Vista Grande Handbook

This guide has been prepared to acquaint you with programs, procedures, and expectations at Vista Grande Elementary School. 

We believe that every student in our school can flourish. Our goal is to support excellence in academic work and social-emotional well-being. We believe that parents and teachers working together in support of our standards will help promote learning and will give children a sense of security because they know what is expected of them at school. We support the TEAM approach: Together Everyone Achieves More. 

We urge you to participate in school life in whatever manner suits your interests and energy. You are always welcome to join us at PTA, School Site Council, Falcon Fund, or CPAP (Continuous Progress Alternative Program) meetings, and to share with us your ideas for change and improvement. 

You are always welcome to call or visit Vista Grande. We look forward to a rich and special year with you and your child/ren.

Osi Juergens, Principal.

In partnerships with the community, our mission is to provide a creative and challenging educational environment that enables all students to reach a high level of academic achievement as determined by state and national standards. We commit to a comprehensive system of support to develop each student's confidence and potential to successfully function in a global society and continue a life-long commitment to learning. 

Vista Grande is aligned with SRVUSD equity and inclusion expectations and promotes a school atmosphere where all students, staff, and families are made to feel welcome and included. Our PTA hosts a stand in our library where we promote and celebrate different cultures and celebrations throughout the school year. If you have an interest in sharing your culture and ideas with us please email vistagrandepta@gmail.com and one of our committee members will get in touch with you. 

We communicate with families by actively involving you in your child's progress and program. 

Back to School Nights in August are an orientation program. Teachers review the goals for the year, the course of study, materials, and textbooks used in the classroom. The orientation program acquaints you with your child's teacher and classroom expectations. 

School-wide conferences are held in the fall and spring and report cards are completed at the end of each semester (January and June). 

Open House is experienced in May to celebrate the end of a successful school year. 

Teachers keep families well-informed throughout the school year with work sent home, classroom newsletters, emails, and phone calls home.

Should a problem occur regarding your own child, every effort should be made to resolve the problem directly with the staff member concerned and the classroom teacher. If the problem cannot be resolved, the matter should be referred to the principal. 

Monthly school newsletters are emailed and texted to our families. The Juergens' Journal is sent out via Catapult Connect. Our PTA and CPAP also send out monthly newsletters.

Many school events occur throughout the school year: 24/25 Vista Grande Important Dates at a Glance

The schools depend on the cooperation and support of the home to help make our schools an ideal environment where children can grow and learn. Students, staff, and families all have responsibilities so that this can occur. Our expectations are:

Students will respect the adults who supervise them and their classmates, maintain regular attendance, follow all school rules and always strive to do their best.

Staff will follow the goals, objectives and guidelines of the elementary program, supervise students to maintain the kind of school climate that contributes to a positive learning experience, evaluate programs aimed at the improvement of education. 

Families will encourage their student to complete their work at home and at school, support school goals and programs, participate, whenever possible, in school events, and get students to school on time.

• Students will follow the VG Code of  Ethics:

  1. Hurt No One on the Inside or Outside

  2. Respect Your School and All Property

  3. Special Places Require Special Behavior

• Students will demonstrate kindness and empathy and treat adults and other students with respect. 

• Students will use appropriate language, demonstrate courtesy and good manners.

Students and teachers are encouraged to utilize conflict resolution procedures to settle problems that include: cooling down, stating concerns, listening to other's concerns, listing several possible solutions, and then agreeing on one solution. Students are encouraged to fill in the blanks whenever possible. "I feel _________when you________and I would like ______." Adults are available to help facilitate students to becoming independent conflict resolvers whenever possible.

Great way to reinforce: Hurt No One on the Inside or Outside

Thank you for helping reinforce this!

1. If someone says something to you that bothers you or is not nice:

Say= "STOP, that's not nice, don't say that"

2. If someone hurts you or touches you in a way that bothers you:

Say= "STOP, don't do that to my body"

3. If you see someone treating someone unkindly or hurting someone else:

Say= STOP, don't treat them like that

Students will strive for excellence in academic work and all other assignments. 

Students will be responsible for completing classroom and homework assignments.

Students will respect the right of other children to learn. 

Homework is a planned part of the educational program. Homework assignments are designed to:

• Develop good study habits

• Reinforce and enrich the learning activities of the day

• Help draw home and school together in partnership to support learning

Students are assigned homework on a regular basis at each grade level to promote responsibility and to positively further learning in the environment. Vista Grande follows the SRVUSD Homework Policy. Generally, homework should be stimulating and challenging to reinforce classroom learning. Assignments should enable students to work independently and successfully. The parent's role should be supportive and affirming. 

Learning to read is complex. The early years are the foundations and are critical in learning this essential life skill. Due to this, half of our Kindergarten and half of our 1st-grade classes receive formal instruction in reading in the morning, while the other half is instructed in the afternoon. (See bell schedule for specific times) This system enables the teacher to group students appropriately and to give individual attention to half the class at one time. Reading skills are also taught and reinforced throughout the school day.  

The placement of students is based on the best possible learning environment for the children. Individual and class needs are carefully studied. In making the decision, we consider:

• The best possible match between student and teachers based on the social and academic needs of the student

• A balanced number of pupils among classes at each grade level whenever possible

In addition to TK-5th grade traditional program, the CPAP program is also available at Vista Grande. 

Please visit their webpage for more info: Continuous Progress Alternative Program

Parent volunteers are encouraged and welcomed in classrooms, library, and office at Vista Grande. Parent volunteer hours exceed 20,000 hours per year at VG. 

