On behalf of the School Board of Trustees and the Vista Unified team, I would like to wish everyone a wonderful holiday with family and a happy and safe New Year. This time of year is special because it is an opportunity to show our appreciation for others and to spread joy and good cheer. Speaking of joy and cheer, these past few weeks have been filled with events, performances, and celebrations across the district that exemplify our district values, with particular emphasis on our newest value of kindness. We had students from our high schools serving as mentors for some of our youngest learners at elementary to learn how to read and write. We had incredible displays of talent at all grade spans during the holiday performances for music, dance, and drama. Just this past weekend, our district nursing team volunteered their time hosting the Heart Screening event at Madison Middle School, serving over 350 students. We also hosted a week-long OneSight Vision Clinic at the Vista Innovation Center to provide eye exams and free prescription glasses for 659 students across the district. This exemplifies our district value of equity. Our Vista Unified Council of PTAs held their annual Holiday Luncheon last week to honor the dedication and hard work of our parent volunteers and school staff across the district. Finally, the Vista Chamber of Commerce Holiday Parade (led by Rachel Beld and her team) was held a week ago on Sunday. This event exemplified our district value of collaboration by featuring hundreds of students and families from many of our schools to spread music, kindness, and good cheer. Our very own Vista High School JROTC Cadets kicked off the event. One of the highlights of the parade was when the RBV and VHS bands and pageantry joined together to form one unified team to play an impressive set of holiday songs for the community. Vista Unified is a special school district filled with students, teachers, staff, and parents who really know how to spread the holiday cheer. Happy Holidays!

Social and emotional learning plays a critical role in helping students acquire the skills they need to thrive in school and life. Research in social and emotional learning from CASEL indicates, “when students have supportive relationships and opportunities to develop and practice social, emotional, and cognitive skills across many different contexts, academic learning accelerates.” One of our aspirations in our Learner Portrait is for our students to become kind and act with kindness. Our schools are developing students who are kind, patient, appreciative, and courageous, and practice gratitude. They are respectful and accept and embrace the uniqueness of others. They display integrity and are committed to themselves and their values.

What are opportunities to develop kindness at home, in the community, and at schools?

• Kindness Resources for Kids and Families

• Why Kindness and Emotional Literacy Matter in Raising Kids

• From The TODAY show “Supporting Kindness in Teens: Here’s What to Know”

• Video on “The Adolescent Brain” - how the brain changes and its importance in developing kindness and compassion

• The Great Kindness Challenge Checklist (English)

Beginning January 11th, all VUSD elementary students in transitional kindergarten through fifth grade will have the opportunity to attend after school programs with Elevo Learning. Elevo will offer students sports programs, tutoring,academic enrichment, and hands-on learning experiences. There is no cost to participate in Elevo, and these programs will be offered at all elementary school sites. Parents will receive an email before winter break from their students' school site with the registration form. Schools will also offer programs and clubs that are hosted by teachers and staff based on student interest. This new set of programs and opportunities is part of our initiative to provide expanded learning for all students.

At our January 10th District Professional Development Day, all staff will engage in a two-hour training in digital citizenship. Our goal is to equip our students with the skills they need to become thoughtful, empathetic digital citizens in an increasingly connected world. This year, all students will take part in digital citizenship lessons, including the Five Competencies of Digital Citizenship. In addition, throughout the month of January, we will be sharing resources for families to support digital citizenship in the home.

Partnering with parents is one of the most impactful ways we can educate students on the importance of Digital Citizenship and what it means when they leave a digital footprint. In February, Vista Unified will host a webinar with Jon Moffat of Cyber Education Services (actual date to be posted in January). Jon’s message is designed to bring an awareness of current digital trends to parents and bridge the digital knowledge gaps at home. Some of the topics will include:

• Privacy settings on your child’s profiles

• Setting up boundaries in the Digital World

• The latest phone apps that could put your child at risk

• Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok, Discord, Roblox, BeReal, and many more

The priority window for transfers between schools inside our district (Intradistrict Transfers) for 2022-2023 will open on January 11 and will close on March 15, 2023.

• Families who have moved out of the boundaries of their current school must submit a Intradistrict Transfer request to remain at their current school.

• Families wishing to change schools will need to submit an Intradistrict Transfer request.

• Families currently on an Intradistrict Transfer who wish to remain at their school and have not moved do not need to renew or reapply.

The priority window for Interdistrict Transfers (students who live outside of VUSD boundaries) is also January 11 through March 15, 2023.

• Students currently attending a VUSD school on an approved Interdistrict Transfer will need to submit a new application if they are moving from elementary to middle school or middle school to high school and they want to remain in VUSD schools.

• Students who are attending a VUSD school and have moved out of VUSD boundaries will need to have an approved Interdistrict Transfer if they wish to remain in their current school

• Students who are not currently attending a VUSD school, who live outside of the district boundaries, and who wish to attend a VUSD school next year will need to submit an Interdistrict Transfer request.

Every fall and winter, viral respiratory illnesses like the common cold and seasonal flu keep kids out of school and social activities. This year, there is a triple threat - COVID-19, RSV, and the flu - as more people come together for the holidays. In addition to COVID-19 testing, vaccinations for COVID and the seasonal flu are available at the Vista Innovation Center.

Sincerely,

Matt Doyle, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Vista Unified School District