November 11, 2020 Dear Sunnyside Families — I hope this communication finds you and your families healthy. 2020 has tested all of us in so many ways, so I want to start by saying thank you for staying the course and for trusting us with your child’s education. We have made every effort to continue to offer your children the best educational experiences possible despite the challenges we have faced this year. Over the last few weeks, we have seen an increase in positivity rates across Pima County. As expected, positive cases among staff and students have also been reported at several of our schools. As alarming as that may feel, it is important to share with you that these positive cases have not been a result of a staff or student contracting COVID-19 from our schools. In other words, there have been zero transmissions of COVID-19 from a student or staff member at any of our school sites. Although we are confident in the effectiveness of our district’s mitigation efforts and that our schools are safe, the recent increase in community spread has impacted our schools in other ways. Schools have had to find support staff to cover hybrid classes for teachers who are being isolated or in quarantine due to a positive test or close contact, forcing some classrooms to go remote. Positive cases on a campus have also created great concern with staff, students and parents, resulting in an increase in absentee rates for students and staff. Additionally, with the notifications we have been sending regarding positive cases, we have had many parents requesting a change from hybrid instruction to remote. This has been difficult to accommodate because of our remote classes being at full capacity. This has resulted in some students receiving instruction only asynchronously, which we know is not an ideal learning environment. All of these scenarios have caused heightened anxiety among our parents and staff. Given that many in our community are experiencing pandemic fatigue and the anticipated increased level of community wide COVID-19 spread after Thanksgiving Break, our Governing Board has decided to have all of our students Pre K-12th grade complete the semester in remote learning. In other words, all schools will be remote from November 30th - December 17th. Although the Pima County Health Department is not recommending that schools close at this time, out of an abundance of caution we feel it is necessary to be proactive about minimizing the spread of COVID-19 in our schools by staying remote through the holidays. Our plan is to return back to hybrid learning on January 4th, 2021 based on guidance from the Pima County Health Department. For this reason, we need every parent to complete the selection form as was required for the second quarter. Please anticipate a separate communication from us next week where you will have the opportunity to make selections (hybrid or remote) for the second semester. Thank you again for your understanding and commitment to your students' education and wellbeing! Steve Holmes Superintendent View or Download the PDFs sent to parents:  November 11, 2020 September 9, 2020 July 2, 2020 Jun 19, 2020 May 21, 2020

As we begin to prepare for the second semester and a responsible reopening, we are asking for your help in the planning process. The questionnaire is critical in helping us plan ahead so that we can ensure we have the proper safety measures and staffing in place for our students. Families will need to decide what choice is best for them and if they want to continue with their current choice so that we can anticipate how many students will return for in-person instruction. All students will remain in their current tracks, unless a change is requested. If parents will be requesting a change, it is extremely important to make a selection for the second semester by no later than November 30th. Please make your selection by filling out the questionnaire you can access by clicking on this link.  Our plan is to return back to hybrid learning on January 4th, 2021. If we are unable to begin the second semester in hybrid learning, all students will begin remotely until the Pima County Health Department provides us with guidance on a safe reopening date. In either case, the first day of the second semester remains as January 4th.

