District Digest

Dear Colleagues,

It is hard to believe that we are now in the month of October and that fall is officially here.  While this is my favorite time of the year, it does not feel like fall without students in our classrooms and hallways.  What a year 2020 has turned out to be and we are not at the end of it yet.  I feel that I cannot express my appreciation enough for the good work that you are doing for our students.  Our students, parents and community are fortunate to have each of you working for and with the students of Tracy.

To date, nearly 20 private/charter schools have successfully submitted a waiver and have opened their doors to students.  Ripon Elementary was the first public school to welcome back students.  Escalon and Oak View School Districts have already submitted their waiver to re-open.  At our last board meeting, TUSD trustees voted to approve the district’s plan to re-open our schools.  The waiver plan for TUSD has been submitted and we are waiting for feedback from the Department of Public Health.  Should our plan be approved, there is still no date decided on when we will actually welcome back students.  I have mentioned several times my intent to go slow in this process so that we can address the many issues associated with opening our doors.   As soon as a decision on whether or not to open our schools is made, I will communicate it to you.

While the COVID numbers in our county continues to move in the right direction it is still too early for a definitive date to re-open to be made.  The steps to re-open our schools is a bit like peeling an onion, once one decision gets made it naturally leads to many more.  This is absolutely the most complicated process I have been involved in during my career in education.  District cabinet wants to get this right so we are spending time discussing even the smallest details so that we can fully understand the impact of our decisions.  It is interesting how anxious school districts in our county are to re-open while in other counties there seems to be more hesitation.  While I have received some criticism from parents for not aggressively pursuing the re-opening of our schools, I just do not see a reason to make a rushed decision.  There will be much more to come on this issue.

As always, if you have a question or concern, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Brian Stephens, Ed.D., Superintendent
Tracy  Unified School District

Rob Pecot, Ed.D., Associate Superintendent of Business Services:

As we transition to students returning to schools in person, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for students and staff become more important.  PPE for general use and staff use has been distributed to all school sites.  This PPE includes: a reusable mask and face shield for every staff member, 1 thermometer, spray sanitizer and disinfectant for every classroom, Plexiglas barriers, and social distancing stickers and signage.  Individual Plastic Desk Guards have been ordered and should arrive in mid-October. The table below shows what we still have in the warehouse.  The Purchasing Department will begin to distribute PPE for students in the next two weeks.  We will be monitoring inventory closely as to never be in a situation where we are running out of an item that is imperative to safety.  Our inventory may seem large, but in reality, it can go quickly as we are servicing close to 20,000 people (students, parents, staff, and community).

PPE INVENTORY
Description	Pack	Quantity
Hand Sanitizer Spray	55 Gal Drum	20
Hand Sanitizer Pump Bottles	12/case	297
Masks - Reusable Youth	Ea	12,455
Masks - Reusable Adult	Ea	34,109
Masks - Disposable Youth	Ea	11,250
Masks - Disposable Adult	Ea	75,400
Masks - N95	Ea	2,260
Face Shields - Youths	Ea	5,123
Face Shields - Adults	Ea	10,192
Thermometers	Ea	148
Plexiglass Barriers	Ea	7
Sanitizing Wipes 75 per tub	Ea	120
Sanitizing Wipes 35 per tub	Ea	720
Social Distancing Stickers (Outside)	Ea	-
Social Distancing Stickers (Inside)	Ea	10
Social Distancing Signs	Ea	3
Disinfectant Spray	Cases	16

 

 

 

Athletic Conditioning
Starting October 1^st 2020 high schools can resume athletic conditioning at their sites.  This conditioning must take place outdoors, be non-contact, and follow all current district safety protocol.  Athletic seasons for high schools are tentatively set to begin in the winter.  All of our high schools are working with their local athletic affiliations for scheduling and further information.    

Outside Vendors/Renters:
Each year TUSD receives hundreds or requests to rent our facilities.  These requests can be from youth sports, churches, individual groups attempting to rent classrooms, and various other organizations.  To date we have ceased renting facilities during this COVID-19 Pandemic.  As San Joaquin shifts through the different color bands and COVID-19 rates continue to decrease, we will need to begin offering public rental as required per the Civic Center Act.  At this time, no reopening date has been scheduled, but the idea of renting back facilities and reopening rentals to the public is an area of current discussion.

