Community Update
February 24, 2023
Celebrating our Staff
We are delighted to announce that Vista Unified staff continue to be recognized locally, regionally, and throughout the state for their talent, hard work, and dedication to the students and families of Vista. Just recently we received three new announcements recognizing the contributions of our team.
First, Ami Shackelford, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, was recognized as the ACSA Regional Administrator of the Year. Congratulations, Ami!
Second, Heidi Saupe was named the San Diego County Elementary Counselor of the Year. Congratulations, Heidi!
Third, Alta Vista High School was just recognized as a Model Continuation High School by the California Department of Education. Congratulations to the entire staff at Alta Vista High. Bravo!
Golden Apple Award Winners 2023 - These district awards recognize exemplary teachers, classified employees, and administrators for their extraordinary contributions to our students and community. Congratulations!
- David Hanlon - Vista High School Teacher
- Stephanie Hall Garland - Vista Magnet Middle School Teacher
- April Sparks - Breeze Hill Elementary School Teacher
- Patty Landeros - The Leadership Academy Classified Employee
- Melanie Paliotti - Bobier Elementary - Golden Apple category - Certificated Administrator
- Dewayne Cossey - Information Technology - Golden Apple category - Classified Management
District Asset Management Committee Application Process
Vista Unified has partnered with Ruhnau Clarke Architects to develop a Long Range Facility Master Plan (LRFMP) for every school in the district. An important part of the development process is to analyze and review the status of facility conditions, facility use, and overall enrollment districtwide. This aspect of the process is important because it determines the amount of classroom spaces needed. Vista Unified has been declining in enrollment over the past ten years, similar to most school districts in California. Specifically, Vista Unified has declined in student population by more than 6,700 students since 2012. As a result of this decline, many of our schools have seen a significant reduction in enrollment.
The School Board has recently reviewed this information and has directed the district team to form a District Asset Management Advisory Committee. The purpose of this committee is to explore and make recommendations to the School Board about the future use of district facilities, including the possibility of school consolidation. As outlined in state law, this committee can have no less than seven and no more than 11 members.
If you are interested in being considered to serve on the District Asset Management Advisory Committee, you may apply by clicking here or by stopping by the Operational Service Center at 1222 Arcadia Avenue. We anticipate that the members of the committee will be required to meet between four and six times between March and June of 2023. Committee member applications will open on Friday, February 24th at 5:00 pm and will close on March 24th at 5:00 pm. The school board will review all applicants and select between 7 and 11 members in open session at a board meeting in the coming months.
Equity Forums
We are hosting community forums and gathering feedback on issues related to our district value of equity. We welcome you to engage in one of our forums to share your voice. Please see the information below for details.
Dual Language Program Registration
The Multilingual Education Department is hosting Dual Language Immersion (DLI) informational meetings with Vista families as part of the registration process for the upcoming school year. An in-person informational meeting will be held on March 1st at the Vista Innovation Center from 5:30-6:30 pm. Additionally, we will schedule meetings for families of preschool students at school sites and other preschools in the city. This DLI informational brochure contains important information about the three schools offering DLI In Vista Unified. For more information, please visit our Dual Language Immersion website.
Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten Pre-Enrollment Opens March 1st for 2023-2024
Parents and guardians can reach out to any VUSD elementary school for assistance with the pre-enrollment process. Click here for information about the TK/K Enrollment process, and click here for frequently asked questions about TK/K Enrollment. Enroll early to secure your spot!
Families of Kindergarten students wishing to apply for one of the elementary magnet schools must also complete a magnet lottery application by April 7th. Magnet school applications and additional information can be found by visiting the Vista Unified magnet webpage.
Intradistrict and Interdistrict Transfer Priority Application Window for 2023-2024 closes March 15th
Families living in VUSD boundaries who would like to apply to attend a school other than their neighborhood school for the 2023-2024 school year can apply using this linked process for Intradistrict Transfers.
Families living outside of VUSD boundaries who would like to attend a VUSD school or families living in VUSD boundaries who would like to apply to attend school in another district can apply using this linked process for Interdistrict Transfers.
Contact the Student Support Services Department for more information.
Blueprint/LCAP Community Forums and Survey Update
Every school district in the state of California is required to develop a Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) to outline the actions and services that will support student academic, social, and behavioral achievement. We call our LCAP the Blueprint for Educational Excellence and Innovation. The LCAP must go through an annual revision process to ensure that students, parents, teachers, and staff members have the opportunity to provide feedback on the current actions and services and to make suggestions for additional actions and services that students need to reach their full potential as learners. We are hosting community forums and a district-wide survey to capture this feedback. Please see the information below to share your voice and engage in our annual LCAP revision process.
