Each county has its own local rules regarding procedure after orders are set and the purpose and procedure of status conferences. I would contact the trial court administrator and make these inquiries; does the letter state that the purpose is to report on procedural status and not to hear new evidence? If so, I would imagine that the purpose of the status conference is for the judge to understand why the parties haven’t been able to agree on an order to submit to the judge. The trial court administrator should be able to answer your specific questions about the status conference.