TVUSD COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Walk & Talk with Dr. Velez follows TVUSD Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Velez as she visits school sites across the district, connecting with students and staff and listening to their perspectives. Through real conversations and meaningful moments, the series highlights student and staff voices and the experiences that shape our schools.

In this episode, Dr. Velez visits Temecula Valley High School and talks with Athletic Trainer Sarah Reuss, who was recently awarded the 25-26 Southern Section Athletic Trainer of the Year.

This year, our Behind the Scenes: The ♥️ of TVUSD spotlight series shines a light on the incredible certificated and classified employees who elevate experiences, opportunities, and each other across our schools and departments.

Check out this month's spotlight videos to see how our staff bring the spirit of TVUSD to life!

Ziba Mayar brings depth, experience, and a strong sense of purpose to her classroom, where science becomes both rigorous and deeply relevant. With more than two decades in education, she challenges students to think critically, ask questions, and engage with complex ideas in meaningful ways.

Her classroom is a space where high expectations are paired with strong support, allowing students of all backgrounds to access advanced learning opportunities. Ziba’s ability to connect content to real-world applications helps students see the value of their learning beyond the classroom, preparing them for college, careers, and informed citizenship.

Through her commitment to excellence and her belief in every student’s potential, she inspires learners to push beyond limits and discover what they are capable of achieving.

🎉 TVUSD is proud to celebrate student leadership!

Earlier this month, we had the opportunity to surprise Nathan Berry, Chaparral High School Junior, during class to share the exciting news that he will serve as TVUSD’s 2026–27 Student Board Member. Congratulations, Nathan! We look forward to the perspective, leadership, and voice you will bring to the Board of Education in the year ahead.

We also want to recognize and celebrate our inaugural Student Board Member, CHS Senior Melissa Chai, whose service this year helped establish an important tradition of student representation in TVUSD. At this week’s Board Meeting, we thanked Melissa for her dedication, leadership, and commitment to representing students across the district.

Thank you to both students for stepping forward to serve and for helping elevate student voice in TVUSD schools.

Chaparral High School’s Folklórico dancers celebrated Cinco de Mayo earlier this month with vibrant traditional dances inspired by Mexico’s state of Veracruz. Over the past two years, the student performers have become a beloved part of campus life, appearing at Puma rallies, homecoming events, and lunchtime performances. Through their colorful presentations and dedication to cultural traditions, the dancers continue to promote cultural awareness and school spirit across the Chaparral campus.

What an incredible spring season for athletics at our high schools!

Congratulations to the TVHS Division 1 CIF Champions, becoming the first TVUSD team to earn this honor. GO BEARS 🐻🐻🐻! @tvhsstunt

Congratulations to the GOHS Boys and Girls Varsity teams for BOTH securing 1st place at league! Their wins make this the first year that all FOUR levels have taken the Southwestern League championship together, AND the first-ever Varsity Boys title in the Southwestern League. What a season! Congratulations, Great Oak Swimmers and Coaches! @gohs_swim_team

Congrats to GOHS Boys Tennis who dominated at the Southwestern League Finals. @greatoaktennis

Earlier this month, we celebrated nine TVUSD schools for their outstanding performance at the Inland Empire Regional Science Olympiad. Thanks to their hard work, dedication, and strong teamwork, five of those schools advanced to the Science Olympiad State Competition held on April 11th on the campus of California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Competing at the state level is an incredible achievement, bringing together some of the top Science Olympiad teams from across California. Our students rose to the challenge with determination, resilience, and an impressive commitment to scientific inquiry. From engineering builds and lab events to problem-solving and collaboration, they represented TVUSD with excellence.

We are incredibly proud of the focus, perseverance, and school pride that carried these teams to this level of competition. Take a look below at how our schools performed at the state competition!

The TVHS team 1 did an excellent job of representing the Golden Bears at the State competition. They had a strong showing in Chemistry Lab, Forensics, and Machines.

Two TVHS students, Lucas Thatcher and Gavin Strange, earned a 5th-place medal for Code Craze!

In just its second year of existence, the TMS Science Olympiad team defied the odds by qualifying for the state championship, an elite level typically dominated by programs with decades of experience. TMS students didn't just show up; they competed with heart, brilliance, and the kind of teamwork that makes the entire TVUSD proud.

A massive shout-out goes to their powerhouse Remote Sensing duo!

• 6th Grade Student, Caleb Kindred
• 8th Grade Student, Eric Tavizon

This pair demonstrated mastery in one of the most challenging events of the day, securing a placement on the state leaderboard! Remote Sensing requires students to interpret data from satellites and aircraft to solve complex problems about the Earth's environment, weather, and climate. It’s essentially high-level detective work using "eyes in the sky," and our students proved they are among the best in California.

While the competition was fierce, featuring the top 32 middle school teams from across Southern California, the TMS team held their own against perennial powerhouses. The Bobcats medaled in several categories at the regional level to get here and continued that momentum at Caltech, proving that Temecula is a rising force in the STEM world.

Congratulations to the students, dedicated coaches, and parents who have supported this young team’s meteoric rise. We can't wait to see what Year 3 brings!

