February 22 - March 5, 2021

Dear Families,

We are excited about the new possibilities in 2021. The Education Board has approved the reopening of K-6 at our satellite campus in early March contingent on building readiness, teacher vaccination and state approval of our safety plan. Our teachers are ready to welcome our students back. We want to thank you for your continued support during this school year. It has been challenging for the adults, but particularly for our children. Let's continue to cheer the children on. We are proud of their resilience, patience, and focus in learning. The Education Board has also set up a task force to deliberate reopening fully on the CTTB campus for the 2021-2022 school year. Sincerely yours,

IGDVS Team

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COVID-19 Education

COVID-19 has temporarily taken the backseat as more pressing matters in the country take the stage, such as Capitol matters and the natural disasters sweeping through the Southwest. However, it is far from over. There are more than 28 million cases in the US alone, and more than 110 million in the whole world. Lately, however, vaccines have been administered to a lot of people, so as long as herd immunity is established, the number of COVID-19 cases can go down. Herd immunity is established when enough people in a population become immune to a disease. This can either come about by administering vaccines or by having people develop antibodies after they get and successfully recover from the disease. However, in the case of COVID-19, a large proportion of individuals need to somehow be immune to COVID-19, and it will be hard to rely on community infection to stop the spread. This is because research shows that it is indeed possible to get it a second time, although with milder symptoms. Although California is receiving many vaccines, there is not enough to keep up with the people who will become eligible very soon. California is due to receive 1.28 million vaccine doses next week and 1.31 million the week after; approximately 2.6 million doses in the next two weeks. However, the amount of vaccines still remains inadequate due to the constraints and problems they face. Thankfully, more vaccines are on the way- President Biden announced early in February that the US aims to have 600 million doses of vaccines by the end of July.

Megan Truong is a senior at Developing Virtue Girls School.

Question: What was your inspiration for coming to this school? Megan: I can’t say that I was “inspired” to come to this school, but rather brought here by my parents when I was in getting ready to start Kindergarten. As I progressed through elementary school, I did begin wondering what public school would be like, but essentially decided to stay because of the friends I had made and because I realized that the close connections you can develop with both the students and teachers here would be hard to find anywhere else. Question: What has been your most memorable experience here? Megan: It’s hard to choose one experience to be the “most memorable” one because after all, I’ve been at IGDVS for over 12 years (this year being my 13th!). But if I had to choose my favorite, the first that comes to mind is camping with my class on the basketball court on the last day of school during our sophomore year. Even though I’m sure we’re all excited to finally graduate, looking back at these times makes me wish time would go by just a little slower so we could do things like this again. COVID is surely making it hard, but that’s when you become so much more grateful for the experiences you’ve had and how lucky you were to have them! Question: What is your favorite part of IGDVS? Megan: If it hasn’t been made obvious enough, I would say it’s definitely my classmates and the people here in general. Perhaps it was by luck that we happened to be in the same grade, but there really is never a dull moment when we spend time together. Question: What is your favorite subject? Megan: I think the obvious answer for those that know me is science. Biology, chemistry, even physics which was a class that I swore in Junior High that I would never take! Question: Do you have any advice for students? Megan: I don’t know if I’m in the position to give students advice, and many will probably think that what I say will be cringey...But if I could say one thing, it would definitely be to challenge yourself! Like I mentioned in the previous question, I never wanted to take physics because I was always told that it was a hard class and I’d often see the physics students toiling over their work. But when the time came at the end of sophomore year to choose what classes I wanted to take in junior year, I decided why not, ended up taking it, and realized how much I enjoyed it—so much so that I’m taking another physics class this year! If it doesn’t hurt to try, just go for it!

Vegan Recipes

Apple Crumble

Written by Tessa Jahnke

Ingredients: Spiced apple filling:

• 5 apples, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 2 tablespoons water

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger

• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

• Pinch of sea salt

Topping:

• ½ cup almond flour

• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour

• ⅓ cup whole rolled oats

• ⅓ cup crushed walnuts

• ⅓ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar

• ⅓ cup melted coconut oil

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• Heaping ¼ teaspoon sea salt

• 1 teaspoon water, if needed

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.

2. Make the filling: Combine the apples, apple cider vinegar, and water in a saucepan and simmer over very low heat, covered, stirring occasionally (making sure the apples don’t burn on the bottom of the pan) for 15 minutes. Uncover, stir, and add the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt and stir again. The apples should be tender, and the juices should be thick.

3. Make the topping: In a food processor, place the flours, oats, walnuts, sugar, coconut oil, cinnamon, and salt and pulse until crumbly. Add the water if needed.

4. Scoop the apple filling into the baking dish and sprinkle with the topping. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until lightly crisp on top.

Recipe from Love and Lemons https://www.loveandlemons.com/apple-crumble/

Crafts to do at Home

Written by Kaitlin Harness

It is easy to get stressed from school, work, and life in general, but have no fear! Home-made stress balls are here to save the day (or days, who has any concept of time anymore?). Here are all the materials you need: A balloon Cornstarch Funnel Scissors Permanent marker (optional)

Instructions:

1. Blow up the balloon to about 4 - 5 inches in diameter. Do not tie it, but pinch it to keep it inflated as best as you can.

2. Pinch the balloon about 1 inch from the opening, leaving room for the funnel to be inserted at the neck of the balloon. Ask a family member for help or use a small clip to secure it.

3. Place the funnel into the neck of the balloon, but still keep it pinched! If your balloon deflates a little, it’s ok.

4. Fill the top of the funnel with cornstarch (tip: it works best if you add it in a little at a time so the funnel won’t get clogged).

5. Carefully allow the cornstarch to fill the balloon by letting out the air little by little (don’t go too fast, otherwise the cornstarch will be blown out everywhere!).

6. Fill the balloon to about 3 inches deep (or whatever size you want it to be).

7. Squeeze out the extra air so your stress ball won’t pop.

8. Tie the balloon shut and use a permanent marker to decorate it as you wish!

Have fun crafting!

COTW: Children of the World

At Children of the World, we strive to raise funds for girls’ education and advocate for global female empowerment.

Currently, our funds go towards the sponsorship of girls through the Children of Uganda organization.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person fundraisers and other events are not advisable.

As a result, we have redirected our efforts to build an even more far-reaching platform. Through our newly launched website, you’ll be able to support our club as well as our cause.

This year, the Children of the World club has the honor to sponsor the high school education of Vivian Abiko, a determined young lady who aspires to become a doctor and help others. A driven individual, Vivian always strives to be at the top of her class and she truly deserves an education. Our fundraising goal of $552 will cover all her expenses, which include tuition, uniform, and basic medical care. Read more at: https://www.childrenxworld.com/

Inspirational Quote

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." – Martin Luther King Jr.

Resources Needed for Ukiah Homeless

Below is a current list of what is needed at Building Bridges Homeless Resource Center. Every item is greatly appreciated by the staff and guests! You can drop off at the Center on weekdays between 9 a.m. & 5 p.m. and get a receipt for tax purposes.

• For adult men & women (new or used in good condition)

• Rain ponchos

• Warm jackets

• Winter boots

• Warm beanies

• Warm scarves