Volume 5 Issue 16
Happy Friday! This week we surprised the awesome Mrs. Fairburn with the Golden Touch award. Mrs. Fairburn earned the award for making a significant impact in the lives of our students by going above and beyond. Mrs. Fairburn is a rockstar and we were so honored to recognize her and look forward to celebrating her next week at the Clifton Murray Community Center. We are also gearing up for the end of the semester and winter break in only two weeks.
This week's background features the aforementioned Mrs. Fairburn as she heres of her recognition as TC's 2023 Golden Touch award winner.
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...
Tustin Connect received some excting news this week. We received a $3,000 grant from the Tustin Public Schools Foundation (TPSF) to incorporate AI Tools to support our instructional program. We are excited to utilize these great resources to strengthen our instruction and appreciate the support from TPSF.
In case you missed it, Tustin Connect was featured as part of an article in this month's Parenting OC Magazine. We are the first feature in an article on "A Guide to School Types: From private to online..." Here's a link. You can find the article on page 24 of the December Issue. A big thank you to Andrea Peregretti for her willingness to be interviewed for the article.
Lastly, please join us in supporting 5th grade TC student Isaiah in his efforts to support the UCI NICU. Isaiah wanted to share, "Since it is the season of giving, I am organizing a book drive for the NICU department at the UCI hospital. If you would like to participate there is a box in the office where you can drop the board books off or please follow this link. All board books will be donated by December 22nd.
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. Have a great weekend.
Have a fantastic weekend.
Mr. Fineberg
✍️ Elementary Information ✍️
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Maverick Hangout: On Wednesday, December 20th we'll have our December Maverick Hangout. More details to come, but it's going to be the best one yet so be sure to mark your calendars and plan to stay after class on the 20th.
Incoming District Wide Round Up Meetings: Each year, our School Readiness program hosts an annual Round Up Meeting for incoming Pre K, TK, and Kinder students. This meeting provides families all the information they need to register for the 2024-25 school year. See the flyers for more information. English Jan. 11 Spanish Jan. 10
School Readiness Parent Education Opportunities: Our School Readiness Department offers monthly meetings for parents on topics specific to our younger students. Please check out the flyers for topics that may be of interest to you or your family each month. English Spanish
😃Middle School Information😃
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Math Group - Update: Math lab will resume this Wednesday (6th/7th grade) and Thursday for 8th graders. Please check with Mrs. McCourtney and Mrs. Dove for more details.
Parent Information Night: You are invited to attend a special Information Night on SLEEP and MENTAL HEALTH January 10th. See the flyer for more details.
7th/8th Graders Optional In-Person Time: These meetings will return to in-person opportunities for students when we return from break. The meetings will continue to be located in the 7th/8th grade classroom on Tuesdays from 1-3 pm.
👍 High School Information 👍
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Finals Week: With Finals Week in one week, we want to be sure that students are prepared, up to date academically, and ready to go. Be sure to check in with your Advisory teacher or classroom teacher with any questions. Finishing strong is key! We will be having pizza and a hot chocolate bar this finals week for our students as well.
Math Group - Wednesdays Update: We are excited to welcome Mrs. Irene Hsieh. Mrs. Hsieh is a familiar name to our staff as she worked as a second math teacher at the high school 2 years ago. Mrs. Hsieh is a mother to two young children with a variety of work experiences in the Independent Study realm. We are so happy to have her and look forward to her working more closely over the coming weeks and months with our students K-12.
PTA Round Up
Hello Maverick Families,
In case you're looking for an early stocking stuffer, TC Spirit Wear is now on sale! Visit the website https://www.tustinconnectpta.com/spirit-wear to get yours today! We have them in stock just purchase them and pick them up! You can order online via our website and show your receipt to the office, or you can bring cash or check to the office made out to PTA.
- T-shirt $10
- Dri-fit $15
- Jammie Pants $30
If you are interested in getting involved, we'd love the help! Please contact the office and we can connect you to our PTA. You can also reach out to our PTA President, Ziggy McBride via email at ziggy.mcbride@gmail.com.
Counselor Corner: Resources and link to workshops and more!!!
We thank those that were able to attend December's Coffee With the Principal/Counselor/Mental Health Professional focused on strategies to Thrive in an Independent Study Environment. We will share the link to the slides and a recording of the presentation next week.
Our small groups at the K-8 and high school sites continue. We are so excited to be able to meet with students in a group setting. See below for more information on the small groups and how to join.
Check out Mrs. Wijnhamer's Monthly Counselor Newsletter.
Our Counselor and Mental Health team have a great website with lots of resources to check out.
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!
December 1: End of Attendance Period - All work is due
December 20: Maverick Hangout - Cookie Decorating, games and more
December 21: End of Quarter 2/Semester 1
December 22-Jan. 5: Winter Break
January 8: Classes Resume
January 11: Senior Pictures 12-2pm at the High School Room P31
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