Between November 22nd & November 28th several organizations throughout the Tucson community will provide Thanksgiving meals. Below is a list of Dates, Times, and locations. Sunday/Domingo 22 Casa Maria Soup Kitchen - 352 East 26th Street - 520.624.0312 8:30 am–11:30 am   Z Mansion - 288 North Church Avenue Begins at 10:30 am   Holy Family Church - 338 West University Blvd. 3:00 pm–4:00 pm   Z Mansion - 288 North Church Avenue Begins at 7:00 pm Monday/Lunes 23 Southside Presbyterian Church - 317 West 23rd Street - 520.623.6857 7:30 am–9:00 am   Grace St. Paul-Joseph’s Pantry - 2331 East Adams Street - 520.327.6857 Snack Pack 9:00 am–12:00 pm   Casa San Juan - 602 West Ajo Way #6046 - 520.798.0834 9:30 am–12:00 pm   Tucson Sharon Church - 955 North 10th Avenue - 520.622.2218 11:00 am–12:00 pm   Caridad Community Kitchen - 845 North Main Avenue - 520.882.5641 3:00 pm–4:00 pm   Northminster Church - 2450 East Fort Lowell Road 5:30 pm–6:30 pm   Z Mansion - 288 North Church Avenue Begins at 7:00 pm Tuesday/Martes 24 Casa Maria Soup Kitchen - 352 East 26th Street - 520.624.0312 8:30 am–11:30 am   Casa San Juan - 602 West Ajo Way #6046 - 520.798.0834 9:30 am–12:00 pm   Caridad Community Kitchen - 845 North Main Avenue - 520.882.5641 3:00 pm–4:00 pm   Life in Christ Community Church - 102 E. Palmdale Street 6:00 pm-7:00 pm   Z Mansion - 288 North Church Avenue Begins at 7:00 pm Wednesday/Miércoles 25 Casa Maria Soup Kitchen - 352 East 26th Street - 520.624.0312 8:30 am–11:30 am   Grace St. Paul-Joseph’s Pantry - 2331 East Adams Street - 520.327.6857 9:00 am–12:00 pm   Casa San Juan - 602 West Ajo Way #6046 - 520.798.0834 9:30 am–12:00 pm   Gospel Rescue Mission - 4550 South Palo Verde Avenue - 520.740.1501 11:00 am-2:00 pm   Caridad Community Kitchen - 845 North Main Avenue - 520.882.5641 3:00 pm–4:00 pm   Saguaro Christian Church - 8302 East Broadway Blvd. 5:00 pm–6:30 pm   Z Mansion - 288 North Church Avenue Begins at 7:00 pm Thursday/Jueves 26 Z Mansion - 288 North Church Avenue Begins at 10:30 am   Salvation Army @ St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church - 1145 East Fort Lowell Road - 520.622.5411 11:00 am-1:00 pm   Z Mansion - 288 North Church Avenue Begins at 7:00 pm Friday/Viernes 27 Southside Presbyterian Church - 317 West 23rd Street - 520.623.6857 7:30 am–9:00 am   Casa Maria Soup Kitchen - 352 East 26th Street - 520.624.0312 8:30 am–11:30 am   Grace St. Paul-Joseph’s Pantry - 2331 East Adams Street - 520.327.6857 9:00 am–12:00 pm   Caridad Community Kitchen - 845 North Main Avenue - 520.882.5641 3:00 pm–4:00 pm   Z Mansion - 288 North Church Avenue Begins at 7:00 pm Saturday/Sábado 28 Life in Christ Community Church - 102 E. Palmdale Street 8:00 am-8:30 am   Casa Maria Soup Kitchen - 352 East 26th Street - 520.624.0312 8:30 am–11:30 am   Z Mansion - 288 North Church Avenue Begins at 7:00 pm

We have an important public service announcement to share with you: Let's keep doing our part to slow the spread of COVID. Stay safe, everyone! Tenemos un importante anuncio de servicio público para compartir con usted: Sigamos haciendo nuestra parte para frenar la propagación de COVID. ¡Mantenganse a salvo todos!

