Dear OVSD Parents,

We are very excited that our students will be returning to fully reopened campuses and resuming normal activities in our schools this year! We have been fervently preparing for the upcoming year and are looking forward to welcoming our students and teachers back to school on September 8. 

REGISTRATION DAYS

It is important that all parents attend Registration Day to bring in the printed and signed Student Emergency Card, receive class assignment information, and check out textbooks and Chromebooks. Beginning August 18, you will be able to update your Emergency Card information in the Aeries Parent Portal at portal.ovsd.org. This is where you may update emergency contacts, medical information, and preferred means of communication. Registration days are August 30, 31, and September 1.

OVSD PRIORITIES

The U.S. Department of Education recently released the “Return to School Roadmap,” a resource to support students, schools, educators, and communities as they prepare to return to safe, healthy in-person learning this fall and emerge from the pandemic stronger than before. The Roadmap includes three “landmark” priorities that OVSD will be adopting to ensure all students have the best chance for success in the 2021–22 school year. They include: 

• Prioritizing the health and safety of students, staff, and educators 
• Building school communities and supporting students’ social, emotional, and mental health
• Accelerating academic achievement 

COVID-19 PROTOCOLS

As students return to in-person learning with traditional schedules, OVSD will use multiple strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

Mask Wearing

• The CDPH requires all students, educators, staff, and visitors to wear masks indoors in K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. 
• Masking outdoors is optional and not required.

Physical Distancing

• CDPH guidelines state that in-person instruction can occur without physical distancing when universal masking is in place.

Good Handwashing & Respiratory Etiquette

• Encourage your child to make it part of their practice at school and at home to wash their hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. When handwashing is not possible, encourage your child to use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol (and consider including travel sanitizers in student backpacks when possible). 
• Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or the inside of your elbow can help keep students, educators, and staff from getting and spreading COVID-19, as well as other infectious illnesses.

Staying Home When Sick & Getting Tested

• As members of our school community, you have a vital role in keeping your child, friends and educators safe. If your child is showing signs and symptoms of COVID-19 or other infectious illnesses, it’s essential to keep them home and to ensure they are tested for the virus.
• OVSD will work with our stakeholders to develop plans to verify and track employee vaccination status and implement weekly testing for employees that are not vaccinated, in accordance with the Public Health Order issued this week from the California Department of Public Health.

We will provide you with a link to the comprehensive OVSD Prevention Plan for 2021-2022 soon, and it will be posted on our website as well.  OVSD will be returning to a regular, full-time schedule this year, and your principal will be providing you with specific information regarding your child’s school. 

Our continued focus on grit, resilience, and empathy, along with our commitment to fostering relationships, will undoubtedly help our students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally this year. Here’s to an amazing year!

Sincerely,

Dr. Carol Hansen, Superintendent
Patricia Singer, President, Board of Trustees