Superintendent

I wanted our community to know that we have seen a decrease in our district’s COVID-19 case rates from a high of 248 during the week of January 10 to 197 during the week of January 17 and 130 during the week of January 24. This coincides with a drop in case rates across San Mateo County as a whole.

I’m writing to update you on the latest information we’ve received related to new guidance and some of the ways in which SSFUSD continues to respond to the latest COVID-19 surge that our state and nation are experiencing.  Our district is following updated COVID-19 guidance found in the latest pandemic recovery framework, which has been posted on our district website. We have also continued to test our students and staff, and we are constantly reevaluating and monitoring the implementation of our health and safety protocols to ensure we are protecting the health and safety of our students and staff. This includes revising our health and safety protocols concerning the isolation, contact tracing, and quarantine of COVID-19 cases.

Welcome to 2022 as we finish our first week of the new year! As classes get underway again, I want to bring you up to date with all that has happened since winter break. As you may know, our state and nation have recently experienced an increase in COVID-19 cases driven by the new Omicron variant. To protect the health and well-being of our students and staff, our district has taken a number of steps to ensure a safe return-to school.

As the new year approaches, and families start making plans to return to school, I want to take this opportunity to remind you that we must continue to be vigilant against COVID-19, particularly with regard to the Omicron variant, which appears to be settling in across the Bay Area. Although cases across the nation are rising, many people in the Bay Area are fully vaccinated and boosted, which has fortunately helped to curtail severe illness, even in instances of breakthrough infections.

Happy holidays to you and yours from South San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Shawnterra Moore.

We’ve reached the Thanksgiving holiday, and it is important to celebrate all the positive things we’ve done to get to this point. This is the season of gratitude and I’m grateful for the good fortune of health, family and friends. However, I am especially grateful to be a part of our incredible community and want to express my sincere thanks to all of you.

Now that November is upon us and colder weather is settling in, I want to take this opportunity to remind you that we must continue to stay vigilant against the spread of COVID-19, especially among children who haven't yet been vaccinated. I want to encourage you to get vaccinated and get a booster shot when it becomes available. The San Mateo County Event Center currently has COVID-19 booster shots available for the following individuals who received their second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago:

As we enter into our 9th week of school, students and staff have acclimated well and are getting back into the routines of school. We launched our COVID-19 testing program with Concentric in September, and despite some logistical challenges, things seem to be operating more smoothly now. I am writing this letter to share a few brief updates.

As the 2020-21 school year slowly draws to a close, I wanted to share with you our outlook for the 2021-22 school year.

I’m writing to express my deep gratitude to you. It has been joyful having our students back on campus engaged in learning and connecting with classmates. We also recognize that in-person instruction comes with other worries and challenges. Your engagement, questions, support, and positivity during these taxing times have been remarkable. I know it hasn’t been easy, but I truly appreciate your diligence and partnership during the first 5 weeks of the school year! Our staff is working hard to keep everyone safe and going above and beyond to meet the needs of our students. If you haven’t acknowledged or appreciated them this year, please make time to do so.