Interdepartmental Newsletter

Issue 2

Trust In keeping with the newly developed Values for Vista Unified, leaders across all departments have come together to engage in interdepartmental collaboration to enhance support for students and teachers, respond to parent feedback, and develop new partnerships.

December 2013

Spotlight on Departments Business Services

Responsible for maximizing fiscal resources to support teaching and learning

Curriculum and Instruction

Facilitates professional development and instructional materials

Special Education

Supports students with special needs

Student Services

Supports academic, social, behavioral, and emotional development of all students

Print Shop

Publishes print resources for parents, teachers, and staff

How Do We Define Trust? Trust is defined as having a “belief that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, effective, etc.” (Merriam-Webster, 2012). The Vista Unified School District has recently embarked on a district wide initiative of developing greater levels of trust among parents, teachers, administrators, and staff. Developing a deep level of trust will lead to improved communication, more effective collaboration, and a positive, nurturing learning environment for all students. Trust can be further refined in a school environment as relational trust. Strong relational trust is developed through the positive social exchanges occurring every day between teachers and students, teachers and parents, parents and principals, teachers and other teachers, etc. A significant body of research supports the importance of relational trust in promoting continuous school improvement. Strengthening the social connections between parents and education professionals can improve student academic achievement (Corner, Haynes, Joyner, & Ben-Avie, 1996). In schools throughout Vista Unified, educators use the Character Counts curriculum (Josephson Institute) to promote an environment that values trustworthiness in students and staff. Trust is one of three values Vista Unified is promoting. To this end, Vista Unified has further defined trust as “Having confidence that every decision focuses on the best interest of all students” This publication will serve to spot light efforts to promote trust between departments and with parents.

The Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, Citizenship Character Counts, Josephson Institute

 

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Interdepartmental Efforts to Build Trust Business Services Transportation bus driver, Terry Brown, demonstrated trust when she made the decision to protect students when a “speeding” car did not stop. Her bus lights were flashing red, which required drivers in both directions to stop. One driver did not. Terry quickly made the decision to put herself in harms way to protect students who were crossing the street with their parents after getting off the bus. The Maintenance Department works in partnership with the City of Vista’s Fire Department to maintain and test fire alarms and safety equipment in order to protect students and staff. Curriculum and Instruction Various committees meet throughout the year to make decisions that are in the best interests of all VUSD students. Two examples are the Magnet Schools Committee and the Continuation High School Committee. Both committees

make recommendations for future programs for students that will enable Vista Unified to become the model for educational excellence and innovation. AM/PM Program Each day the parents in our district trust the AM-PM staff to take care of their children before and after school. Special Education Anne Fennell, music teacher at Mission Vista High School, is working with elementary special day class teachers to develop an innovative music program for severely handicapped students to promote inclusion with general education peers.

Student Services Teachers and administrators from Rancho Minerva Middle School will be attending a Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) training to support students to develop improved interpersonal relationships. Print Communications Trust is being able to depend on the Print Shop to complete printing requests made by teachers and staff with high quality and on time.

Dr. Leslie Taylor has facilitated the development of a comprehensive parent engagement/education workshop series that focuses on expanding the role of parents as partners in education.

“The  best  way  to  find  out  if  you  can  trust  somebody  is  to  trust  them”   Ernest  Hemingway