COVID 19 has demanded that we reimagine and reinvent so much of our daily routines and practices, including how we do school!  I feel blessed to work with an amazing team of educators and support staff at Luther Burbank.   Our team has worked together to design learning environments and plans that we can implement be it 100% virtual learning, Hybrid, or face to face.  We know that building relationships with our students and families is foundational no matter what model of instruction we are called upon to implement.  I encourage you to stay in close communication with your teacher and join in on their parent meetings.  Our teachers will be actively engaged in teaching whole and small groups of students between 8:00-3:00pm.  We don't want to miss the opportunity to connect, so please send an email or call the front office to let us know how we can support you. 

The COVID 19 section of our website houses information of Luther Burbank's plan and approach for engaging, educating, and empowering your child to be the change agent for good in acts both big and small.   

Luther Burbank, upon approval from Santa Clara Public Health will serve its most vulnerable students at greatest risk of learning loss.  Data from spring attendance and engagement will be used to identify 15-20% of our highest needs students, including Foster/Homeless, special education, and emotionally fragile students.  As space allows, Luther Burbank will work on a case by case basis to support families experiencing extreme hardships by inlcuding them in face to face instrucitonal support as space permits.  

To finalize preparations for welcoming students back to campus, Luther Burbank School District convened an ad hoc committee to review and provide input to the district's safety plan. Members of the adhoc committee included community members, teachers, classified staff, and administrators.  The presentation below highlights the safety protocols and procedures Luther Burbank will implement when welcoming students back to campus. 

In partnership with Luther Burbank's Expanded Learning program, afterschool staff will each be assigned to a small cohort of students, in grades TK-5, who will complete their virtual learning on campus. The role of the coaches will be to provided encouragement, remind students to stay focused and engaged with their teacher's lessons, and provide academic support to complete assignments.  Students will eat lunch and have recess within their stable cohort grouping.  Students will also participate in enrichment activities, such as outdoor games, STEAM activities and lego robotics to maintain high levels of motivation and engagement.  This program is an invitation only program for our most vulnerable students and will serve as Phase I of our reopening plan. 

When conditions improve and staff and community confidence that transmission rates of COVID 19 are within safe parameters, Luther Burbank will transition to Phase 2. We intend to bring students back in a Hybrid model.  Students will attend school daily in am/pm cohort groups.  Each cohort will receive 3 hours of face to face instruction.  Data points that will help determine transition to the Hybrid Model will be release from the "Watch List" in tandum with community and staff feedback.  

And in Phase 3, we will all be celebrating as life returns to "normal" and conduct face to face instruction for everyone, everyday!  Let's all commit to practicing social distancing and wearing our masks so we can flatten and eliminate the transmission of COVID 19!

For now, while in Distance (Virtual) Learning, Luther Burbank staff are fully committed to building strong relationships with students and families, providing sychronous and asynchronous learning that is standards aligned, rigorous, and engaging. We look forward to working in partnership with our families and communities.  We, in partnership with families and community partners, are here to support the whole child, whole family, and whole community.  Si se puede!

With hope, joy, and kindness-

Mrs. Mourtos