Dear Families,

I hope you had a wonderful month of February and enjoyed the break with your family.

We thank you for your continued support as we continue to work together to meet the needs of our students.

This month we have a great opportunity to nominate someone special please help me in nominating a special staff, parent, or community member by using the link provided below for the NCCSE Excellence in Special Education Awards.

With gratitude,

Nereida Gutierrez

Director, Special Education

Thank that someone special who has made a difference in the lives of children with special needs by making a nomination!

You can nominate more than once for different categories. NOMINATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY MARCH 17, 2023. The awards will be presented at the NCCSE CAC Awards Ceremony, taking place on May 24, 2023.

Make your nomination at https://forms.gle/3r1baEfy7XuPDGrn9

Celebrate Black History Month and the contributions of Black Americans with your learners by exploring The Library of Congress and National Archives resources and The National Park Service.

VUSD is committed to providing high-quality learning environments and inclusive opportunities for our students with disabilities. Madison Middle School Students had the opportunity to participate in a marine science education program.

Students in our special day classes (SDC) have the opportunity to take Marine Biology as an elective. Each year, they learn about the wonders of the sea, explore in depth knowledge of marine life, and experience the annual field trip to SeaCamp San Diego, a marine science education program offering interactive and hands-on experiences for all students. This year, students from both SDC programs at Madison Middle School participated in the boat tour and onsite workshop. Such a fantastic way to include all students with diverse needs!

Practicing social skills with our CAL Ave students.

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:

• Virtual Community Forum - March 1st from 5:30-6:30 pm, Click HERE for a Zoom link

• In-Person Community Forum - March 7th from 5:30-6:30 pm at the Vista Innovation Center

Survey:

• English Survey Link

• Spanish Survey Link

Please review upcoming parent learning opportunities at NCCSE. They will have great workshops for families to learn about students with special needs.

Designed for parents of children who display aggressive and self-injurious behaviors, as well as parents of children on the autism spectrum, the core focus of this research-based program is to train you to prevent, or mitigate, crises from occurring rather than managing crises with physical interventions.

This free training program was developed by Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) in partnership with the Lurie Center at Harvard University and is taught by NCCSE member district's CPI-certified Instructors. Parents and caregivers will learn the same de-escalation techniques that staff are trained in, to use at home.

Participants will be empowered to use a variety of proactive intervention strategies to avoid or de-escalate challenging behavior at home. The training also reviews best practices to safely manage crisis situations, if unsafe aggressive or self-injurious behaviors should occur.

Benefits of the Training

• Build Confidence. Learn the skills necessary to anticipate and manage behavior escalation in your child.
• Reduce Stress. Increase focus on self-care and therapeutic responses to maintain positive environments and relationships in your home.
• Regain Control. Behavior influences behavior. Learn to manage your responses and how those responses can lead to positive outcomes with your child.

When: Wednesday March 1st 9 am - 3 pm In-Person

Where: North County Regional Education Center 255 Pico Avenue, San Marcos, CA, USA

To register click here

Flyer information

If you are the parent or guardian of a child who receives special education services, this workshop is for you! Learn about the nuts and bolts of the special education process from the perspective of an administrator and a parent, including the components of an IEP, how to prepare for IEP meetings, rights and responsibilities, and how to create partnerships that work for yourself and your child.

When: Friday March 10th 9:30 am- 12:30pm

Where: North County Regional Education Center 255 Pico Avenue, San Marcos, CA, USA

To register click here

Flyer Information

Applications for NCCSE-sponsored scholarships are now available. The scholarship submission period for new applications for 2023-2024 is open until March 31, 2023.

1. The Dr. Lynnette Robinson Scholarship for Inclusive Education - For high school seniors who want to pursue a career in special education or a related field.
2. The Bob Grundstrom Memorial Scholarship Information - For high school seniors who receive special education services.

North Coastal Consortium of Special Education (NCCSE), Regional Center, FRC/FEC is proud to partner with the California Autism Professional Training and Information Network, (CAPTAIN ) by promoting the use of evidence- based practices for students with Autism.

CAPTAIN is part of the California Department of Education Statewide System of Support in collaboration with Marin County SELPA

CAPTAIN website

Please don't hesitate to communicate with our Community Liaison. We are here to facilitate communication between VUSD and families.

If you need assistance please reach out to Doris Cruz.

Phone number: (760) 726-2170 ext. 92914

Email: doriscruz@vistausd.org

SpEd Community Liaison Flyer

• Autism Society San Diego
• ​CAPTAIN- California Autism Professional Training and Information Network
• Exceptional Family Resource Center
• Findhelp.org
• Inclusive Schools
• Mental Health Resources for Teens
  
• North County Resource Guide
• NCCSE- Mental Health Presentation from Nov. 9th
• ​Online Tutoring
• San Diego County Office of Education
• San Diego Regional Center
• Special Olympics
• Special Needs Resource Foundation of San Diego
• VUSD Calming Corner

Do you know of anyone who is looking for a job in education? If so, please encourage them to apply for our open positions.

Certificated:

• Education Specialist-Moderate/Severe Teacher ($2,000 incentive) (2022/2023 School Year)
  
• Education Specialist-Mild/Moderate Teacher ($2,000 incentive) (2022/2023 school year)
  
• Learning Support: Early Childhood Education Specialist (Mild/Moderate) - Human Relations
• SCHOOL AGE CHILD ACTIVITY ASSISTANT-OPEN CONTINUOUS
• School Psychologist - Special Education
  
• Speech Language Pathologist - Special Education

Classified:

• District Interpreter/Translator (Spanish) - SUBSTITUTE ONLY
  
• INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANT II-LH/CH/RSP - Permanent - 5 to 6 hours per day!
  
• SPECIAL EDUCATION ASSISTANT IV-SH/PH - OPEN and CONTINUOUS application

Nereida Gutierrez, Director, Special Education, specialeducationdept@vistausd.org

Steffanie Rupp, Coordinator, Special Education, steffanierupp@vistausd.org

Rachel Schmidt, Principal, California Avenue School, rachelschmidt@vistausd.org

Katherine Abraham, Principal, Vista Adult Transition Program, katherineabraham@vistausd.org

Jennifer Gruman, Program Supervisor, jennifergruman@vistausd.org

William Foley, Program Supervisor, williamfoley@vistausd.org

Kinga Nagorny, Program Supervisor, kinganagorny@vistausd.org

Dr. Charyn Socket Berg, Program Supervisor charynberg@vistausd.org

Dafnee Ramirez, Administrative Secretary, Special Education, dafneeramirez@vistausd.org

Debra Harris, Data Tech, debraharris@vistausd.org

Yvonne Fortin, Data Tech, yvonnefortin@vistausd.org

Doris Cruz, Community Liaison, Special Education, doriscruz@vistausd.org

Special Education Department: specialeducationdept@vistausd.org

Address: 1234 Arcadia Avenue Vista, CA, 92084

Phone number: (760) 726-2170 ext. 92914

Email: Specialeducationdept@vistausd.org

Twiter: @VUSDSpEd