FREE MEAL PROGRAM HAS BEEN EXTENDED SUSD will continue to provide free meals to all children under the age of 18 (no lunch application needed). Parents or students may stop by a school or designated bus stop Monday–Friday (excluding holidays) to receive a school lunch and a breakfast to go for the following morning at the following times: Schools – 10:30am – 1pm Bus Route – 11am – 12pm     Meal Distribution Starting November 30th Please note that meal distribution at schools and bus locations will continue once we transition to remote learning. Below is a list of bus routes and school sites that will distribute meals daily starting on November 30th.   School & Weekend Meal Distribution Sites You may pick up grab-and-go breakfast and lunch at one of the school locations listed below, Monday – Friday 10:30am–1pm. In addition, all sites will now distribute weekend meals. This means that on Fridays you may now pick up a total of six meals per student: 2 Friday meals, 2 Saturday meals and 2 Sunday meals.  Apollo Middle School Billy Lane Lauffer Middle School Craycroft Elementary School Challenger Middle School Desert View High School Drexel Elementary School Elvira Elementary School Esperanza Elementary School Gallego Primary Gallego Intermediate Liberty Elementary School Los Amigos Elementary School Los Ninos Elementary School Mission Manor Elementary School Ocotillo Learning Center Rosemarie Rivera Elementary School Santa Clara Elementary School Sierra 2 - 8 School Star Academic High School Summit View Elementary School Sunnyside High School Mobile Meals – Bus Distribution Sites Below is a list of sites where school buses will distribute grab-and-go breakfast and lunch from 11am–12pm. All school buses will continue to be equipped with mobile hotspots. For detailed information for each location, click on the bus icons on the interactive map below. S. Masterson Ave & E. Behan St. (SE Corner) S. Fontana Ave & E Delta Rd. (NW Corner) Fairy Duster & Silverweed (Rancho Valencia Rest Area) Old Vail Rd & Country Club (park on Vail Rd)  * this route will now be delivering meals at E Bantam Rd & Via Noche Buena Desert Shadows Park (on Greenway Dr.) Ponderosa & San Xavier Rd @ Ramada Santa Clara Ave. and Melridge St. 9776 S. Nogales Hwy (near Family Dollar) San Xavier Education Center Felix and Lansing Strav.    

General FAQ's What process does SUSD have in place when a student who attends hybrid in-person learning tests positive for COVID-19?   Why isn’t the school closing if there was a positive case reported? The Pima County Health Department will help us to determine when and if a classroom or the entire school needs to be closed.  Our Mitigation Plan has a section about Authority & Decision for School Closure which outlines how our district makes decisions on both classroom and school closures. To view the mitigation plan, click here. What happens after a positive case has been confirmed?​ Anytime a student or staff member has tested positive, they are not allowed to return to campus until authorized. Once our school receives notification of a positive case, we immediately contact the Pima County Health Department so they can begin a contact tracing process. The school will notify every person that has been identified to have been in “close contact” with the positive individual. Close contact is defined as, “less than six feet, for more than 15 minutes within a 24 hour period”. Any student deemed to have been in close contact with the positive individual is required to stay home for 14 days starting on the date they were tested. ONLY students determined to have had close contact will need to be quarantined. All parents of the school will receive a notification letter. Our custodial staff will immediately begin a deep cleaning process. What should we do if someone in our family is sick?   What time will school start for students in Hybrid and for students in Remote learning? Start times will return to the normal school hours. Please visit your schools website, or click here to view the bell schedule for each school. Will my child have to wear a mask on the bus and in class?​ Yes. Students will be required to wear a mask at all times while riding the bus. Students will also be required to wear a mask at all times while at school excpet for when they are eating or drinking. Students are responsible for bringing their own mask to school. Do I need to complete the application for free and reduced lunch again? The current school meal program which enables all Sunnyside students to eat daily nutritious meals for FREE is set to expire in the near future. As a result, we are requesting that all parents who have not submitted a Free & Reduced application for the current school year, and/or received a Notification Letter regarding their child's school lunch status, do so immediately by clicking here. The entire process should only take 5 minutes. Is SUSD providing meals to students staying in Remote Learning? Safety measures are in place so that parents can continue to pick up meals for their students. For a list