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In light of the current Bay Area heat wave, we are posting a link to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Health Guidance for Schools on Sports and Strenuous Activities During Extreme Heat.

The guidance originally released June 30, 2023 was updated July 1, 2024, and is subject to change. 

For California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) member schools: As per California State Law Assembly Bill (AB) 1653 and CIF Bylaw 503.K. Heat Illness and 503.L. Air Quality Index Protocols, all CIF member schools must adhere to the CIF Heat Illness Prevention and Heat Acclimatization Policies as outlined in the CIF Extreme Heat and Air Quality Policy (PDF).

Key updates as of July 1, 2​024:​

• Added information on heat illness prevention and heat acclimatization polic​ies that apply to California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) member schools​​. 
• Added links to the Spanish version of the National Weather Service’s (NWS) HeatRisk forecast tool (en español) and the CDPH Heat Risk Grid (en esp​añol, PDF)
• Added information on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’ (CDC) HeatRisk Dashboard and the CDC’s heat and health guidance for healthcare professionals.

Key Sections:

• What Is the Risk of Exercising During Extreme Heat?
• What Can Be Done to Protect Students from Extreme Heat?
• What Is the “HeatRisk” Forecast and How Do I Use It?
• What Are the Signs of Exertional Heat-Related Illness?
• What Factors Increase the Risk of Heat-Related Illness?
• What Other Proactive Steps Can Be Taken?
• Where Can I Learn More?

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As MDUSD continues our Deaf Awareness Month recognition in September, we are also highlighting the International Week of Deaf People (Sept. 23-29) and the International Day of Sign Languages, which was Monday, Sept. 23.

Concord HS is the only high school in the District that offers American Sign Language (ASL) as a World Language, with three years so students can move from beginner to advanced levels, meeting graduation and A-G requirements. Teacher Matt Moyers, who is deaf, communicates with students using sign language, with interpreters who vocalize his words. He teaches about 185 students, including roughly 75 who are in the first level course. This is his sixth year of teaching and his third year teaching ASL at Concord HS. "I'm really enjoying it," Moyers said, adding: "I feel like they are my kids."

In his 5th period Level 1 course on Tuesday, the 37 students in his class were learning to sign questions such as: "Who, where, what, why, how many, and which?" Moyers stressed that facial expressions are very important to help communicate meaning, similar to voice inflections when speaking.

"The only way to learn ASL is by watching carefully and really copying and emulating the teacher," he said, adding that muscle memory will eventually kick in. "The more you use sign language, the better you become, just like with other languages." Students said they chose ASL instead of Spanish because it is less well-known and offers a unique way for them to express themselves, as well as to communicate with Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) students at the school. "I wanted to take this class because I don't think many people know how to do sign language and I wanted to learn it," said freshman Alexis Von Raesfelt, whose older brother is in his third year of ASL as a junior. Alexis said she also appreciates having a deaf teacher, which gives her a new perspective. "He's really sweet," she said, adding that she can have conversations with him even when the interpreter isn't there, using the sign language she has already learned.

Freshman Rachel Fischer said she took American Sign Language because "it just kind of spoke to me more than other languages" and she likes using facial expressions to communicate. "It's really a lot about using your eyes and your eyebrows," she said, noting that her classmate Alexis scrunched her eyebrows when she signed, "what?" Rachel said learning from Moyers is "really cool because you get more insights into what it's like to be deaf and he's a really good teacher. You can tell he loves to teach."

Freshman Xavier Niemeier said he took ASL because he was inspired by a friend of his who learned it on her own. "It's a lot of fun," he said. "At first, it was kind of challenging to move my fingers around, but after a while, I got used to it." Junior Cody Hickok said he likes communicating in sign language. "It allows me to vividly express my feelings," he said. "When I'm confused or happy, I can easily communicate with my facial expressions, when normally you wouldn't pay attention to that." For example, he smiled when he signed "happy" and frowned to express confusion as he signed "what?"

Interpreter Marina Renfrow began taking ASL classes when she attended Berean Christian School, then she transferred to Concord HS to continue taking Level 3, graduated from CHS in 2002, went onto become an interpreter and has worked at CHS since 2008. "I fell in love with the language," she said. "I had taken Spanish, but it wasn't a good fit. I knew I wanted to become an interpreter." She works with Moyers in his 1st and 5th period Level 1 classes, and works with the school's Deaf and Hard of Hearing students the rest of the day. Freshman Alicia Paredes, who is Hard of Hearing, is a student in Moyers' 6th period Level 2 class, since she already knew sign language from attending Westwood Elementary and El Dorado MS, which are part of the District's DHH continuum. 

