The FACE Forum

Welcome to the 2025-26 school year! We hope you've had a chance to relax, recharge, and get ready for another exciting year ahead! As we reflect on last year's challenges and strengths, what were ways that you built community with your students, families, and colleagues? How can you leverage and expand on those practices for this upcoming year?

In this digital monthly newsletter for school staff and district departments, our Family & Community Engagement (FACE) team shares practical family and community building tips, high-leverage engagement strategies, upcoming family workshops, staff professional development opportunities, district and community resources, school shoutouts, and more!

Thank you for taking a moment to read our newsletter each month and please feel free to share it with your school/ department teams. While our FACE Forum monthly newsletter is an internal newsletter intended to only be shared with district staff, you are invited to take any applicable parts of the newsletter that may support your families and add to your own site/classroom newsletters and family messaging.

Thank you for all you do to engage with and support our San Juan students, families, and community! Our FACE team is here to help you, so please reach out to us at any time!

Wishing you a great school year ahead!

The FACE Team

Our wonderful Parent/Family Support Ambassador, Melissa Clark, has taken on a new exciting position serving families in Placer County! We are so thankful for all her support and service to our students, families and community here in San Juan Unified and wish her the best in this new role. This also means that our team will soon be welcoming a new Parent/Family Support Ambassador that will help support families at San Juan Central as well as out in the school communities and at FACE events. The posting just closed and we're looking forward to interviewing candidates and introducing our newest team member hopefully very soon! Stay tuned!

At the beginning of each month, every site will receive a package from our team with the new monthly Family & Staff professional development calendar, resources, and a monthly Morale Booster idea that administrators can opt to do with their own school community. We hope this FACE Fan Mail helps remind you how much we appreciate you and all you do to help build family and community engagement! And don't forget to hang up your new Families Matter banner in the front of your school to welcome your students and families back to a great year ahead! Administrators should have picked one up at the FACE table at the Leadership Summit on July 25, but if you didn't get yours, we'll be sending it to you via District Mail!

Check out this adorable Welcome Back to the Grind pdf! Here are some fun ways to incorporate this morale booster into your kickoff to the school year:

Frame it and put it next to your Staff Room coffee maker and fill up the K-cups as an added treat for your dedicated school team.

Print it out into thank you cards and include a coffee gift card for your hardworking office team as a thank you for all they've done to get the office ready to welcome families!

Turn it into a gift card holder and place a $5 coffee card inside to use as a raffle item for your upcoming professional developments with your staff!

Add it to a ziploc bag with a coffee pod and some chocolate and give as a thank you to someone who's helped you get ready to have the best school year ever!

Welcome back to the grind! It's going to be a great year!

Also coming to your sites in your FACE Welcome Back mailer are language badges to help families find others who can assist them in their primary language. The badges say, "Need Help? I speak ___." They are perfect to give to your BIAs or other bilingual staff (or bilingual parent volunteers who can assist!) to wear during arrival and dismissal to assist families, especially the first weeks of the new school year. We've included the PDF below if you'd need extra to have on hand. (Use with Avery 3"x4" badges- template 5390)

August features a range of diversity observances, awareness days, and events promoting gender equality and allyship!

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples – August 9

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples hopes to raise awareness about the rights and contributions of indigenous populations worldwide. Today, start a dialogue about the indigenous communities and society by understanding the challenges they face such as marginalization.

Women’s Equality Day – August 26

This day remembers the passage of the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution in 1920, which gave women the right to vote. Celebrate the achievements of women in history this month. Remember the ongoing struggle for gender equality and women’s rights every day.

International Day of People of African Descent – August 31

This day was established by the United Nations to celebrate the rich heritage and contributions of people of African descent worldwide, and to promote the full inclusion of people of African descent in all aspects of society. It also aims to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance that people of African descent face globally.

