Casimir Weekly Cougar Updates

As our testing dates approach, please ensure your child is present and on time. If possible, we kindly ask that doctors appointments or other non-urgent commitments be scheduled outside of the testing times to minimize any interruptions. Your support in helping us maintain a smooth and efficient schedule is greatly appreciated.

• All Students will be tested in ELA and Math. Only 8th graders will be tested in Science.

• Students will attend all periods each day and then report to the period indicated above during the testing block. If it is a tested subject, they will be testing.

• No CMS late start on Tuesday, May 6, May 13, and May 20

• CMS late start on Friday, May 9, May 16, and May 23

• May 26-30 will be the regular weekly schedule schedule

• All NHS classes/testing will take priority. Any students missing CMS testing due to the NHS schedule will be tested during Make-up times and/or their PE class

• NHS Biology Students: - Take CAST during PE or down time from NHS - details to follow

8th Grade Families,

Please click the button below to view the 2025-2026 Summer Academy offerings and details.

We are Very Pleased to announce that Afterschool Tutoring and homework help is now available twice a week in all subject areas!

📍 Location: Room 75
📅 Days: Every Tuesday and Wednesday
⏰ Time: 1 hour after school (3:20pm - 4:20pm)

If you need extra support with classwork or homework, this is a great opportunity to get help. All students are welcome to stop by on any Tuesday or Wednesday!

Mr. Merrihew and CJSF students are here to support you—hope to see you there!

Thank you!

This is just a gentle reminder that if your child wishes to participate in any afterschool sports this school year, the TUSD Athletic Clearance Packet AND Physical form (in the packet) are required to be submitted. All documents must be received before your child can participate in tryouts, practices, or games. Thank you.

Click the button below to see the monthly lunch menu.

Parents, please look through the latest edition of Helping Students Learn for articles about supporting your child's effort to fulfil end-of-year responsibilities, encouraging civil discussion, prompting your child to write, promoting summer reading, considering a contest for fun learning, what to do when your child wants fewer limits, using the summer to connect, easing high school anxiety, and applying the power of peers.

As you may have seen in the Back to School Highlights from Dr. Stowe, this year, we have unveiled an updated vision for our District. After more than 18 months of input, best practice research, and development, we have published our "Portrait of a Graduate." Our Portrait describes the key skills that we want every student to have developed by the time they graduate from Torrance Unified.

We look forward to sharing stories about how our teachers and staff are helping our students practice these elements at our school.

Make your opinions known and help shape the future of Torrance! The City is updating its General Plan to support housing goals, enhance safety, and promote environmental justice. There is still time to take an online survey to share your input. Visit survey

As our nation struggles with yet another tragic incident of school violence, we want to remind you again about the important tool we use to help keep our schools secure and our students safe: the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System offered through the Sandy Hook Promise.

This life-saving service empowers you, our students, and our community members to anonymously report any concerns, including potential threats, bullying, or individuals who may be at risk of harming themselves or others. There are three ways to make a report:

• Call the 24/7 crisis hotline counselors at 1-844-5-SayNow (1-844-572-9669)

• Download the mobile app at Google Play or Apple Store

• Submit a tip through their secure website

No matter how you report, Say Something ensures that every voice is heard and every concern can be addressed promptly.

We encourage you to remind your children about the importance of speaking up if they see or hear something troubling so that we can partner to address issues before they escalate. By working together, we can create a safer and more supportive environment for everyone.

As a California public school student, your child may be eligible to receive a CalKIDS scholarship of $500 to $1,500 for college or career training. Funded by the State of California, a CalKIDS scholarship can be used for qualified college and career training expenses such as tuition and fees, books and supplies, computer equipment, and some room and board expenses. Checking a student’s eligibility and claiming a CalKIDS scholarship is easy. It only takes a minute. All you need is your child’s 10-digit Statewide Student Identifier (SSID), which can be found at the top of the page when you select your student in PowerSchool. For more information and to check your child’s eligibility, visit CalKIDS.org.

Our Board of Education voted to extend the free Metro GoPass program for a second year, and we are proud to offer this benefit to all our students. The program includes a Metro TAP (Transit Access Pass) card that offers FREE unlimited rides on Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro) bus rail and subway lines, including Torrance Transit, Long Beach Transit, Culver CityBus, Gardena Transit (GTrans) and LADOT Dash.

If your student has a TAP card from last year, you will just need a new code, which you can pick up from our school office. We also have a stock of TAP cards for new riders or those who lost their old cards. New cards will need to be activated before being used. For more information, visit https://www.tusd.org/administrative-services/metro-gopass.

Quick Guide to Reporting Student Absences

If/When your student is absent please notify us via email by sending an absence note with the following information to cook.lindsay@tusd.org

Absence Notes should include:

1. Date

2. Name of your Child

3. Date of absence

4. Reason for absence (if out due to illness please specify what symptoms your child is having)

5. Parent/Guardian Name & Relationship (absence notes can only be accepted from Primary Guardians listed in PowerSchool)

6. Phone Number where you can be reached

If you have any questions or concerns you can always reach out to Ms. Lindsay our Attendance Clerk @ (310) 533-4498 ext. 4782

Throughout May, our school focus is being successful. We start CAASPP testing on Monday, 5/5, and the 8th grade Media Arts class has made posters to inspire student success around Casimir during testing. Casimir staff will recognize students for following the monthly focus with Gotcha tickets. If we see you trying your best, you could earn a Gotcha ticket! This is also a great time for parents to discuss the monthly focus with their child at home to further support the Casimir Cougar Code.

