BUSD Update- Parents/Guardians
Damon J. Wright, Ed.D Superintendent of Schools
September 26, 2022
Be Kind Community
The City of Benicia has been anonymously selected as a “be kind community” for October. Upon reviewing the “be kind community” campaign, BUSD has decided to participate in this initiative. BUSD believes the “be kind community concept” aligns with our Positive Behavior Intervention Systems of support, Social Emotional Learning and LCAP goals. The initiative aims to: “to raise awareness for the importance of kindness within the local community. The weekly initiatives aim to influence the public to have a greater consideration for each other and look for opportunities to intentionally add value to others through simple acts of kindness.” Each week in October, BUSD will participate in the following themed initiatives outlined in the program:
- WEEK ONE (October 1-9): See Someone Say Something
- Foster interpersonal skills by encouraging eye contact, greetings, and conversation.
- WEEK TWO (October 10-16): Pay It Forward
- Create a positive culture through random acts of kindness.
- WEEK THREE (October 17-23): Serve a Servant
- Show appreciation for those that provide service to us.
- WEEK FOUR (October 24-31): Kindness Card
- Provide written words of encouragement through kindness cards.
You can find additional information regarding the “be kind community” on the website linked here: https://bekind.city
Loitering in Southampton Shopping Center
The Benicia Unified School District and the Benicia Police Department will address unwarranted loitering in the Southampton Shopping Center on Friday afternoons. The District has received multiple reports of students misbehaving, thus impacting local businesses. Reports included:
- students riding skateboards and scooters inside of local stores,
- multiple fights,
- students destroying products in the store and running away,
- students using inappropriate language toward business employees when confronted.
These behaviors described above do not reflect the characteristics of the BUSD Ideal Graduate, and the District will not tolerate them. BUSD and BPD will meet this week and identify strategies to address the disturbances. We also ask our parents /guardians to remind their children to refrain from visiting the shopping center unless they are patrons of the local businesses. If students visit the shopping center as consumers, we expect them to behave respectfully and responsibly.
Complaint Resolution
The BUSD values our relationships with our educational partners and aims to resolve concerns swiftly should they arise. If grievances arise, the District encourages the complainant to resolve their concern with the employee before escalating the matter to a formal complaint. Governing Board policy, 1312.1: Complaints Concerning District Employees, states, “Every effort should be made to resolve complaints regarding district employees at the earliest possible stage. Any person who complains about a district employee shall be encouraged to resolve the matter informally through direct communication with the employee whenever possible.”
BUSD Equity Statement
BUSD ensures that historically marginalized students’ voices, cultures, identities and stories are valued and celebrated. To assure our students thrive, BUSD will dismantle barriers and advance policies and practices that support our diverse community.
National Hispanic Heritage Month
BUSD celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month. Elementary-aged students continue learning and embracing Hispanic heritage through researching and discussing historical figures, including Roberto Clemente, Ellen Ochoa, Frida, and Alicia Alonso. Students are also reading Hispanic Culture themed literature including,
- Mango, Abuela and Me,
- The Pinata that the Farm Maiden Hung, Bright Star,
- Abuela and I Make Flan,
- The Palatero Man,
- If Dominican Were a Color,
- and Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos.
Students are learning the geographic location of the twenty-one Spanish-speaking countries and singing and dancing to songs such as Mexican Hat Dance and Celebracion as well. Please click the links to view the performances. At the secondary level, Benicia High School honors Hispanic Heritage month by facilitating lunchtime events that include music and free food samples for students, providing informational resources, and promoting the inclusion of Hispanic Heritage lessons into instruction. BHS students and staff are also sharing authors/texts, creating artwork, and sharing cultural learning via school-wide announcements including: “Hispanic Heritage Month takes place September 15 to October 15 every year as a time to recognize and celebrate the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the American Latino community. Beginning in 1968, Hispanic Heritage Month was originally observed as “Hispanic Heritage Week” under President Lyndon Johnson, but it was later extended to a month during President Reagan’s term in 1988. September 15 was chosen as the kickoff because it coincides with the Independence Day celebrations of five Central American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Those five nations declared their independence from Spain on September 15, 1821. Other Spanish- speaking nations have anniversaries close to those dates as well. Mexico declared independence from Spain on September 16th, 1810, and Chile did the same on September 18th, 1810. 1980 marked the first year that the U.S. Census offered Hispanic as an option for describing ethnic identity on the census form. Author Cristina Mora has written about how Federal recognition of a single Hispanic ethnic identity was a strategic goal of Hispanic community organizers, who hoped to create a collective identity that people from a group of countries colonized by Spain could use to exert political and economic power. I encourage you to learn more about Hispanic Heritage Month and celebrate with us during lunch on Friday, October 7th, in the quad.”
Liberty High School reflected on their learning through EPOCH and planned activities which go beyond “surface level.” Students are creating and advocating for culture through personal stories and narratives during round table talks, they are displaying artwork throughout campus, creating their ofrenda – altar for Dia de los Muertos, facilitating cooking demonstrations, and studying hispanic cultural music. Liberty High School Students are also researching positive contributions made by Hispanic Americans and highlighting influential people, including Jose Hernandez, an astronaut from Stockton, Sonia Sotomayor, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Sylvia Rivera- an advocate for the LGBTQ community. Students are researching Hispanically owned businesses in Benicia and will visit those establishments and invite the business owners to campus for presentations as well. Lastly, LHS students will continue their tradition of walking 1st street to dedicate marigolds to loved ones that have passed.
Liberty High School reflected on their learning through EPOCH and planned activities which go beyond “surface level.” Students are creating and advocating for culture through personal stories and narratives during round table talks, they are displaying artwork throughout campus, creating their ofrenda – altar for Dia de los Muertos, facilitating cooking demonstrations, and studying hispanic cultural music. Liberty High School Students are also researching positive contributions made by Hispanic Americans and highlighting influential people, including Jose Hernandez, an astronaut from Stockton, Sonia Sotomayor, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Sylvia Rivera- an advocate for the LGBTQ community. Students are researching Hispanically owned businesses in Benicia and will visit those establishments and invite the business owners to campus for presentations as well. Lastly, LHS students will continue their tradition of walking 1st street to dedicate marigolds to loved ones that have passed.