Tammy Jalique, Associate Superintendent of Human Resources:

The District has been negotiating with both TEA and CSEA regarding the effects and impacts of operations in our COVID environment.  The challenges faced by the District and its employees have certainly created a unique set of circumstances for all parties to navigate, particularly given how quickly information related to COVID and the effects on school operations changes.  Throughout this process, all parties have continued to focus on the needs of our students and ways in which to support them and their families while keeping our employees as safe as possible.

Julianna Stocking, Associate Superintendent of Educational Services:

TUSD Reopening Elementary Schools Reopening Plan

The TUSD Reopening Elementary Application for grades Tk-5 is currently being reviewed by Dr. Park, the San Joaquin County Health Officer. We expect to receive notification on the status of approval by October 13^th. Upon approval, we will send out a communication to all TUSD staff and families announcing a reopening date to ensure preparation for returning to a Hybrid Model for in-person learning. The Reopening Elementary Plan can be found on the TUSD COVID-19 Webpage at https://www.tracy.k12.ca.us/fs/resource-manager/view/2cb6e28d-7407-4190-ae25-b3e03861ba38.

In addition, we will continue to host Informational sessions every other Thursday at 1pm for TUSD staff and 4pm for TUSD families and community. The October Information Sessions are scheduled for October 1^st, October 15^th, and October 29^th.

TUSD Staff and Families, thank you for your unwavering commitment to our students during this time. And always, please continue to reach out to share your thoughts so we can best support you.  

Tania Salinas, Director of Continuous Improvement, State & Federal Programs

LCAP & LCP
The LCAP has been suspended for the 2020-2021 school year. Assembly Bill 98 replaces the LCAP with the Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan (LCP). The Learning Continuity Plan template memorializes the planning process already underway for the 2020–21 school year and includes descriptions of the following: Addressing gaps in learning; conducting meaningful stakeholder engagement; maintaining transparency; addressing the needs of unduplicated pupils, students with unique needs, and students experiencing homelessness; providing access to necessary devices and connectivity for distance learning; providing resources and supports to address student and staff mental health and social emotional well-being; and continuing to provide school meals for students.  The plan was approved by the board September 22^nd and filed with the County.  A copy of the plan is located on the District Website under LCP.

Parent Budget Overview
SB 98 also separates the development and adoption of the Budget Overview for Parents from the development and adoption of the LCAP for the 2020–21 school year. The legislation also requires that the Budget Overview for Parents be developed and adopted by December 15, 2020.  The Parent Budget Overview will go to the board for approval in December aligning with the 1^st Interim Budget Report.

Physical Fitness Testing
On September 18, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law SB 820. SB 820 prescribes that, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to comply with state and local health guidelines, the administration of the physical performance test shall be suspended for the 2020–21 school year. Therefore, the PFT will not be required to be administered and the California Department of Education (CDE) will not be collecting PFT data for the 2020–21 school year.

Initial ELPAC Testing
We have tested nearly 300 students with the Initial ELPAC, which determines if a student is an English Learner or Initially Fluent student. This requires families to bring their students to campus for 1:1 testing.  We are pleased to announce that Senate Bill 820 was approved and signed by Governor Newsom. This bill allows for a 45-day extension to the Initial ELPAC 30-calendar-day requirement. Local educational agencies will now have a total of 75 calendar days to administer the 2020–21 Initial ELPAC, officially score it, and provide the results to parents and guardians.  

DnA Illuminate Student Data Platform & FastBridge Diagnostic Assessments
EADMS/iOEducation merged with Illuminate.  This year we will transition to the Illuminate product DnA.  DnA is a data warehouse that will store our student assessment data. DnA also has the capability for teachers to build and administer assessments using their own items or from Illuminates robust item bank.  DnA has a host of prebuilt reports and the ability to create custom reports with easy to read graphics that will enable staff to identify trends, inform instruction, and ultimately improve student performance.  There will be more information to come on this new platform. 

New this year is FastBridge, an online assessment that is available K-12 in Language Arts, Math and Social Emotional Learning. Students will take the online assessment three times a year, which will provide universal screening, progress monitoring and rich student data for analysis.  Our goal is to have middle and high school students begin this testing this month.  More information and training will be coming from your site administrator this month.   Once computer distribution is complete at the elementary level, students in grades K-5 can begin testing as well.  We are very excited about these two new platforms.

