Update From The Scotts Valley Unified School District Superintendent For May 7

Press release from the Scotts Valley Unified School District:

May 7, 2021

Dear Scotts Valley Community,

"We are moving along at a rapid pace now! We have a few weeks of in-person instruction under our belts and we are gearing up for spring activities, events, and end of year celebrations. It is exciting!

Last week I sent out a notification that we finally received our state waiver approval for the “fire days“ and we are able to maintain our current school calendar and end on the originally scheduled date of June 9th. With that, schools are planning for their promotion and graduation activities, while also having to plan for both the orange tier parameters and the yellow tier parameters. Although Santa Cruz County has not yet met the metrics to move into the yellow tier, we are keeping our fingers crossed that will occur for all promotions and graduation celebrations. Planning is in process and as the date draws closer, you will be receiving more information from each site principal.

This week we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Day and Staff Appreciation Week. Thank you to the parent groups who donated generously in support of our amazing teachers and staff! This has been an incredibly challenging year and our teachers and educators deserve a lot of credit and appreciation. Thank you for your continued support of our schools and our staff during this unique year.

Thank you to all the parents who have already responded to the parent survey that we sent out this past week. We are hopeful that all parents will fill out this survey as we are continuing to plan for programmatic and staffing needs for the fall. The final date for submission is May 14th. When we receive all the information, we will be in further communication about finalized plans for the 2021-22 school year.

We have been successful in vaccinating several 16 and older students who were interested in receiving a Pfizer vaccination and as soon as the 12 and older vaccination is approved and released, we will be making arrangements to provide that as well.

As CDC, CDPH, and Cal OSHA requirements are beginning to shift in terms of outdoor mask-wearing, we will continue to adhere to the same facial covering and social distancing requirements currently in place for the duration of the school year. When we begin the school year in August, we will adhere to the regulations that are in place at that time.

Please read the letter from the Santa Cruz County Superintendents which also addresses some of the topics mentioned above.

The Scotts Valley Educational Foundation and the District's Wellness Committee have collaborated to encourage students and families to get out and move, beginning Monday, May 10. Elementary and Middle School students will be participating with Tic-Tac-Toe cards to help track their exercise, and they can win fun prizes, including a bike! All families are invited to participate, and can participate in the Wellness Challenge, the Mountain Charlie Challenge, or both. There are great opportunities to exercise together and enjoy the beautiful weather - check your school newsletter for more information.

Amazingly, we are into the home stretch of this school year."

Have fun and be safe,

Tanya Krause, Superintendent

This press release was produced by the Scotts Valley Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.