Sherman Oaks Dual Language Immersion School

District News

Updated Wed, Mar 15th

Under the most recent changes to the state’s COVID-19 guidelines, students and staff will be able to return to school sooner, as long as their symptoms are improving. That is one of several changes announced by the California Department of Public Health this month. 

In response, Campbell Union School District has made the appropriate updates to the COVID-19 response plan. Following is a summary of the updates.

Effective March 13, 2023:

  • A COVID-19 positive person may end isolation after five days and return on day six if they feel well, have improving symptoms, and are fever-free for 24 hours, with less emphasis on testing negative. They must continue to wear a mask until after Day 10. This change aligns with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations.
  • After ending isolation, individuals may remove their mask sooner than Day 10 with two sequential negative tests one day apart.​
  • Updates to the definition of infectious period.

Effective effective April 3, 2023:

  • Masks will no longer be required in indoor high-risk and health care settings. They are optional.
  • Schools will no longer send exposure notices home when a positive COVID-19 case is reported

The full CUSD plan is available online in English and Spanish here.

Updated Wed, Mar 8th

How should we teach mathematics with  a “growth mindset” to help students and teachers understand that struggle leads to effective brain development? How do different teaching approaches impact students' learning? And how can all learners be engaged in mathematics? These are topics that Stanford Professor Dr. Jo Boaler, author and world renowned leader in mathematics teaching and learning, will share with Campbell Union School District’s teachers at the March 10th Professional Development day.

The challenges of distance learning during the pandemic had a significant impact on students' math scores, according to a 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report. CUSD’s leaders saw the challenge in their own students. As a result they sought out experts to support the district’s commitment to high quality first instruction to ensure students are learning to their highest potential.

“We’re excited to have our educators hear from an internationally recognized expert in mathematics,” said Whitney Holton, Associate Superintendent of Teaching & Learning. “Dr. Boaler’s visit is an outstanding example of how we live our value of ‘We are Learners’. By connecting with experts in the field and forming partnerships to engage in research, we learn together how to improve the outcomes for students in math.” 

Updated Wed, Mar 15th

“Learning to read, for some students, is much more complex than it may seem,” said District Superintendent Shelly Viramontez. “And it is a fundamental skill for success in life.”

Campbell Union School District intensified literacy training and resources for teachers under its “Every Child a Reader by Third Grade” initiative. The efforts are making a difference!

Through classwork, i-Ready and DIEBELS assessments, teachers are seeing positive results from their training and focus on strengthening literacy skills for every student, especially in the early primary grades. 

A long-term study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that students who were not proficient in reading by the end of third grade were four times more likely to drop out of high school than proficient readers. Reaching literacy by third grade is a goal of California schools and a key benchmark in measuring and predicting student success. 

Ideas on how to help your child become a proficient—even an enthusiastic—reader are available from your child’s teacher, school and community libraries, and online.

Online Resources for Parents and Students

  • The Campbell Library has given all CUSD students access to online library accounts. If your student has not used it yet, please ask your child’s teacher or the school library staff for information. 
  • Million Book March, is part of the Reading is Fundamental celebration of National Reading Month, a campaign to encourage kids nationwide to collectively read one million books in the month of March.
  • National PTA’s “Raising Ready Readers” offers tips for parents to start early and practice often.
Updated Wed, Feb 15th

This week, students and staff at our schools commemorated the 100th day of school. It was a day to note how far they have come in their learning journey and to dedicate themselves to making great strides in the remaining 80 days.

office with balloons and signsRosemary School office made sure this was a day to celebrate.

3 teachers dressed as old ladies
How much is 100? Sherman Oaks teachers and students
dressed up as very senior citizens to show appreciation
for those who make it to 100 years of age.

Updated Wed, Feb 15th

“Educating students to their highest potential is a big job, and our partners in the community help to remove some of the obstacles for our students,” said District Superintendent Shelly Viramontez. 

Toothaches, earaches, food insecurity, vision problems, and other non-academic issues make it difficult for students to focus on lessons and tasks. Thanks to our many community partnerships and grants, our students have access to professionals who can address these barriers to learning.

For example, neighboring dentists conduct oral screenings for kindergarten and TK students to determine those who need follow up care. A grant from El Camino Hospital supports funds for two additional school nurse positions. Local counseling agencies supplement our counseling services for students. And the Healthier Kids Foundation is providing fifth graders with Wellness Check screeners to identify those students who may be struggling and in need of additional support.

These are just some examples of our partners working with us to benefit all of our students. To learn more about our multi-tiered system of support (MTSS), please visit our Supporting Learning web page.

Updated Wed, Feb 15th

School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs) are state-mandated annual reports showing key data for each school in our district. The latest SARCs* include 2021-22 school year information about student achievement, demographics, class sizes, fiscal data and more.

The reports for our schools are available online at www.campbellusd.org/sarc. Printed copies are available in the school office.

* The Spanish translations of the 2021-22 SARCs will be available later in February. Additional data from the California Department of Education is expected this spring.

Updated Wed, Feb 8th

This month, Governor Newsome released a proposed budget for California, kicking off months of analyzing, planning and discussion about school funding. In our district, we base our planning for 2023-24 on the proposed budget and have begun analyzing how it impacts our district.

In May, the Governor will release a revised budget, and then California legislators will finalize it from May through July.  

It’s a complex process. For some insight into how it works for California schools, please see our “District Funding Overview”.

Updated Wed, Feb 1st

Campbell Union School District employees are committed to continuous improvement and educating students to their highest potential. That process requires feedback, and the annual survey is one way that school and district leaders obtain it.

Global leaders tell us that the future holds a rising demand for global problem solvers who embrace a life-long learner mindset. Input from our community is an important part of ensuring that we are preparing students for success in that future.

Parents and guardians can find the link to their survey in their email and/or on ParentSquare. (Different survey links are provided to employees and students.)

If you did not receive the link, please contact Marla Sanchez at msanchez [at] campbellusd.org () or phone 408-364-4200 ext. 6254.

Updated Wed, Jan 25th

Each December, the CUSD Governing Board holds an Organizational Meeting where they swear in newly elected/re-elected members, elect officers, and establish their meeting calendar for the new year.

2023 Board Organization

  • Officers: President Danielle Cohen, Vice President Chris Miller, and Clerk Michael Synder
  • Meeting schedule: See dates on the Board’s web page.

Campbell Union School District’s Governing Board consists of five locally elected public officials who work together with the superintendent to make decisions that will best serve all of the students in our community. Each board member is assigned to a trustee area, although they represent the interests of the entire district:

Updated Wed, Jan 25th

In CUSD, we are committed to being an Organization of Excellence, continually improving each day to be a great place to learn, work, and provide an excellent education. Part of that process is gathering input from the people we interact with every day and using what we learn to further our commitment to getting better every day

We are seeking your input. On January 12, 2023, we will send the survey link to families and employees, and teachers will make time in class for students (grade 3 and up) to take the brief survey.

Our partners at Huron | Studer Education are administering the survey, providing an opportunity for you to provide feedback anonymously. The online survey will be available in English and Spanish, and you can respond via any Internet-connected computer or mobile device.

We are committed to listening and responding to your experiences in our district. We will use the feedback to celebrate and build upon our successes and to identify areas for improvement in specific areas. 

Please check your email or ParentSquare account on January 12th for our message and link to the survey.