IN THIS ISSUE:

• Message from the Superintendent
• TahoeTruckee Community Scholarships
• Focus on Wellness
• TTUSD Schools Save Energy – Truckee Elementary Going Green
• Volunteers Reconstruct Truckee High School Soccer Field
• Mark Your Calendar: Important Back to School Dates

Dear TTUSD Families and Community,

As summer comes to a close, I have difficulty believing that I am writing my first "welcome" letter as the Superintendent-Chief Learning Officer of the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District. The amazing spring we experienced together transformed into a wonderful summer, and I hope all of you have been enjoying the incredible Tahoe Truckee region with opportunities to continue to learn, rest, recharge, and recreate in our glorious surroundings. Many of our students have participated in summer learning programs, and I know all will come to school ready to learn on August 29.

One of the highlights of my summer was attending the National Civic League Conference where Tahoe Truckee was recognized as one of 14 communities in the nation as an All-America City. The program focus for this distinguished designation is the campaign to ensure all students are reading at grade level by the end of third grade. Thanks to a community effort led by the Excellence in Education Foundation, a plan was developed for our entire community to address this critical area including many opportunities to avoid summer learning loss. This designation is a reflection of the caring and commitment of our entire community to ensure that all of our students are successful.

The All-America City plan to address grade level reading also includes two other critical areas: school readiness and chronic absences. We have new plans and programs under consideration to complement the outstanding efforts already underway to help students enter school ready to learn. On the other hand, I was very surprised to learn that we have a significant school attendance problem in our district. It is critical that our students attend school every day in order to learn and be successful. Research shows that chronic absences not only affect the learning of the one student but have an impact on learning for the entire class.

We are excited to start with several new teachers and staff this fall, including our new principal at Tahoe Truckee High School, Greg Dettinger. All of the incoming teachers and staff will be participating in a 3-day academy which will include a tour of the district offices and schools, an orientation covering procedures, budget training, and meeting with teacher mentors, coaches, and the board of trustees so that they start the year with support systems in place, ready to teach.

We continue to have budget concerns including ongoing deficit spending and diminishing reserves. In June the California Legislators passed and the Governor signed the 2012-2013 state budget which is based on the assumption Governor Brown's tax initiative will pass in November. If the initiative passes, schools will be funded at the same level as in 2010-11. If the initiative fails we have been told that trigger cuts will be implemented amounting to a $454 per student reduction. While the school district has budgeted for this reduction in 2012-13, the resulting deficit for 2013-2014 is significant and could require a $3 million reduction. The passage of the tax initiative should mean an ongoing restoration of approximately $1.7 million to our budget. On August 8, the TTUSD Board of Trustees passed a resolution supporting the November tax initiatives.

Even with the ongoing budget dilemma, my goal is that we continue to build on the momentum of last spring into a new era of possibilities for our students, staff, and the entire community. I have shared my philosophical focus on rigor, relevance, and respectful relationships, and these remain true to my core as an educator and your Chief Learning Officer. This year we will be sharing a new vision for our school district that embodies this philosophy and together we will be planning how we will build pathways to new possibilities for our students. These pathways will include how we will address the California Common Core State Standards and 21st century learning outcomes for our graduates. Together we will create pathways of possibilities that will prepare our students for college, career, and life!

I also want to reiterate my commitment to being an active, responsive, and visible part of our community. I have reserved every Wednesday morning to visit schools, be in classrooms, and visit departments. While my official "listening and learning tour" is over, I promise to continue to listen and learn by participating in school and community events and being available to each and every one of you. I also plan to schedule regular opportunities to meet with me so you may share your interests about our school district.

As I complete this message, I find myself feeling so fortunate to be a part of such a great school district and community. We truly are deserving of the title: All-America City!

Dr. Rob Leri
Superintendent-Chief Learning Officer

Despite tough economic times, our community showed a tremendous outpouring of support in scholarships for our 2012 high school graduates to aid in their continuing education. Graduates from TTUSD high schools received more than $225,000 in scholarships from local organizations and individuals (plus more than $47,000 from out-of-district donors). A complete listing of the benefactors can be found on the TTUSD website: http://www.ttusd.org/scholarshipslist. We really appreciate their generosity.

