One of the most important duties for a school and school district is to take every step possible to keep all of our students and staff safe.

We are fortunate in Durham to have a very safe place for our students and staff in Durham, but we work hard every day to keep it as safe as possible.

A portion of that work involves updating the district’s safety plan. The District Safety Committee met this week to discuss new requirements in the plan and general safety items around campus.

If you have safety concerns or ideas for improvement, please email me at jbohannon@durhamunified.org.

DES (from Samantha Brown)
During this short week, DES PTS held their monthly meeting at the Durham Memorial Hall at 8:30 AM. We held our second and final TK/K In-Person Registration on Wednesday from 9 AM-12 PM in the DES Office. We held the January District English Language Advisory Committee (DELAC) meeting on Thursday, January 22nd at 6 PM in the DES MPR. This week was the final stretch for students to collect pledges for our 100th Day of School Math-A-Thon on Monday, January 26th; envelopes were due back to classroom teachers on Friday (or at the beginning of the day on Monday) before the Math-A-Thon. We also held our January Safety Drill this afternoon by practicing a Fire Drill Evacuation.

Next week at DES, we will celebrate the 100th day of school on Monday, January 26th. Students in kindergarten and first grade will have their 100's projects on display in the main hallway beginning next week through the month of February. Chess Club will be meeting after school on Monday from 1:40-2:25 PM in the DES Library. PBIS Leadership will meet after school on Tuesday and the School Site Council will meet on Wednesday after school. Math-A-Thon daily prize drawings will begin on Wednesday, January 28th and continue for ten consecutive school days. Friday, January 30th is a school spirit day where students can show their school spirit by wearing sports attire, workout clothes, or a sports uniform to school.

DIS (From Josh Rowe)
Shady Creek

Shady Creek Outdoor Science Camp is coming up quickly, and we want to remind families of the next important deadline:

January 26: Shady Creek apparel orders and tuition are due

It is very important that all required forms, medications, and payments are submitted on time. If your student needs medication while attending Shady Creek, a completed medication form and the medication must be turned in to our school nurse in the office.

We are excited for our 6th grade students to head to Shady Creek to learn, explore, and have fun. Please be sure all items are turned in to your student’s 6th grade teacher as soon as possible.

Boys Basketball
Basketball season is in full swing! This week, both our 7th and 8th grade boys teams took on Palermo Junior High. Our teams competed hard but were unable to secure the win.

Today and Saturday, our boys will be playing in the Chico All City Tournament. Be sure to keep your calendars open for the annual Rene Brandol Classic, hosted here at DIS from February 5–7.

Cold and Flu Season Reminder
As we move through winter and flu season, we’d like to remind families of our guidelines for students returning to school after an illness. These guidelines help keep our students and staff healthy.

Students may return to school after they have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours without medication. This includes symptoms such as fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. Please note that a fever is defined as a temperature of 100 degrees or higher.

If your child has been diagnosed with a confirmed illness, please notify the school office. This helps us monitor overall health trends and communicate appropriately with classrooms when needed.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and partnership in keeping our school community healthy. If you have any questions, please contact the school office.

Important Dates

• January 26: Last day to turn in Shady Creek tuition

• February 9–12: 6th Grade attends Shady Creek

• February 13 & 16: No School — Presidents’ Weekend

DHS (From Marty Wilkes)
Counseling:

Counseling has been busy with registration for the 26-27 school year. This week Ms. Spade was in the 9th and 10th grade classes. Next week she will visit 8th and 11th graders. Additionally, we hosted a family night for our incoming 9th graders that presented families with information about the registration process, the transition to high school and featured a guest speaker from Chico State who helped families start considering postsecondary plans. It was a great evening! If you have questions about this process or your student’s classes for next year, please reach out to Ms. Spade. 

Earlier this week, Counseling hosted a representative from the Chico State Early Assessment Program (EAP) who spoke to all juniors about the importance of the CAASPP test they will take later this spring. This state test helps determine students’ proficiency in skills deemed necessary for high school graduation. Colleges can use this assessment to determine placement in English and math classes. Additionally, DHS now requires seniors to score proficient or above on all three sections of the test in order to have more than 1 free period their senior year. 

