its first Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day on Friday, Nov. 17th. Silverwood was one of several District schools to participate in the national event, which is regularly held on Nov. 14th to commemorate the anniversary of the day 6-year-old Ruby Bridges became the first African American child to integrate schools when she walked into the formerly whites-only William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana. Schoolchildren around the country celebrate her accomplishment by walking to their own schools, reading books about Ruby Bridges and talking about ongoing efforts to fight racism and discrimination.

Organized by teachers Chiara Falcone and Shelly Harrison, Silverwood students who walked to school received Ruby Bridges flags, bracelets, stickers and backpacks. The idea for the walk-to-school event was generated by the Silverwood School Site Council when goals were being developed for the school's Single Plan for Student Achievement, said Principal Bruce Burns. The walk was held on Friday because the PTA had previously scheduled a Turkey Trot fundraiser on Dec. 14th. "The School Site Council provided funding for Silverwood to purchase a few dozen Ruby Bridges books for teachers and students to read and learn about Ruby's amazing and courageous story," Mr. Burns said, adding that teacher Terri Huston also developed "an incredible online resource for all staff, students, and parents, which includes virtual books and videos about Ruby Bridges."  

Isabel Becerra and her 3rd grade daughter Joslyn were among the parents and students who participated in the walk. Joslyn said she enjoyed walking and she appreciated Ruby Bridges' courage. "She was brave in walking to the school when the white people were yelling at her," Joslyn said.

Ms. Falcone, who teaches 4th grade, said the school wanted to honor Ruby Bridges, who was a "courageous world-changer with integrity." Nicole Mora and her husband participated in the walk with their kindergarten twins. "It was great to see all the people doing this," she said. "The kids were excited. I think it's a great message."

Escorted by the Concord Police who blocked some roads from cars for the event, Mr. Burns estimated that about 200 students and 100 parents walked to school in recognition of and to celebrate the bravery and determination Ruby Bridges showed us more than 60 years ago. "I'm thrilled with the turnout, the excitement and the positive feedback," he said, adding that the school plans to continue this tradition next year. 

Other District schools that participated in Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day included Fair Oaks Elementary, Gregory Gardens Elementary, Monte Gardens Elementary, Walnut Acres Elementary, Valle Verde Elementary, and Valley View MS. 

This week's MDUSD Friday Letter highlights:

• Ruby Bridges Walk to School events at Silverwood Elementary and other schools, 
• District news including our Homeless Outreach Program for Education (HOPE) holiday drive, 
• School news including Mt. Diablo Adult Education's COVID/flu Vaccine Clinic was a success and Diwali celebrations at 4 elementary schools, 
• Student news featuring College Now and Ygnacio Valley HS Education Academy students rated "exceptional" for Project Citizen presentations and High School string musicians perform in MDUSD Orchestra Festival, 
• Alumni news about a College Park HS alum and water polo Olympian inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame, 
• Staff news including Food Services Director participates in APEC roundtable hosted by Canadian Prime Minister and social media shout-outs for our wonderful custodians, plus 
• Community news highlighting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts in Pleasant Hill and "Giving Tuesday" campaigns to benefit MDUSD students
• And more!

You can read it here. 

MDUSD, in partnership with Diablo Valley College (DVC), is offering students additional opportunities to earn early college credit this spring. The classes will be offered at Mt. Diablo High School, Ygnacio Valley High School, and Concord High School, but they are open to all high school students in the district.  

The classes are below: 
PH 130 -- Intro to Community & Public Health at Mt. Diablo High School
ECE 124 -- Child Development & Psychology at Ygnacio Valley High School
ArtDM 214 -- Intro to Graphic Design at Concord High School
CONST 114 -- Print Reading at Concord High School

MDUSD is holding workshops from November 27 to December 14 at Mt. Diablo High School, Ygnacio Valley High School and Concord High School to support students with enrolling at DVC and registering for the classes.  There is a QR code on the attached flyer to sign up for these sessions.  

This week's MDUSD Friday Letter highlights:

• Ygnacio Valley HS dedicates two benches in honor of six alumni who died in the Vietnam War,
• District news including no school Friday, November is California Runaway and Homeless Youth Prevention Month, Board approves arts plan and 2024-25 calendar, Tech teachers learn how to better engage students with Promethean panels, and Strandwood Elementary creates sand art for Diwali Indian holiday,
• School news featuring Northgate HS opens a new Wellness Center to help relieve stress and anxiety on campus,
• Student news spotlighting MDHS football running back Herschel Turner breaking a record as the team heads into the NCS playoffs on Friday,
• Staff recognition for CA Teacher of the Year Joseph Alvarico includes "rock star" profile on KTVU, kudos from the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco and a radio interview in the Philippines,
• Community news about Free Dental Care available in Walnut Creek on Dental Outreach Day - Nov. 18th,
• And more!

You can read it here. 

Now that nearly every teacher in the District has received a high-tech "Promethean ActivPanel" to use in their classrooms, tech teachers from each site known as "Tech Integration Leaders," or TILS, are getting in-depth training on how to use all of the special features of the panels that they can share with others at their schools to better engage students in their learning.

On Nov. 7, about 45 tech leaders spent the day learning how to split their screens to show the work of several students at once, make a wolf appear to be in the room with them, create animations to liven up science lessons, and more! In between watching lessons, they got a chance to collaborate with each other and try out what they learned. Erin Vallejo, MDUSD's Educational Technology Coordinator, said the District wants to be sure teachers are using technology to supplement their curriculum, not just because it's fun. The District has hired two Promethean trainers to work with teachers all year to help them use the panels to their potential. "They were excited to know they could do much more than what they thought," said Promethean trainer Chantel Caldwell, explaining that the first hurdle is getting teachers to understand that these panels are much more than just TV screens or computer monitors. 

