Welcome to Tahoe Truckee Unified School District ::

Lockdown Follow-up: On Tuesday, the day following a precautionary lock down at the central Truckee schools, we held a debriefing with participants from all the affected schools and district staff. Staff members and I have both reviewed the timeline and incident with Truckee Police Department. Overall the lockdown procedures worked, but we used this opportunity to identify areas that need to be improved. Some of the issues identified include communication on several fronts including between schools and the district office and with parents. Additionally, issues with the bells and public address capabilities at Truckee High School need immediate attention. I would like to publicly thank Truckee PD for the work and their immediate action to place our schools on a precautionary lock down.
TTUSD/TTEA agreement is official! The tentative agreement reached between TTUSD and TTEA, our teachers’ union, was ratified by the trustees at the April 25 board meeting and is now official! Due to the incentive included in the agreement, we received 20 retirement announcements, which means we will only have two furlough days next year (3 fewer than the 5 we had this year). We will be rescinding all the layoff notices by the May 15 deadline. Again, I’m so pleased that the collaborative effort by both negotiating teams resulted in such a positive outcome for our students, staff and ultimately the community at large.
Truckee Principal Search temporarily on hold: After a “paper” screening of resumes in April, eight candidates were forwarded to the oral interview process. Two of the eight had already secured employment and did not interview. Last week we interviewed six candidates and found two finalists. On Saturday, we learned that one of our top candidates declined to continue in the process. Upon reflection with his family, he determined this is not the time to relocate to Truckee. Of course, I am disappointed, and I am not comfortable moving forward with only one finalist. I am stopping the process at this point including cancelling the "meet and greet" scheduled for Thursday. I do not want to settle on a principal for Truckee High; it's too important! We reposted the position Monday AND plan to use additional resources to help recruit. I anticipate we will conduct interviews at the end of May or first of June. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns.
Star Testing started this week: Our state testing started this week and will continue through next week. You can support your children by establishing an environment for them to do their best: be in attendance and be on time, ensure your children get adequate sleep, and be sure they eat a healthy breakfast. And finally, help them to start the day and go into the test relaxed and with a positive attitude!
Teacher Appreciation Week next week: I’m sure you know how important it is to appreciate our teachers. From the hours put in to creating engaging lesson plans to late night grading sessions to after school help for students who need it, our teachers are entitled to recognition for all their hard work and their impact on student success. While they deserve our support and credit throughout the entire year, one week is set aside each year as Teacher Appreciation Week, and that is next week, May 7-11 (with Wednesday May 9 as the official “Day of the Teacher.”) You’ll see banners around our communities thanking our staff, many sites will host luncheons and/or coffee and treats, and each teacher will receive a small token of our appreciation as a gift from me. We are so grateful to have such an outstanding group of employees who care so much about our students. Thank you! (Note: coming up May 21-25 is a week to appreciate our Classified Staff… more on that later.)
Sierra High School Student wins essay contest: Jenny Estrada, a senior at Sierra High, recently won a statewide essay contest presented by the California Continuation Education Association (CCEA). “How I Turned Failure Into Success at Sierra High School” is a heartfelt account of how being a student at Sierra High has helped her to take on the challenges in her life and use them to help her succeed. It was selected as the first place essay from about 20 submissions. She was honored at the CCEA annual convention last week; although she was unable to attend, her teacher Ed Hilton was there to read her winning essay to the crowd and to accept the award on her behalf. CCEA raises money each year to provide scholarships to essay contest winners; this year $1,100 will be split up and awarded to the top three winners. Well done Jenny!
Sierra College Tahoe Truckee Career Expo: TODAY, Wednesday May 2 from 4-6 at the Sierra College Truckee campus…. there will be information tables and career resources from local professionals and employers. Students can find out about a variety of jobs and career paths. There are also three presentations: 4 p.m. Becoming an EMT; 4:30 p.m. Bridge to Your Future (a panel discussion just for high school students), and 5:30 p.m. Career Paths in Business.
Open Houses Continue: I have really enjoyed attending all the Open Houses this past month – it has been a wonderful opportunity for me to meet many of you and to see the result of the learning taking place in our classrooms. There are still a few Open Houses coming up – mark your calendar if your child attends any of the following schools:

North Tahoe School: May 22, 6 p.m.
Tahoe Lake Elementary: May 23, 6 p.m.
Glenshire Elementary: May 24, 6 p.m.
Kings Beach Elementary: June 7, 6 p.m.

A few more tidbits:

Both the Truckee and NTHS baseball teams won their games at Reno Aces Stadium recently! In return for using the stadium, both teams are selling general admission Aces tickets for $8 as a fundraiser. Call the schools for more details. Also, congrats to Truckee HS Baseball for going undefeated in the league this season! Good luck in the playoffs!
AP testing is coming up
NTHS Shattered Dreams takes place on May 24. This is a very powerful experience, and we appreciate the community support for this event.
Truckee HS Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) team is on campus through Wednesday, visiting with staff and students in and out of the classrooms. The WASC accreditation encourages school improvement and includes parents, teachers, staff members and students in the process by which they critically self examine their school plan, set their goals and assess if their goals are being reached for continuous improvement. The final presentation is planned for TODAY at 2:45.
The Truckee HS drama presentation Godspell – a rock musical – opens this weekend. Buy early and you get your choice of seats. Adults are $15.00, students are $10.00. For more information call 582-2607.

Thanks for your support. If you’d like to email me with any comments or suggestions, my email address is rleri@ttusd.org.

Rob Leri
TTUSD Superintendent and Chief Learning Officer