of times and locations, please click here. What will classrooms look like? Will there be safe distancing? Teachers will be setting up their classrooms so that all desks are forward facing. In classrooms where individual desks are not available, plexiglass dividers will be placed on tables to provide protection for each student. Will my child be able to drink water from the drinking fountains at school? All drinking fountains that do not have a self filling station capability have been disabled. We have installed touch-less drinking fountains throughout the schools. We highly encourage students and staff to bring their own water bottles from home so they can refill as needed throughout the day. How will breakfast and lunchtime work? Students will pick up their breakfast as they enter the school and eat in a designated area. Breakfast may also be delivered to classrooms as in past practice. Cafeterias will be set up for social distancing and the traffic flow patterns will be adjusted to eliminate lines and congregation points. Schools will add additional lunch times to reduce the amount of students in the cafeteria when necessary. Some sites may incorporate lunch in classrooms with supervision to reduce transition and numbers. All food service staff will also be required to wear face masks and gloves during meal service. Will the school screen students for COVID as they arrive on campus? Parents are expected to screen their children daily prior to sending them to school and should be checking temperatures and making sure that children are not displaying any of the COVID symptoms. We also want to share with you that our school nurses have been working closely with the Pima County Health Department to establish thorough protocols to safely treat students who suddenly feel ill while they are at school. We want to stress the importance of conducting your own health screening at home, especially as we approach the flu season. I'm concerened about cleaning. What measures do you have in place to ensure that schools are properly cleaned and disenfected? High tech equipment has been purchased and custodial staff have been trained on the proper use of all cleaning equipment and chemicals. While students and staff are on campus we’ll use the cleaner known as Oxivir which is known to kill the COVID-19 virus in 60 seconds. Oxivir is non- non-irritating chemical that can be safely used without personal protective equipment. We have invested in several portable, hand held electrostatic sprayers to effectively apply the Oxivir cleaner. All schools are equipped with several sprayers. Bathrooms will be serviced every two hours (picking up debris, flushing toilets, checking paper and soap dispensers, and lastly disinfecting with Oxivir) or on as needed basis throughout the day. Although Oxivir will not be kept in classrooms for safety reasons, teachers will be able to check out their own sprayers from the front office to disinfect high touch points in their classrooms as needed. All of our sites also have clorox 360 machines. Night custodians will thoroughly disinfect sites every day using the 360 machine with a hospital grade chemical known as Virex. When sprayed with the 360 machine, an electrostatic charge is created, which allows the chemical to attach itself to any hard surface, killing the COVID-19 virus in 10 minutes.Custodians have been trained to wear personal protective equipment while applying virex and have also been trained on the proper usage of this machine. Does SUSD have any resources for food or clothing? If you are in need of an emergency food box, call Los Ranchitos Opportunity Center at 520-545-3460 or 520-545-2158 for an appointment. PLEASE NOTE: items based upon availability. Are school counselors available at this time? Yes, counselors can be reached directly via email or phone. Their contact information is on the website at https://www.susd12.org/counselors Are you providing mental health services while students are learning remotely? Mental health services and emergency needs are still available. For mental health needs, reach out to your school counselor. Internet & WiFi What if I don't have access to the internet? There are low-cost internet options available to SUSD Families. Cox - Low-cost $9.95 internet service, Connect2Compete. Restrictions apply. NEW CUSTOMERS who sign-up between July 21 - Sept 30, 2020 will get First 2 months FREE, $9.95/mo thereafter (Offer expires 9/30/2020)   Who is eligible to Qualify: Families with K-12 children who are eligible for the National School Lunch Program, Head Start, SNAP, WIC, LIHEAP, and/or TANF; who receive Tenant-Based Vouchers, Project-Based Vouchers or Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA); and/or who live in Public Housing. Application may require proof of SUSD enrollment and FRL eligibility. Verification forms are available at the District Office: Sandra Saucedo 520-545-2033 or Andrea Foster 520-545 2027.    