Back to School Welcome from TTUSD

Dear TTUSD Community,

What a beautiful summer it’s been in Tahoe-Truckee! We hope you’ve been out enjoying our incredible home and have been able to recharge and connect with nature, friends, and families. As summer comes to a close, TTUSD staff is diligently working to prepare for the 2022-2023 school year, and we look forward to welcoming all of our students back to school on Tuesday, August 30, 2022.

Transparency and feedback are crucial to a thriving school district, so we’ll continue to keep you informed on exciting new initiatives and the status of existing programs. As the school year begins, it’s time to start creating an updated multi-year district strategic plan where we’ll be soliciting your feedback through a survey in October. Additionally, we have started the planning process for capital improvements at North Tahoe Middle/High School. This is the final project funded by Measures E and U. We’re also excited to share that we have received a grant to add four electric buses to our existing fleet, supporting our continued effort to prioritize environmental sustainability. And continuing this school year, free meals will be provided to all TTUSD students. As the year continues, you’ll hear more about all of these initiatives. Stay tuned!

The last few years have been full of ups and downs, and through it all, one thing is certain: We’re Better Together! As we embark on the new school year, I’d like to extend a heartfelt welcome to all new and returning students, parents, and community members who value, contribute to, and utilize the programs we provide our community. Thank you for joining us and being part of our TTUSD family.

We can’t wait to start what is sure to be an exciting year!

Carmen Ghysels

Superintendent Chief Learning Officer

On Tuesday of last week, you should have received instructions to complete your child’s 2022-2023 data confirmation process. You can also find this information here. Parents and guardians must complete data confirmation online in the Aeries Parent Portal each school year. Our paperless process supports our continued commitment to environmental sustainability.

We ask that you complete this process by September 2, 2022. Please contact Kris Hansen (kjhansen@ttusd.org) in our Information Services Department or your child’s school if you have any questions or need assistance in the Parent Portal.

Except for North Tahoe School, all other TTUSD’s bell schedules will remain the same for the 2022-2023 school year. North Tahoe School will now begin at 9am, pushing its start time back by 5 minutes to ensure all students riding the bus arrive on time.

As a reminder, the decision to keep bell schedules was made in 2019 after an extensive exploration of later start times. At that time, a balanced committee of stakeholders including parents, students, teachers, community members, a DELAC (District English Language Advisory Committee) representative, and administrators reviewed a variety of information, including a study report on transportation impacts, and survey responses from over 2,500 parents, students and staff. Ultimately they concluded that the magnitude of negative impacts was too significant to make a change. Upon receiving that recommendation from the committee, the board unanimously voted to update board policy to reflect there will be no changes to the TTUSD bell schedule.

Please visit your specific school's website to find bell schedules for the 2022-2023 school year.

Safety remains a top priority within our goal to provide the most engaging and normal school experience possible while still navigating COVID-19. We believe that safe, in-person learning is critical to student well-being and development. Please note the protocols that will be in place this school year are outlined below.

Currently, testing will not occur at any school sites, and there will not be a TTUSD-specific off-site testing clinic.

Following public health guidelines, TTUSD will provide over-the-counter tests to families if/when a student has COVID-like symptoms. Tests will be provided if a student is sent home with symptoms, or a parent can pick up a test at the school site if their child is home with symptoms and hasn’t received one.

If case numbers within schools begin to rise, on-site testing may be implemented as a preventative measure to ensure our classes stay open. All families will be notified in advance if on-site testing becomes necessary.

Quarantining and isolation rules remain the same as last school year.

In alignment with the CA Department of Public Health (CDPH), below are quarantine/isolation guidelines:

Students, regardless of vaccination status, diagnosed with COVID-19 should:

• Stay home for at least 5 days after the start of symptoms (or after the date of the first positive test if there are no symptoms).

• Isolation can end after day 5 if symptoms are not present and the student has tested negative.

• If unable to test, choosing not to test, or testing positive on day 5 or later, isolation can end after day 10 if fever-free for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medications.

• If fever is present, isolation should be continued until 24 hours after the fever resolves.

• Per CDPH masking guidance, infected students should wear a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days.

Students, regardless of vaccination status, exposed to someone with COVID-19 should:

• Test within 3-5 days after last exposure.

• Per CDPH masking guidance, close contacts should wear a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days.

• If symptoms develop, test and stay home.

Masks are “strongly recommended” per CDPH but are not required; it’s your family's choice. We will not be enforcing or mandating masks at this time.

If your child has been infected with COVID-19, they are asked to mask indoors and around others for 10 days following symptom onset (or positive test if no symptoms). Exposed persons should mask for 10 days following an identified close contact with someone with COVID-19.

Unfortunately, due to an extreme bus driver staffing shortage, we’ll begin the 2022-2023 school year with limited transportation services. You should have received an email from the Transportation Department to apply for a bus pass if your student was eligible last year. The deadline to apply for a bus pass was July 31, 2022. Otherwise, students not preapproved for a bus pass should have received a link to get on the transportation waitlist if interested. Please visit the transportation services web page for additional information on this process.

And please remember, students must present a bus pass to access the bus on the first day of school. All bus routes are at capacity, so guest riders and alternate bus stops will not be allowed.

The transportation department currently has 11 open positions, so the district is proactively looking for additional bus drivers. If you or someone you know is interested, please consider joining our team at www.TTUSDJobs.com.

Donner Trail | September 22, 2022 | 5:30pm - 7pm

Glenshire Elementary (TK - 2nd Grade) | September 20, 2022 | 5:30pm - 7pm

Glenshire Elementary (3rd - 5th Grades) | September 27, 2022 | 5:30pm - 7pm

Kings Beach Elementary | September 19, 2022 | 5:30pm - 7pm

Tahoe Lake Elementary | September 8, 2022 | 5:30pm - 7pm

Truckee Elementary | September 22, 2022 | 5:30pm - 7pm

Alder Creek Middle School | September 13, 2022 | 5:30pm - 7pm

North Tahoe School | September 27, 2022 | 5pm - 7pm

North Tahoe High School | September 14, 2022 | 5:30pm - 8pm

Truckee High School | September 15, 2022 | 5:30pm - 8pm

Cold Stream Alternative | September 14, 2022 | 5:30pm - 8pm

We are looking for great people to join the TTUSD team! Working for the district is a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our students and community, and there are excellent benefits too! All jobs start at $20+/hour, with some positions receiving hiring bonuses. We’re looking to fill critical positions immediately, including bus drivers, special education instructional assistants, and custodians.

All job opportunities can be found at www.TTUSDJobs.com. For more information, please call our HR department at (530) 582-2580.

Volunteers in our schools make a huge difference! We know volunteer assistance enriches educational programs and strengthens home-to-school relationships. Last spring, we began a collaborative process to develop a revised TTUSD Parent Volunteer Protocol to ensure it aligns with Education Code and Board Policy. We are close to rolling out this new process in September so keep an eye out.