Good evening WCCUSD community.

We are writing to inform you that all schools in the district will be open tomorrow, Tuesday, Oct. 29. 

Power has been restored to all schools, except for one, and air quality is expected to improve over the next few days.

Please continue to check the Districts’ website www.wccusd.net or our social media for updates.

Thank you for your patience as we navigate the dual challenges of PG&E outages and the air quality concerns. 

Have a good evening.

In community,

Matthew Duffy
Superintendent

All schools, except Pinole Valley High School, are open today. While the smoke has worsened over the last three hours, air quality levels have not reached the levels at which we would consider school closures and forecasts indicate that the air quality should improve later in the day.

We understand that this may cause some challenges as you try to make the best decision for the health of your children. If you feel it best to keep your child at home, we encourage you to do so.

If your child will be in school today, there are a few things you should know:

First, heating and cooling systems have been shut down to prevent smoke from being drawn into our buildings. This means classrooms will likely be cold when students arrive in the morning. Please make sure your child brings a warm jacket or sweater.

Second, principals have been directed to keep students inside as much as possible, including for recess, lunch, PE and after school programs.

Third, all outdoor practices and games have been cancelled until the air quality improves.

Fourth, if your child is experiencing health challenges due to the air quality, please contact your health care professional.

Finally, the District will not distribute masks to students. The District is taking guidance from Contra Costa County Health Services, which advises that masks are not a substitute for staying indoors, are not effective for untrained users, and may be dangerous for people with lung or heart conditions. In addition, respirators that are effective in filtering out smoke particles (like the N-95) do not come in sizes suitable for children.

Thank you for your continued patience. We will send you updated information if the situation changes. If you have any additional questions, please contact your school principal.

Good evening WCCUSD community,

We are calling with an update about the PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff program and school closures on Monday.

Due to PG&E’s power outage, Pinole Valley High School will be closed on Monday. The other affected schools: Ellerhorst, Kensington, Madera, and Stewart schools will be open.

Pinole Valley is closed due to logistics of serving that number of students without power.
Ellerhorst, Kensington, Madera and Stewart schools will have extra personnel in place to ensure a safe and productive school day.

We are continuing to monitor the situation, including the weather and wind forecasts and we will continue to provide you updates as we receive them.

Please stay safe and keep checking the District’s website www.wccusd.net and social media channels where we will be updating the situation.

Thank you and have a good evening.

En Español

Dear WCCUSD Community,

PG&E has informed us that it could implement its Public Safety Power Shutoff program as early as Saturday and that it could affect the following five schools: Ellerhorst, Kensington, and Madera elementary schools, Pinole Valley High School and Stewart K-8 school.

No other school will be affected. 

All schools will be open on Monday, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Steps have been taken to provide extra lighting, additional staff, and meal service at the affected schools.

Please stay tuned and keep checking the District’s website www.WCCUSD.net, for updates. We will provide updates as we receive them.

Additionally, we are also monitoring the Kindcade wildfire currently affecting the communities to the north of us. Smoke from that fire is anticipated to reach the East Bay at some point on Friday afternoon. We are also monitoring the air quality around the District and will let you know if there are any changes in the current conditions. The plan for now is to conduct activities on a normal Friday schedule. Again, if conditions change we will reassess and provide updates as necessary.

Finally, please take a moment to ensure that your contact information is up-to-date and that we have your contact phone number, email address and mobile number to ensure that you are receiving district updates. You can update your information at https://wccusd.powerschool.com/public/. If you have not set up an account, here are instructions on how to do that.

Please have a safe weekend and be sure to visit the District’s website for updates about the air quality and possible power outages.

In community,

Matthew Duffy
Superintendent

Dear WCCUSD Community,

Thank you for your patience during the PG&E power outage event. We are writing to let you know that power has been restored earlier than what PG&E had anticipated.

Therefore school will open on Friday for Pinole Valley High School, Ellerhorst, Kensington, Madera, and Olinda elementary schools. We will operate on a normal Friday schedule.

Again, thank you for your patience and understanding during the power outages. Lastly, please make sure your information is up to date and correct at https://www.wccusd.net/schoolforms.

In community

Matthew Duffy
Superintendent

Dear WCCUSD Community,

We hope that you and your family are doing well during these power outages. We are providing an update on the status of the schools that have been affected by the Public Safety Power Shutoff being implemented by PG&E.

At this time, the power to Pinole Valley High School and Ellerhorst, Kensington, Madera and Olinda elementary schools remains off, so those five schools will be closed tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 11.

All other district schools will remain open.

We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed about any change to the status of those five schools. 

Contra Costa County has tips on how to navigate the power outages and also charging station locations. That information can be found on Contra Costa County's website.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. Please continue to check the District website www.wccusd.net or social media pages for updates. If you know families that do not have access to a phone line but may have access to a mobile device during the outage, please refer them to the website or social media for updates.

Lastly, please make sure your information is up to date and correct at https://www.wccusd.net/schoolforms.

In community,

Matthew Duffy
Superintendent

Dear WCCUSD Community,

I am writing to provide an update on the Public Safety Power Shutoff being implemented by PG&E. Power is out at the five schools PG&E told us would be affected. Those schools are:

• Pinole Valley High School
• Ellerhorst Elementary school
• Kensington Elementary school
• Madera Elementary school
• Olinda Elementary school

There is no school or after school programs and extracurricular activities today at those five schools. 

All other district schools are open.

We will inform the community no later than 4 p.m. today about the status for Friday for those five schools. We will notify those affected by the power outage with a robocall. Please make sure your information is up to date and correct at https://www.wccusd.net/schoolforms. 

This has been a challenging situation for everyone. Contra Costa County has tips on how to navigate the power outages and also charging station locations. That information can be found on Contra Costa County's website.

I want to thank you all for your understanding and patience as we navigate this challenge and make decisions based on rapidly changing information.

If you have any questions, please check the District website or social media pages for updates.

In Partnership,

Matthew Duffy
Superintendent

En Español

Dear WCCUSD Community,

I am writing to give you another update on the Public Safety Power Shutoff being implemented by PG&E. Power is still on at the five schools that are on the list to be affected by the shutoff. PG&E now tells us that the affected addressed in Contra Costa County will lose power at 8 p.m. tonight.

Due to this latest information, Pinole Valley High School, and Ellerhorst, Kensington, Madera and Olinda elementary schools will be closed on Thursday. This includes all afterschool programs and extracurricular activities.

We will inform the community no later than 4 p.m. on Thursday about the status for Friday for those five schools. 

All other district schools will remain open.

This has been a challenging situation for everyone. Please make sure that you have an emergency plan to get you and your family through the impending shutoffs safely. I want to thank you all for your understanding and patience as we try to make decisions based on rapidly changing information.

If you have any questions about the status of your child’s school, please contact your principal. And please continue to check the District website www.wccusd.net and social media channels for updates.

In Partnership,

Matthew Duffy
Superintendent

Dear WCCUSD families. 

PG&E’s Public Safety Power Shutoff plan is constantly changing due to the weather conditions. PG&E has informed us that the power is still on at this time. However, PG&E now tells us that power will be turned off in Contra Costa County at 8 p.m. tonight.

Due to this latest information, Pinole Valley High School, and Ellerhorst, Kensington, Madera and Olinda elementary schools will be closed on Thursday. The closure also affects the afterschool programs and extracurricular activities at the five schools.

We will inform the community no later than 4 p.m. on Thursday about the status for Friday for those five schools.

All other district schools will remain open.

If you have any questions, please contact your school.

And please continue to check the District website www.wccusd.net and social media channels for updates.

In community,

Matthew Duffy
Superintendent