Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel coming directly to you to highlight some May BUSD events.

Links:

Jewish American Heritage Month Webpage

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Webpage

Webinar: Recognizing, Preventing, & Responding to Islamophobia & Antisemitism

RSVP: Literacy Community Listening Session #2

BUSD Summer Programs

Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School's SSWANA Club present at a school-wide assembly. "Today, we are having a SSWANA fashion show!" reads the slide.

In April, BUSD celebrated Arab American and SSWANA (South Asian, Southwest Asian, and North African) Heritage Month. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School honored the month by holding a school-wide assembly with robust programming that educated students and staff about a variety of cultural practices under the SSWANA umbrella. Students gave a presentation on which countries are included in SSWANA and the experiences of those in the Arab world, held a fashion show in which club members wore some of their culture's traditional clothing, and enjoyed a dance performance from local Debke troop, Al-Juthoor.

Al-Juthoor performed two dances for students and staff before inviting students from the audience to join them on stage.

Students and staff danced to the beat of the tabal balladi after learning the steps.

On Friday, April 18, students and staff joined Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School's SSWANA Club during lunchtime to learn "Dbeke", a traditional dance with Syrian, Palestinian, Jordanian, and Lebanese roots. Before learning the dance, students were taught about various traditional instruments including the tabal balladi, the large drum shown being played above. Debke, which originated over 5,000 years ago, is a dance typically done in celebration at weddings and as a practice of cultural preservation.

Across district libraries, colorful SSWANA book displays included stories that center the Arab American and SSWANA experience.

John Muir Elementary School Principal Furlan and members from the Climate Club celebrate being designated as a "California Green Ribbon" school by the California Department of Education. 

John Muir Elementary was recognized by the state of California as a Bronze level Green Ribbon School. John Muir Elementary is one of twenty schools throughout the state of California to receive this recognition. California Green Ribbon Schools stand as beacons of innovation that showcase pioneering approaches toward enhanced indoor air quality, the implementation of outdoor classrooms, and comprehensive environmental education initiatives.

After being taught how to safely handle the chicks, students were able to hold and pet them at open visiting hours during sixth-grade lunch.

This April, the Growing Leaders Program at Willard Middle School welcomed a new batch of baby chickens to their program. The chicks, the first batch received in over five years, will be raised as egg-producing chickens to provide ingredients in the Growing Leaders cooking classes. These new Willard residents will be especially helpful in baking recipes, like those for cookies and cakes, and will also contribute to the sustainable disposal of food waste.

Students were invited to interact with the chicks as they transform from baby chicks to "teenagers" which will occur over the course of only three weeks. These early interactions will encourage the chicks to be more comfortable with the students who will work with them through eighth grade.

Multicultural Fair at Sylvia Mendez Elementary School

Sylvia Mendez Elementary School and their PTA had a Multicultural 

Celebration on Saturday, April 27 where attendees were able to come together as a community and celebrate many of the amazing cultures at the school through fun activities like art and face painting. Families showcased a culture that was important to them through decorative tables. There were tables that represented Mexico, Rainbow Families, Africa, Chile, Canada, Croatia, Eritrea, Venezuela, and more.

Berkeley High School Hosts Robotics Competition

The event, which was the first of its kind to be hosted at Berkeley High School (BHS) was well attended.

Sixty robotics teams collaborated and competed in the FIRST East Bay Regional Robotics Competition at Berkeley High School over spring break. Participants included five teams from Türkiye, teams from Australia and India, from multiple US states, and from across California. The Berkeley High Team 5419 "Berkelium" was consistently in the top seven throughout the competition but was eliminated in the quarter-finals.

BHS Robotics team members lead elementary students through an up-close demonstration.

TK students at Berkeley Arts Magnet Elementary School pose with the school's first place trophy.

Last month, all Berkeley Unified schools participated in the March Madness Attendance Challenge. Schools competed against each other in brackets, organized by grade level, to see which school would have the overall best attendance numbers for March. Students and staff took the challenge head-on, finding engaging ways to incentivize and encourage students all month. Four schools came out on top: Ruth Acty Elementary School, Berkeley Arts Magnet Elementary School, Longfellow Middle School, and Berkeley International High School. First, second, and third place winners of each bracket were awarded with trophies and certificates. Congratulations to the winners.

Fourth and fifth graders at Rosa Parks Elementary School celebrate their second place standing during lunch.

These Emerson Elementary School fifth graders helped encourage their fellow students to earn third-place in their bracket by passing out erasers and other small prizes to classrooms for their attendance.

BUSD will hold an Ethnic Studies Showcase on Tuesday, May 7 from 5:00-7:00 pm at Rosa Parks Elementary School.

Participants will enjoy food and entertainment, preview some of the exciting curriculum being developed and taught at BUSD, and hear from a panel of students, BUSD Ethnic Studies educators, and Ethnic Studies experts. Spanish translation and childcare will be available.

Hybrid School Board Meetings

School Board meeting agendas are posted at least 72 hours before meetings.

The next special School Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 1. The next regular School Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 22. All details for upcoming School Board meetings can be found on this BUSD webpage.

Click here for contact information for School Board Directors.

Recent School Board Meetings

April 17, 2024

April 10, 2024

March 20, 2024

February 21, 2024

January 24, 2024

View the full BUSD calendar here.

Berkeley Unified School District | 2020 Bonar Street | 510.644. 6150 | www.berkeleyschools.net

Notification of Non-Discrimination Policy

The Berkeley Unified School District is committed to providing equal opportunity for all individuals in district programs and activities. Accordingly, BUSD programs and activities shall be free from discrimination, harassment, intimidation and bullying based on actual or perceived ancestry, age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression; nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. The Board shall promote programs which ensure that discriminatory practices are eliminated in all district activities. (Board Policy 0410, Board Policy 1311, Board Policy 4030, Board Policy 5145.3, Board Policy 5145.7)

The Board also prohibits retaliation against any district employee or job applicant who complains, testifies or in any way participates in the district's complaint procedures instituted pursuant to this policy. (Board Policy 4030)

Complaint forms are available at school sites and on the district webpage at www.berkeleyschools.net/complaints.

For inquiries or concerns regarding BUSD nondiscrimination policy 5145.3 or the filing of discrimination complaints please contact:

Jasmina Viteskic, Title IX Coordinator/Compliance Officer

2020 Bonar Street Room 116, Berkeley, CA 94702

Phone: 510.486.9338  Email: jasminaviteskic@berkeley.net

More information is available at www.berkeleyschools.net/non-discrimination/