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The Monthly Newsletter for Alta Vista High School & Major General Murray High School
The Community Continuation Schools in Vista Unified School District
October 2025
October 2025
Volume 3 | Issue 2
Volume 3 | Issue 2
Back-to-School Momentum: Career Pathways, Community, and Connection
Back-to-School Momentum: Career Pathways, Community, and Connection
Welcome to the second edition of the newsletter for this new school year! As the leaves turn, the energy across all our school sites is buzzing with exciting new opportunities, strong community connections, and a focus on preparing our students for real-world success. It’s been a strong start, setting the stage for a great year ahead.
High-Demand Career Pathways Take Center Stage
We’re thrilled to announce the official launch of a new cosmetology program! Led by community partner Tanya, owner of TNN Beauty, this high-demand pathway allows our students (as well as those from our comprehensive high schools) to log 100 hours of training. This intensive program is designed to leave them "shop-ready" to begin apprenticeships in local salons upon completion. This initiative, kicked off with great enthusiasm, is one of several flexible ways students can earn credits and explore their interests, alongside our expanded PM (Afternoon) programs.
This focus on career readiness echoes our schools' purpose: preparing students not just with knowledge, but with the skills and experiences to thrive in meaningful work. We are continually working to remove barriers to real-world learning, including adding a gently used van to our fleet to complement our existing transportation options like bus passes and Hop Skip Drive. Advisors are also encouraged to normalize "Leave-to-Learns", taking students off campus for activities like informational interviews or scavenger hunts to build community and connect learning to the real world.
Building Stronger Community Connections
Our community's heart and engagement continue to shine through. Last month, our Back to School Nights were a resounding success, creating a warm, connected atmosphere with food, community resources, and student showcase projects.
We also celebrated two exemplary students as our inaugural Rising Star Seniors of the Month: Alejandro Ramirez at Alta and Katie Holden at Vista Visions Academy (VVA). Both students have shown phenomenal advocacy for our schools, with Alejandro and his mother representing Alta at our Community Engagement Initiative PDs, and Katie serving on VVA’s School Site Council. Their dedication is inspiring!
This commitment to family and community partnership is crucial. Events like the successful coffee parent drive-thru—organized by Xochitl Tejeda Robles, who recognized our dedicated staff member Russell Gotteman as a VUSD Star—help build bridges with our families. Furthermore, the Bulldog Parent Academy is launching at MGM, providing another key platform for partnership.
Focus on Innovation and Continuous Improvement
Our staff is deeply committed to instructional excellence. This month, our Alt Ed presence was strong at VUSD’s inaugural Pedagogy Council, a reimagining of the district’s Curriculum Council, where staff engaged in thoughtful conversations about instruction and innovation.
We also continue to ensure our school climates are positive and supportive through our annual Fidelity Integrity Assessment (FIA) process, which assesses how faithfully we implement our PBIS practices. In addition, we are rolling out a new English Language Development approach called ALL (Alternative Language Learning), which allows interested students to improve their English skills while mentoring younger learners.
On the athletic front, our boys' soccer team is off to a strong start, even with two incredible young women on the roster! They kicked off the season with a win against Trade Tech, showing incredible heart and resilience on the field. Finally, a service day by Garden31 left Alta Vista’s garden revitalized, continuing to create meaningful, hands-on opportunities for our kids.
It is shaping up to be a wonderful and productive year. Thank you to all the parents, families, and community members who continue to support the creativity and heart that make our Alt Ed schools unique.
We’ve had a fantastic first month of school across our Community School sites, filled with connection, learning, and momentum. At both Alta Vista and Murray, students and families joined us for Back-to-School Nights, where advisors and students shared their stories and showcased student “Who Am I” projects, vision boards, and opportunities for learning beyond the classroom. These evenings were also supported by community partners, food, and plenty of laughter. Thank you to everyone who attended our schools' Back to School Nights!
We’ve had a fantastic first month of school across our Community School sites, filled with connection, learning, and momentum. At both Alta Vista and Murray, students and families joined us for Back-to-School Nights, where advisors and students shared their stories and showcased student “Who Am I” projects, vision boards, and opportunities for learning beyond the classroom. These evenings were also supported by community partners, food, and plenty of laughter. Thank you to everyone who attended our schools' Back to School Nights!
We are proud to share that our Rising Star Senior of the Month was celebrated in September: Alejandro Ramirez from Alta Vista! Alejandro and his mom have been powerful advocates for our students through the Community Engagement Initiative, traveling with staff to professional development sessions to share the student and family perspective. Congratulations to Alejandro! He truly represents the passion and resilience of our school.
We are proud to share that our Rising Star Senior of the Month was celebrated in September: Alejandro Ramirez from Alta Vista! Alejandro and his mom have been powerful advocates for our students through the Community Engagement Initiative, traveling with staff to professional development sessions to share the student and family perspective. Congratulations to Alejandro! He truly represents the passion and resilience of our school.
Our extracurricular opportunities are in full swing, too. The PM Program at both Alta and Murray has launched, offering students flexible evening pathways in subjects ranging from credit recovery to new ventures like cosmetology, which officially begins this month. Our soccer team started the season strong, securing an early win against Trade Tech, and we are thrilled to note that this year’s team includes two trailblazing young women. At Murray, students also dove into teambuilding and community through the first Kickout assembly of the year, while Alta students explored creative learning through advisory scavenger hunts.
Our extracurricular opportunities are in full swing, too. The PM Program at both Alta and Murray has launched, offering students flexible evening pathways in subjects ranging from credit recovery to new ventures like cosmetology, which officially begins this month. Our soccer team started the season strong, securing an early win against Trade Tech, and we are thrilled to note that this year’s team includes two trailblazing young women. At Murray, students also dove into teambuilding and community through the first Kickout assembly of the year, while Alta students explored creative learning through advisory scavenger hunts.
We are also piloting a new, optional approach to ALL (Alternative Language Learning) to support our English Learners, which provides real-world practice by pairing students with younger learners at elementary schools to strengthen both academic and personal skills.
We are also piloting a new, optional approach to ALL (Alternative Language Learning) to support our English Learners, which provides real-world practice by pairing students with younger learners at elementary schools to strengthen both academic and personal skills.
Finally, a heartfelt thank you goes out to our dedicated staff and families for making this start of the year so strong. From the Guidance Guild (a new leadership body that brings student, staff, and community voices into decision-making) to family events like Coffee with the Principal, it’s clear that our schools are built on partnership. We look forward to an incredible year ahead as we continue to create opportunities that meet students where they are, and help them thrive both in school and beyond. For up-to-date happenings at both of our community high schools, please visit our instagram pages to the left. And while you're there, give us a like and a follow!
Finally, a heartfelt thank you goes out to our dedicated staff and families for making this start of the year so strong. From the Guidance Guild (a new leadership body that brings student, staff, and community voices into decision-making) to family events like Coffee with the Principal, it’s clear that our schools are built on partnership. We look forward to an incredible year ahead as we continue to create opportunities that meet students where they are, and help them thrive both in school and beyond. For up-to-date happenings at both of our community high schools, please visit our instagram pages to the left. And while you're there, give us a like and a follow!
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