Elementary and Middle School Start Date - Monday, July 14, 2025
High School and VAHS Start Date - Friday, July 18, 2025

The Vail School District has long embraced innovation, guided by the principle that we are never satisfied with the status quo and always seek better ways to fulfill our mission. Recognizing the rapid pace of technological change, a committee of staff, parents, and community members came together in 2023 to develop shared Tech Values to help guide decision-making across schools. After months of thoughtful discussion, the group produced a set of values that reflect Vail’s commitment to thoughtful, forward-thinking use of technology that are now actively shaping how we move forward.

In my last parent email in May, I shared some technology updates that are coming this year. I’d like to simply recap those here and to also ensure the information is available for all of our new to Vail families. Further, should you ever misplace my newsletters and need to review them again, they are housed on my webpage on the school district website. (Below is a snapshot version of more detailed information regarding cell phone use and MagicSchool that can be found in my May newsletter.)

Vail prioritizes student wellness by promoting healthy technology habits that support strong social skills and meaningful in-person connections. In our K-8 schools, cell phones must remain off and stored during the school day; at the high school level, they are to be off and put away during class time. This practice encourages students to focus on learning and authentic face to face connections with limited distractions. As we begin this school year, these expectations will remain in place. 

In line with our values of balanced technology use, in-person connection, and online safety, Vail is excited to introduce MagicSchool, an AI-powered educational tool designed to enhance instruction while reinforcing digital citizenship. MagicSchool is a secure, teacher-driven platform that supports critical thinking and creativity through age-appropriate, standard-aligned content accessible only via Schoology assignments. All data stays within the district, ensuring student privacy in a safe “walled garden” environment. As we continue training staff and refining best practices, we look forward to partnering with families to promote responsible and meaningful AI use. 

In an effort to ensure we can reach you in the event of an emergency at your child’s school, we will be conducting our first test of our systems for this school year on August 15, 2025. If you have your cell phone number and email address in PowerSchool, you should receive BOTH a text and an email of the emergency test of the VUSD Emergency system. If you do not receive a message on Friday, August 15th, please contact your child’s school on Monday, August 18th to ensure your information is accurate in PowerSchool.

Further, we are urging all families to complete the returning student registration BEFORE August 1st to ensure all information is accurate. New families completed this upon registration with us.

Please complete your child’s Returning Student Online Registration ASAP. Online registration for the upcoming school year is now available! You will use the PowerSchool Parent Portal to access the Returning Student Registration. 

How do I get started?

Go to the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Once logged in to the Parent Portal:

It is IMPERATIVE that you take just a few minutes to complete the returning student registration each year. This process enables you to ensure the accuracy of your email addresses and phone numbers in PowerSchool. We use this information to contact you via email and text messaging regarding emergencies as well as other important information. If you do not have accurate contact information in PowerSchool, we will NOT be able to contact you in the case of an emergency at your child’s school. Thank you for carefully completing this important step of returning student registration.

If you have forgotten your PowerSchool login, please contact your child's school for assistance.

Be sure to check on the bus route for your child and then sign up for SpotMyBus if you have not yet done so. Further, please check out Transportation Director, Jerry Brown's, message to all parents regarding important busing information for all families HERE.

For updated information regarding meal pricing and lunch applications please visit the links in the buttons below.

Safety remains a top priority in the Vail School District. Statistically, schools remain one of the safest places for young people.

Research indicates that healthy school culture is the greatest deterrent for school violence. We are encouraged by data in our annual survey of students’ attitudes toward school where more than 90% of students feel they have a trusted adult they can turn to for support. We will maintain a clear and steady focus on nurturing this and identify practical ways for improvement moving forward. I also meet monthly with our safety team to make sure we review and address our safety practices and systems across the district. 

The safety of Vail’s children is the responsibility of the entire Vail community. If you see something that doesn’t seem quite right, please say something. The Vail School District operates a safe schools hotline for this purpose.

VAIL SAFE SCHOOLS HOTLINE
(520) 879-1111

Thank you for your partnership in keeping our kids safe and for entrusting us with their care. We look forward to continuing to work with you to ensure the safety of all and to provide a great school experience in the upcoming school year.

Vail Family Connections Day is a day for connecting, learning, growing, and having tons of family fun! Be sure to save the date - Saturday, September 13th from 9 AM-1 PM @ Mica Mountain High School! Be on the lookout for registration information coming soon. See you there!

We will again hold a district wide Diaper Drive in support of the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona. It’s a wonderful way for our schools to give back to our community. This year’s Diaper Drive will look a little different than in years past. We work to partner with our local Arby’s in this drive. We will continue to do so, but Arby’s is holding their component a little earlier this year from June 23rd through July 31st. Our district’s drive through our schools will be held September 2nd through September 12th. Be sure to save the date! Because Vail is a place, “Where Education Is a Community Effort,” all proceeds from the Arby’s collection and the school district’s collection will be contributed to the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona. Thank you in advance for rallying as a community in this most important of causes! Visit HERE to learn more about the Diaper Drive.

The information below was posted on our social media earlier, and some of the events have already taken place, but I wanted to make sure you see the information again for the events that are yet to come. 

Be sure to check out VAIL EVENTS to learn all about the Diaper Drive and Vail Family Connections Day. Check back here for updates each week of new exciting events happening across Vail in and out of the district.