TK & Preschool Update
Transitional Kindergarten Enrollments have increased over the past few weeks.  We are still accepting applications and will be happy to enroll any additional TK age-appropriate students.  Our preschool teachers are providing distance learning opportunities for families enrolled in our TUSD preschool programs. In our first phase of distance learning, program staff worked on building a relationship with families and children. Families were encouraged to complete an Ages and Stages Questionnaire, that helped inform the teachers where that child was developmentally and how they could support that child and their family to meet the child’s next milestones. In the second phase of distance learning, teachers met in small groups with their children virtually and provided children with expectations, norms and instruction.  Currently, children and families are participating in a minimum of three days of virtual meetings, as well as asynchronous activities to complete at home.  There is still plenty of room available in the preschool program.  Please encourage friends and families to reach out if they are interested. 

 

Maria Salazar,  Coordinator of EL Program:

San Joaquin County Office of Education will be offering a series of webinars and meetings to create systemic change for our programs, which serve Dually Identified students.  TUSD Special Education staff and Educational Services staff will be participating and will use the CA Practitioners’ Guide to Educating English Learners with Disabilities to learn about the updated policies and procedures used to identify, refer, assess, and reclassify English learners with disabilities.

Erica Contreras, Coordinator of Health Services

A vital piece needed to achieve the best learning conditions require students to have good health.  TUSD Health Services is here to support our students and their parents/guardians during these times with any health-related difficulty that may exist in order to achieve the optimal learning experience at TUSD.  Our department is currently continuing to assist in verification process of student immunizations, vision certificates for low income, medical health forms for school, health plans, health screenings (vision and hearing), attendance issues related to health, staff training on student health conditions, and collaboration with local health agencies and local providers in order to assist in the management of communicable disease.

It is important to protect students and staff from infectious diseases that are transmitted within the school setting. A student may be excluded from school in accordance with California Education Code section 48210-48214 and section 49451. “Whenever there is a reason to believe that the child is suffering a recognized contagious or infectious disease, he/she shall be sent home and shall not be permitted to return until the school authorities are satisfied that any contagious disease does not exist.”

Debra Schneider, Ph.D., Director of IMC:

Library Services
To support TUSD students’ literacy development and enjoyment of reading, all site libraries are offering “Click and Collect” service. Students indicate their reading interest(s) on a paper or digital form and library staff pull the books, check them out to the student, then make the available to be picked up during site designated times.

Library staff is available to teach students and parents how to “click,” that is, put books on hold to be checked out. Staff has created slide decks and videos to show the process and can work with you or directly with your students and their families; please contact your library staff person for more information.

Library technicians in K-12 and teacher librarians in 9-12 are also working with teachers to schedule read-alouds in synchronous and asynchronous learning time, book shares, book groups, and other activities to increase reading motivation and literacy support.

TUDS Library Services Staff are eager to support learning in all content areas, to develop students’ reading interests, and to add services that respond to staff needs. Please reach out to your site administration and your library staff to make your needs known. Library staff meets biweekly to plan and develop more exciting services for distance and hybrid learning.

Deidre Hill-Valdivia, Ed.D., Coordinator of Prevention Services:

Suicide Prevention Awareness Instruction During Distance Learning Pursuant to AB2246 and Board Policy 5142.52 AR & 5142.52 BP Suicide Prevention, TUSD will be providing suicide prevention awareness instruction to all 8^th and 10^th grade students during the week of October 5 – 9, 2020. This is a voluntary lesson and parents can opt out their child, by providing a written note to their child’s school front office. The instructions to opt out of the suicide prevention training may be found on all school site websites and the district website.

The Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPC) continue to offer virtual trainings to all school site staff during Early Release Wednesdays. Below is the plan for implementation of the Suicide Prevention Training for students:

Middle School:

• School Counselors and Psychologists will coordinate presentations during live synchronous instruction of 8^th grade students at all K-8 and Middle
  School sites

High School:

• The point person at each high school will coordinate with Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPC) in order to deliver suicide prevention training to all 10^t
  grade students in their virtual Social Science/History class
• CAPC is coordinating with Stein Alternative Programs to disseminate Suicide Prevention information

The Prevention Services Department will contact individual sites during the first week of October, in order to organize any opt outs that have come in for students who do not plan to participate in the suicide prevention training for 8^th and 10^th grade students. There will be Mental Health Counseling services available at each school site for students who may need additional support.