Centurylink - Lifeline program provides discounts for qualified households. Standard discount of $9.25 per month or Tribal discount of $25.00 per month. Learn more at: https://www.centurylink.com/aboutus/community/community-development/lifeline.html   SUSD Schools - Every SUSD school has extended the school’s WiFi into the school parking lot so that students can connect to the Internet with adequate space to provide for safe social distancing. You may visit your school parking lot and playground areas between 8am and 2pm for this type of internet access. For internet access after these school hours, you can go to our SUSD District office parking lot at 2238. E. Ginter Rd., which will have 24 hour access.   Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, etc - Parents should contact their mobile service provider to ask for options for enabling the mobile hotspot service plan on their existing mobile device plan. This is the only wireless service that works on the reservation.   SUSD Mobile Hotspots - Starting Monday, March 30, our buses will begin to deliver grab-and-go breakfast and lunch at select locations. Buses will be handing out meals from 7:30am – 10am. In addition, all school buses will be equipped with mobile hotspots. This will allow students who may not have internet at home to access their assignments and check for teacher communication as they pick up their meals. Community Resources What community resources are available during school closures? TMC Now - Visit TMCnow.tmcaz.com TMC Now is a new virtual visit app that allows you to have access to a physician via mobile app or video 24/7. Trouble accessing TMC Now? Call the helpline at 520-324-5522 Mon-Fri 10am - 2pm   Emergency Food Box - If you are in need of an emergency food box, call Los Ranchitos Opportunity Center to make an appointment.  Call: (520) 545-3460 or (520) 545-2158 PLEASE NOTE: only while supplies last; items based upon availability.   United Way - https://www.unitedwaytucson.org/partner_resources Housing Assistance Legal Nutrition & Meals Child Development & Family Support Child Care Counseling and more   SUSD McKinney Vento Program - www.susd12.org/mckinney-vento Providing assistance to ensure school stability for children and youth experiencing homelessness. Children may qualify for services through the McKinney Vento Program If your living situation includes: Living in a motel or hotel; living in a shelter; temporarily staying with friends or relatives due to loss of housing; or living in places not ordinarily used for sleeping (cars, parks or other public places)   Free Cell Phone Service - Are you eligible? If you receive the following you do qualify: SNAP (Food Stamps) Medicaid SSI National School Lunch Program’s Free School Lunch Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Tribal programs. ​In addition, you can qualify if your income is 135% below the Federal Poverty Guidelines in Arizona Mental Health Resources Are mental health services available to Sunnyside families/students during the school closure? National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ Suicide Prevention for parents and students. Call: 1-800-273-8255 Text: "Hello" to 741741 This line is open for all to help prevent suicide. Lifeline provides 24/7 free and confidential support for people in distress.   Crisis Response Center -  The Crisis Response Center provides 24/7 access to mental health and substance use services for youth (age 0-17) and adults (18+). Call: (520) 622-6000   Domestic Violence hotline - For youth and adults Call: 1-800-799-7233 Text: "support" to 741741   Self Harm hotline - For youth and adults Call: 1-800-366-8288 Text: "connect" to 741741   Sexual Assault hotline - For youth and adults Call: 1-800-656-4673 or 1-520-327-1721 Text: "home" to 741741   Mental Health hotline - For youth and adults Call: 1-800-950-6264 Text: "nami" to 741741   Arizona Complete Health Crisis Line (formerly Nurse Wise) - For youth and adults https://www.azcompletehealth.com/members/medicaid/crisis-intervention-services.html Call: 1-866-495-6735 Offers telephonic services, no video-based telephealth, can do home visits via the Crisis Team; they do not deal with meds telephonically but have an "advice nurse" for clients who have AHCCCS who can help with meds, can schedule for CRC intake, takes all ages; Crisis Team can reach clients in an emergency within one hour, depending on county, time of day, level of urgency, but may send police for expediency too.   Community Resource hotline - For youth and adults Call: 520-879-5708   Chilphelp National Child Abuse - 24/7 Phone response for a child or anyone in the room who calls for help. Call: 1-800-422-4453