Gardner Middle School had two Science Olympiad teams compete at the USC Invitational and the Inland Empire Regional Tournament. They placed 3rd and 4th out of 25 teams at Regionals, earning a spot for one team to compete at State.

The Southern California Science Olympiad State Tournament was held on the campus of the California Institute of Technology. Competing at such a prestigious university made the experience especially exciting and inspiring for these middle schoolers. At State, the GMS Grizzlies team placed 24th overall among the top middle school teams in the state, and two students (Ava Sura and Ethan Fu) earned a 3rd place medal in the Meteorology event. Beyond the competition results, the experience was a memorable one as they collaborated together, supported one another, and competed alongside some of the strongest Science Olympiad teams in California. All GMS students demonstrated tremendous dedication, teamwork, and perseverance throughout the competition season.

The biggest highlight for Great Oak was Charles Zhang and Isa Gao taking first place in Code Craze! Other notable finishes were placing 7th in Engineering CAD by Eric Zhang and Panshul Bhargava, and 8th in Remote Sensing by James Meng and David Jiang. Overall, the team finished 19th in the field of top Southern California Schools.

CHS had two teams at the Inland Empire Regional competition, placing 5th and 8th, respectively. The fifth-place team was able to move on to the state competition at Caltech. Overall, the Puma team placed 27th out of 32 teams. The competition was tough, but they still managed to place 6th in the Hovercraft event. Rick and Elisha received a medal for that event, which is quite a feat at the state level!

TVUSD CTE Media Arts students showcased their creativity and technical talent at DigiFest 2026 by submitting outstanding digital media projects across a variety of categories, including photography, documentary and narrative film, PSA film, and digital artwork. We are proud to announce that several of our talented CTE Media Arts students earned top honors and awards at this year’s competition, highlighting the exceptional skill, innovation, and artistic achievement of our students.

We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to the dedicated CTE Media Arts teachers at TVHS and GOHS for their continued commitment to these programs. Through their commitment, mentorship, and encouragement of student creativity, our students are given the opportunity to participate in DigiFest each year. DigiFest, hosted by CTE industry partner JDS Creative Academy, continues to provide a valuable platform for students to showcase their talents, gain real-world experience, and receive recognition from industry professionals.

1st place Digi Award-Photography "Accepting Defeat"

• Alex Barlis

1st place Digi Award-Animation Film "Millie and the Magic Cat"

• Hanna Foster, Lillian Holen, Reegen Ramsey, Liam LeBeau, Sam Padilla, and Lawrence Thompson

Honorable Mention-Digital Documentary "AI: Friend or Foe?"

• Renzo Manalo, Ty Smith, Mckayla Lee, and Kaden Clark

Honorable Mention-Digital Art "Lucky Rabbit Issue #21"

• Brinn Roberts

People's Choice Award & Standout Award-(Use of iPhone Camera) -Photography "Borage and the Bee"

• Drew Crisp

Standout Award-(Digi Chair Choice) "Beyond Reality: Aaron's Metaverse Mission"

• Lillian Holen, Reegen Ramsey, Hanna Foster, and Liam LeBeau

Standout Award-(Use of Animation w/Live Action) "There's Always a Reason"

• Emma Sutton, James Rabjohn, and Alex Pantig

Intertwined

• Colin Hunt, Landon Macaspac, and Brody Valcarcel

From school events to community highlights, TVUSD student journalists are capturing the stories that shape their world. We are excited to feature some of their articles to celebrate their creativity, perspective, and developing journalistic skills. Discover what’s happening across our district, told directly by the students themselves.

📝 Ren Pourier, 9th Grade

Chaparral High School

Staff Writer, Platinum Press

The Platinum FX (PFX) show choir competed against fifteen teams and, because of their outstanding talent, won first place in three competition events. Bonita Vista High School in San Diego was their first competition of the season, on February 14. The opposing teams come from all across Southern California. Their set—themed Bridgerton in honor of the new season release, and the spring season was full of colors and beautiful piano scales. Faux wisteria and embroidered chairs added to the ambient elements of their performance.

🔗 Check out the full article by clicking here or on the article below.

📝 Isabella Fields, 11th Grade

Great Oak High School

Great Oak Gazette

For the first time in fifty years, humans have traveled beyond Earth’s orbit. On April 1, NASA’s Artemis II mission, carrying a groundbreaking crew, launched into space. The journey lasted nine days, one hour, and thirty‑two minutes. Artemis II’s mission was a crewed lunar flyby. The spacecraft, Orion Integrity, lifted off from Kennedy Space Center, first circling Earth before beginning its path toward the Moon. Once in deep space, Orion’s trajectory relied on Earth’s gravity to pull it outward, while the Moon’s gravitational field drew it around the far side. Finally, the spacecraft slingshotted back toward Earth and splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean, roughly seventy miles from Temecula. Residents of Southern California were even able to witness the return live.

🔗 Check out the full article by clicking here or on the article below.

"Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary." - Margaret Cousins

The TVUSD Community High Five Program is designed to empower and encourage the community to acknowledge and appreciate the dedicated employees of the district. This program serves as a platform for parents, students, and local residents to recognize and celebrate the relentless commitment and hard work put forth by district employees.

