VUSD Superintendent's Update

Dear Families and Staff,

Fall is in full swing at VUSD as we approach the end of our first trimester on November 6. Alongside classroom learning, we have much to celebrate! Congratulations to the Michelson Trojans’ fourth- and fifth-grade girls basketball team and the Avery Hawks’ eighth-grade girls team on winning their league championships.

October also brought our community together through Hazel Fischer’s Fall Festival, the Monster Mash dance, and Avery Middle School’s dance. Thank you to our Parent Clubs and volunteers for creating these fun, memorable experiences for students and families.

Behind the scenes, our backup power systems proved their value during the recent three-day PG&E shutoff at Hazel Fischer and Avery Middle School. Large generators kept both schools fully operational, preserving regular school days and essential services. We appreciate the staff whose preparation and teamwork made this possible.

Looking ahead, watch your mailbox for VUSD’s 2026–27 Community Report in the coming weeks. Filled with district information and highlights, the report will reach households throughout our community, helping us stay connected with the many Highway 4 corridor residents (beyond our parents and staff) whose support contributes to our students’ success.

We also look forward to welcoming our unopposed Governing Board candidates in December: Rob Hecocks, Jodi Sledge, and Kim Pratt will serve 2026–2030 terms, and Roem Bonilla will serve through 2028, completing the remainder of Susan Singleton’s term following her resignation earlier this year. David Needham will continue his current term through 2028. These uncontested positions did not appear on the November ballot.

Thank you for your continued partnership and for making VUSD a welcoming place to learn, work, and grow.

Warmly,
Tom Hoskins
Superintendent

Technology has been an important topic at VUSD this year, especially student cell phone use and artificial intelligence (AI) in our schools. Thank you to the families and staff who completed our earlier technology survey! To review the results, select the link titled “Technology and AI Survey Sept 2026" (below).

The VUSD Governing Board has reviewed proposed technology policies and guidelines and will consider adopting them at the November 18 public Board meeting. Here is a brief overview:

Cell Phones: Under the proposed policy, students would keep phones out of sight and would not use them during the school day or on school buses. Consequences would increase with repeated violations. Examples include a verbal warning for the first offense, keeping the phone in the office until the end of the day for the third offense, and requiring daily phone check-in at the office for the fifth offense.

Artificial Intelligence: TK–5 students would learn about AI through teacher-led lessons but would not use AI tools at school. Students in grades 6–8 would use AI only with teacher direction or supervision. The focus would remain on honest schoolwork, students showing their own learning, and building creativity, critical thinking, and teamwork. Human thinking and relationships would remain at the center of learning.

Your feedback matters! Before the Board considers adoption, please take the brief Technology Policy Survey linked above. Whether you support the proposals or have concerns or suggestions, we encourage you to share your views. Reviewing the earlier survey results is another helpful way to learn what families and staff have shared.

Did you know VUSD employs 108 staff members? Our staff are the heart of our schools. Each person plays a key role in making every school a safe, welcoming place where students and families feel connected and supported.

This year, all of our teaching and administrative positions are filled, and our classified staff positions are 94.5% filled. We’re looking for caring, dependable people to help us build strong school communities in these roles:

• Michelson Elementary: One morning crossing guard position, 30 minutes per day.

• Avery Middle School: Three paraeducator positions.

Interested or know someone who might be? Visit edjoin.org/vallecito to learn more and apply. We’d love to welcome new members to our team!

We are excited to welcome Emily Orr as Vallecito Union School District’s new Chief Business Official (CBO)/Director of Operations! Emily brings more than 13 years of financial and operational leadership experience, along with a deep connection to our community and district.

Raised in Calaveras County, Emily attended Michelson Elementary, Avery Middle School, and Bret Harte High School before attending UC Santa Cruz and later earning a master’s degree in Accounting from the University of the Pacific. Her career includes leading finance and business operations for Ironstone Vineyards and serving as Finance Officer for the City of Angels Camp. Her experience in budgeting, audits, public finance, staff leadership, and long-term planning will help support responsible management of district resources and effective operations for our students and staff.

As both a former VUSD student and a current district parent, Emily has a personal investment in our schools and their continued success. She and her husband have two children—a fourth grader at Hazel Fischer and a one-and-a-half-year-old. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, running, rock climbing, paddleboarding, painting, board games, and time with her family.

We look forward to the expertise, perspective, and dedication Emily will bring to our district. Please join us in giving her a warm welcome to the VUSD team!

The California Department of Education recently released the 2026 California School Dashboard, which reports how districts, schools, and student groups are doing. VUSD has several results to celebrate! On the Dashboard’s five-color scale, Blue is the highest performance level, followed by Green.

• Districtwide: Green in English Language Arts (ELA), Science, and Suspension Rate.

• Michelson Elementary: Green in ELA, Math, and Science, and Blue in Suspension Rate.

• Hazel Fischer Elementary: Green in Suspension Rate.

• Avery Middle School: Green in ELA and Suspension Rate, and Blue in Science.

These results reflect the hard work of our students and staff and the support of our families. We are proud of their efforts to strengthen learning and build positive school communities.

Math remains an area for growth across the district, and we have specific steps in place to help students improve. This spring, teachers will use Professional Learning Community (PLC) time to focus on math, review student progress, and share teaching strategies. Teachers will also receive coaching from the Calaveras County Office of Education and an outside math consultant. The district is also trying out new math curriculum this year, with the goal of adopting new materials for the start of the 2027–28 school year.

Together, these efforts will help us build on our progress and give students the support they need to grow as confident math learners.

CLICK THE LINK ABOVE TO SEE DASHBOARD RESULTS FROM ACROSS THE STATE, INCLUDING VUSD

This year, VUSD added eight minimum days to the school calendar on the third Wednesday of the month. These afternoons give teachers time to work together in Professional Learning Communities, or PLCs, to strengthen teaching and support student achievement—a key goal of our district’s strategic plan.

Our PLC work focuses on two areas we want to improve across the district: writing and math. Teachers share strategies that are working, review student work, and plan lessons based on what students need. Five questions guide their work:

1. What do we want students to know and be able to do?

2. How will we know they have learned it?

3. How will we help students who need more support?

4. How will we challenge students who have already learned it?

5. What should we do next?

This ongoing process helps teachers put plans into action, check student progress, and adjust their teaching.

Education researcher John Hattie identifies collective teacher efficacy as one of the strongest influences on student achievement. In simple terms, this means teachers share the belief that, by working together, they can help students succeed. Our PLCs help build that shared confidence through action: teachers learn from one another, solve problems together, and use student work to see what is making a difference.

Thank you, families, for making room for these minimum days in your schedules. This time helps our teachers grow together so they can better support every student.