Tustin Connect News
Home of the Mavericks
Volume 6 Issue 7
A big thank you to Pacific West Companies. They are a local company that provided 30 volunteers to Tustin Connect to help with some additional love to our campuses. You'll see from the pictures, they filled our garden area with new plants, painted the fence, and filled in the area in front of the office and rooms 26 and 27 with succulents at the high school. It looks amazing. The volunteers also painted the TC Logo and refinished the outdoor tables at the K-8 campus. Amazing work and much appreciated.
Principal/Counselor Coffee is this Wednesday, October 2nd at 8:30 am at the K-8 campus. The topic is Executive Functioning and strategies to support your students. There are so many reasons to attend! You have free coffee and donuts, raffle, work pass for your student, and most importantly great insight and education to support your students not to mention great company!
There's still time to sign up for Trunk or Treat!!! Families were sent a message through Parent Square. Here's a link to a flyer! We would love to have you join us. It's going to be super fun.
Reminder that Dino Dash is coming! Please consider signing up and learn more about this great event at www.tpsf.net/dinodash. We get $10 per registration directly to your child's classroom for regsitering.
This week's background features pictures of the awesome work from Pacific West on our campuses, as well as two photos from Maverick Hangout this week.
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...
Principal/Counselor Coffee and PTA Meeting is this Wednesday at 8:30 am at the K-8 campus. We are excited to share some great insight into the critical role strong Executive Functioning Skills play in your student's success as well as conduct our first official PTA meeting of the year. There will be donuts, coffee, a raffle, get out of work tickets for your student, and great conversation. Please consider joining us. If you can't make it in person, we will be streaming live. Use this link to hop on.
I wanted to offer a huge thank you to Pacific West and all the work they did on our campus this past Tuesday. Whenever you are able to upgrade the physical structure of the site, it makes a difference for our students and staff alike. The plants, painting, and mural were amazing and made such a difference as you can see in the photos. Having wonderful community partners is the best!
If you haven't heard, each week, Tustin USD features 3 schools in their weekly video delivered every Saturday morning. Last week, Tustin Connect was featured in the District weekly video. Check it out using this link.
As mentioned previously, Dr. Johnson, our superintendent, sent an email Tuesday, September 10th regarding a School Facilities Bond-Measure J that will be on the ballot this November. In case you missed it, Please click here to view the Informational Measure J resources hosted on our District’s website. If you are interested in learning more, please don't hesitate to reach out as I am able to provide factual information regarding questions you may have.
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 Round Up
Hello Maverick Families,
Thank you to all who have supported Tustin Connect PTA through our Maverick 180 campaign. If you haven't had a chance to contribute, it's not too late. The Maverick 180 campaign is the main fundraiser for Tustin Connect.
Trunk or Treat is coming! Please be sure to check your emails as a message went out via Parent Square to RSVP for the event as well as an opportunity to sponsor a trunk for our Trunk or Treating students. If you missed the email, check out this link to the flyer!
Also, be on the lookout for new spirit wear ordering opportunities as well.
✍️ Elementary Information ✍️
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Reminder about Apps and Log-Ins: Downloading apps is something all students need to do at some point. They will be utilizing different apps throughout the year as part of their assignments. If you have a TUSD iPad, you need to use the Self-Service icon to download the apps. For Google apps, you'll want to sign in with your mytusd.org login to get access. Lastly, for Clever, you will need to sign in with the mytusd.org account as well for them to work. If you run into trouble, feel free to check in with your teacher or the office as well.
Library Visits: 4th - 6th graders to come at 8:10 on Wednesdays to visit the library with Mrs. Vukov! She's a wonderful resource for our students and a great opportunity to explore the various titles in the Estock Library. Our K-3 students attend on Wednesdays during the day. The 8:10 time is only for 4-6 grade students.
Dismissal: Parents, please be sure to either use the line to pick up or come to the gate to get your student each day. Especially on Wednesdays and at the 2:30 pm pick up time, it is important that students are escorted through the parking lot as there are a lot of cars and movement.
