Community Update

The City of Vista is updating its General Plan to guide the City into the future. The General Plan will develop a vision for Vista and a roadmap for housing, transportation, parks and open space, infrastructure, and other topics. The planning process began in 2022 and will continue through late 2024. There will be many opportunities to share your thoughts about what is important to you and what you hope to see prioritized in Vista, as the General Plan moves forward. For future community workshops and other project related information, please visit the City of Vista General Plan Update website at Vista2050.com. or contact Michael Ressler, Principal Planner, at (760) 643-5382 or mressler@cityofvista.com and Patsy Chow, Acting Community Development Director/City Planner at (760) 643-5390 or pchow@cityofvista.com.

We're excited to celebrate Ability Awareness Month! Throughout the month, we will be focusing on celebrating the unique abilities and talents of all our students. There are a series of engaging activities and events planned to raise awareness and promote inclusion. These include guest speakers, interactive workshops, and fun educational projects. We encourage families to join in our efforts to create a more inclusive and understanding community. Let's learn from one another and celebrate the diverse abilities that make our school special. https://youtu.be/e96nbW0ZiBY

In keeping with our focus on joy and kindness, the events in Israel are disheartening. All children and adults deserve to feel safe, secure, and cared for. As the conflict in Israel continues to escalate, we recognize there are growing concerns around safety in our schools and communities. Vista Unified and local law enforcement are staying informed of developments. Given the severity of the situation in Israel and the worldwide attention, law enforcement is encouraging a higher level of vigilance and situational awareness over the next few weeks. As we have stated on multiple occasions, if you see something, say something.

As parents and guardians, it is difficult to shield children from the news they may see or hear on media outlets. Because of these challenging times, families may be looking for resources to help explain to their children what is happening in the world around them. The San Diego County Office of Education has put together the following resource kit to aid families in engaging in meaningful discussions with students about the events in Israel and Gaza.

Student safety is our primary concern and we will continue to work with local law enforcement agencies and share any updates with you.

October 16-20th is nationally recognized as Digital Citizenship Week. In Vista Unified, we use Common Sense Media lessons to help our students learn healthy media habits. We encourage all of our families to engage this week, and commit to:

• Watch Video Kids and Tech: How Much is Too Much?

• Watch Video Kids and Tech: When to Get a Phone

• Complete a Family Media Planner together with your children

• Check out our K-5 Tip Sheet English/Spanish, 6-12 Tip Sheet English/Spanish

Along with districts and organizations across California, we have adopted the 5 Competencies of Digital Citizenship. All members of our organization, including students, staff, and families can develop healthy digital habits through the 5 competencies.

To promote digital discussions that are rooted in our district values of trust, respect, collaboration, equity, and kindness, we have adopted the "THINK" acronym.

Before you post online, THINK:

• Is it true?

• Is it helpful?

• Is it inspiring?

• Is it necessary?

• Is it kind?

Measure LL continues to make strong progress at several sites across the District (click here to access recent photos). At Vista High School Buildings S and T have moved to the next phase of work to develop the interiors of the building. At Rancho Buena Vista High School the Career Technical Education building is entering the last phase of construction with the roof and interior spaces being finished in the upcoming months. The Vista Magnet Middle School upgrades are moving forward with a new front of the school, parking lot, and dramatically improved utilities and site drainage for the school. In addition, the innovative design of the new Bobier Elementary School was submitted for state review earlier this month and passed the initial process without any revisions or comments, a testament to the intensity and quality of the design process (click here to access the Innovative Design Project page). Finally, the San Diego County Taxpayers association honored the Measure ALL team and the Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee, the independent local bond monitoring organization, by improving the Districts school bond transparency report card for the third year in a row (click here to access). Learn more about how Measure LL is reshaping teaching and learning in our school District on our web page by clicking here.

Vista Unified and the City of Vista are joining forces and hosting a Fentanyl Town Hall. Join us on Thursday, October 26th as we delve into this concerning trend and how we can educate ourselves on its effect on our students and community. You will hear from local experts, a student panel, and a parent who lost their child to a Fentanyl poisoning. Community members, families, middle and high school students are encouraged to attend this free and informative event.

Vista Unified has a dedicated team of school nurses whose primary goal is the physical health of our students. Throughout the year, nurses support students with immediate health concerns as well as vision and hearing exams. Recently the San Diego County Office of Education provided recent updates on when students can return to school when a student has symptoms of illness. Some notable updates include guidance around when students may return to school after having a fever or pink eye:

Fever: A child may return to school if their fever went away in the night without using fever-reducing medications and is still gone in the morning, other symptoms are improving, and the child can participate comfortably in routine activities.

Pink Eye: Staying home from school or child care is not necessary, unless the child has trouble seeing, there is an injury to the eye, or there is pain or discomfort the child cannot tolerate.

The attached Guidelines for Parents on Keeping Ill Students At Home provides additional guidance. Parents can also reach out to the school nurse for assistance.

Email: webmaster@vistausd.org
Website: vistausd.org
Location: 1234 Arcadia Avenue, Vista, CA, USA
Phone: (760) 726-2170
Twitter: @VistaBlueprint