Our Vision: Every child... College, Career and Community Ready. Our Mission: Our mission is to develop students with a strong sense of identity, purpose and agency, so that they leave our system as effective learners who act with purpose to achieve the conditions they desire in their own and others’ lives. Since the release of the 1983 report “A Nation at Risk” our public school systems have been challenged with the task of improving public perception regarding how we prepare students for the future. This issue of a quality of education was compounded with the accountability requirements under the No Child Left Behind of 2001, which focused primarily on one assessment.  This narrow focus on one metric as the definitive measure of school quality misrepresents the complexity of educating students and diminishes the great work of educators across this nation who make a difference in the lives of students every day, in every classroom. And though aggregate performance is a key variable for measuring success, it simply fails to tell a bigger picture of what our students have and will be able to do in the future.  For this reason we felt it critical to recast our PROFILE OF A GRADUATE within a broader narrative of student success. This new framework provides an unparalleled level of clarity that aligns our mission, vision, and the work.  This new iteration of our graduate profile picks up where our Strategic Plan left off in 2015 and drives the work forward through five competencies, key to each student’s journey towards graduation: 1). Knowledge for Learning, 2). Knowledge for Impact, 3). Creative Confidence, 4). Critical Consciousness, and 5). Self and Systems Awareness.  In addition to college and career readiness, Community Ready was added to this iteration of the work thanks to feedback we received from community members, as well as industry and higher education professionals who expressed certain intangibles that Sunnyside students brought to their organizations. Attributing to our students traits like, “community-minded”, “a sense of social justice”, “respectfulness” we felt strongly that Community Ready also provided us with a framework to bridge the gap between knowledge and agency. This framework allows our District to capture the summative experiences that mark each child’s learning journey so that personalizing the classroom is less about technology, and more about each student’s ecology.  Thank you for being a part of our journey.      COMPETENCY #1: KNOWLEDGE FOR LEARNING Our students are knowledge creators. We look to them to not only master the content, but also to transfer knowledge across disciplines: From science to the humanities, from mathematics to the social sciences—Sunnyside students are deep thinkers and well-rounded learners with a strong sense of academic identity.  We trust our students as knowledge co-creators who share their expertise with peers and teachers as part of an intentional process of collaboration. Sunnyside students understand that learning is a social and shared responsibility. By listening respectfully, students value learning from one another as they begin to develop transferable skills like responding positively and constructively, which are important skills to employers as they are assembling their teams.   COMPETENCY #2: KNOWLEDGE FOR IMPACT When Hurricane Harvey crippled the Texas coast in 2018, Sunnyside students in our JTED Construction program rolled up their sleeves, gave up their spring break, and traveled across the country to rebuild homes. When faced with the opportunity to speak at the state capitol demanding an increase in teacher pay, one Sunnyside student took to the microphone, took a deep breath and pumped up a crowd of tens of thousands.    Our students are engaged participants in their future, not merely bystanders. Equipped with deep knowledge of history and a sense of what is fair, our students are adept at using social media and student organizations to drive change. Sunnyside students are aware of community issues and possess real-world knowledge gained from internships and other experiences that put global issues into a local context.   COMPETENCY #3: CREATIVE CONFIDENCE All students are creative, and it’s our responsibility to nurture that creativity. Borrowing from the work of Tom and David Kelley (IDEO, Stanford d.School) we define creative confidence as the natural human ability to come up with great ideas and the courage to act on those ideas.  Sunnyside students take part in human-centric experiences that use empathy, systems thinking, and design thinking to unlock their creativity. Through building prototypes, using causal loops, challenging assumptions, and acknowledging that all ideas are worthy, our students learn how to take risks. More importantly, creative confidence relies on human collaboration, which is embodied in the performing arts. Sunnyside's tradition of excellence in the fine arts provides a first point of entry for students into a world of creativity that gives them opportunities to gain confidence and succeed.    COMPETENCY #4: CRITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS Workplaces, schools and colleges, and other social environments are defined by internal cultures and norms that are not always visible from the outside. Some environments are built to nurture and empower, while other systems have internal cultures that hinder upward mobility. This is why we give students the tools to identify systems that perpetuate inequality so they’re prepared to take action.  