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It is my honor to serve on the CAWS board as the MYP Board Representative. I look forward to working alongside MYP Coordinators and educators throughout the state as we bridge the digital divide and explore distance learning. Where ever the coming school year brings our educational journey, the MYP will thrive through the innovation and creative expertise of our gifted California IB educators. I am eager to learn and grow alongside you. Please take some time and complete this survey on this link to help start our work together. Feel free to reach out to me if I can be of service to you in any way.

This week Tim and I are joined by Pam Gildersleeve-Hernandez of CUE as we discuss the politics of the House of Representatives emergency return to Washington and the outlines of potential action, the Governor’s Executive Order from late last Friday and in-depth discussion around technology issues and team capacity building that are ongoing imperatives. Open for links.

Hope you find it helpful!

This week Tim and I review the very full array of news this week starting with a huge Zoom crash and moving on to the long awaited guidance for small group/cohort instruction. We also cover several aspects of the Legislature's new language that modifies budget issues. Lots of stuff but in a compact amount of time. Hope you find it helpful!

Please join us for a series of CAWS Virtual MYP Roundtables to discuss successful teaching strategies and share engaging lessons with IB colleagues in your subject area from around the state.

Wednesday, August 19th: MYP Coordinators Register MYP Coordinators

Thursday, August 20th: MYP Projects Register MYP Projects

Wednesday, August 26th: Inquity in the MYP Register Inquiry in the MYP

Dear Colleagues,
Please join us for a series of CAWS Virtual DP/CP Roundtables to discuss successful teaching strategies and share engaging lessons with IB colleagues in your subject area from around the state. This is not meant to take the place of IB training; it is a collaborative networking session for teachers in specific IB subject areas. The subjects, times and registration links are below. Once you register, your CAWS host will send you a Zoom link. Each event is limited to 25 participants. Please be sure to let your teachers and administrators know about this exciting educational opportunity.

Please join us for a CAWS Virtual PYP Roundtable to discuss successful teaching strategies and share engaging lessons with IB colleagues in your subject area from around the state.
Wednesday, August 18th, 10:00 am to 11:30 am

Dear colleagues and friends,

In February 2020, members of the IB College & University Relations Committee (CURC) engaged in an important dialogue on the topic of measuring success for students of color.

This week’s video version of our update provides the latest on, the Governor's new health order impacting in-person instruction, diagnostic assessment and other key issues. Hope you find it informative.

Click HERE to see the online video briefing.

Click HERE to see the new guidance from CDPH.

-Kevin

Kevin Gordon, President

Dear Colleagues,

Gergana Vankova, IB Associations Coordinator, IBO Global Center, The Hague sent this message to our Association today from our Director General, Siva Kumari on the latest information regarding the 2020 awarding of marks. This is the same information that was sent last night to IB World Schools in California.

This is the second in a series of updates where we delve into the various instruction, attendance, and accountability provisions being implemented in response to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic for the 2020-21 school year

On Friday, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) removed a footnote from their original guidance that, at the time, signaled what the Administration told us was their intention to exempt schools and childcare from the mask order.

Dear Colleagues,

As we have come together through virtual meetings and emails since March, many positive connections have been either made or deepened. One outcome of our virtual roundtables was an emergency meeting of the CAWS Board in order to determine how best to address the numerous concerns voiced during those shared conversations. On behalf of the CAWS Board and California IB schools, I sent an email outlining areas of concern to Haif Bannayan Director, Outreach & Conferences IBO.
Haif was very pleased to get such specific information from California and assured me that he was going to share it and his team would address our concerns as rapidly as possible.

I have attached a copy of his response and look forward to any feedback you would like to share with me.


Stay safe, be well,
Robin

This week’s video version of our update contains observations about the budget battle and other key issues this week. Hope you find it informative.

Click HERE to see the online video briefing.

-Kevin

Kevin Gordon, President
Capitol Advisors Group, LLC

As expected, the Legislature passed an “on-time” budget today, despite not having a budget agreement in place with the Governor. The main budget bill, SB 74, as well as a small number of budget trailer bills, will now be submitted to the Governor. This action allows the Legislature to meet its Constitutional June 15th deadline to pass a balanced budget, but it does not mean that we have a final budget in hand. We won’t have that final budget until the budget negotiations between the two parties are completed and this budget is amended.

Dear Colleagues,

As you know critical decisions are being made in Sacramento this weekend by the legislature in order to finalize the budget by the deadline tomorrow. Kevin Gordon just sent this update and it is very helpful as it summarizes the key items facing education in the coming weeks.

I will be sending you updates as soon as they come in this week and throughout the summer.

Stay safe, be well,
Robin