😃Middle School Information😃
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In Person Lab Support: Mondays from 10-12 students have the opportunity for additional support and socialization time. They can get support with their work, meet up with friends to collaborate on projects, or just get a jumpstart on the week.
Pathways to Success Event: The the Annual TUSD event is open to all 6-12 students. It is October 9th at Foothill HS. The event focuses on preparing for a bright future. It includes college admission and preparing for exciting and interesting careers in the modern workforce.
Counselor Lessons This Week: Middle school students were treated to an awesome lesson with Mrs. Halili, our interim counselor, this week. Our students receive lessons each month from our counselor on a variety of topics from executive functioning skills, habits of effective students, to high school course credits. It's a great way for students to connect with our counselor and learn some of the skills necessary to be successful and productive humans.
👍 High School Information 👍
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College Admission Workshop #1: On Friday, October 4th, Mr. David will be hosting our first of three workshops to support students with their college applications. Workshop one is an Introduction to College Apps and Searching for Colleges. Workshop 2 focuses on The Essay, and Workshop 3 is Polishing the Application.
Pathways to Success Event: Be sure to mark your calendars for October 9th at Foothill HS for the Annual TUSD event focusing on Middle and High School students with a focus on preparing for a bright future. It includes college admission and preparing for exciting and interesting careers in the modern workforce.
IVC Spotlight Week: Irvine Valley College (IVC) would like to send a special invite to all high school students to participate in IVC Virtual Spotlight Week. Spotlight Week is a virtual informational series tailored for our local high school students, parents, and guardians. Daily sessions will be offered virtually starting Monday, November 18th, from 4:30 pm to 5:30pm, covering a new college topic each day. You can attend one or all sessions. Please see the flyer for more details and to register.
Counselor Corner: Resources and link to workshops and more!!!
September is Suicide Awareness Month. Understanding mental health and knowing how to offer support can make a big difference. It's important to recognize warning signs like withdrawal, mood changes, or expressing feelings of hopelessness. It’s important to know that asking someone directly about suicide can be a lifesaving conversation. Connect with resources such as school counselors and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (988). Together, we can make a difference.
Mrs. Halili will continue serving our students in Mrs. W's place. We are excited to have her as she shares a wealth of experience and has been cross training to prepare for the transtion over that past couple of weeks. She had a great first full week and we appreciate her sharing her expertise. If you have any questions or would like to speak to Mrs. Halili, she can be found via email at shalili@tustin.k12.ca.us or you can call the office.
As shared last week, our Mental Health Specialist, Mrs. J wanted to share a couple of great resources with our families. She'll be talking more about them in the coming months as Principal/Counselor Coffees get started. In the meantime, this is some great stuff for families.
From Mrs. J:
I wanted to share some free resources available for our students and families.
The first is a free online parenting course tailored to the age and the specific behavioral challenges of the child (0-18 yrs)
The second resource is also free and provides in the moment one on one coaching when the maladaptive behaviors come up as well as tutorials (0-12 yrs)
The positive parenting program that's already used in 40+ U.S. states
Help your kid reach their potential and take on challenges while improving your confidence too - with positive parenting support from Triple P.
https://www.hellobrightline.com/brightlifekids/
BrightLife Kids - A CalHope Program by Brightline
Brightline brings support to kids and families for everyday challenges and behavioral health conditions.
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!
October 2: Principal/Counselor Coffee and PTA Meeting
October 4: College Workshop 1 10-12 pm
October 4-6: Tustin Tiller Days Festival and Parade (mention TC at presale and part of price goes back to TC) . Wristbands will be available for purchase from September 3 through October 4 or while supplies last at the Parks and Recreation Department, 300 Centennial Way, Tustin, at City Hall. Sale hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00am-5:00pm. All sales will end on Friday, October 4 at 3:00pm.
October 9: Pathways to Success Event
October 15: HS Picture Day
October 16: K-8 Picture Day
October 29: Trunk or Treat 5-7 pm
November 3: Dino Dash
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