Our representative from Butte College was on campus this week to help seniors clean up their applications if they were having issues. All seniors participating in Reg2Go should be on track for the next step: Butte College Campus visit to meet with Counselors and select classes.

Athletics:
Basketball:
The Girls Basketball:  Our girls are still on a run. They have won 6 straight games and are 17-3 overall and 5-0 in the Sac Valley League after taking down Paradise and Pierce.  The girls are at Willows tonight and at East Nicolaus Monday before coming home to play Colusa on Wednesday the 28.

Boys Basketball: Will try to get back to 500 in the SVL tonight when they host Willows.  The boys got  a hard fought win Tuesday when they beat Pierce in OT.

Soccer:  
The Boys team is 3-2 in the Mid Valley League after holding on for a 5-4 win vs Shasta Charter Academy on Tuesday.

The Girls team is 2-2 in the MVL after dropping their game to Shasta Charter.  Soccer travels to Maxwell on Jan. 26 and paradise on the 28 before returning home to play Los Molinos.

Wrestling:
Travels down to Pitman this weekend.

AG:
About 30 students are heading to Redding NFE/ALA Friday and Saturday.

Boots and Bowties (Feb 26) tickets are now on sale! Here is the Link. We have individual tickets and tables (seats 8) for sale. If you would like to donate any auction items please contact an Ag Advisor

Next week on Friday and Saturday we will be taking 33 students to the Made for Excellence and Advanced Leadership Academy Conferences in Redding.

State FFA Conference applications are now open and are due by January 30th. The Conference is March 20th-25th in Ontario, Ca. The cost to attend is $250. If you have any questions please contact an Advisor.

Student Services and Supports (from Marilyn Bertolucci)

Help Our School Access Funding for Health and Wellness Services on Campus! All Health plans are now required to reimburse school districts for providing certain health and wellness supports. There are No copays or deductibles. It is part of the Statewide Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) Fee Schedule Program        

Will the information be kept confidential?
Yes, the information that you provide to your child’s school, including health insurance information, is completely confidential. Your child’s health insurance information will not be shared with any outside entities, except as necessary to enable your child’s school to receive reimbursement for mental health services provided to your child and/or family, or as otherwise permitted under state and federal law (e.g., reporting to the California Department of Health Care Services).

How does it work?
The State of California partners with schools and health plans to make sure that students can get health and wellness support in schools across the state. Schools already offer an array of health and wellness services to meet the needs of students; however, securing funding for these services has been a challenge. 

Under the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) Fee Schedule program, California’s health plans and insurers are now required to reimburse public schools for covered services provided to students.

State law prohibits health plans and insurers from passing any of the cost of these services on to families. This means that the health plans and insurers will pay for services provided to your student in school and there WILL NOT be any out-of-pocket expenses (e.g., co- payments, deductibles) for you and your family.

How can you help?
In order to obtain this funding from the health plans and insurers, including the Medi-Cal program, our school must submit a claim for reimbursement to the health plan or insurer. Our school will ask you for your health insurance information and will ask you to sign a consent form so we can bill the health plan.

If your child is under 18, please sign the consent form and provide a copy of your child’s insurance card and/or the name of your child’s health insurance company, your child’s policy number, and the name of the parent or guardian that carries the health insurance coverage.

Agreeing to provide this information to your child’s school WILL NOT result in any costs for services being passed onto you or your family. These services are completely free and receiving these services in school WILL NOT affect your child’s coverage under the health plan or insurer.

What happens if I don’t want to provide this information?
Your child may still receive no-cost health and wellness services at school. However, if you decide not to provide your child’s health insurance information, our school cannot access this critical source of funding.

*If your child is eligible for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, they are entitled to receive health and wellness services and supports pursuant to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Your decision to provide (or not provide) your child’s health insurance information WILL NOT affect your child’s eligibility for these services.

If you have questions, please reach out to Marilyn Bertolucci, Director Student Services and Supports. (530) 895-4697-6020 or mbertolucci@durhamunified.org

Below is a sample of what the Informed Consent document will look like that will allow parents/caregivers to provide DUSD with the needed information. This information will be kept confidential and used only for the purpose of seeking reimbursement through the CYBHI system. 

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