 

Melissa Beattie, Director of Professional Learning & Curriculum:

Ed TSA Positions Now Open!
We are thrilled to announce that every site has the opportunity to have two stipend Ed TSA positions! To support the on-line instructional model, the TSA teacher leader role will provide site-specific professional learning to improve educator effectiveness in the use of technology as a tool for learning. TSAs will develop and deliver professional learning to support the site-specific learning goals within the Continuous Improvement Plan developed at the site. TSAs will participate in District-led TSA Collaborative Planning Sessions to share ideas and develop sessions with TSAs throughout the district. Our first training session is October 5^th. Principals are currently seeking site teachers to fill these two positions. Please reach out to your site principal for details.

TUSD Curriculum Council 2020-2021
Beginning this school year, Curriculum Council is comprised of our TUSD content committees. Each content committee serves as a subcommittee of Curriculum Council as a part of an effective learning system with a comprehensive, sustained and strategic approach to increase educator effectiveness and results for students. Each subcommittee engages in a continuous improvement cycle to plan, implement, monitor and adjust practices for their content area.

Subcommittee Updates
Curriculum Council met two times to prepare for and deliver the September 16, 2020 District ERW. They last me on September 24^th to analyze the feedback from the ERW and to begin planning for the November 4^th RW.  Below are updates from each subcommittee.

Elementary Education Subcommittee Summary
Attendees: Jennifer Kassel, Rebecca Silva, Bryan Flaig, Heather Nielsen, Del Pabalan, Sandra Marquez, Amanda Bailey
In the Prek-5 elementary committee we re-grounded in group structure and adult learning. We also started to develop a common understanding of sense making and academic discourse as aligned to our 3^rd district instructional goal. The September 15, 2020 ERW was delivered by the Pearson My World Consultants to provide foundational materials training to all Pk-5^th grade educators. The teams are developing plans for teachers to share best practices for distance and hybrid teaching during the November 4^th ERW. Jennifer Kassel, Curriculum Specialist TOSA

English Language Arts Subcommittee Summary
Attendees: Heather Reyburn, Deb Corona, Shauna Baker, Tim Wall, Carol Wyant
The ELA 6-12 Curriculum Council Subcommittee analyzed the August Buyback Day feedback, TUSD ELA Dashboard data, and observations regarding student and teacher needs, and developed/prioritized a list of professional development ideas for 2020-21.  Our first ERW on September 16^th highlighted effective instructional strategies that ELA teachers can use to support high-level questioning during academic discourse in a virtual environment.   We modeled how these strategies can work in distance learning to increase student engagement, collaboration, and agency.  We are still seeking two additional middle school representatives and one SPED ELA representative for our subcommittee.  Interested teachers should contact Heather Reyburn at hreyburn@tusd.net for more information. Heather Reyburn, Curriculum Specialist TOSA

ELD Steering Subcommittee Summary
Attendees: Maria Salazar, Arghya Chakraverty, Patty Correia, Alejandra Herrera, Cydney Miller, Denise Sanchez, Chris White, Claudia Zuniga, April Jacobs, Cindy Carlfeldt, Seema Sabharwal
The ELD Steering Committee members welcomed the new members to the group.  The new members are April Jacobs, Cindy Carlfeldt, and Seema Sabharwal.  Karin DeVarennes from San Joaquin County Office of Education presented a session on Social Emotional Well Being for Adults.  This presentation aligns to the Tracy Unified Instructional Goal 1. We will intentionally build and foster strong relationships to enhance learning through increased feelings of safety, motivation, and risk-taking. The teachers really enjoyed the presentation.  The plan for next meeting is to prepare for the Virtual ELD Workshop on October 13, 2020. Maria Salazar, EL Coordinator

History/Social Science Subcommittee Summary
Attendees: Tom Haim, Rachel Lee, Nico Sandoval, James Tiffany, Cameron Chitwood
6^th-12^th grade Social Science colleagues had a great first ERW on September 16^th.  In both the whole group and the grade level virtual settings, we discussed Distance Learning successes and challenges and shared resources for all of us to utilize with our students.  We also discussed Benchmark #1 by grade level and brainstormed best practice strategies to prepare our students for success on the Benchmark in a Distance Learning environment.  We will bring a best practice student-centered lesson or strategy in relation to the Benchmark to our next ERW on November 4^th.  Tom Haim, West High EL TOSA