Direct to Teacher Grants San Juan Education Foundation

Parent/Family Hub www.sanjuan.edu/parents

Student Hub www.sanjuan.edu/students

FACE Outreach requests (Face Mobile, mini clinics and more!) https://bit.ly/FACEoutreach

FACE Lending Library of Fun https://bit.ly/FACElendingfun

Staff Digital Resource Library (community/district flyers) https://bit.ly/FACEresource

San Juan Unified Volunteer information www.sanjuan.edu/volunteer

FACE department Intranet! (Field trip forms, volunteer flyers and more!) intranet.sanjuan.edu/face

Community Resources www.sanjuan.edu/communityresources

• Food

• Clothing

• Diapers

• Utilities & Housing

• Social & Recreational

• Academic

• Disability & Special Education

• Employment

• Mental Health

• Refugee, Immigrant & Newcomer Supports

• LGBTQIA+

• Domestic Violence

• and more!

Important Upcoming Dates for Families & Staff

First Day of 2025-26 School Year: August 14

Kindergarten Enrollment: Families with incoming kindergartners can visit www.sanjuan.edu/enrollment to complete their registration.

Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Enrollment: Families with incoming TK students can visit www.sanjuan.edu/TK for information.

Visit our Regional Community Care Hubs for free resources! www.sanjuan.edu/communityresources

Family Engagement Video Library

Check out our new pre-recorded learning videos for parents/caregivers/school staff in our NEW Family Engagement Video Library at www.sanjuan.edu/familyed under the "Family Engagement Video Library" tab.

Staff Professional Development Opportunities

On Zoom - Register through the Staff Portal portal.sanjuan.edu

Mini-Clinics at sites by request (10-15 minutes at staff meetings) https://bit.ly/FACEoutreach

• Field Trip Process
• Volunteer Process & Recruitment
• Conflict Resolution Process
• FACE Resources

Find resources, including monthly parent newsletters, family workshops and volunteer information, as well as staff resources, such as our Lending Library of Fun, Outreach Requests, and Digital Resource Library, on our website at www.sanjuan.edu/familyed.

Find additional internal staff resources & forms on our Intranet at https://intranet.sanjuan.edu/familycommunityengagement

Supports for Students with Disabilities

IEP Trainings & Support Groups. FREE Year Round!

https://warmlinefrc.org

https://health.ucdavis.edu/mind-institute/resources/family-resource-centers

Having a family engagement event? FACE offers items for checkout at no cost to support family engagement efforts! Staff and volunteer leaders (PTO/PTA, etc) are welcome to request items on behalf of school family engagement events. We will follow up and confirm in 2-3 business days. Pickup and return of items is at the San Juan Unified District Office during pre-scheduled hours.

For more information, visit our Lending Library of Fun Catalog!

Sites can submit requests for the FACE Mobile, FACE information tabling, and FACE Mini-Clinics for the 2025-2026 school year! We would love to attend and support your back to school events, however our schedule fills fast! We encourage sites to submit your request as soon as possible using our FACE Outreach Request form. We look forward to working with you! If you have any questions, please contact Luis Cruz Solache at luis.cruzsolache@sanjuan.edu or call 916-979-8990.

Our FACE outreach team can come out to help support you with the following:

• FACE Mobile visits

• 15 minute staff trainings on various processes:

(Problem Resolution, Volunteers, Field Trips, Partnerships, Community Resources, Family Ed, Staff Ed, general FACE overview, etc.)

• 15 minute family clinics (parent portal, preparing for parent-teacher conferences, effective school-to-home communication, exploring district and community resources, etc.)

• Volunteer recruitment (fingerprinting available evenings/weekend events only)

• Family resource center/space/bulletin board consultation

To request a FACE Mobile visit for one of your events or outreach item listed about, please click the link below:

https://bit.ly/FACEoutreach

Copy and paste Family Workshop info direct from www.sanjuan.edu/familyed for Smore, Social Media, Class Dojo, Talking Points and email messaging! Digital content is translatable and accessible for families.

Our free monthly family education workshops begin in September! Families and staff can scan the QR code or visit www.sanjuan.edu/familyed for details and registration!

Did you know that FACE launched a brand new Family Engagement Video Learning Library on our website where families, staff and community to access pre-recorded learning videos on a variety of topics? These videos are perfect for families who may not be able to attend our regular workshops, but would like to access the learning at a later time, or for colleagues and parent-teacher organizations who want to share the learning with families at their own site meeting or event.

Check out all the videos on our playlist that we've released each month this past school by visiting www.sanjuan.edu/familyed.

