Practice English Speaking&Listening with: April 20th, 2020 - A Message for the LBUSD Community from Jill Baker Ed.D.

- Good afternoon Long Beach community.

It's been over a week since I've had the chance

to connect with you and I've greatly missed you.

Spent some time during spring break

thinking about all of you

and hoping that as you are home

and staying safe with your families and those around you,

that in some way, you've been able to rest

and to be together and to use some of the messages

that have been shared before today

in your interactions around the house.

So something that I spent some time thinking about,

especially being a consumer of the news

and having more time spent around my house

over the last week

is the thinking around the power of the word and,

and so I want to offer that to you today

in this community message.

The power of and in things like fear and hope,

and how and can bring those things together.

Something like frustration and calm,

two very different emotions,

but in this time and brings them together.

Hopelessness and energy.

So I bring that to you today

because I've experienced all of those myself

over the last week in being home

for several days with my family,

and also, the weekends, being home,

but also, being out in the community for different reasons

for essential services and to come to work,

and so I offer you today,

think about the and that is happening for you

and those around you,

and add that to the way that you interact with yourself,

that you think about

what kind of and is happening for you,

in questions that you're asking your family

and letting them know that and is okay.

Fear and hope

can go together in this time,

and then lastly, for folks that you're checking in with,

as you listen, as you have conversations,

even if they're on Zoom or on the phone,

that you use that question,

what is your and to help people know

that those different feelings and contrasting feelings

are really okay, and to some degree,

they're normal at this time.

It's also a way that we can help each other

through this time is to know that those things

will go together until we're through this.

So later this week, and actually,

you heard during spring break about distance learning

and how we will move into a new phase of distance learning

starting Thursday and through the end of this year.

I'll share more information with you on Wednesday

about distance learning and the duration of the year.

Today, I just want to offer you

a suggestion and ask for your help.

The suggestion is, if you're a parent,

be really thinking about the encouragement of your students

that what's going to happen in distance learning

is really based on essential skills that students need

to have for this year in order to be prepared for next year.

So whether your student is matriculating

to the next grade level or going on to college,

our teachers are going to be working with essential skills

that students need to prepare them

for the next phase of their educational career.

I'm going to ask for your support.

Our school staffs are going to be making a concerted effort

until we have contact with 100% of our students.

We are going to be reaching out to families

in many different ways.

Our social media channels, our phone channels,

having staff, in some cases, may visit students homes,

but I also want to has you to think about

the notion of Each One Reach One,

and ask you to help us with our commitment

to ensuring that 100% of our students and families

are connected to their teacher and their school.

So we're going to be reaching out,

but I'm also asking you to think about a neighbor,

a grandchild, someone down the street,

a family that you have contact with

that you can reach out to in an effort to each one of us

reach somebody else,

and lastly, a reminder that on our district website

under the COVID-19 resource page,

first of all, remember, there are many resources

for families there that include emotional supports,

and food insecurity supports, and also,

school phone numbers that every family has access to

that someone will answer during regular school hours,

even during our closure,

and if the staff member who answers

can't answer the question that you're asking,

they will help you to find the number that is there.

So just in summary today.

Think about that question,

what is your and and the things that go together

that sometimes we have not experienced together

like frustration and calm or fear and hope?

And then secondly, each one reach one,

help us with our commitment to ensuring that 100%

of our students are connected to a teacher and the school.

I'll be back on Wednesday

and I wish you a good couple of days before I'm back.

Thanks for being in community with us.