PUSD UPDATE

Dear PUSD Community,

Happy New Year! We’re off to a great start to 2024 and the second semester in PUSD.

Our community is on the world stage every New Year’s day with the Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl game, and PUSD students and employees were front and center.

PUSD's Student Think Tank (pictured above and below) and employees were honored on the field during the college football playoff at the Rose Bowl stadium, two PUSD students were members of the Royal Court and rode in the parade, and Pasadena High School was the site of the annual Floatfest, the 2-mile showcase of Rose Parade floats following their appearance along the parade route.

With recent surges in respiratory illnesses, we want to encourage you to stay healthy as classes resume. We want our students to be in class, learning, and growing!

In our first PUSD Update of 2024, we have important information about staying healthy, enrolling in PUSD in 2024-2025, student wellness, and more. Please take a few minutes to catch up on the latest district news and welcome back!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth J. Blanco, Ed.D.

Interim Superintendent

PUSD schools are now enrolling for the 2024-2025 school year and the first Open Enrollment Lottery begins January 9, 2024!

PUSD is working to help reduce the rising number of COVID-19 cases and respiratory viruses right now. Here are few reminders to help you stay healthy:

• Test if you have symptoms or were exposed to COVID-19. (Free test kits are available at every school and at the PUSD Education Center.)

• Individuals who test positive are required to isolate for five days from the onset of symptoms or the positive test result and then may leave isolation if symptoms have improved.

• Wash your hands often.

• Wear masks in high-risk situations.

• Get the updated COVID-19 vaccine.

Avoiding illness and attending school every day improves students’ chances of graduation, completing college, and succeeding in life. Missing 10 percent (just two days each month) can drastically affect a student’s academic success. For more resources, please visit pusd.us/attendance.

PUSD schools are continuing to use existing spaces to create dedicated wellness areas that can address students’ needs in a safe, almost spa-like space. Some rooms include aromatherapy, soothing sounds, calm lighting, kinetic sand, fidget toys, lemon water, bean bag chairs and murals. All are staffed by an experienced Response to Intervention (RTI) teacher or behavior specialist.

Wellness rooms are welcoming spaces where students can express their emotions, share experiences, and learn coping strategies. For more on PUSD student wellness and support services, visit pusd.us/wellness.

PUSD's annual Innovation Exposition will be held on February 2, 2024 at the McKinley Middle School Gymnasium. Students can sign up now through January 18, 2024 at 5:00 pm. Visit the Innovation Exposition website for more information.

The deadline to apply for PUSD’s first student assembly has been extended to January 11, 2024. The PUSD Student Think Tank came up with the proposal to create a council, composed of six students (one junior from each high school) and an assembly, composed of 24 peer-elected students. The PUSD Board of Education (BOE) will allow the student council member to cast a predetermined preferential vote on behalf of all students on six campuses. Juniors on the student council will rotate attendance at PUSD’s monthly BOE meetings.

Every student at Washington Elementary STEM Magnet and its Children’s Center – more than 400 students – received a holiday gift to enjoy over the break, thanks to the Arman Jerejian Young Legend Foundation. Principal Karrone Meeks was thrilled to see such big smiles and so much joy on her students’ faces.

Please register now for free dental care through Young & Healthy Pasadena.