Community Update

This past weekend was a whirlwind of performances by our talented students starting with the annual Holiday Parade on Saturday. We had hundreds of students sing, play instruments, dance, and express the joy of the holidays on beautiful floats. Vista Unified students brought JOY to ALL at the WinterFest Tree Lighting on Sunday! With 14 performing groups, there were over 300 students involved in sharing their art with the community. From the colorful costumes to the festive music, Main Street was full of people enjoying the fabulous student performances. Happy Holidays!

Congratulations to Rancho Buena Vista High School (Bronze Award) and Mission Vista High School (Silver with Access) for their AP Honor Roll Distinctions. The AP School Honor Roll, which replaces the previous AP District Honor Roll, offers schools recognition across four levels of distinction: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Schools on the AP School Honor Roll may also earn the AP Access Award, honoring schools that demonstrate a clear and effective commitment to equitable access to advanced coursework.

In preparation for the 2024-25 school year, Madison Middle School is set to introduce a Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program for current dual language students and potential candidates coming from elementary school. This program will offer academic instruction in Spanish for Math and Social Studies, aligning with a broader pathway leading to the prestigious Seal of Biliteracy upon high school graduation. Roosevelt Middle School will continue in the 2025-26 school year by introducing a similar DLI program for their incoming middle school dual language learners. This expansion aims to provide a smooth transition for students in their dual language immersion journey.

Due to the school consolidations taking place at the end of the 2023-24 school year, the School Board voted to adjust the Magnet School Admissions process for the 2024-25 school year to provide options for displaced students currently at Beaumont Elementary and Rancho Minerva Middle School. The following adjustments will be temporary and affect the 2024-25 school year:

• Maintain the Current Boundary Zones - VUSD Magnet School Admissions are based on a lottery process. All five magnet schools for Grades K-12 use the middle school attendance areas, or zones, in the lottery process in order to equalize access from each neighborhood. For the 2024-2025 school lottery process, the current Rancho Minerva attendance boundary will be used for students who reside in what was this zone.

• Temporary Priority Group - Within the VUSD Magnet School Admissions Lottery process, a series of five “priority groups” currently exist. These priority groups include: Homeless/Foster Youth, siblings of students continuing enrollment at the same magnet school being applied to, children of Active Military personnel, children of permanent VUSD employees, and students matriculating from one magnet school level to the next (ie: Elementary to Middle School, and Middle School to High School). Based on direction from the School Board, a temporary priority group will be created for current TK-4 Grade Beaumont Elementary students, and current 6-7 Grade Rancho Minerva Middle School students.

• Pause Enrollment of Current Waitlist Students - To preserve more opportunities for displaced students from Beaumont Elementary and Rancho Minerva Middle School, the School Board has temporarily paused on-going admissions of students from the current magnet school waitlist for the remainder of the 2023-24 school year.

“Tis the season! December 15th marks the 47th annual Elks Lodge Holiday Performances for Vista’s preschool and elementary students attending specialized programs. For 47 years, the Vista Elks have partnered with Vista Unified in support of our students with special needs to provide a venue at which our students perform with their classes on stage, receive a gift from Santa, and enjoy a light meal. Families of those students are invited to attend.

The holiday season provides great opportunities for families to spend quality time together and connect activities at home to what our children are learning in school which builds stronger emotional bonds, better communication and improved learning. By engaging intentionally with our children through traditional holiday activities, we can expose them to new ideas and information, reinforce skills and knowledge, and encourage creativity, which supports their success in school.

• Cooking together: Measurement tends to be one of the most challenging mathematical domains for a lot of children and cooking is a great, practical way to learn about units of measure (ounces, cups, tablespoons) and their value through discussion in the process. For example, if a recipe calls for a teaspoon of salt, you can discuss what might happen if a tablespoon of salt was used instead!

• Budgeting: Encourage your kids to write a list of the people they want to buy gifts for. Then have them allocate a certain amount for each person on their list. While shopping for gifts, help your kids keep track of spending and their remaining budget.

• Exploring your city: Getting outdoors together can be a great stress reliever and it can also be a perfect opportunity to learn more about what Vista has to offer, including Public Arts Programs, Jingle Terrace Live and City Parks.
• Reading: Without a doubt, taking time to read every day will be of great benefit to your child’s learning, and the holiday season provides time for us to read together. Take time with younger readers to take turns reading pages from the book that they are reading or take time to read the same book that your older child is reading to be able to discuss thoughts and reflections together.
  

While fun and festive, the holiday season can feel busy and rushed. For many children, the days are filled with expectations of joy, excitement, and happiness. Others may struggle emotionally, particularly those who have experienced loss or trauma. All children benefit from keeping regular routines during these times.

Here are some ways families can embrace the magic of the season:

1. Make gifts for family and friends

2. Include children in decorating and cooking

3. Create handmade holiday cards for neighbors

4. Avoid scheduling more than one demanding event in a day

5. Limit screen time

6. Include physical activity in the day’s activities

7. Schedule plenty of downtime

This time of year brings no greater joy than the opportunity to express how grateful we are for our Vista Community. We hope these tips help your family have the best holiday season yet.

There has been significant progress on current and future projects for our community capital improvement projects through Measure LL. You can monitor the progress of our Measure by clicking here to access recent photos. At Rancho Buena Vista, the innovative Career Technical Education complex is nearing completion and is expected to be open in January of 2024. The front of school, utility, and parking renovations at Vista Magnet Middle School are entering their final phase of construction. We anticipate students and staff will be able to use the new facilities after the winter break. The Vista High School new construction at Buildings S and T have moved to the next phase of work to develop the interiors of the building with furniture being installed into Building S over the winter break. The Vista Magnet Middle School project is approaching completion, with the front facade completed and endorsed by the Vista Historical Society. The parking lot project is nearing completion as well, with the final asphalt set for installation in December. The new parking lot should be open in January 2024. Learn more about how Measure LL is reshaping teaching and learning in our school District on our web page by clicking here.

On Sunday, December 10th, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department will be hosting a “Guns for Gift Cards” event at the North County Regional Center, 325 South Melrose Drive in Vista. Participants can turn in unwanted guns and receive a gift card ($100 for handguns, rifles and shotguns and $200 for assault weapons and ghost guns). Free cable locks and security boxes (while supplies last) will also be available to people looking to secure firearms kept in their homes.

Casita Center has been in the news for receiving the National Blue Ribbon School Award at a ceremony in Washington, DC. Local media outlets covered the award event that honored Casita - one of just two schools in San Diego County to receive this honor and one of just 33 statewide. To see this story in our local media, click on the links here:

The Vista Press

North County Daily Star

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Location: 1234 Arcadia Avenue, Vista, CA, USA
Phone: (760) 726-2170
Twitter: @VistaBlueprint