Our weekly In-N-Out winner is Jason Hanaoka! Congratulations!

Please see Ms. Beasley after school to pick up your burger card.

Our 2025 Wellness Week is quickly approaching and will be held throughout our District from May 12-16. We invite students, families, and our staff to join together to practice wellness habits. In addition to activities planned at many of our schools, we encourage you to view our Torrance Unified Family Guide for activities to do at home, including a chance to set and track personal goals for a chance to win prizes! For more information visit: WellnessWeek.tusd.org.

We invite you to create a poster, video, TikTok, or reel (one minute or less) to fit this year's theme.

• Poster and video entries must be submitted via email to buildingbridges@tusd.org
• Submitted projects will be used to encourage students during Wellness Week!

2025 Theme: "Stronger Together: Building a Culture of Wellness"

Deadline: Friday, May 16th @ 9:00pm

Email entries to: buildingbridges@tusd.org

Prizes:

1st Place: Instant Camera

2nd Place: Fire Tablet

3rd Place: Stanley lunch bag & water bottle set

Video Winner: Drone Camera

Move Your Body, Calm Your Mind is a campaign launched by the Governor's Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being that provides simple, diverse, and accessible ways for Californians of all ages to increase their physical activity and mental well-being. The benefits of a healthy body and mind can lead to a lifetime of optimal health and a thriving California.

Visit MoveYourBodyCalmYourMind.org today to:

• Learn more about the benefits of physical fitness and mental well-being
• Find simple ways to Move Your Body and Calm Your Mind
• Share quick tips and social posts to help us spread the word
• Discover ways to get involved

Who qualifies: Any person without insurance, no proof of Immigration status needed.

• MediCal: California residents
• Healthy Families: California residents, low income, no proof of immigration status needed
• Healthy Kids: California residents, low income, no proof of immigration status needed

What services are provided?

• Braces (Orthodontica care)

What is the cost?

• Free! No cost for braces for qualified participants.

For more information, please call: Hawthorne Dental & Braces

(310) 973-6428

Dear Parent / Caregiver,

This year school staff are working to teach students about mental health and how to seek help if they are worried about themselves or a friend. We are using a program called SOS Signs of Suicide. The program teaches students about this difficult topic and encourages them to seek help.

SOS has been used by thousands of schools for over 20 years. Studies have shown that it effectively teaches students about depression and suicide while reducing the number of students’ self-reported suicide attempts.

Through the program, students learn:

● that depression is treatable, so they are encouraged to seek help

● how to identify depression and potential suicide risk in themselves or a friend

● to ACT (Acknowledge, Care and Tell a trusted adult) if concerned about themselves or

a friend

● who they can turn to at school for help

Students will watch age-appropriate video clips and participate in a guided discussion about

depression, suicide, and what to do if they are concerned about a friend. Following the video,

students will complete a brief depression screening form. This form cannot provide a diagnosis of depression but does indicate whether a young person should seek help from a mental health professional.

At the end of class, students will complete an exit slip which asks whether they would like to talk to an adult about any concerns. School staff will conduct brief meetings with any student asking to talk.

We encourage you to visit www.mindwise.org/parents for information on warning signs for youth suicide, useful resources, and some of the key messages students will learn.

Presentation will occur on November 4 and 6th.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s participation in this program please contact me at 310-533-4498 X 4711, Hunnel.stephanie@tusd.org or Janet Liu 310-533-4498 X 4728 any of our school counselors.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Hunnel School Counselor

Janet Liu School Therapist

Hello. My name is Stephanie Hunnel, and I am the Casimir Middle School counselor. I offer school-based counseling that focuses on academics, social, and emotional well-being.

Our mission is to provide a positive, safe, healthy, nurturing, and respectful environment where all students can become productive members of society.

Casimir offers the Wellness Center a safe place to hang out with friends, make new friends, and play board games with peers. Students are welcome to bring their lunches with them to hang out.

The Wellness Center is open daily for snack and lunch. All are welcome.

Hi, there! My name is Janet Liu, and I am the Casimir Middle School Mental Health Counselor. I offer short-term mental health services to help students address issues related to daily stress, anxiety, depression, peer relationships, grief and loss, and more.

The Wellness Center in Room 24 is a space available for students to relax, play games, socialize, and talk to the counselor. It is open everyday at lunch time.

If you need any help with this transition or with any other mental health difficulties, please reach out to the mental health team at Casimir:

Stephanie Hunnel - School Counselor

(310) 533-4498 ext. 4711

hunnel.stephanie@tusd.org

Janet Liu, AMFT
School Based Mental Health Therapist

liu.janet@tusd.org
(310) 533-4498 x4784

You are welcome to join us at this Zoom Link:

https://tusd-org.zoom.us/j/82221418687?pwd=7h7Ix6YEJ5PVbi8WMUhzZOCVLnU7Qy.1

Be sure to follow @CasimirMiddleSchool on Instagram!

Please take a moment to join our Facebook Page! You can find us at @CasimirMiddle

5/5 - 5/22 - CAASPP Testing Bell Schedule

5/12 - 5/16 - Wellness Week

5/26 - No School - Memorial Day

6/11 - Last Day of School

Website: https://www.tusd.org/schools/casimir
Location: 17220 Casimir Avenue, Torrance, CA, USA
Phone: (310) 533-4498
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CasimirMiddle/