Dear Scotts Valley Community,
We are pleased and excited to start school with students on campus, Wednesday, August 11, for full-time, in-person instruction. Teachers return from their summer break on August 9th to prepare for another school year and they are eager to see your students arrive in their classrooms. School sites will be sending out their bell schedules this week.
The State of California and the California Department of Public Health have put forth reopening guidance for schools to which Scotts Valley Unified School District will adhere. CDPH Guidance, August 2, 2021 and County Superintendent’s Letter, August 2, 2021
Students, staff, and all visitors on school campuses will be required to wear masks when indoors. Mask wearing outdoors will be optional in most situations. The current guidance requires universal indoor masking in lieu of required distancing in the classrooms. Parents, staff and students are requested to adhere to passive screening prior to coming onto school campuses (daily symptom checking and temperature taking). As of this writing, current travel restrictions are set by states and are dependent on where people are travelling to and from, but school districts do not have to adhere to monitoring any travel.
For families who do not want to participate with the full-time, in-person instruction program this year, the alternative option will be full-time independent studies. If you are interested in this program, or want to explore if it is an appropriate fit for your child, you can find details on the district website on the Independent Study Page.
For parents who are interested in volunteering, we still need parent volunteers but for outdoor supervision and activities only at this time. We are requesting that parents who choose to volunteer, be vaccinated. Please contact the school office for more information.
Last spring, I initiated conversations with community partners with the intent to provide after school care at our elementary sites this upcoming fall. So many local entities and organizations are experiencing staffing and funding challenges. Even with that, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Cruz County in partnership with the City of Scotts Valley and SVUSD, have collaborated together to be able to provide an afterschool program for both Brook Knoll and Vine Hill elementary schools. This week, an official announcement will be made with more specifics about this afterschool program. We are very pleased and appreciative of all of the efforts that have been made in order to provide this service to our students and community.
We have received inquiries over the summer about whether SVUSD will be offering Early Transitional Kindergarten (ETK) in the upcoming school year. We will not be implementing that program in the 2021-22 school year. The state legislature approved a progressive process with full implementation in the 2024-25 school year which the District will be following. The District will be discussing and planning for this program in the upcoming year in preparation for initial implementation of the ETK program in 2022-23.
Over the summer, we have had some significant staff changes and a lot of new hires. One of our areas of focus this year districtwide is on social emotional health and academic restoration. The District continues to make efforts towards increasing staff to provide those services.
The main areas of focus this year for our District:
- Connection and Community - Restoration
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Environmental Literacy and outdoor learning opportunities
Also this summer, the District began its efforts to improve our internet speed, reliability, and security by installing structured cabling and upgrading network equipment. We expect these projects to be completed early this Fall.
On July 22, parents who already have students registered in our District received a communication regarding new online registration through our new student information system called Synergy. You may recall me mentioning last spring that the student information system that we were using, Illuminate, was no longer going to provide their service, so we were forced to make a transition. Our team has worked hard over the summer and is available to answer questions that you may have regarding the new system. If you are experiencing issues with this new system, please visit the Synergy Help Page on the district website , utilize the chat feature on the district website (www.scottsvalleyusd.org), or email help@scottsvalleyusd.org
While we prepare to return to in-person instruction with the current guidance as outlined above, we are also keen to the possibility of additional upcoming changes. As guidance or regulations change as they relate to schools and school related activities, the District will certainly be providing updates. As of this time, school districts have yet to receive updated CDPH guidance for sports or extracurricular activities. We were informed we would have received it by now. As soon as we do, we will respond accordingly.
As you know, last year created many life-changing events for so many, not only for schools, and this period of time will not easily be forgotten. On a positive note, a lot of learning did occur, and a lot of positive new experiences were had. We are in awe of the resiliency of our students and staff.
I look forward to a positive year where people come together to support one another, be gentle and kind, and continue to keep our focus on what is best for kids. I’m genuinely looking forward to seeing our students soon and hearing the pitter patter of feet and the laughter of children playing on our campuses.
As mentioned, we have several new staff starting in our District - please join me in welcoming them to SVUSD!
Sincerely,
Tanya Krause, SVUSD Superintendent
New Employees 2021-22
District Office:
New Administration
Alexandra Friel, Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Sandi Reimer, Interim Director of Student Services
Lori Gentile, Promotion to Director of Business Services
Jennifer Rasmussen, Promotion to Food Service Manager
Certificated
Juliet Drumm, School Psychologist, DO
Caroline Norton, Speech Language Pathologist
Katrina Schickenberg, Program Specialist
Lisa Tripp, School Nurse
Classified
John Northington, Groundskeeper
Maren Peduto, Acct. Payables/Payroll
Tanya Phillips, Promotion to Lead Data Specialist
Mallory Sainsbury, Promotion to Accountant
Andrew Savoy, Promotion to Lead Network Specialist
Kelsey Warthemann, Occupational Therapist
Scotts Valley High School:
Certificated
Matt McHan, Art
Elijah Stone Rosenblum, English
Mikayla Heffner, Biology
Lacey Coenen, Band/Choir
Cheryl Ruyle, Education Specialist
Emese Erdos, Math
Kanani Thomas, English
Classified
Jennifer Beasley, Food Service Asst. II
Brynna Williams, Food Service Asst. II
Scotts Valley Middle School:
Certificated
Alexandria Schrader, Math
Andreas Wessels, History/English
Heidi Petruzzi, PE
Lacey Coenen, Band/Choir
Cheryl Ruyle, Education Specialist
Classified
Jennie Gilbert, School Secretary
Brook Knoll:
Certificated
Michelle Ponos, Teacher
Bonny Ryan, Teacher
Tira Schindler, Teacher
Travis Tobiassen, Teacher
Remi White, Teacher
Classified
Melissa Lima, Library Clerk
Vine Hill:
Certificated
Marni Call, Teacher
Joseph Castillo, Teacher
Cristina Losada, Teacher
Classified
Amanda Boynton, Instructional Assistant
Nancy Gomez, Attendance Secretary/Registrar
Kim Scalla, Instructional Assistant
We are still hiring and adding to the list!
Bear Resources
In our student's quest for personal growth and development, social responsibility, knowledge, and life long learning skills, Vine Hill School strives to promote: development of self-esteem and integrity, respect for the environment, appreciation for the world's interrelated cultures and involvement in a rapidly changing and culturally diverse society.
GO BEARS!
Meals are FREE this school year to ALL SVUSD students.
Bear Happenings
important dates
August 2nd - Early Bear/Late Bear Notification goes out
August 6th - Class Placement Notification Available in SYNERGY
August 9th - Meet and Greet:
* TK-2nd Grade 1:30pm -2:10pm
* 3rd-5th Grade 2:20pm - 3:00pm
August 11th - First Day of School
August 11th - PTA Welcome Back Coffee (after student drop off) at the amphitheater.
NEW this year!
- Parents/Guardians will receive an email in late July with directions on how to create a new SYNERGY parent account.
- Returning Registration forms for SVUSD will need to be done through the parent account.
During this process, expect to be directed to the SVUSD website to read the required documents and then directed back to Synergy to electronically
Vine Hill School Tour
B = Be Respectful
E = Eager to Learn
A = Always Prepare
R = Responsibility
S = Solve Problems
Visit the district’s Help Desk page for resources and weekly drop-in support hours. In addition, our District’s SVUSD Website has a live online Chat with an SVUSD Tech.
We're here to help! Let us know about cases of bullying, academic dishonesty, mental health issues, or other concerns you may have about the safety and/or well-being of our students. If you see something, say something.
Spotlight
