A MESSAGE FROM DR. HARRISON
Hello Legacy Families!
We have A LOT coming up in the next few weeks that I would like to draw your attention to:
- Monday, 9/2, Labor Day-NO SCHOOL
- Wednesday, 9/4, Make Up Picture Day
- Wednesday, 9/4, PTO Meeting @ 6:00pm
- Friday, 9/20, Blood Drive
- Friday, 9/27, MS and HS Fall Rallies
Additionally, we are hosting the TUSD Celebration of Schools this year at Legacy on Wednesday 9/25. This event is open to TUSD, Parents, and Community. See below for more details.
Finally, if you haven't registered yet for Dino Dash, we hope you will consider registering and selecting Legacy as your school. We are extremely proud of the fact that we have held the title for highest participating secondary school since the year we opened, and we have no plans of letting that trophy go! You can register for the 2K, 5K, 10K, Bike Race, or even purchase a Runnership (a sponsorship for a student in need), ALL of these count towards our registration, and $10 from EACH goes directly back to Legacy. See below for info to register. Thank you for your support!
It's gonna be great!
Take care and stay safe,
Dr. Harrison, Principal
Dear Families,
On August 27th, LMA hosted Challenge Success for a parent education event titled “A Healthier Approach to College Admissions.” Margaret Dunlap shared current research addressing many of the important questions we hear from families: What do college rankings really measure? Are students who attend more selective colleges better off later in life? What is “fit” and why does it matter? Participants learned practical strategies to help reduce unnecessary pressure around the college admissions process and ways to support their student’s overall well-being and readiness for life in college and beyond.
Challenge Success offers resources to help you support your student’s well-being and engagement in learning. We invite you to visit the Challenge Success website and explore the links below:
Check out the CS White paper, A "Fit" Over Rankings: Why College Engagement Matters More Than Selectivity
Check out the College Resources page on the Challenge Success website.
Share the Essential criteria ranking exercise
Check out the slide deck.
Book recommendations
Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be - Frank Bruni
What Matters the Most - Paul Tough
The Truth About College Admissions - Brennan Bernard
Who Gets In and Why - Jeff Selingo
JOIN! Follow Challenge Success on Facebook and Twitter, sign up for the newsletter, and stay connected with an ever-expanding community of families and educators.
We are so grateful for your participation in events and conversations like these, and for all you do to support your student(s) and our school community.
Ryon Tanara- Assistant Principal
Mr. Tanara is thrilled to join the LMA team! He has served as both a teacher and administrator in TUSD. Most recently, he worked as the Community School Specialist at Sycamore Magnet Academy. Prior to that, he was an assistant principal at Tustin High School for four years. Mr. Tanara holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of California, Irvine; a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from UNLV; and a Master’s degree in School Leadership and School Design from Harvard University. While at Harvard, he led a team to design a project-based high school aimed at empowering students to address local issues in their community. He is dedicated to helping students succeed both academically and personally. Outside of work, Mr. Tanara enjoys playing basketball, eating ice cream, and hiking. He is also a proud new father to a baby boy.
Contact: rtanara@tustin.k12.ca.us
Mackenzie Fuller- Design Thinking CORE 8
Mrs. Fuller is very excited to be part of the Legacy team. She graduated from San Francisco State University with her bachelor’s degree in art with an emphasis in Photography. In 2016 Mrs. Fuller graduated from the teaching credential program at Cal State San Marcos with a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. The next year, Mrs. Fuller started teaching 7th grade Humanities at Design 39 Campus in Poway Unified School District. In 2023 she moved here to Orange County with her husband and taught 6th grade Core at Pioneer Middle School. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and going to the beach with her golden retriever Honey Bear!
Contact: mgrimmer@tustin.k12.ca.us
Tyler Gray-Burrell - Physical Education
Coach Gray is beyond thrilled to be a part of the Tustin Legacy community! He is looking forward to working alongside a wonderful group of staff members to continue to build a strong Physical Education program for years to come. He graduated and received his teaching credential from Cal State Fullerton, where he majored in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Teacher Education. During the past 4 years, Coach Gray was an Elementary PE Teacher for four different school sites in TUSD (Beswick, Hicks Canyon, Estock, and Ladera). Additionally, he works with student-athletes as a coach at Portola High School for girls’ Flag Football in Irvine. He enjoys kayaking, playing basketball, and relaxing on the beach on the weekends!
Contact: tgrayburrell@tustin.k12.ca.us
Alex Ha- 6th Grade and Coding
Mr. Ha is so excited to join the LMA team as a sixth-grade teacher. He holds a Master's of Education from San Jose State University and received his B.A. from UC Irvine. Mr. Ha has taught for twelve years with the past three years at Ladera Elementary in Tustin. His first nine years of teaching were done in the Bay Area in the Sunnyvale School District where he was recognized as the Sunnyvale School District Teacher of the Year in 2018. Mr. Ha comes with experience coaching elementary robotics, basketball, and wrestling. He hopes to instill a lifelong love of learning in his students and will be your student’s #1 supporter. Mr. Ha has two wonderful daughters entering the first and third grade at Ladera Elementary. Outside of school, he loves playing sports, doing all kinds of outdoor activities, weight training, and of course...thinking about teaching. Mr. Ha cannot wait to meet the LMA students and connect with their families!
Contact: aha@tustin.k12.ca.us
Bob Valdez- Design Thinking CORE 7
Mr. Valdez is joining Legacy Magnet Academy from Utt Middle School and is excited to be a part of the Legacy team. He has 30 years of experience in education, all at the middle school level, with 21 of those years spent in TUSD. Mr. Valdez holds a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies, a Master of Education in Reading, and a Reading Specialist Credential from California State University, Fullerton. He also earned a Multiple Subject teaching credential from Concordia University, Irvine, and an Administrative Services Credential from Azusa Pacific University. Outside of the classroom, Mr. Valdez enjoys traveling around the country with his wife and dog in their camper.
Contact: rvaldez@tustin.k12.ca.us
Legacy Magnet Academy
Email: lmainfo@tustin.k12.ca.us
Website: https://www.tustin.k12.ca.us/legacy
Location: 15500 Legacy Road, Tustin, CA, 92782 USA
Phone: 714-430-2088
Facebook: facebook.com/legacymagnetacademy
Twitter: @MagnetLegacy