Please help us encourage families to check out this month’s free recorded workshop available in our Family Engagement Video Library! This recorded workshop is tailored for parents, guardians, and caregivers who want to help their students start the new school year with confidence. Viewers will learn how to navigate the Parent Portal and other helpful online tools, explore strategies to support school readiness, and discover tips for building strong communication with teachers and school staff. The workshop also highlights valuable district and community resources to support students and families. Visit our website to access this and other monthly featured workshops available on demand at www.sanjuan.edu/familyed.

Whether you have a 7-year-old or a 17-year-old, research shows that students perform better academically and behaviorally if the student knows their parents are involved and have high expectations.

To support this effort, each month we will feature a new "Helping Children Learn" newsletter that is full of ideas to support learning at home. You can share this free newsletter with families directly from our website!

To access the newsletters in English and Spanish for Elementary, Middle School, and High School, visit www.sanjuan.edu/familyed and click on the "Parent Newsletter" tab.

As you reflect on this school year and plan for the next one, are you looking to help build capacity and knowledge with your families around ways they can support their students and improve home-to-school partnership? In the PDF below is a detailed list of engaging family education workshops offered by our FACE team. Workshops can be custom-built and tailored to suit your school’s needs, times, and are conducted in person or hybrid. For more information, contact Luis Cruz Solache (luis.cruzsolache@sanjuan.edu).

Are you ready to grow your knowledge around family and community engagement, while also earning professional development hours? Our FACE Team's lineup of virtual workshops are now open for registration! The workshops take place on Zoom and are open to all certificated and classified staff members in our district. You can register directly on our FACE course page in the PL Tile (click “FACE” in the "Subjects" section on the Home page). Check out the workshops on the PDF attached below.

*Note: If you are a school or department and would like to book a workshop for your entire staff, using your collaborative Thursday time or as part of your Staff Meeting time, please reach out to Amy Rovai Gregory to schedule. (arovai@sanjuan.edu)

Are you looking for a way to build trusting, effective, positive relationships with your families beyond the traditional parent-teacher conference? Parent Teacher Home Visits (PTHV) is a high-impact family engagement strategy designed to build trusting home-school partnerships centered on shared hopes and dreams. Recent studies reveal that PTHV’s model for relational home visits strengthens relationships, shifts mindsets, improves teaching, and bolsters student outcomes.

Through uniquely tailored sessions, teachers emerge with increased understanding of families and respect for their role as children’s first educators. They learn how to build trust with families, and they increase their capacity to better engage students in the classroom. PTHV trainings are interactive, dynamic, and essential to the start of an evidence-based home visit practice.

If you are interested in becoming trained in this highly effective family engagement strategy, the two training opportunities are below:

Monday, August 11, 8:30-11:30 am

Monday, August 11, 12:30-3:30 pm

Reach out to Amy Rovai Gregory (arovai@sanjuan.edu) if you are interested in attending one of the sessions and more information will be sent to you.

Educators, register for the Back-to-School Launch Party at the Aerospace Museum of California and not only get great swag and delicious food, but also get a year long membership to the museum just for stopping by!

SMUD is looking for Emerging Leaders to attend their Emerging Leaders Energy Summit 2025 and have a chance to win a $2000 scholarship! See the flier for more details!

Free Community Food Distributions & Resources

San Juan Central Food Closet:

The San Juan Unified food closet is located at the Central Enrollment Center (3700 Garfield Ave. in Carmichael) and serves families, staff and community who are in need of non-perishable food items.

Hours:

Open year round, Monday through Friday, 9:00 am-1:00 pm
Closed on non-school days and holidays.

Need more information on food resources? Visit www.sanjuan.edu/resources/community-resources for more information about our district food closet and community food banks.

Did you know that San Juan Unified has its own Immunization Clinic to help assist uninsured and underinsured families? The clinic is located at 3700 Garfield Avenue (Room 4) in Carmichael. The Vaccines available at the clinic are provided by the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. The vaccines are available for children 3 years to 18 years of age who have Medi-Cal or are uninsured.

The clinic provides the vaccines required for Pre-Kindergarten which are: Hib, DTaP, Polio, Hep B, MMR and Varicella.

