Volume 4 Issue 25
It was all about cookie decorating this week. With Valentine's Day in the air, our high school students decorated cookies on Tuesday and our elementary on Thursday. As we head into the 4-day weekend to honor our past presidents, a reminder to mark your calendars for March 2nd as we will be having our Family Movie Night. You can learn more about the event including RSVP and letting us know if you would like to help volunteer by using this link. We will be showing Moana! You won't want to miss it!
This week's background features photos from our Maverick Hangout this month. From the pictures, you can see students had fun participating in a cookie decorating contest and sharing their designs with their peers. No doubt, the best part was eating their creations. 😀
As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or compliments, please reach out to Mr. Fineberg, our principal, at efineberg@tustin.k12.ca.us.
Principal's Message...
As we pass the mid way point of February, I wanted to use this space to highlight Black History Month and share not only the activities our teachers are sharing with each of our students, but also recognize the impact on our country and the world.
High School: The slide has been shared through Advisory and will guide the daily recognition along with links to learn more for the students. As you can see, there are a variety of famous and impactful black figures that we will be highlighting each day of the month.
Middle School, we embeded several articles on notable figures in the Civil Rights movement, including John Lewis, and Birmingham marchers, etc and doing an analysis of each. They will also be studying poets such as Maya Angelou and Amanda Gorman as part of the curriculum for the month to showcase the positive impact across all content areas.
Elementary School: students in grades 3-5 reach articles each week on ReadWorks and then share something they’ve learned. The topics are related to Black History Month and are replacing the content we typically use to teach the skills. The teachers also utilize BrainPop Jr. to share videos during enrichment and then complete an art project with it. Last week they learned about Mae Jemison and drew an astronaut. Samples are below. In kinder-2nd class, students kicked off the celebration with a clip on the history of Black History Month and then a follow up tribute on a different figure each week with a follow up assignment to highlight their impact.
Lastly, Tustin Connect's website has changed. We continue to have the www.tustinconnect.org website. Our primary website for active families has changed its url to: https://tustinconnect.tustin.k12.ca.us
As always, if you have any questions, compliments, ideas, and/or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out at (714) 430-2052 ext. 52103 or efineberg@tustin.k12.ca.us.
Mr. Fineberg
PTA Roundup
Hello Maverick Families,
We would love for you to join us this Thursday, March 2nd at the K-8 campus for TC's Family Movie Night. There will be awesome snacks, cold and hot drinks, a craft, a movie, and so much more. You won't want to miss it so take a moment and RSVP. We will see you there.
Dino Dash 2023 Logo Contest
The Tustin Public Schools Foundation is pleased to announce the Dinosaur Dash Logo contest celebrating Dinosaur Dash 2023.
The contest is open to all Middle and High School students in the Tustin Unified School District. The winner of the contest will receive a cash prize of $250, with a matching $250 prize to the school’s art teacher/department for educational materials. In addition, the student's name will be used in next year’s Dinosaur Dash publicity.
✍️ Elementary Information ✍️
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TUSD Districtwide Assessments: With the end of the Trimester approaching soon on 2/24, You will see required assessments as part of the students weekly assignments. These help us measure growth and help determine areas of need school wide. They are not used for grading purposes and it's critical they are done independently so we can get an accurate picture of where students are at and their needs moving forward.
Having iPad trouble at home?: Each time an iOS update is installed, the private Wi-Fi address setting will default to any network the iPad connects to. Included is a slide deck that shows the steps that are needed to turn this setting off at home when you are connected to your home network, or any other network other than TustinUSD.
😃Middle School Information😃
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8th Grade Families: In March, students will begin the process of high School enrollment. There will be orientation meetings for Tustin comprehensive high schools at Columbus Tustin MS on March 6th, and enrollment on March 28th. A separate orientation/enrollment meeting will be scheduled for students planning to attend Tustin Connect High School. Stay tuned for more details and be sure to mark your calendars.
Parent Workshop w/ Dietician: All MS parents have the opportunity to attend a virtual parent infomration night on Healthy Eating Habits for Students on March 1 from 6-7 pm via Zoom. Please see the flyer for more infomration and a link to the Zoom meeting.
👍 High School Information 👍
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Attention Seniors: Seniors can purchase their caps and gowns directly through Jostens. Caps, gowns, and tassels are $25.00. Families can also buy other products: announcements, class jewelry, spirit wear, etc. The link to our school site through Jostens is https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1033366/Tustin-Connect-High-School/ . The last day to purchase caps and gowns will be March 3rd. You can also check out this flyer for more information.
Attention Current Juniors: Current Juniors have the opportunity to apply for a Career Pathway Internship. The application window for the Career Pathway Internship summer course is open for current juniors enrolled in CTE pathways(Medical Temrinology). The CPI program combines an online curriculum focused on career development and key employability skills with weekly teacher check-ins and an industry-based internship with a local business partner. Internships will be available in a variety of industry sectors aligned with TUSD CTE pathways and offered virtually, hybrid, and in-person. Classroom presentations have been completed in all CTE courses with current juniors and materials are being shared regularly through direct email, social media, counselors, and CTE teachers. See digital flyer for more information!
Mental Health Matters: Resources and link to workshops and more!!!
Our Counselor and Mental Health team have a great website with lots of resources to check out. The team is busy planning our next Principal Cofffe on Executive Functioning and Planning for an Independent Study setting. Check back soon for more details.
Principal/Counselor Resources from Executive Functioning Presenation in February.
SMART Goals Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA53yhiOe04
Principal/Counselor's Coffee Slides on Combating Anxiety: Here is a link to the slides from Ms. Skomsvold's presentation on Combating Anxiety.
NEW!! Free Online Tutoring Available for K-12 Students
Brainfuse HelpNow is an on demand, anytime, anywhere eLearning platform available for all ages and levels. Last week, it was announced that every Californian can now access free online tutoring available 24/7 through a new initiative offering homework help in every K-12 subject and skill-building resources for K-12 and adult learners.
Real-time homework assistance can now be accessed 24/7 here and on the websites of any of the 1,130 local public libraries around the state – click on the “HelpNow” link to reach a one-on-one tutor. The pilot program led by the State Library offers assistance in Math, Language Arts, and other core K-12 subjects in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog. There’s no age limit to who can use the service. Adult learners can also access writing assistance, citizenship resources and other tools.
SORA Virtual Texts Collections
TUSD Resource Sora Summer Read
Sora Sweet Reads in an annual summer reading program designed for schools to encourage students to keep reading all year long. "Check out" the free collection of simultaneous use juvenile and young adult ebooks (and select audiobooks).
Login to Sora to access these and many any other great ebooks and audiobooks all summer long through Clever, TUSD Student Portal or soraapp.com using your TUSD Google login and password.
Student Request - SORA books – Here is a link to a Google Doc to send suggestions and recommendations for new books for our collections!!
Technology Questions/Needs - There's Help Available!
Important Upcoming Dates - Please check our school Website Calendar for all the latest!
February 17: No School - Licoln Holiday
February 20: No School - Washington Holiday
March 2: PTA Movie Night at the K-8 campus RSVP
Our Mission
Email: efineberg@tustin.k12.ca.us
Website: www.tustinconnect.org
Location: (K-8) 14741 North B Street; (9-12) 1151 San Juan Street
Phone: (714) 430-2052
Twitter: @tustinconnect