A Message from Superintendent Vanden Heuvel

Dear HUSD Families, As we all look forward to Thanksgiving break, I wanted to reach out and express my gratitude to all of you and to our incredible staff here at HUSD. All of us are working together in partnership to create something truly special here in Healdsburg, and there is no better evidence that the effort we are all putting in is working than the CDE choosing to highlight our students’ progress on the State’s data dashboard last week. You can find the link to their press release, which uses our schools as exemplars of progress here:  https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr25/yr25rel49.asp There are nearly 1000 school districts in the State of CA, and because of multiple markers reflecting your students' improvement and growth, we were one of 4 districts chosen as examples of success statewide. I cannot overstate how uncommon this is - it is, indeed, a huge achievement made possible by our incredible team and by your students' hard work. Here are some highlights from our students’ achievement this past year: All students at HES/FMC, scored 13 points above standard (standard indicates appropriate progression for continuing on to a University of California campus at the end of 12th grade) in ELA and Math on the CAASPP All students at HES/FMC scored well above the State average in Science HJH students improved their English Language Arts CAASPP scores by over 34 points and the entire student population was 5 points above standard. Our College and Career Readiness Indicator is up 17% from last year and is at 76% overall. This is 10 points higher than the next closest high school in Sonoma County For this same indicator, our Latino students are at 64.8%. To put that in context, the State of California shows that 51.7% meet this criteria, while white students in the State score at 58.6%. This represents significant progress in our efforts to close the achievement gap for traditionally underserved students. You can find more information on the California Data Dashboard website:  https://www.caschooldashboard.org/ Dual Immersion Petition I also want to provide a brief update on our process as we consider whether it’s possible to successfully implement a dual language immersion program within our schools. An agreement has been reached to waive the 60 day timeline mandated by California Education Code 5, § 11311. This decision was made to give the district adequate time to seek proposals from an independent organization to conduct a feasibility study. We want to ensure we examine this issue from all possible angles so we can make the most informed decision that best serves our students. Your voice is a critical part of this process: in the coming weeks and months, we will provide multiple opportunities and methods for families to weigh in on this issue, so please keep an eye out for further details. We have so much to be thankful for and proud of in our district. I really believe the incredible growth and progress we’re seeing in last year’s results are just the beginning of what our students and schools are going to realize in the next few years because of the amazing team and community we have. We wish you all a restful and relaxing break. And, if you’re looking for something to listen to during your holiday travel, I recommend the newest episode of HUSD’s podcast, HoundTracks, which features an interview with two parents who joined me to discuss why they chose HUSD and share their gratitude for our elementary school programs. You can listen on either  Apple  or  Spotify . Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Chris Vanden Heuvel Superintendent

Saturday, Nov 22 2025

A Message from Superintendent Vanden Heuvel

Dear HUSD Families, On Monday, October 20th, the District received a petition requesting the implementation of a dual immersion program. According to California Education Code 5, § 11311, the District has 60 days from the date we received the petition to conduct a study into whether it is feasible in terms of costs and resources for the District to implement and sustain such a program.  As we examine this possibility, we will be sending out a survey to our families to gauge your interest in participating in such a program, so please look out for that, as it will be sent in the coming weeks. We are still working to determine exactly when the findings of this study will be presented, but will notify you once we have identified dates. We do anticipate that a final decision on whether to pursue this course will be made by our Board of Trustees at the December 17, 2025 Regular School Board Meeting, which will begin at 6:00 p.m. at Healdsburg City Hall in the City Council Chambers.  We will continue to provide more information as the process progresses. Thank you, Chris Vanden Heuvel Superintendent

Thursday, Oct 30 2025

DELAC Meeting Thursday

The District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC) invites all Healdsburg schools' parents to their meetings. The meetings are conducted in Spanish with English translation and are intended to provide parents of English Learners a place to learn more about their child's school and education. Dinner and child care will be provided. The agenda is attached.   DELAC Meeting When:   Thursday, April 24, 2025  Time:      6:00-8:00 pm Where:   HES Library (400 First St. Healdsburg, CA 95448)  

Friday, Apr 18 2025

A Message from Superintendent Vanden Heuvel - HUSD S...

PRESS RELEASE May 31, 2024   HUSD Selects New HHS Principal   After an exhaustive search and interview process, the Healdsburg Unified School District is pleased to announce the selection of Mr. Tait Danhausen as the new Principal for Healdsburg High School.    Mr. Danhausen comes to HUSD by way of Nashville, Tennessee, where he has served as a secondary principal and school administrator for Lead Public Schools for the last 14 years.  Mr. Danhausen will be coming full circle in his educational career, as he was raised in Healdsburg and graduated from Healdsburg High School in 1998. As a student at HHS, he participated in drama, competed in track, tennis and cross country, where he was part of the 1997 Sonoma County League Championship team (coached by current HHS teacher and Cross Country coach Mike Efram). Education is also part of his family’s local legacy as his grandparents both taught in HUSD for many years and his mother served as a teacher in the nearby Mark West District.  Mr. Danhausen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego in Political Science, an Master’s in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Long Island University, and a Doctorate in Learning Organizations and Strategic Change from Lipscomb University. He is an expert teacher of English Language Development, having taught in New York City public schools and in Oakland through the KIPP system. As a Principal in Nashville, he was able to transform two middle schools from being identified by the state as low performing to high performing. For the last few years, he has been the lead administrator over several middle schools, supervising their principals. Colleagues share that he is a gifted instructional coach, and an effective community builder with students, parents and staff who consistently supports students, helping them reach high levels of success.  Mr. Danhausen sought out the HHS Principal position exclusively as he felt a calling to return to and serve the community that invested so much in him, and we are very excited to welcome him back! Once a Hound, always a Hound!                                                                                                                             

Saturday, Jun 01 2024

A Message from Healdsburg Unified School District

HEALDSBURG UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT November 18, 2022 Dear HUSD Families, As we begin our Thanksgiving Break we wanted to wish you all a restful week with your family and friends. Please enjoy your time together. We also wanted to share some exciting news. Starting in the month of November HUSD began a new series of video recordings from our very own HHS New Media / Broadcast Journalism class with Instructor Mr. John Chevalier. The series began with principal reports, which will continue throughout the school year. We plan on adding to the series with Superintendent reports as well as Board of Trustees reports and school reports. The reports will be communicated out through social media as well as ParentSquare. Below you will find all four principal reports. Please enjoy! HES PRINCIPAL REPORT FMC PRINCIPAL REPORT HJH PRINCIPAL REPORT HHS PRINCIPAL REPORT Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Saturday, Nov 19 2022