The following groups function because of active parent support. All parents and families are welcome and encouraged to participate. 

SSC- School Site Council is represented by staff and parents to plan, implement and evaluate academic and social programs at Vista Grande.

PTA- Provides parent education, enrichment, and financial support for the entire school. 

Falcon Fund- Generous donations from ALL Vista Grande families fund the Art, Music, and Technology positions at Vista Grande. Falcon Fund also provides funding for classroom assistants (paraeducators) in the traditional program. 

CPAP- Continuous Progress Alternative Program's generous donations provide funding for classroom assistants (paraeducators) in the CPAP program plus the Spanish Enrichment program.

GATE- Gifted and Talented Education is formally tested in 2nd grade with the CoGAT test. Students who qualify are clustered together in their classrooms and are eligible to be a part of the GATE after-school club led by one of our VG parents and a teacher. 

Reference the Drop-Off & Pick-Up Procedure Tab for details.

• When dropping off or picking up students, please pull into either the far left or far right lane and MOVE FORWARD as much as possible. 

• The middle lane is the passing lane. DO NOT STOP in the middle lane to drop off your student...it is very dangerous. 

• Please teach your children to use the MAIN CROSSWALK at all times.

• The area for bus unloading and loading needs to be kept clear at arrival and dismissal times throughout the day.

• Students who ride a bicycle, skateboard, or scooter to school must walk that item once they get onto school property.  Bicycle racks are provided at school and students MUST lock up their bikes. HELMETS are mandatory by the law!

Please label outer clothing and lunch boxes with your child's name so lost items can be returned to your child. The lost and found items are located outside the MPR and families are encouraged to look through them for lost items. 

***On the last Friday of every month, items will be bagged up and donated to a local community in need. 

Students should dress in clothing that permits them to play at recess and learn in the classroom. For safety purposes; shoes must have straps so they stay on a student's feet while running and playing. Clothing should be free of writing or pictures that portray or promote the use of drugs, alcohol, hate speech, racism, or inappropriate language.  Please also remember to dress in elementary age-appropriate clothing. Please support the educational atmosphere at Vista Grande.

 GUIDELINES REGARDING FOOD ON CAMPUS: Due to the increasing number of allergies, we will return food items that are brought in to be distributed unless your child's class has a pre-scheduled event. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. 

Classroom Birthday Celebrations: Each teacher celebrates birthdays in their classroom to make your child feel special. If you would like to send in something for the occasion, we suggest a small school item, such as a pencil or eraser.

Lunch Birthday Guidelines: We kindly request that families refrain from bringing in special lunches for their child/ren on their birthday or for their child and friends. Our goal is to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all students, and bringing in special lunches can unintentionally create pressure among the children. We encourage you to celebrate your child's birthday outside of school to help us maintain a supportive and caring community for everyone. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

*You are welcome to sign your child out during lunch time, enjoy the special lunch with them, and sign them back in before they return to class.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

ANIMALS are NOT permitted on campus. 

If you have a dog with you please remain outside our gates and make sure your dog is on a leash.

Personal Electronic Device (PED) Policy:

All Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs), inclusive of cell phones and wireless headphones, must be turned off and stored in backpacks, and smartwatches must be set to a watch-only function during the school day (the first to the last bell).  PEDs may only be used after school hours or with explicit teacher permission. Any violation of this policy will result in confiscation of the device: a first offense leads to confiscation and an email to parents, with the device returned at the end of the day; a second offense requires parent/guardian pickup from the front office; further offenses may result in the loss of the privilege to bring devices to school. Emergency use phones are available in classrooms, and students needing to contact parents should use these or the office phone with permission. 

Computer/Device Policy:

All device use is subject to the SRVUSD Student Device Handbook and Responsible Use Agreements (Grades TK-2 and Grades 3-5), and unauthorized use, including taking or sharing photos/videos, will result in disciplinary action. The school is not liable for lost or damaged devices. Headphones and earbuds must be stored away and not used as accessories on campus.  

Due to safety and cleanliness concerns, gum is not permitted on campus at any time.

In the event that your child becomes ill or has an accident at school, you or one of the adults you designated on your emergency contact information will be notified immediately. Please be sure that you have filled out the emergency information on the parent portal during the district annual update and our school emergency card. Should there be any changes during the year, please inform us ASAP. Local emergency telephone numbers are extremely important to have on file at the school office, should you not be home in case of an emergency. Children are not to use the telephone unless an emergency exists. We ask that you call the school only for business or emergencies.

In case of any type of disaster, the school has detailed procedures to follow to help guarantee the safety of students. Fire, earthquake, and disaster drills are held monthly to acquaint students with proper procedures.

Should a major disaster occur, children will be kept at school until it is safe and then released to parents/caregivers or people on their emergency card authorized to pick up their child/ren.

If we are in a situation where the school is placed on lockdown students will only be allowed to be dismissed by a parent/caregiver or someone on your emergency contact list once police have given us the ALL CLEAR. 

Parents/caregivers will receive a text/email from the school with information. Please note we will not be allowed to let you pick up your child until we get the ALL CLEAR.

Once we get the ALL CLEAR: 

• Student Release/Pick-Up Location: Gate at the end of our staff parking lot. Richard Lane will be closed for pick-up.

  • • Families will wait in line in the staff parking lot and will be reunified with their child/ren in an orderly fashion. 

• We will utilize our release procedures: each student will be matched with one of the people on the child's emergency contact list in an orderly manner, documenting their pick-up time. 

• In case cell towers are down and communication is difficult we have a protocol in place where families can leave a note to another family member explaining who picked up the student and where they were headed.