Vista Unified is launching a new podcast channel to highlight success stories, discuss challenges, and address current events happening across all 28 schools in the district. We will post each episode to the Community Update. We also have created a Vista: Unified Podcast webpage where we will archive the podcast channel. Our first episode focuses on three of the Heroes of Vista 2024. Our second episode focuses on the School Consolidation process for Beaumont Elementary and Rancho Minerva Middle School. We were able to complete this episode in English and Spanish. Our goal is to offer these podcasts in both languages as often as possible.
Vista Unified schools inspire, create, and celebrate innovation. We do this across all grade levels and subject matters, from individual classes to school-wide approaches to learning. To highlight just a few of these outstanding innovations we visited three different schools to spotlight their innovations. At Vista High School we looked at the AVID class, a college and career preparedness opportunity that teaches students at all four grade levels critical life and learning skills.
Roosevelt Middle School employs an innovative learning framework called Artful Learning, pioneered by famed composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. Artful Learning guides students to understand all subjects through the lens of art, providing an engaging and deep dive into learning.
Finally, Mission Vista High School’s senior Capstone class provides a place for students to explore self-selected projects ranging from writing a novel to recording an album to developing a curriculum for an advanced computer science class.
You’ll find innovation happening across our district and we hope you’ll enjoy this look at just a few:
We are proud to announce the Apprenticeship Readiness Program. Working with our partners at the San Diego Workforce Partnership and San Diego Building Trades Council we are bringing to North County a program to explore the building trades and prepare for a career in construction. This free program, housed at Vista Adult School, offers an introduction to the tools of the trades, builds up participant’s math skills, and helps students learn about how to work safely and more.
Additional services include:
Participants may be eligible to earn a stipend while completing the program
Assistance with networking and applying for jobs in your field of interest
Participants who are parents or legal guardians of children under the age of 18 may be eligible to receive financial assistance with childcare costs while enrolled in the program
For more information and to apply please go to https://workforce.org/apprenticeship-readiness
Governor Newsome just released his May revision to the projected budget for California. The May Revision Budget Proposal for the State of California outlines the current challenges and solutions that Governor Newsom plans to include in the final adopted budget in June. This revision has a direct impact on the development of the budget and Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) for Vista Unified and all other school districts in California. We continue to make progress developing the revisions to the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). The Board of Trustees will hold another special meeting on Thursday, May 16th to continue to provide direction on the adjustments to the actions and services to be implemented next year. This process is particularly challenging this year because our district budget will be contracting significantly due to a variety of state and local factors including the expiration of one-time COVID funding, reduced Cost of Living Adjustment, declining enrollment, increased pension costs, and adjustments to the average daily attendance factors. While the LCAP development will see reduced actions and services, this reduction will be designed to take effect slowly over a three to four year period. There will be a Public Hearing on June 6, 2024 for public comment on the draft LCAP and proposed budget for the 2024-25 school year. The LCAP and budget adoption meeting will be held on June 20, 2024.
Calling all innovators and curious minds!
Vista Unified School District (VUSD) is attending the Strawberry Festival again this year on May 26th from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. Get ready for some exciting, hands-on STEM activities that will spark your interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Looking to chart your future career path? We'll have info on the amazing career pathways offered at our middle and high schools. Plus, learn how to obtain a permit to “ride” to school with our bike safety program! Come visit our booth located on the corner of Main Street and South Indiana Ave. Meet VUSD educators, engage in interactive activities, and discover the exciting world of learning that awaits!
Middle school teachers in ELA and Social Studies have been working hard this year to choose new instructional materials for students. A group of teachers with representatives from each site began by reviewing the state adopted instructional materials, making a list of priorities to have in instructional materials, and then narrowed the options to two publishers to pilot. With assistance from the SDCOE curriculum coordinators, teachers created a rubric to use throughout the pilot process with the focus on support for ELL students and students with disabilities, to make sure the materials met the needs of all students. ELA teachers voted to move forward with Amplify and Social Studies teachers voted for Discovery (also in Spanish for our DLI students). The Board approved both sets of instructional materials at last week’s Board meeting. Teachers and students are excited to have new materials that are engaging and linked to standards.
With over 80% of school districts in California experiencing declining enrollment, school consolidation and closure has become part of many community discussions. In the upcoming months our own school district will be working through the final steps of the consolidation (closure) of Beaumont Elementary School and Rancho Minerva Middle School. With school boundaries for the 2024-2025 school year having been established and the Magnet School selection process completed, students and families have successfully been placed at schools for next year. Teachers and staff have also recently completed the process of selecting their schools for next year. The school board has committed to supporting students and families with transportation as appropriate. Tentative transportation routes have been established and move plans are being finalized. To help preserve the legacy of educational excellence and the deep connections these have as community centers, photographers and videographers were recently on campus to document the schools to keep them alive in our memories through digital media. Celebrations have been and will continue to be held to honor the outstanding contributions of these schools and the legacy of service they have contributed to our community. You can learn more about this process through our new Vista Unified Podcast at the following links for English and Spanish.
Vista Unified School District
Email: webmaster@vistausd.org
Website: vistausd.org
Location: 1234 Arcadia Avenue, Vista, CA, USA
Phone: (760) 726-2170
Twitter: @VistaBlueprint