In collaboration with League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson and the YWCA Southern Arizona we host workshops that help high school students learn about running for office while deconstructing issues such as racism, discrimination, and LGBTQ rights. Fostering critical consciousness through debate empowers our students to keep up with important issues and to demand a seat at the table.    COMPETENCY #5: SELF AND SOCIAL AWARENESS Students who are self-aware have strong intrapersonal skills such as self-regulation, which develops in the early years and aids in problem solving and supports volitional behavior. Social awareness (or social intelligence) is part of an important skill set that, later in life, is what sets a transformational leader apart from an everyday boss. This profile of a graduate takes into account our students’ social and emotional development and values traits such as assertiveness, conflict resolution, positive self-talk (to name a few)—as important indicators—of self- and social awareness, which is key to our students’ ability to thrive after high school.   NEXT STEPS 1. Create a graphic representation of the Graduate Profile 2. Introduce the Graduate Profile at the 2018 Administrative Summit 3. Develop indicators for each of the Graduate Profile competency areas 4. Establish a continuum or rubrics by grade band for each indicator that will be used to support internal accountability metrics with the desired outcome of establishing our own school label system    

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July 29, 2020 Dear Sunnyside Learning Community, A lot has happened since we closed our doors for traditional schooling on March 23rd. Over the last few months we have seen our Nation grow more divided on the public health impact of this pandemic, which has placed school reopening at the center of a political debate. Although starting school remotely is not ideal, scientific evidence along with recent guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Pima County Health Department suggests that the high level of community transmission supports the need for schools to remain closed for in-person instruction. It is most certain that we will stay in a remote learning situation minimally until after Labor Day. As educators, we are accustomed to using data to inform our decisions and will continue to do so in making decisions for in-person learning moving forward.  However, the COVID-19 virus is not the only issue of debate our Nation is contending with. The killing of George Floyd has exposed long-standing racial inequities in every aspect of American life and has forced a deep reckoning across society. From mass protests to intimate conversations with family and friends, conversations about race and equity are part of a national dialogue. For this reason, schools must find their place in the conversation and look at ways to improve the systems that perpetuate inequalities for children.  I would like for us to reflect on the following questions throughout the year as we have further discussion on equity: What are systemic patterns or practices in our schools or departments that foster inequalities and limit students’ future opportunities for success? What biases (unconscious or conscious) do we hold about the community and students we serve that may impact our approach to student learning? For those of us who don’t interact with students, how can we examine some of our own internal biases to create a work environment that is more inclusive of all? The conversation on equity is not new to the Sunnyside Learning Community. Equity is the foundation of our Graduate Profile and is central to the formative assessment process we have been implementing for the past few years. Drawing meaning to our work in the context of equity must be more intentional as we dive deeper into our own personal improvement of practice regardless of the position we hold in the organization.  On a personal level, much of my family conversation about race this summer took place while watching the movie version of the Broadway musical, Hamilton. The significance of diversity in the cast (led by mostly Black and Latino actors) and music (hip hop and R&B), and historical backdrop provided for rich discussions on multiculturalism and institutional issues of race that I know were critical and important for my family to engage in given the events that were happening across the globe.  As we embark on this year of many unknowns, I ask that we look at the opportunities that lie ahead for the students we serve. My hope is that we seek not to return to normal- which implies going back to the status quo - but that we learn from this experience and challenge our system to provide better and more equitable educational opportunities for the children in our community. As Hamilton would say, let’s “not throw away our shot”! Let’s seize the moment to revolutionize our students’ experiences so that they are College, Career, and Community Ready. In solidarity with you, Steve Holmes Superintendent