Sequoia Elementary teacher Mona Ricard was awed by the lesson that showed them how to go online to search for a 3D wolf, then "place" it in the room with them. "That was the 'wow' factor," she said, adding that she also appreciated "flip charts" that could be downloaded and layered on the screen, with teachers able to show math questions, then the answers to their students. "It's already set up so you don't have to reinvent the wheel," she said, adding that she also appreciated lessons on Newton's Laws, computer coding, weather and NASA images with astronauts. "It's not just a toy," she said. "It's useful to integrate and make lessons more engaging." She also learned how to record video on her phone, then show it on her screen. "There's a lot it can do," she said. "It's not just an overhead (projector)."

Westwood Elementary teacher Marie La Rosa said has found that students are more involved in their learning when they are standing at the Promethean panel showing their work. "The thing I got most excited about was being able to have four different screens at the same time, so you could have students each solve a math problem their own way and talk about what they did." Vallejo said as teachers master how to use the panels, they can shift their focus from the hardware to the software that will enhance their curriculum instruction.

During an early Veterans Day Celebration on Thursday, Nov. 9th, Ygnacio Valley HS dedicated two memorial benches in honor of six alumni who died in the Vietnam War. 

The alumni honored were: 
Randall Bingham Choate (July 25, 1949 - August 3, 1968)
James Kevin Koehler (May 2, 1947 - June 11, 1967)
Daniel Lee McKechnie (November 24, 1947 – November 25, 1968)
Willard Edward Nelson (Oct. 16, 1948 - Jan. 30, 1968)
Ronnie Cardoza Pimentel (January 17, 1948 – September 1, 1968)
John Charles Sterling (June 15, 1949 – December 15, 1968).

Aluma Heidi Coffman Shearer (class of 1972) coordinated the dedication with Principal Jonathan Pike, who is an Army veteran and CA National Guard member. Details about Pike's military service are in a Friday Letter Staff Profile here. 

Shearer read brief comments about each of the alumni and told current students they should enjoy their time in high school, which she considers the best years of her life. 

Pike said after the ceremony that he wanted to honor Ygnacio Valley alumni who have served, similar to himself. "These ones didn't come home and they need to be recognized and not forgotten," he said. Since he has become principal, Pike said he has enjoyed connecting with alumni, who have been active in beautification projects at the school. "The Ygnacio Valley alumni have a lot of affinity with the school to come back, and I want to honor them," he said.

Dan Hartwig, the brother of James Kevin Koehler, told students that James died not long after his 20th birthday, just a few years after he had graduated from high school. Hartwig said afterward that he appreciated the memorial. "I think it's wonderful that Ygnacio Valley High School and the Mt. Diablo school district and Mr. Pike and Heidi have contributed not only these benches, but all the class benches," he said. "It's a tough time of year for my family thinking about how we haven't had James in our life for more than 50 years. But this is an honor and we're very proud." Below are photos and information about the alumni who were honored.

This week's MDUSD Friday Letter highlights:

• 7 Latina staff members including counselors emphasize influential Latinx educators in Día de los Muertos ofrenda (altar);
• District news including November is Native American Heritage Month, Board discusses arts plan, District reaches Tentative Agreement with teachers' union, and upcoming events;
• School news featuring Shore Acres Elementary families create Día de los Muertos diorama ofrendas and some staff and students dress as "Catrinas";
• Student news including Concord HS students participate in the school's 13th annual "Scare Away Hunger" campaign, Monte Gardens students trick or treat at the District Office, and a Robert Shearer Preschool student is in the news;
• Staff spotlights on Sequoia Elementary's "bewitching" Halloween costumes and Oak Grove MS Filipino Heritage Month staff party;
• And more!

You can read it here. 

MDUSD Superintendent Dr. Adam Clark sent the following message to the School District community earlier today:

Dear Mt. Diablo Unified School District Community,

We are thrilled to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement with Mt. Diablo Teachers Association (MDEA) for 2024-2025. If MDEA members approve the agreement, this means our teachers will already have a contract when the current agreement expires on June 30, 2024. The agreement includes a 9% increase in pay reflected on the salary schedule effective July 1, 2024, and 100% coverage of benefits at the Kaiser rate effective January 1, 2024 for two years (through December 31, 2025).

We are excited to work together with our teachers in supporting all students, while providing competitive compensation to our employees. This agreement also has a positive effect on all of our units whose contracts stipulate that they receive at least the same increase in salary and benefits as the teacher union. We firmly believe that this agreement will help us continue to provide high-quality education to our students.

A tremendous amount of gratitude goes out to the MDEA negotiating team! I would also like to acknowledge MDUSD leaders, Dr. John Rubio, Chief of Human Resources, Adrian Vargas, Chief Business Officer and Dulcinea Grantham, attorney with Lozano Smith. These swift, collaborative and successful negotiations would not be possible without the tremendous leadership from our Board of Education. They hold all of MDUSD’s employees in the highest regard and look forward to the District’s continuous service to our amazing students! 

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Dr. Adam Clark

This week's MDUSD Friday Letter highlights:

• MDUSD partners with The Miles Hall Foundation and DVC to present Youth Summit 2023: Breaking Barriers to Achieving Black Excellence on Nov. 4;
• District news including Board hears student report on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program at Westwood Elementary, and Teacher of the Year continues to shine;
• School news including student HOSA future health professionals participate in weekend trainings, and Ygnacio Valley HS hosts MDUSD's 11th Annual College Fair;
• Community news featuring upcoming events including a Youth Shark Tank competition; And more!

You can read it here.