Dear Scotts Valley Community,
We’re off to a fantastic start to the school year! 🎉 Our Back to School Nights are in full swing across all four sites—be sure to visit our updated websites for all the latest information.
Tonight is Food Truck Friday—we hope to see you there! And next Saturday, don’t miss the Scotts Valley Multicultural Fair, a celebration of culture, community, and connection. 🌍
As we step into September, we’re excited to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month. This special time allows us to honor and celebrate the vibrant contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities. Throughout the month, our teachers and staff will highlight the culture and traditions of students, staff, and community members with roots in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries in North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean. Our district remains dedicated to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) and is now in its third year of this work. Our DEIB Steering Committee includes school and district leaders, staff, parents, guardians, and Board members who are committed to making our community more inclusive.
We also continue our district-wide focus on math across all grade levels, partnering with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education. As part of a countywide network of mathematics leadership teams, we align professional learning with the 2023 California Math Framework and Common Core Standards. This initiative fosters a shared vision for math education and helps us develop strategic plans tailored to our district, enhancing math teaching and learning in our schools. Teachers have already begun reading, writing, and math assessments to identify how best to support students in the classroom.
September is also Attendance Awareness Month. Research from Attendance Works shows that missing even 10% of school (just two days per month) can lead to lower test scores, missed skills in math and English, problematic habits for future academic and career success, and impacted friendships. Let’s work together to establish positive attendance habits early in the school year. We miss your students when they aren’t in school! If you need help getting your child to school daily and on time for reasons other than illness, please reach out to your principal for assistance.
We’ve also received questions about updated COVID protocols. Similar to other respiratory viruses, students may return to school once symptoms improve and they’ve been fever-free for 24 hours without medication. Although they may still be somewhat contagious, risk is minimized after 24 hours without a fever. For COVID-19, a positive antigen test indicates a higher likelihood of spreading the virus, so extra precautions are advised for five days. Free at-home COVID test kits are available in every school office.
We’re thrilled to welcome many new special education students to the SVUSD family this year! We understand the importance of connecting with others who share similar experiences and encourage you to reach out to the Special Parent Information Network (SPIN). SPIN is an invaluable resource for finding community, friendship, and support. Additionally, there are many other local resources available to support families with special needs children, including:
● Growing Up in Santa Cruz Guide
We are committed to supporting your family and look forward to building a strong, positive partnership with you.
Meanwhile, our Business Department is finalizing the 2023-2024 books, and our team has worked hard over the summer on facility and IT upgrades. The IT Department is enhancing internet capabilities across the District, resolving Synergy challenges, and updating school websites to improve user-friendliness. We’ve also implemented a new ticketing system, HappyFox, to streamline service requests and ensure quicker response times. Our IT team continues to work closely with school sites to address any infrastructure needs.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to all our volunteers who support our staff and students every day. If you haven’t yet joined our volunteer ranks, please know there are some requirements beyond just signing up, including a background check and safety training. For more information, please visit our volunteer information page on the SVUSD website.
Thank you for being a vital part of our community. We are excited for the year ahead!
Sincerely,
Tanya Krause, Superintendent, and the District Office Team
Please visit school websites for important dates and events
Brook Knoll Elementary Website
Scotts Valley Middle School Website
Scotts Valley High School Website
Scotts Valley Unified School District Website