World Language Subcommittee Summary
Attendees: Bond Cashmere, Aurora Soto
The World Language Curriculum Council subcommittee discussed ways to increase participation, and possible next steps for professional learning as we are phasing out our multi-year focus on TPRS. Von Ray presented at the first ERW and teachers engaged in professional learning that focused on implementing TPRS in a virtual environment. Bond Cashmere, Program Administrator, Melissa Beattie, Director of Professional Learning & Curriculum

Math & Science Subcommittee
The Secondary Math-Science Committee met for the first time as a combined team on 9/1/20. We worked with Kirk Brown and Satinder Singh from SJCOE on inquiry-driven lesson designs that incorporate digital tools common to math and science. Teachers also learned about connections between the math, science and computer science practices. The committee made recommendations for the HS Curriculum Adoption Teams. We will be meeting with SJCOE on 10/12 to plan for the November 4th ERW. Bryan Flaig, STEM Coordinator

Sean Brown, Director of Special Education

Our Special Education Department has been busy planning for students to return to campus to receive in-person instruction under the guidance of Cohort group instruction. On August 24, 2020, CDPH issued the Cohorting Guidance regarding permissible small-group in- person services. The Cohorting Guidance authorizes small-group, in-person services in controlled, supervised, and indoor environments, such as those operated by local educational agencies (LEAs). The Cohorting Guidance applies to schools that cannot reopen for in- person instruction pursuant to the July 17 Framework, including elementary schools in those jurisdictions that have not received an elementary school waiver through the local public health office.

Here are key components of Cohort group instruction

Philosophy of Cohort Groups
The Tracy Unified School District is committed to meeting the educational needs of all children with quality instructional programs.  In the K-12 Schools setting, cohorts are stable groups of students with no more than 16 individuals, who are meeting for targeted supports and intervention services, under the direction of the LEA, while the school is closed to in person instruction and in addition to distance learning. Regardless of the name (e.g., “learning hubs” or “pods”), all of the provisions in the Cohorting Guidance must be followed for such cohorts to meet, whether they are operated by LEAs, non-profits, or other providers.

Rationale of Cohort Groups: 14 students and 2 adult staff members (maximum 16 people).

What qualifies as a specialized and targeted support services?
Specialized services are determined by LEAs and include but are not limited to occupational therapy services, speech and language services, and other medical services, behavioral services, educational support services as part of a targeted intervention strategy or assessments, such as those related to English learner status, individualized educational programs and other required assessments.

What are cohorts?
In the K-12 Schools setting, cohorts are stable groups of students with no more than 16 individuals, who are meeting for targeted supports and intervention services, under the direction of the LEA, while the school is closed to in person instruction and in addition to distance learning. Regardless of the name (e.g., “learning hubs” or “pods”), all of the provisions in the Cohorting Guidance must be followed for such cohorts to meet, whether they are operated by LEAs, non-profits, or other providers.

How many cohorts can be established on a single school site?
The number of cohorts will depend on the school’s enrollment size and available building capacity. Local school officials – in collaboration with local health departments and school-based staff – should determine the number of cohorts that can be safely established to avoid interactions between cohorts. In general, given the need for physical distancing and separation of cohorts, the number of students on a given school site should generally not exceed 25% of the school’s enrollment size or available building capacity. How will physical distancing be maintained within cohorts? Groups must be no larger than can be accommodated by the space available in the facility to provide at least 6 feet of distance between each person, including staff, but in no instance larger than 16 individuals total. The smaller the group, the less risk of spreading disease. As cohort groups increase in size, or as they have any contact with other cohorts, the risk of spreading disease increases.

What is the maximum size for cohorts?
Cohorts are limited to no more than 14 students, with no more than 2 supervising adults in a supervised environment, or a configuration of no more than 16 individuals total (children and youth or adults) in the cohort. The number of students and staff who make up a cohort should be based on student needs. Cohorts can – and often will – be smaller than 14, staffed by 1 or 2 consistent adults. For example, a cohort could be 6 students with 1 adult or 8 students with two adults that stay together throughout the day. In addition, a cohort can be divided into subgroups of students that may interact with one another during the day, as long as there are no more than 16 individuals in that cohort overall.

