Congratulations for Finishing Up the 2021-22 School Year Together
OUSD Superintendent • about 1 hour ago • Friday, May 27 at 6:24 PM •Oakland Unified School District, + OUSD Community +, Media Contacts
Students at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School.
Friday, May 27, 2022
Dear OUSD Community,
School’s out for summer! In a typical year, the last days of school are reliably similar to years prior: the unbridled enthusiasm of our students is palpable, teachers and staff celebrate classroom wins while looking ahead to some well-earned rest, and all of us are ready for the longer, slower days of summer to rejuvenate and reconnect with loved ones.
Unfortunately, this year – the past three years in fact – have been anything but typical. COVID is still present in our communities, disproportionately affecting our most vulnerable. Now, the war in Ukraine continues. And just this week, when we’re ready to relax and breathe in a new season, we’re left once again with another horrifying mass shooting in a school. It came on the heels of a different mass shooting, a mere ten days prior.
Yet, despite it all, in fact, partly because of this awful news, I am doubling down on the work to support our children, and I hope all of us can come together even closer to support one another.
As I shared in a message on Tuesday evening, our district is making support services available to anyone who needs them. And I call on all of us to work for real change so that our schools are always the joyful and safe spaces of learning that they’re intended to be.
“Joyful schools” is a phrase you may have started hearing this year as it’s one of the four initiatives of our Strategic Plan. Specifically, the focus of this initiative is “reimagining schools to be places of joy, inclusion, and beauty.” As we work toward that goal, we will never lose sight of the fact that there is also much to celebrate right now in the OUSD community, such as:
- Our redoubled efforts in support of early literacy show a strong start. 85% of Kindergarteners now know their letters – a critical early literacy milestone – up from 37% in September. Our K-5 students are improving in reading as well, having grown from 13% of students mid/above grade-level proficiency at the beginning of the year to 29% at the end of the year. We look forward to sharing more early literacy successes with the publication of our end of year report next week.
- Our school campuses are welcoming spaces with new facilities and yards. We started the school year with newly revamped campuses at Fremont High School and Madison Park Academy secondary, a new schoolyard at Franklin Elementary through Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, and an entirely new campus at Glenview Elementary, plus other improved facilities. We also worked with community partners including The Trust for Public Land to create “living schoolyards” at Markham Elementary and International Community School/Think College Now. More school facilities improvement projects are underway.
- OUSD will receive nearly $67M for our Community Schools Initiative
- Student musicians are thriving across the district. Read all about the music program at Peralta Elementary and the FREE summer music program for middle school students.
Our sports programs saw great success, as the McClymonds High School Football Team and the Oakland Technical High School Girls Basketball Team both won state championships, and the Girls Volleyball Team at Skyline High School won the Northern California Championship. LIkewise, our middle school sports programming saw remarkable expansion and success.- The Class of 2022 has a bright future! As you may have read last week, our graduates are embarking on amazing futures. We celebrate many more college bound scholar athletes, and the record-setting 730 scholarships provided to OUSD seniors through the Oakland Promise.
To our students: Congratulations on finishing the year strong. You did it! So many of you found joy on our campuses again after a year and a half of being remote or on a hybrid schedule. You have reconnected with friends and worked hard academically. A special nod to our seniors who are heading out into the world to tackle new challenges: I am so proud of and inspired by you. I have unshakable confidence in your ability to thrive in your chosen fields.
To our amazing teachers and school staff: I continue to be in awe of all that you hold, and all that you are. You have persevered and brought structure, meaning, and joy to your classrooms and campuses. Thank you for doing so much to ensure our students are prepared to succeed in school and in life. I am so glad that you have reached this well-deserved break.
To our families: Thank you for entrusting your children to our care and for supporting your students through all the challenges of growing up in this world. Thank you for supporting our schools and staff, and continuing to partner with us as we always put students first.
I will continue to update you about the progress we are making and our plans moving forward during the summer. Keep supporting one another, and keep celebrating all the joys in life, large and small. I wish you a joyful and restorative summer break.
In community,
Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell
Superintendent