SCHOOL CANCELLED TOMORROW 1/17! PTO MEETING CANCELLED TONIGHT 1/16

Dear Ocean Shore Families,
 
This is an update regarding our flooding incident today at school.  Thank you for your cooperation as we dismissed over 400 students today, and for being supportive and understanding on a very unusual day!  I hope you are warm, dry and comfortable at home. Please read below for some important updates and details from today. 
 
SCHOOL CANCELLED TOMORROW 1/17!  PTO MEETING CANCELLED TONIGHT 1/16
 
Update:  SCHOOL WILL BE CLOSED TOMORROW 1/17 for all Ocean Shore students due to the flooding.  We plan to resume school as normal on Wednesday January 22nd (school was already scheduled to be out of session for students in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  and staff development on 1/20 and 1/21).
 
PTO GENERAL MEETING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR TONIGHT 1/16 at 6:30 pm AND WILL BE RESCHEDULED!  Stay tuned for details regarding the makeup date. 
 
What Happened:  Due to a storm drain backup, we started experiencing excessive amounts of water coming into the building.  We moved students from the classrooms into the MPR and initiated our student reunification process, as it was determined that we could not continue the school day due to the flooding.  Fortunately, our students remained safe and relatively dry in the MPR. Our staff - as always – was responsive, caring and attentive to swiftly respond to our student needs.
 
Currently, maintenance crews and recovery specialists are working to assess and respond to the damage.  There was water on most classroom floors and in the hallways. The Pacifica School District Director of Facilities, Maintenance and Operations worked quickly with our insurer to bring in a recovery specialist firm to assess the damage and begin cleanup.  They will be working through the holiday weekend to prepare our school to open on Wednesday. We appreciate the offer of help to clean up from the community, which might be useful once the initial wave of cleaning is complete. Standby for further details!    
 
What Next? (If Your Child Left Valuables at School):  Students were instructed to leave their belongings such as backpacks in the classroom.  If your child has belongings that are needed urgently, you can come by school tomorrow 1/17 between 8 and 9 am to pick up their belongings.  Staff will retrieve these items for you.  All other nonessential items will be left until Wednesday when students return.  (Lunches should be considered a nonessential item at this time).
 
Why We Are Limiting Entrance into the Building:  We appreciate your cooperation in understanding that due to safety needs, we are not allowing parents and students to enter the building as the crew attends to the facility needs.  Staff will be working offsite tomorrow. 
 
Thank you for your patience and understanding in ensuring that our students were safely reunited with their families.  This is not always a quick process, but ensuring that students are safely accounted for is our primary concern. We appreciate your support with this process. We will be collecting your feedback in efforts to improve our practice.  We welcome the feedback! 
 
If you have further questions, I can be reached via email.  I want to thank you again for your understanding given the circumstances to wait in cold, wet weather for your child.  Many parents offered to help which was greatly appreciated! I look forward to being in touch and thank you for your partnership!
 
Kindly,
Julie Carrillo 
Principal, Ocean Shore School 

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