Can students receive additional specialized services or targeted support and services if they are not part of a cohort or outside of their cohort from a different supervising adult(s)?
Yes. Students may receive one-on-one services and supports from other qualified adults. These additional supports and services must be done individually and cannot be done with other students. Staff who are providing specialized services or targeted support – such as speech or occupational therapy or intensive tutoring -- should be assigned to work with students in as few cohorts as possible and must observe appropriate precautions to prevent transmission, including wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), as specified in the industry guidance for Limited Services. It is also important to prevent other staff people (e.g., administrators, counselors, or nurses) who are not a supervising adult in a cohort or providing one-on-one services from interacting with cohorts unless necessary to respond to exigent health or safety issue, as they can transmit the virus from one cohort to another, thus greatly increasing the number of contacts for any given case.

Can staff meet?
Group meetings with staff from different cohorts must be done remotely, outdoors or in large spaces such as gymnasiums or multipurpose rooms, with windows open, as much as possible, avoiding small spaces with windows closed. All staff must wear appropriate face coverings and maintain at least 6 feet of physical distancing.

How often should cleaning be done while students are on campus?
Cleaning and wiping surfaces (e.g., desks, door handles, etc.) must be maintained between multiple student uses, even in the same cohort. For additional guidance around health and safety standards including cleaning and masking, refer to CDPH and local health guidance.

TUSD Cohort Plan
TUSD will target students in special day classroom in grade preschool to 3^rd grade as part of Phase 1 Cohort instruction. We have a tentative start date of October 26, 2020. Instructional days will be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:15 to 11:30am. In the following weeks, families will be notified, and transportation needs confirmed. Special education department is collaborating with school administration to assure all safety protocols and health measures are in place before students return to campus.

SPED department would like to say THANK YOU all the teachers, administrators, and departments for their support and collaboration in creating a robust plan to provide students with in-person instruction.

Mary Petty, Ed.D., Director of Student Services/Tracy Independent Charter School Principal:

Student Services and Business Services are currently focused on enrollment and site operational plans to move forward to a hybrid schedule. Student Services worked with a task force made up of teachers, administrators, athletic directors, and district office members to develop a face covering compliance. In addition, student services worked with health services created a safety precautions quick guide for school-sites as we prepare for the return of students and the upcoming hybrid schedule. To help with on-gong registration efforts, we are still working with site administrators and office personnel on AIR accounts in AERIES, attendance tracking, enrollment numbers, and consistent outreach of students who are absent from class by conducting home visits with our School Resource Officer. Home visits are an opportunity to re-engage our students by offering family and student supports from a community, logistics, mental health, and/or medical standpoint. We have conducted over 70 home visits in the past few weeks and they have been impactful and very telling.

An area of low enrollment for TUSD this year is in our Kindergarten classrooms. In addition to registrations and working on hybrid scheduling, student services and business services are putting together an outreach plan including personal phone calls and a video to families of potential kindergarten students. The academic impacts to the future of these students are severe and we need to work together to provide such outreach and interventions.

Thank you to all of our school site staff for the hard work and diligence in ensuring our students are safe, present, and learning. The following school/programs are supported by Student Services and serve a number of students and staff in our district:

Tracy Independent Study Charter School:  TISCS has now expanded to serve all grades K-12. We are currently accepting applications for second semester, in preparation for those families who may not be prepared to come back to the hybrid model. In addition, our TISCS teachers have put together a plan to support students with small group tutoring on a weekly basis in addition to their one-to-one support meetings.     

District Translation Services: Hola, my name is Pia De Rosa, I am Tracy Unified School District’s Interpreter/Translator Specialist. My job is to translate documents for the many departments in the school district as well as interpret at meetings for TUSD employees and families. One of my duties is to maintain the TUSD Translator/Interpreter list. The TUSD Translator/Interpreter list is made up of adults who speak different languages and can interpret and translate for the school district as needed. Some of the languages are Spanish, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Hindi, Farsi, Urdu, Cantonese and Tamil, to name a few. As you can imagine, the demand for interpreters and translators in our school district is greater than the number of people we have on the Interpreter/Translator list. If you know of someone who may be interested in working as an Interpreter/Translator on an “as-needed” basis, please have them e-mail me at pderosa@tusd.net.