8.14.26 SUSD Superintendent Back to School Communication

Dear Sierra Unified Community,

There is something special about the beginning of a new school year. The excitement of new beginnings, the anticipation of seeing familiar faces, and the opportunity to set new goals together remind us of what makes our schools and our community so special.

This week, we had the pleasure of welcoming our brand-new teachers to Sierra Unified during our New Teacher Orientation. We are excited to have these talented educators joining our team and bringing new energy, ideas, and experiences to our classrooms.

A special thank you goes to our Board of Trustees, Sierra Teachers Union Association, and the Sierra Foundation for helping make our newest staff members feel welcomed and supported. Their generous support, including much-needed financial assistance to help teachers get their new classrooms up and running, is a wonderful example of the way our community comes together to support our educators and, ultimately, our students.

On Friday, we welcomed all of our staff back with our annual Welcome Back Breakfast. This is always one of my favorite opportunities of the year because it brings employees from across our district together in one place. We take time to celebrate the accomplishments and successes of the previous year, recognize the incredible work of our staff, and, most importantly, look ahead to the goals and opportunities that await us in the coming school year.

As we prepare to welcome our students back, I want to emphasize an important message for all of us this year: Showing Up Matters.

Every day a student is in school is another opportunity to learn, grow, build relationships, and be part of our school community. Attendance is about much more than simply being present for a lesson. It is an opportunity for students to develop meaningful connections with teachers and classmates, participate in activities, and experience all that school has to offer.

Good attendance is a shared responsibility between students, parents and families, and our schools. I ask each of us to do our part to make sure our students arrive at school every day, on time, ready to learn and ready to be part of our school community. When we show up consistently, we give our students the best opportunity to succeed.

Measure U Update

We are also excited about the progress being made through Measure U and the continued investment in our schools.

The Phase III modernization project is tentatively scheduled to go to bid the week of August 24. Once bids are released, the project will remain open for bidding for approximately four weeks. Job walks will be scheduled after school hours whenever possible to minimize disruption to our students and staff and to protect the learning environment.

We also continue to make progress on the initial Measure U projects. The cafeteria remains on schedule to be functional for the first day of school, and the large gym remains on schedule to be functional by the end of September. We appreciate everyone's patience as we work through these important projects. These improvements represent a significant investment in the future of our students and our community.

There is so much to look forward to as we begin another school year. I am grateful for the dedication of our teachers, classified staff, administrators, families, Board of Trustees, Foundation, and entire community. Together, we have an opportunity to make this another exceptional year for our students.

Welcome back, Sierra Unified! I look forward to all that we will accomplish together.

With gratitude,

Dr. Lori Grace
Superintendent
Sierra Unified School District