The vaccines required for TK/K – 12 which are: DTaP or Tdap, Polio, Hep B, MMR and Varicella. Optional recommended vaccines that are available: Hep A, MCV4 (meningitis), COVID-19 and HPV.

Students are seen by appointment only. Schedule an appointment. One appointment per child is needed. Please provide copies of immunization records when requested. Clinic days and hours are limited and do fill very quickly. A donation of $10/child will be accepted at the time of the appointment (cash only).

If you need assistance or have questions about immunizations, please contact us at (916) 971-7018.

If there are no appointments available, we have provided additional free and low-cost immunization clinic information for Elica and Sacramento County further below.

Elica’s Health on Wheels (HOW) program brings full-service mobile health clinics directly to schools and communities to provide accessible care for students and families. These state-of-the-art clinics offer services like physical exams, vaccinations, and primary care—especially for those facing barriers such as lack of transportation or insurance. By partnering with select schools, Elica ensures students can receive quality care conveniently on campus. To access services, families must complete a brief intake process and provide insurance and vaccination records. Appointments may be required for certain days and locations. For more information, email mobile@elicahealth.org or call (916) 454-2345.

Sacramento County offers a free immunization clinic for children who qualify!

​Children 0 to 18 years old may qualify for low-cost immunizations if they meet one of the following criteria:

The child is uninsured

The child has Medi-Cal or is Medi-Cal eligible

The child is an Alaskan Native or American Indian

Certain groups are eligible for specific Advisory Council for Immunization Practices (ACIP) vaccines when they are adults without insurance or under-insured children (insurance does not cover all ACIP recommended vaccines)

Others who do not fall into the categories listed above or those seeking travel or routine immunizations may telephone our programs for referrals to private immunization providers for service.​

Contact Information:

Immunization Assistance Program

Business Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM

Telephone: (916) 875-7468

Email: ​immunize@saccounty.gov

We know how challenging and time-consuming it is to search for resources for families, so our team has been building a Digital Resource Library for all sites and departments to have access to. In this library, you'll find flyers and links for district and community resources to assist with housing, clothing, food, health, special education, college and career, community service partners, and more. We'll be adding to this library regularly, so keep checking to see what's new! The link allows anyone in San Juan to view the resources, so please feel free to share the link with your site/ department team members!

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12Roaab9q0nSbMBTZ6Ef3nzVJ8BRxtgPj?usp=sharing

Research supports a correlation between direct family involvement and student success. Volunteers are a great asset to our school communities and now is a great time to recruit! As a reminder, all volunteers must complete the ONE TIME verification process found here: www.sanjuan.edu/volunteer. If already cleared through our most recent online system (starting 2021), they do not have to re-do their application/prints each year. While volunteers can make appointments to be fingerprinted at our district office, we also offer after-hour fingerprinting clinics throughout the year. You can check out our fall evening fingerprint clinic hours flier below! Thanks for sharing the information with your families!

Volunteer Tips for Success!

• Advertise opportunities

• Share mutual expectations

• Support volunteers through process – share the process flyer

• August and September are the best time to outreach to TK & Kinder or families who may be new to our district

• Consider having a table to support volunteer sign-ups at kinder testing, orientation, meet and greet, back-to-school nights etc.

Please feel free to use the flyers and tools we created on the intranet to start recruiting your volunteers this school year!

Over the last year, our stakeholders designed an online platform to streamline field trip requests. In May, we began accepting field trip requests for next year on the new platform.

A series of opt-in training sessions were held at the district office and via zoom to allow teachers and administrators to get familiar with the software. Several more are planned for the Fall, including two training sessions listed below. We also are available to train during a staff meeting at your site.

• Monday, August 21 - 3:00-3:30 pm on Zoom
• Wednesday, September 3 - 3:30-4:15 pm in the District Office Board Room (3738 Walnut Avenue)

FT Training 6 Principals & Designees.pptx - Google Slides

FT Training 5 Self-Guided for Teachers.pptx - Google Slides

Additionally, we've created a Field Trip Menu of Service that has a collection of local, cost efficient & educational field trips that fall within school bus availability hours. You can view Menu in the attached PDF below. If you have any questions or would like additional information or recommendations, please contact the field trip desk at fieldtrips@sanjuan.edu or via phone at (916)979-8937.