A new Wellness Program piloted at the three TTUSD high schools this spring will continue for the 2012-2013 school year with the goal of expanding services. Seeing a need for increased efforts to support student wellness, the Wellness Partnership, a team made up of 13 community partner organizations, worked with TTUSD administration and faculty to align with the district's programming so that students could access services on site. The program encompasses physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual wellness and aims to empower students to make good choices for their own well-being and to educate students about additional community services available to them.

Wellness Centers were established at the schools with drop-in times two or three days a week to offer a place for students to hang out and socialize with friends, connect with and gain insight from community volunteers and access a broad spectrum of wellness supports. The Wellness Partnership worked closely with the student Youth Councils to involve students in shaping the wellness centers at their schools. Non-traditional wellness activities, such as yoga/mindfulness, hip hop dance, Zumba, guitar group, healthy cooking, expressive art, SAT prep, and after school tutoring were offered through the Wellness Centers.

The Wellness Partnership focused on reaching out to all students during advisories and health classes to tell them about the Wellness Centers and to provide them with practical tools to manage stress, anxiety, and depression. They also partnered with North Tahoe High youth leaders to show a screening of the documentary, "Miss Representation," followed by a student panel, addressing healthy body image and healthy relationships.

In an effort to better integrate and track student wellness programs and services in all district schools, Dr. Rob Leri created a new TTUSD administrative position, approved by the TTUSD board of trustees in July. Corine Harvey accepted the new role of Executive Director of Student Services, now encompassing counseling and student wellness as well as special education.

TTUSD SCHOOLS SAVE ENERGY – TRUCKEE ELEMENTARY GOING GREEN

100% Reduction in Energy Use District-Wide

At a time when saving money is critical for the district, data shows that all eight of TTUSD's schools have cut down significantly on energy consumption since conservation efforts were first targeted in 2008, according to Anna Klovstad, C.E.M./Project Manager for the TTUSD Facilities Department. Glenshire Elementary School led the district with a 25% decrease in energy consumption between 2008 and 2011, followed by Kings Beach Elementary School, Alder Creek Middle School, and Donner Trail Elementary School, all with about a 19% decrease in energy consumption. Putting percentages into dollar amounts, the district now spends a third less on gas and electricity, reducing the district's annual costs from more than $1.2 million per year to about $800,000 per year. But saving money is only one benefit of the district's conservation goals. "We are in the business of education, so this is an opportunity to educate our students and staff on energy conservation and sustainability affecting our district, our community, and ultimately the environment." said Klovstad.

Cafeteria Waste Significantly Reduced

In addition to energy conservation, the district has made significant recycling and waste reduction efforts with the help of faculty, student, and community collaboration. Last year North Tahoe School (NTS) teacher Paula Bossler, who teaches an environmental science elective class, teamed up with Klovstad to implement a more extensive recycling and waste reduction program at NTS. The group reached out to the community for support, enlisting the help of Missy Mohler of Sierra Watershed Education Partnerships, who also directs the successful Envirolution club and program at Truckee High School. Local business owner Joanna Walters of Sierra Cost Management also joined the effort.

Bossler's students conducted a week-long study on recycling and waste patterns in the cafeteria at NTS. As a result of their findings, Styrofoam was eliminated entirely district-wide and reusable lunch trays replaced all disposable lunch trays in the elementary schools. A cost analysis showed that the reusable lunch trays paid for themselves in only 80 days of use, along with decreasing the district's landfill contribution. Thanks to the Nature Fund grant from the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, adult portion reusable lunch trays were tested last year at Alder Creek Middle School with the goal of getting them into the high schools as well.

Truckee Elementary Is Going Green Thanks to Shane McConkey Foundation

Thanks to a grant from the Shane McConkey Foundation and a matching grant raised by the Truckee Elementary PTO along with help from Canopy Strategies, SWEP, TTCF, and countless volunteer hours to implement the program, Truckee Elementary is the flagship school furthering the greening efforts of the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District.

Last fall, the PTO and TTUSD started brainstorming ways to improve the school's sustainability and reduce consumption. In September 2011, the Shane McConkey Foundation gave $20,000 to TTUSD to put its schools on a path toward sustainability and environmental responsibility. Sherry McConkey, who created the foundation following her husband Shane's death in 2009, saw investment in local schools as an effective way to bring Shane's legacy to the next generation, by instilling in students the sense of respect and appreciation for the environment that he had.