Visual Arts teacher David Hevel, who previously taught at Northgate and Mt. Diablo high schools, said having DHH classmates and seeing interpreters in their classes is "normalized" for all students at Concord HS. Deaf students are just like everyone else, and their interpreters "are actually a voice for the teacher or the student," he said.

Moyers said he appreciates Deaf Awareness Month and the DHH and ASL programs at Concord HS. "It’s really nice to see more and more people signing," he said. "It makes the world a little better place for the deaf community in general. These students are our future and they’ll become company managers, and when a deaf person comes in, they will have already been exposed to a deaf person, and they’ll have some basic fundamentals." The only thing deaf people can't do, he said, is hear.

Click on this reel to see Moyers and some of his students signing.

This week's MDUSD Friday Letter highlights:

• The American Sign Language (ASL) program at Concord High School taught by Matt Moyers, who is deaf;
• Volunteers from the Rossmoor Pickleball Club are sharing their love of the game with students at El Dorado Middle School, using equipment funded through a grant;
• Monte Gardens Elementary recently hosted an International Food Festival celebrating the school's diversity; and
• The Wren Avenue Elementary PTA's Car Show fundraiser was a huge success; plus
• School, student and staff news in our Social Media Highlights!

You can read it here. 

This week's MDUSD Friday Letter highlights:

• Constitution Day at the Loma Vista Adult Education Center;
• 2024-25 MDUSD Teachers of the Year Mia Carella and Ingrid Wright, who were honored at the Contra Costa County Office of Education ceremony, along with CA Teacher of the Year Joseph Alvarico;
• Northgate High School’s Mark Burenko, Sophia Mitchell, and Anthony Shen have been named National Merit Scholar Semifinalists;
• Olympic High School's successful resource fair;
• Our dedicated MDUSD counselors and college and career advisors, who recently attended the CSU Counselor Conference; and
• School and Staff social media highlights!

You can read it here. 

MDUSD's use of technology throughout the District - including Promethean boards in all classrooms and Chromebooks for all students - has attracted the attention of EdTech magazine, which recently featured a video highlighting the way we are focusing on equity to ensure there is not a disparity between the "haves and the have-nots."

The District's "digital equity initiative focused on making sure that every student and teacher had exactly what they needed to teach and learn effectively," said Robert Sidford, MDUSD's Director of Technology and Innovation, during an interview in the first of three planned videos looking at MDUSD's technology improvements districtwide and at Silverwood Elementary. The upgrades have been funded largely through Measure J, approved by voters in 2018. "We are teaching in a 21st Century classroom," said Silverwood Elementary teacher Roxayn King, who asks her 4th grade students to use their Chromebooks to work on a research project, while she guides them using a Promethean board in the video. "One of the best things that our District did was when they rolled out the Promethean boards." Student Subhan said the Promethean board is much easier to see than the white board and projector his previous teachers used. And Silverwood Principal Bruce Burns said the interactive Promethean boards have "had a significant impact in engagement," captivating students and providing visual stimulation, while also allowing them to manipulate shapes, write, draw and color on them in front of the class, then get immediate feedback. The video also shows MDUSD Superintendent Dr. Adam Clark speaking with Concord HS students about their plans after graduation. "Our goal here in Mt. Diablo is to prepare each and every student for college and career," Dr. Clark said in an interview. "In our world, technology is everywhere." The District provides students with the technological tools they need to access the curriculum, and strives to expose them to what technology could become, as well as what's available to them, he said. Sidford said that standardizing technology districtwide saves money because it is managed centrally and no longer requires the District to replace individual equipment that varies from one classroom to another. He noted that the District partnered with CDW an information technology corporation, to implement its technology plan. The Board expects to approve the final phase of the Promethean Board project on Wednesday, Sept. 11. More information about MDUSD'S work with CDW is here.

This week's MDUSD Friday letter spotlights:

• A video featured in EdTech Magazine showcasing MDUSD’s tech upgrades;
• Mt. Diablo HS volleyball and basketball star Loraine Aicel Sotto,
• Mt. Diablo HS football standouts Jakorey Robinson and Jeremiah Owens and their team in the news, along with
• Northgate HS Flag Football player Symone Jewell;
• the Ygnacio Valley HS Project 212 Robotics Team's upcoming activities;
• School and Staff social media highlights
• And more!

You can read it here.