Mt. Diablo Unified Welcomes Families Back To School

From Mt. Diablo Unified School District: The Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) is excited to begin a new school year and another year of student achievement, growth, and success! We look forward to welcoming back returning families, and are also very pleased to welcome new families and students to be part of Team MDUSD! Here are some reminders and basic information about the 2017-2018 school year:

START DATE: School starts on Thursday, August 16, 2018

CALENDARS FOR 2018-2019: Academic / District / Testing & Reporting

ENROLLMENT: Enrollment is necessary for the following students:

1. Students that are attending school for the first time.
2. Students who are new to Mt. Diablo Unified and have never attended an MDUSD school in the past. These students may register online; families must still meet in person with school staff before registration is completed and student enrollment and schedule are confirmed.
3. Students who were previously attending a district school, but have moved to a different area of the district.

The first point of contact for registration is your neighborhood school. Transfer requests or special circumstances will be handled by Student Services but the first stop should be the school of residence.

FINDING YOUR SCHOOL

MDUSD assigns neighborhood elementary, middle, and high schools based on street address where students reside, and school feeder patterns – meaning the cluster or family of schools to include a neighborhood high school and the middle school and elementary schools that ‘feed’ into it – are established for students who live in a particular attendance area.

Each of our schools have a defined geographic boundary and are intended to serve students who live within that geographic boundary or neighborhood. An exception exists for students who live within MDUSD boundaries for Diablo View Middle or Pine Hollow Middle – schools that do not have an assigned high school attendance area. These students may enroll in the high school of their choice. To find your neighborhood school, please use our School Finder tool. Families also have the option of transferring to another school within the district that may have educational programs and services that they’d like for their child. These “intradistrict transfers” are no longer available for the 2018-2019 but will be available to families in October for the 2019-2020 school year.

AGE-APPROPRIATE GRADE PLACEMENT

The Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010 changed the entry date for students enrolling in Kindergarten and 1st grade. For the 2018-2019 school, children must turn 5 on or before September 1, 2018, to be admitted to Kindergarten. Children who turn 5 between September 2 and December 2, 2018, are eligible to enroll in Transitional Kindergarten (TK), providing families an excellent opportunity to give their little ones extended time to prepare for Kindergarten. ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENTS: There are some important requirements to ensure your child is successfully admitted and may attend the first day of school.

Birth Date Verification

An original birth certificate or a certified copy, passport, or baptismal record must be used to verify the student’s birth date.

Proof of Immunizations

Proof of complete immunization records must be verified. It is required by California State law that all students have complete records of immunizations prior to entering school. Children will not be admitted to a classroom in the fall unless the immunizations are up-to-date. Please view immunization requirements for Kindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten (ages 4-6) and 1st through 12th grade (ages 7-18). For parents of students entering grade 7 and those new to the district in grades 8-12, please note that your student(s) must show proof of their Tdap immunization against pertussis (whooping cough) prior to the first day of school. Your student will not be allowed to attend school unless you provide proof of vaccination by submitting a copy of the student’s immunization card to your school

Proof of Residency

Proof of residence is required at the time of enrollment and when a family changes address. Residency verification is necessary to make sure students attending MDUSD schools are residents of their neighborhood school or are on a valid intra-district transfer. Verification items must include:

• Current picture ID of parent/guardian: driver’s license, state issued ID, passport, consulate issued picture ID, voter credential, or military ID; AND
• Two of the following:
  • Current valid vehicle registration
  • State or federal tax return filed within the last 12 months with W-2 form(s) attached
  • Current voter registration receipt
  • Other forms of identification or communication from a government agency
  • Property tax bill
  • Lease/rental agreement (including property address, names of occupants, name and phone number of owner/manager)
  • Payroll stubs/checks

All documents submitted must be originals not copies. Bills and deeds are not valid residency verification documents. School Entry Health and Dental Exam RequirementsCalifornia requires students to have a completed health assessment 18 months before or up to 90 days after enrolling in first grade. The health examination is given at an early age to detect problems that may interfere with learning. Early identification and treatment are important because an undetected health problem could hamper a child's progress in school. You can download forms to meet the state’s Physical Examination and Dental Examination requirements or obtain them from your school. Learn more about the School Entry Health Examination Requirements here.

FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES & FREE AND REDUCED-PRICE MEALS

MDUSD is pleased to offer students a wide variety of healthy and nutritious meal options, including meatless menu items, international fare, and extensive fruit, veggie and salad bar offerings. Our award-winning Farm-to-School program enables us to collaborate with local growers and farmers to deliver fresh produce to our schools. California-grown fresh foods are featured in our California Thursday menus, and many schools now have campus gardens to grow fresh fruits and vegetables which are included in school salad bars.

We are also pleased to take part in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, which includes helping eligible families receive nutritious school meals at low- or no cost. Our schools send meal applications home at the beginning of each school year.

However, families may apply for school meals any time during the school year by submitting an application directly to the school or District or online. The My School Bucks web-based tool allows parents to pay for school meals using a credit or debit card and view their child’s account activity.Our Food & Nutrition Services website has extensive information available on menus (elementary | middle | high school), meal prices, nutrition standards, and nutritional information about calories, fat, and the carb count for popular menu items. Other Important Information and Resources

• Parent Information Packet (PIP) – The Parent Information Packet is an annual publication containing updated information relevant to all Mt. Diablo Unified School District families that includes local, state, and federal policy issues that may impact students and families. These topics include discrimination, harassment and bullying policies, student records and rights, technology policies and more. Please review this publication with your student. It is available in English, Spanish, and other languages upon request.
• Transportation Services: MDUSD’s Transportation Services help get more than 1,000 Special Education Students , 600 Bay Point High School students, and over 400 El Dorado students to and from 49 school sites and centers each day. In addition to busing our students with disabilities, Transportation Services also provide safe and secure transportation for field trips and athletic events.
• Special Education: MDUSD’s Special Education Department is intent on establishing and maintaining strong communication with families, improving assessment of the needs of children, and improving implementation of special education services. The department conducts multi-disciplinary evaluations and consultations for children who are three to seventeen years of age who may have a disability and reside within the District’s boundaries. If you have questions regarding the delivery of Special Education services for your child, please contact the district’s Special Education Department at (925) 682-8000. A directory of Program Managers and their individual contact information is available here.
• After School Programs: Mt. Diablo CARES is a long-established collaboration between MDUSD, the City of Concord’s Parks & Recreation Department, and the Bay Area Community Resources. The program offers homework help, academic intervention supports, supplemental education services, nutrition education and cooking experiences, arts and crafts, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) projects, gardening, and an enviable list of field trip activities.
• Homeless/Foster Youth Support: MDUSD’s acclaimed School Linked Services develops and maintains partnerships with numerous public and private agencies to improve the lives of young people in our community and increase their success in school. Its Foster Youth Services (FYS) component provides support and services for foster youth living in home placements made through Contra Costa County’s Department of Child and Family Services and Juvenile Probation. TheHomeless Outreach Program for Education (HOPE) provides educational and related services for homeless students in preschool through 12th grade and their families, helping to provide meals, transportation, and referrals to resources in the community.
• Uniforms: A few of our middle and several elementary schools have uniforms. Please check with your school to see if there is a uniform policy in place.

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