Dear Parents and Caregivers,
First, we want to wish Happy Hanukkah to all celebrating in our CSUS community and an early Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanzaa as well. We hope that you all find new ways to have a fun and enjoyable time with family and friends.
As 2020 draws to a close, it feels important to celebrate some of our remote community’s recent successes. This past Friday, music teacher Ariel Carmichael organized our first virtual whole-school assembly. Together CSUS danced, practiced mindfulness, competed in Kahoot trivia, and watched a scholar improv performance. Many thanks to Ms. Carmichael, Ms. Preval, Mr Fusco, Mr. Georgette, Mrs. Price Smith, Ms. Hanlon, Ms. Silbert, and the countless other members of staff who contributed and participated. We are very excited to have found a way to continue this important community tradition remotely. Cambridge Street scholars and staff also participated in Transformation Week honoring CSUS Alum Na Jae Josephs. Thank you to our art teacher April Silbert for organizing and finding this thoughtful and moving way to pay tribute to a beloved member of our community. Finally, CSUS would like to celebrate and shout out the entrepreneurial spirit of 8th grader Rehaan Anjaria who has developed his own business during the pandemic! You can see his website by clicking here. We know remote learning has been a challenge, and has required a change of mindset and development of new skills for scholars and adults alike. We are so proud of our community for rising to these new circumstances and finding ways to thrive.
There is no Flex Time assignment grid in this coming week’s Sunday Rundown; we encourage scholars to use this time to choose an independent book and enjoy the time to relax. Also, it would be a great time to catch up on any missed work. We will send an updated list of assignments on Sunday, January 3, before school resumes on the 4th.
Finally, some staffing updates. We are pleased to confirm the following staff appointments that will become official on Jan. 4, 2021. Tracey Gordon has been appointed to the position of Literacy Interventionist. Damian Baeza has been appointed to the position of Grade 7 Social Studies Teacher. Damian joins us from Community Charter School of Cambridge where he had served for 5 years as a Humanities Teacher and as a BIPOC Affinity Group Leader. He also taught ELA for 2 years at Cathedral High School. We look forward to their contributions to the success of CSUS.
Thank you for entrusting us with your scholar’s learning in this unprecedented year. We understand that you have choices regarding your child’s education, and appreciate you choosing CSUS! Stay safe, warm, and well, and enjoy the upcoming winter break!
Peace,
Manuel and Christen