A Successful Start
September 9, 2022
A Message from the Superintendent
Dear TTUSD Community,
School is back in session, and we couldn’t be happier! All schools are buzzing with excitement, new and returning friendships, and lots of learning. Our teachers and administrators are hard at work connecting with students and starting the year off on a positive note. Make sure to mark your calendars for the upcoming back-to-school nights where you can meet teachers and hear about exciting programs this school year.
As we kick off the 2022-2023 school year, there are a few initiatives we’d like to share with you. They are being implemented to make our processes more efficient and easier on parents and staff, all while ensuring we adhere to critical board and state guidelines to keep our TTUSD students safe. We appreciate your cooperation and patience as we work collectively to implement these strategies. Please know our staff is here to support you however we can during these transitions.
Now that the kids are back in the classroom, if you have extra time on your hands, please consider joining our TTUSD team! We are still looking to fill a wide variety of positions listed in a lower section of this newsletter. It’s a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in our kids' lives, receive great benefits, and be a part of our fantastic TTUSD family.
We hope you and your student's first few weeks back to school have been filled with smooth transitions, smiling faces, and a reignited passion for learning. Thanks for your help getting this year off to a great start!
Carmen Ghysels
Superintendent Chief Learning Officer
Raptor Safety System
Student and staff safety is a top priority at the district, and we know it’s one of yours too. As you may know, in 2020, a safety measure was rolled out in all TTUSD school sites, except the SELS location. The system, called Raptor, is a school safety software enabling us to provide integrated visitor, volunteer, and emergency management services.
As a reminder, all visitors to any TTUSD campus must sign in through Raptor before entering the building. It’s an easy yet effective way to keep track of everyone on campus. Visitors must enter all buildings through the main entrance and check in with the front desk. There, they will need to scan their license before being issued a one-day visitor sticker that must be worn on campus. After scanning the license, within a matter of seconds, Raptor searches all sex offender registries, in all states, before printing a badge. Please help us implement this system whenever you are on a TTUSD campus.
Volunteer Process Update
Please keep an eye out, information on how to volunteer will be emailed next week. We are finalizing the process and are excited to share it with you. Thanks for your patience and eagerness to participate.
Short-Term Independent Study Forms Go Digital
As you’ve likely heard through communications from your principals, starting this school year, independent study forms will be completed online using the Informed K12 platform. This will make it easier for families, coaches, and staff to execute the process.
This process is for short-term independent studies (15 full school days or less) and short-term extracurricular independent studies (6 months or less and 15 school days or less). This agreement replaces the “Sports Contracts” from the past.
Here are step-by-step instructions to help you through the process:
Step 1:
Families initiate the form on Informed K12, which can be found HERE or on our website. The request must be made at least two weeks before the first day of independent study.
Step 2:
Parents/Guardians fill out Part One of the form.
Step 3:
Parents, legal guardians, or legal caregivers and the participating student each digitally sign the contract, agreeing to the terms.
Step 4:
Click “Submit Form.”
Step 5:
A pop-up will appear asking, “Is this a request for an extracurricular program or competitive sport?”
- If YES, you’ll be asked for the coach's name and email address. Once that’s been entered, click “Send to this recipient,” and the form will automatically be sent to the coach for approval/signature.
- If NO, you’ll be asked to enter which school your child attends, and then the form will automatically be sent to the appropriate on-site contact.
Step 6:
Once your form has been submitted, you’ll be given an option to save/download the form for your records, and you will receive a confirmation email from Informed K12.
Step 7:
School office staff will print the independent study form, assuming it meets the basic criteria. If there are questions, your teacher or principal will reach out. Then, based on the student’s grade level:
- Middle & High Schools
- School sites will print the form, and then students will take the hard copy to each teacher for signature.
- Elementary Schools
- The office staff will provide the teacher with a hard copy of the independent study form to sign.
Step 8:
The paper form is then returned to the school office staff to be uploaded into IK12 and sent to the school administration for final approval.
Step 9:
You will receive an email from Informed K12 letting you know your request has been approved.
A few important details to keep in mind:
- The request must be made at least two weeks before the first day of the independent study.
- Approval of any independent study is subject to principal approval and is not automatically guaranteed.
- Students must demonstrate the motivation, commitment, and organizational and academic skills necessary to work independently.
- Only parents, legal guardians, or legal caregivers can sign independent study contracts for minors.
- An independent study can be denied if a student has an IEP or 504, and the independent study is not included in the plan as an option for instruction.
- To participate in a short-term independent study, each student must complete the assigned work during their absence per the requirements listed in the agreement.
- Students will automatically be disenrolled from school on the 16th cumulative day of unexcused absences for a school year. They will need to re-enroll before returning to school.
And if you need help or have any questions on this process, feel free to contact the office staff at your school site, who are happy to assist. You can also find this information on our website.