Did you know that FACE works with schools, local business organizations & community partners to create meaningful and sustainable partnerships? We'd love to help you and your team build relationships with the community and partner together to help improve outcomes for students!

Now is a great time to engage with your dedicated community partners and reach out to new potential partners. Share important dates with your partners and discuss what the partners work will look like this year. Include partners in your welcome back activities and celebrations. Partners love to engage with the families and students that they are serving!

To learn more about partnership opportunities or request assistance with your community partners, reach out to Natalia Mazzi-Aguirre, coordinator of partnerships, volunteers and field trips. natalia.aguirre@sanjuan.edu

With support from the SMUD Shine Award, the San Juan Education Foundation is thrilled to announce the STEMpower Your Classroom opportunity—designed to help educators at Title I schools bring their STEM education vision to life.

This initiative funds high-quality STEM kits, helping educators enhance hands-on exploration and environmental science instruction in the classroom.

This is a first come, first served opportunity available through August 29. Don't miss it! https://app.smarterselect.com/programs/104155

Thanks to the generous support of Link Logistics, the San Juan Education Foundation’s PROPEL Transformation Grant offers school sites up to $20,000 in infrastructure funding to expand access to essential resources and help create more equitable, inclusive learning environments

Each school site may submit one application, which must be completed or approved by the school site administrator.

Every school should apply by November 17! https://app.smarterselect.com/programs/104149

Ashley Faison-Maddox is a survivor of human trafficking, powerful public speaker, and trauma-informed advocate. Her passionate keynote messages and moderation of panel discussions move audiences to see the realities we face in our own communities. She is candid, engaging, and real. Check out her package offerings here. Should you have questions, please contact Natalia via email at natalia.aguirre@sanjuan.edu or via phone at (916) 971-7929.

Looking for more extracurricular opportunities? Check out Runnin’ for Rhett, a FREE 6-wk after school program that ends with a 5k! Check out the flyer below or learn more on their website here: https://runninforrhett.org/youth-fitness/

Make your first interaction with parents a positive one! We all know the power and impact of positive phone calls home. Find time early in the school year to have a positive interaction with parents. A simple, "I was happy to meet your child in class today" goes a long way and sets the tone for a positive school to home relationship. If you can't squeeze in a phone call, a talking points message or email will do. This is also a great way to introduce yourself and learn about the preferred methods of communication of your parents.

Our FACE team has created a Student/Family Survey that schools can use to welcome new families and get to know new students joining their school site. This survey not only provides important logistical information for school staff, but also includes helpful getting-to-know-you information to quickly start building positive relationships and provide any needed supports. It's a great tool to add to any of your welcome packets or any upcoming meet-and-greets with new families! The English pdf is below and translations will be added here as we receive them back.

Going back to school and adjusting to new routines can be tricky for kids who learn and think differently — and for their families. But having the right tools can make it easier. Use these back-to-school downloads to start the school year off right.

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/printable-back-to-school-downloads?_sp=99a9c3fd-6be2-4a58-9234-5a0da1504c99.1659371280942

A practical digital guide for educators - 50 Really Good Ideas For Back-To-School-Night (dkc1jod44tx5p.cloudfront.net).

Blurb: As we prepare for the start of the school year, planning for family events such as back to school nights, meet the teacher events, new student orientations, meet and greets, etc can feel like an overwhelming task on top of the dozens of other tasks we are juggling. However, these family events can pay huge dividends in establishing positive connections and collaborative partnerships with families and students. As we know, family engagement can be a huge contributor to increased student success, and it all starts with authentic two way partnerships with families.To help you and your school team, we’d like to share this digital guide that contains 50 different tips and practical strategies to help you plan an impactful and effective back to school family event. In this guide, you will find ideas on ways to invite families, decorate a classroom or office space, engage and interact with families through activities and active participation, provide some family friendly takeaways and tools, and much more!

Orangevale/Fair Oaks Community Foundation Ready to Learn Program – Backpack and School supplies – Wednesday, August 6 from 3 – 5pm

Kick off the school year and the end of summer with a bang! Enjoy free backpacks (while supplies last), tasty food, music, games, vendors, and more. Bring your friends and family and your own chairs—everyone’s welcome! This event is free and open to all!