Community Forums:
In-Person Community Forum - March 7th from 5:30-6:30 pm at the Vista Innovation Center located at 836 Olive Ave, Vista 92083
Virtual Community Forum - March 1st from 5:30-6:30 pm, Click HERE for a Zoom link
Survey:
7th Annual Early Childhood Education Fair
Come out and have some fun with us at our 7th Annual Early Childhood Education Fair on Saturday, April 29th from 10 am to 1 pm.
This is a free community event for all that brought in 1,800 attendees last year, with over 30 community partners, many games and activities for kids, free resources, lots of prizes, student performances, the opportunity to get to know our fabulous VUSD schools and preschool partners, and more! For those interested in enrolling their children in TK or kindergarten for the 2023-2024 school year, you can pre-register at the event.
We look forward to seeing everyone on April 29th! For more information, email FamilyEngagement@vistausd.org
Spotlighting our Counselors
Vista Unified is proud of our 44 school counselors and our collective accomplishments in building a comprehensive TK-12 school counseling program. Our whole counseling team meets twice monthly with the support of our school counselor leadership team, which includes two counselors selected from each grade span (elementary, middle, and high school) and two district administrators from Student Support Services. Our leadership team plans and debriefs monthly professional development in which we develop classroom lessons, analyze student data, and share best practices. The team also plans and debriefs monthly grade-span meetings based on current topics and needs. Our leadership team recently received recognition at the National School Counselor Leadership Conference.
What Do School Counselors Do?
School Counselors focus their work in three primary domains: academics, college and career readiness, and social-emotional development. They plan, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of their direct and indirect services for students in these domains.
School Counselors support development of positive student mindsets and healthy behaviors aligned to the National Student Standards and Ethical Standards for School Counselors.
Mindsets Standards:
Whole-self development: mental, social/emotional, and physical well-being
Acceptance, respect, support and inclusion for self and others in the school environment
Positive attitude toward work and learning
Self-confidence in ability to succeed
Belief in using abilities to their fullest to achieve high-quality results and outcomes.
Understanding that postsecondary education and lifelong learning are necessary for long-term success
We recently celebrated National School Counseling Week, and we hope that you have a chance to reach out with any appreciation you may have for your school counselor and all that they do for your school and community.
Safe Gun Storage Initiative
The presence of unlocked guns in homes increases the risk of both unintentional gun injuries and intentional shootings.
Did you know…
About a third of American children live in homes with firearms, and of these households, 43% contain at least one unlocked firearm. 13% of households with guns contain at least one firearm that is unlocked and loaded or stored with ammunition.
Laws reducing child access to firearms, which primarily require safe gun storage, are associated with lower overall adolescent suicide rates. The presence of a firearm at home increases the risk of suicide, even among those without a previous psychiatric diagnosis.
Suicide attempts involving a firearm more often are fatal (91%) compared with those involving drug overdoses (23%). The increased risk of suicide is particularly striking for younger persons where guns are stored loaded and/or unlocked.
American Academy of Pediatrics
An excerpt from a letter to families from Dr. Matt Doyle, Superintendent of Schools:
“Providing our students and staff with safe educational environments remains a top priority for the School Board of Trustees. At the May 5, 2022 school board meeting, the Board of Trustees took a bold stand against violence and adopted a Resolution Supporting Safe Gun Storage.
“Vista Unified School District is dedicated to taking necessary steps in ensuring our campuses are safe from the threat of gun violence. Through education to our school community and awareness to our parent partners, we are dedicated to supporting safe gun storage.”
Learn more about what you can do!
Besmartforkids - A campaign to launch awareness that secure gun storage - strong guns locked, unloaded, and separate from ammunition - can save children;’s lives.
Everytown for gun safety - Started by the families of Sandy Hook Elementary, Everytown for Gun Safety is the largest gun violence prevention organization in America.
Safe Storage of Firearms, San Diego Municipal Code section 53.17 - The City of San Diego statute makes it unlawful for any person to keep a firearm within any residence unless the firearm is stored in a locked container or disabled with a trigger lock approved by the California Department of Justice.
- Criminal Storage of a Firearm, California Penal Code section 25100(A) - This State statute makes it a crime to store a loaded firearm on any premises under your control, knowing or reasonably should have known, a child is likely to gain access to the firearm, and the child gains access causing death or great bodily injury.
Encore Presentation - Digital Citizenship Workshop for Parents
Dozens of parents joined us last Thursday for a Digital Citizenship Workshop that highlighted the technology trends affecting today’s children. For those unable to attend, an encore presentation is available for parents to view. Important topics include security settings on childrens’ phones and learning how to set up boundaries in the Digital World.
Parent Video: (Available for 30 days)
And finally….
Take a few minutes and see how Vista Unified students and staff celebrated Kindness Week 2023!
Sincerely,
Matt Doyle, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Vista Unified School District
Vista Unified School District
Email: webmaster@vistausd.org
Website: vistausd.org
Location: 1234 Arcadia Avenue, Vista, CA, USA
Phone: (760) 726-2170
Twitter: @VistaBlueprint