Transportation Update
Unfortunately, our transportation department continues to be stretched thin due to 11 bus driver vacancies. Because of this challenging situation, being felt in many school districts across the country, we’ve had to make difficult decisions as we prioritize getting students to and from school. Our transportation department is doing all they can to accommodate as many students as possible, including increasing bus routes to capacity and constantly thinking outside the box to develop new solutions.
We appreciate your patience as we do our best to accommodate all our students and families while we continue to try and fill vacant positions. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to email our Transportation Director, Nanette Rondeau, nrondeau@ttusd.org, or call (530)-550-0740. Se Habla Español.
Potential Temporary Home-to-School Bus Route Cancellations
In an effort to provide transparency and advanced information, please be aware that over the next few months, there is a chance your child’s home-to-school bus route could be temporarily canceled if any of our drivers are unable to attend work that day. If that situation arises, you will be notified via text and email by 6:00 am that morning. We apologize for any inconvenience it will cause your family. We can assure you that our transportation department is working diligently to avoid this situation.
Field Trips & Athletic Event Transportation
We understand the importance of students getting outside the classroom for enriching field trip experiences. However, with the lack of drivers, unfortunately, we cannot provide bus transportation for field trips and some athletic events until we have a larger pool of drivers.
This means that all upcoming field trips must utilize volunteer drivers to make them possible. We can’t thank all our volunteers enough for stepping up and helping the students, and us, out during this time of need. As mentioned earlier in this newsletter, we are about to roll out the volunteer application process, and encourage you to get certified if possible. If you’ve already been approved to drive previously, the only information you’ll need to submit this school year is proof of valid insurance and an updated driver's record, which can be requested through the California DMV site for $2.
Immunization Requirements
We’ve received a few questions about student immunizations as the school year begins. According to California state law and the California Department of Public Health, children must receive certain immunizations to attend public and private elementary and secondary schools and to participate in district extracurriculars unless they have a valid medical exemption. As a district, we must enforce immunization requirements, maintain immunization records of all children enrolled, and submit reports to the state. A doctor can issue a medical exemption for children whose medical circumstances are such that immunization is not considered safe under standard medical care.
For a list of immunizations required for TK - 12th Grade students, visit the CDPH website.
Free Meals Continue!
As you hopefully know, every student in California has access to one free breakfast and one free lunch daily, thanks to a combination of federal and state funds and the hard work of our Food & Nutrition Services team. Although not required, we still encourage families to fill out a meal application each year. You may qualify for additional benefits, including free or discounted internet, waived or reduced AP & College Applications fees, sponsorship opportunities, and CalFresh EBT food cards.
And speaking of school meals, you can always find the most up-to-date monthly calendars on our website. They’re full of links connecting you to additional information. Kat Soltanmorad, Director of Food & Nutrition Services, and her fantastic team work day in and day out preparing meals from scratch, sourcing local produce, and partnering with regional farms and ranches to bring top-quality ingredients to all TTUSD students. Make sure to follow @ttusdfood on Instagram to get the inside scoop!
Newcomer Welcome Workshops
In August, our Translations & Bilingual Community Services team was busy welcoming new students and their families to the district. They conducted 16 Newcomer Workshops, providing an opportunity for students and families new to the district to hear school and district information in Spanish, ensuring they can support their newcomer’s success while having access to communication channels and family engagement opportunities. We believe that when schools welcome newcomer families and collaborate to respect their cultures, assets, aspirations, and needs, the entire community and the schools themselves are enriched.
Pause of COVID-19 Dashboard
Currently, there are no requirements from public health agencies to report COVID-19 cases through a public dashboard. Due to this, we’ve decided to pause the TTUSD website dashboard reporting at this time. Of course, if cases begin to surge and the dashboard would once again become helpful to our community, we can discuss bringing it back.
As mentioned last month, we are still closely monitoring COVID-19 cases within the district and are adhering to public health guidelines with testing and quarantining protocols.
Vacant Positions
As mentioned earlier, we are still experiencing an employee shortage. Of course, we aren’t the only organization experiencing difficulties, it’s a problem throughout the entire Tahoe Truckee community and other school districts around the country. Please know that our HR team is working around the clock to recruit quality candidates, but we are still short for some crucial positions. As of this week, the following positions are open:
- 27 Special Education Instructional Assistants
- 7 Custodians
- 11 School Bus Drivers
- 3 Special Education Teachers
- 1 Two-Way Immersion Teacher
- 1 Speech & Language Teacher
We can assure you that our staff is going above and beyond to continue providing a quality education for our students during this time. If you are interested in joining the TTUSD team or know someone who may be a good fit, please visit www.TTUSDJobs.com. Please know there is training available for many of the open positions. And don’t forget, in addition to it being a fulfilling place to work, we also offer wonderful benefits. Thanks for helping get the word out!