Saturday, August 16th, 11am – 4pm

Fourth Avenue Park (4040 4th Avenue Sacramento, CA 95817)

Website:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/yfc-block-2-school-bash-tickets-1474935434589?aff=oddtdtcreator

Monday, August 11 from 9 am to 2 pm, Roberts Family Development Center

Monday, August 4 from 4 – 6 pm @ Northgate Park

Tuesday, August 12 from 10 am – 12 pm – 5950 Florin Road, Sacramento

Wednesday, August 6 – 9 am – Noon, 1000 Sunset Blvd, Rocklin

The Carmichael Midas store sponsors a backpack and school supplies giveaway on Aug. 2, starting at 9 a.m. Any family can participate in the giveaway but the organizers won’t provide supplies to adults without children.Limited customer parking, please walk or leave cars on Landis Avenue.

Saturday, August 2 from 10 am – 2 pm – The Grounds Event Center, Roseville

Join us for a day of play and problem-solving. At the JRMF Math Festival at MathFest, children and families have the opportunity to explore a variety of fun, hands-on math puzzles and games.

Math Festival activities are designed for children (and adults) of all ages and backgrounds, so everyone is welcome. The JRMF Math Festival at MathFest is free, open to all, and an event where you can drop in and drop out whenever you’d like.

Whether you stay for one puzzle or join us for the entire festival, we’re looking forward to seeing you for a day of joyful math!

Saturday, August 9

10:00 am-12:00 pm

Safe Credit Union Convention Center

1400 J Street

Sacramento 95814

Register for free at https://jrmf.org/events/mathfest

There are so many wonderful student, family and community engagement highlights happening around the district! We'd love to spotlight any of those efforts that your site, department, or another team is doing! Send us an email at face@sanjuan.edu and we'll highlight your shoutout in the next FACE Forum newsletter!

Huge shout out to some wonderful partners who helped make this summer such an enriching one for our students and families!

Aerospace Museum of California, who hosted 160 of our 4th-6th grade students at several Title I sites for summer STEAM camps focused on engineering, design and creativity!

Sierra Nevada Journeys, Superior Sports, ReCreate and other community based partners who hosted hundreds of district families at our FACE Family Fun Fridays, where families got to spend some Fridays exploring enrichment opportunities together in Sacramento-- including outdoor nature fun at the American River parkway, building robots and battling them together at San Juan High School, and creating recycled art projects at Fair Oaks Park while exploring community partner booths, getting free school supplies and enjoying a free hot dog lunch from our community partner friends at Texas Roadhouse!

Superior Sports, who joined our FACE team to lead another exciting Family Leadership Camp at Camp Winthers! 108 students, parents/caregivers and staff joined us this year to spend a weekend together camping and participating in a variety of fun camp activities, including hiking, campfire, challenge course, boating, team sports, swimming, arts and crafts, archery, and more!

We're so thankful for our community partners and all they do for us not only during the school year, but summer time, too! See all of these great partnerships in action by visiting our San Juan Unified School District's facebook and instagram channels!

Did You Miss the Last FACE Forum Newsletter?

Click the link below to access June's newsletter and see all the resources, information and supports for you and your school community!

https://secure.smore.com/n/dtp0m5

Want to receive the monthly FACE Forum newsletters directly to your email inbox during the school year? Our newsletter is now being emailed directly to recipients who have opted in to receiving the monthly newsletter. For those who choose not to opt in to receiving the newsletter via email, you will still be able to access the newsletter in Behind the Scenes (all San Juan Unified employees), Leadership Reflections (administrators), Secretary Scoop (secretaries), and Elementary/Secondary Updates.

To opt in to receiving The FACE Forum newsletter directly to your Inbox, please complete this brief opt-in here: https://forms.gle/3DQ62CUCZy4HjzGt6

Email: face@sanjuan.edu
Website: www.sanjuan.edu/face

Intranet: intranet.sanjuan.edu/face
Location: 3738 Walnut Avenue, Carmichael, CA, USA
Phone: (916) 971-7929

Facebook & Instagram- @SanJuanUnifiedFACE