Truckee Elementary students, staff, parents, TTUSD, and the community are rallying around the effort. Valerie Simpson, Truckee Elementary School Principal, said that the project has created a synchronicity that they were looking for. The PTO really wanted to contribute to a lasting project that would enhance Truckee Elementary's educational experience. Simpson said that ultimately she would like this to lead to an environmental studies focus for the school. They have already set up a partnership with help from Missy Mohler at SWEP and the Truckee High School Envirolution Club. Simpson said that Truckee Elementary students are excited to be part of the greening team effort. She noted that a group of 5th graders had committed to giving up their lunch period once a week to find ways to create a no lunch waste environment. According to Walters, "The 5th grade students are also responsible for collecting all the paper recycling from classrooms every week. This effort alone has diverted about 16 tons the landfill and contributed to savings of nearly $4,000."

Klovstad said that Truckee Elementary participating as a green team school is a great opportunity to further the district's goals of creating a culture of sustainability. "We have the inspiration from students, support from faculty, parents, and the community, and the funding to test new products and processes at Truckee Elementary. We'll be able to use the feedback of an enthusiastic group as a model to help us implement energy conservation and waste reduction practices throughout the district."

Speaking to the district's overall conservation and waste reduction efforts, Dr. Rob Leri said, "This is an impressive body of work in terms of the efforts that are going on in the school district for conservation and energy savings. Not only does it help to educate students and instill a culture of conservation, but the bottom line is that the savings goes back to the district budget."

Last fall Truckee High School soccer coaches Casey Eberhard, Katie Jamison, and Travis Spencer met to brainstorm ways to improve the soccer field, which was among the worst in the NIAA, according to Eberhardt. The field was so bad that for the past few years the Wolverines have held their varsity home games at River View Sports Park or Surprise Stadium (which was only available when not conflicting with the football team's schedule).

After meeting with then Truckee High School principal David Putney and the school's maintenance department, they concluded that a complete overhaul was needed, partly due to the field's ancient and irreparable irrigation system, and poor drainage. The coaches then met with the TTUSD Facilities Department to seek help setting up a donations account for reconstructing the field.

According to Rob Koster, Project Manager for the TTUSD Facilities Department, the district didn't have the means to pay for a new field, but believed that it was critical to commission a professional landscape architect with sports field experience to create plans to ensure that the field was designed for long-term viability. "It was important that the field was properly graded and drainage installed to avoid problems with water ponding. The irrigation system was designed to provide uniform watering throughout the field and be easier to maintain than the previous system." said Koster.

Renowned sports field architect Brent Long of BTL Landscape Architecture in South Lake Tahoe was hired by the the district. Then the TTUSD Board of Trustees voted to give Travis Spencer a no cost contract, so Spencer's business, Spencer Construction, took on the huge responsibility and liability for rebuilding the field on a purely volunteer basis.

Spencer and Eberhard spent the winter soliciting donations for materials and from professional contractors for what couldn't be done by the numerous student, parent, and community volunteers who came together on the project. They also received grants and donations from numerous Tahoe Truckee business and organizations—raising nearly $20,000.

Work started on the field in May and thanks to the scores of volunteers who gave their time laboring on it, the field will be ready for use in 5-6 weeks, once the sod roots are established. "The efforts and transformation taking place right outside our door is amazing, said TTUSD Superintendent-Chief Learning Officer Dr. Rob Leri. "Did you see that huge pile of rocks?—Student volunteers, parents, and coaches have spent countless hours picking them; as a rancher, that's something I'm familiar with, it's back-breaking work and no fun."

Laker Day at North Tahoe High School:
Thursday, August 23 12:00-3:00

Wolverine Days at Tahoe Truckee High School:

Tuesday, August 21st
8:00 to 10:00 Seniors
10:15 to 12:30 Juniors
1:00 to 3:30 Sophomores
3:00 to 6:00 Make Up for Seniors, Juniors and Sophomores

Wednesday, August 22nd
4:00 to 8:00 Freshmen and Make Ups

Cougar Days at Alder Creek Middle School:
(Choose which day is most convenient):

Wednesday, August 22nd
11:00 to 1:00

Thursday, August 23rd
4:00 to 6:00

Back to School Nights will be held at the following schools on these days
Please check your school's website after school starts for time and more information:

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