Fill out this quick form, and the Communications Department will create and send a digital certificate to the employee for their hard work. As an added recognition, one employee will be selected each month as a "Community High Five Spotlight," and their shout-out will be recognized in a future edition of the Community Connection.

This classroom is scheduled to open on August 12th, and will offer additional FREE PRESCHOOL spots for our youngest learners!

If you are interested in sending your child to our program, please find more information here. Children need to be 3 years old in order to attend, and eligibility is dependent on family income.

If you have any questions, please contact Ami Paradise at aparadise@tvusd.us.

It is now time to complete your Annual Family Update in your Infinite Campus Parent Portal. This update is REQUIRED FOR ALL STUDENTS RETURNING TO TVUSD FOR THE 26/27 SCHOOL YEAR.

Any student who does not have a completed Annual Update:

• may not be enrolled in a class for the 26/27 school year
  
• may not receive a schedule
  
• and may not be able to participate in school business days in August.
  

Take a moment to let us know if your child(ren) WILL NOT be returning for next school year. If your student(s) will be continuing their enrollment within any TVUSD school, there is no need to complete this questionnaire.

• Registration dates assigned by the school site
• Step-by-step enrollment directions for TK and Kindergarten
• Link to submit a Let's Talk message if you are having technology issues or have specific questions
• Call 951-506-7937 to speak with a CEC Technician
• Grade-Level placement for 2026-2027

🔗 26-27 TK/Kinder Registration Flyer & Instructions

Enrollment for 1st-12th grade students for next year will start on April 3, 2026, with prioritization for 6th & 9th graders in the first few days.

🔗 TVUSD Enrollment & Registration

Our students thrive because of the dedicated people who support them every day. From classrooms to offices to playgrounds, every role matters. Join the TVUSD family and discover the rewarding opportunities waiting for you right here in our community.

Thank you to our amazing community partners who have supported the

TVUSD Attendance Challenge!

Studies show that regular attendance is crucial for academic and life success. Here are some tips to keep your student on track:

• Prioritize attendance: Make sure your student is in school every day.
• Address health issues: Work with your student's doctor to minimize absences.
• Partner with the school: Stay involved and communicate regularly.

Remember: Chronic absence – missing just two days a month – can have a significant impact. Let's work together to ensure every student has the opportunity to thrive!

🖐️ Our next Staff High Five spotlight is Maria Fuentes Armendaiz, TES Noon Duty Aide. "She has a kind and calm demeanor that makes our students feel comfortable and safe approaching her. Not only that, but her keen observations and dedication to her position make her one of TVUSD's hidden gems in one of our most important positions! " 🙌 @tvusd.parentcenter

🎉 What an incredible celebration of connection, community, and support at our Special Education Open House last month!

Families had the opportunity to connect with amazing local and county-wide vendors offering programs and services that support students with special needs of all ages. Guests also enjoyed performances by the CHS Dance Team, music, snacks, fun activities, and exciting raffle prizes.

This meaningful event was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the WorkAbility I program and the Special Education Departments at TVUSD and MVUSD, in partnership with Mt. San Jacinto College. The event was hosted at the MSJC Temecula Campus.

Thank you to everyone who attended, participated, and helped make the evening such a success for our students, families, and community! ✨ @tvusd.official - Instagram | Facebook

🎬 Video edited by Drew Crisp, TVHS CTE Media Arts Senior

First season. Second round of CIF. 🏐🔥

The GOHS Girls Beach Volleyball team made history this year, battling their way to the 2nd round of CIF in TVUSD’s very first season of girls beach volleyball! While their playoff run came to an end, the Wolfpack showed incredible grit, athleticism, and heart every step of the way. We are so proud of this team and the foundation they’ve built for the future. 🐺♥️ @tvusd.official

🎬 Video edited by Brinn Roberts, CTE Media Arts Senior

Care Solace's care navigation services are confidential and complimentary to TVUSD students, staff, and their families. Care Solace's team is available 24/7/365 and can support you in any language.

• Call 888-515-0595
• Visit www.caresolace.com/tvusdfamilies and either search on your own OR click "Book Appointment" for assistance by video chat, email, or phone.

🧠 Mental Health & 💊 Substance Abuse: Find community-based providers & secure appointments.

🍲 Food Assistance: Access food pantries, home delivery meal programs, and government/non-profit programs.

🏠 Shelter Support: Find transitional housing, shelters, and housing programs.

🏥 Community Health Services: Connect with low-cost or free medical and dental care, female health services, and preventative care.

Catch up on past newsletters by visiting the Community Connection Newsletter Archive webpage.

Temecula Valley Unified School District is committed to building strong partnerships with parents in support of all students. Part of this commitment includes ensuring that families are informed of their rights and the right to opt their children out of certain instructional activities or assessments, as provided under state and federal law. The Frequently Asked Questions document linked below is designed to clarify the legal requirements, district procedures, and options available to parents regarding opt-outs.

For more information, visit: Know Your Rights and TVUSD Annual Notification for Parents

Location: 31350 Rancho Vista Road, Temecula, CA, USA
Phone: (951)676-2661