Casimir Weekly Cougar Updates

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!

Casimir's Speech and Debate Club will be presenting our TED Talks at the district TUSD Talk event. The showcase is on Tuesday, February 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Calle Mayor Middle School.

CJSF will be holding a Valentine's Day Toy Drive for the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. It will begin January 22 to February 12. This will be a homeroom competition and a pizza party will be given to the winning homeroom.

The deadline for 7th grade CJSF applications and 8th grade CJSF reapplications is Wednesday, February 12th.

• Tuesday, 2/11, is Cupid Tuesday. There will be Valentine's Day themed Pin the Tail on the Donkey outside of the library at lunch!
• Wednesday, 2/12, is Hydro Flask vs Stanley Water Bottle Day. Bring your Hydro Flask or Stanley to school!
• Thursday, 2/13, is Valentine Day Grams. They will be sold at lunch for $3 at the mural.
• Friday, 2/14, is Valentine's Day! Wear Valentine's Day colors to school such as red, white, or pink! The Valentine's Grams will be delivered on this day.

We Are Proud of Our Students’ Commitment to Responsibility!

We are incredibly proud of and encourage all students who demonstrate excellence in responsibility by arriving at school on time regularly. Arriving early is a great habit that sets the tone for a successful day!

Important Reminders:

• While the start time for Period 1 is 8:40 a.m., the school gates open at 8:20 a.m. Please note that there is no school supervision prior to 8:20 a.m.

Drop-Off & Pick-Up Tips for Casimir Avenue:
Casimir Avenue is a smaller residential street and tends to get busy during drop-off and pick-up times. To ensure a smoother experience and prioritize student safety, please keep the following tips in mind:

1. Plan Ahead: There is ample parking available on adjacent blocks or even on the next street over. Arriving early can help you avoid the busiest traffic times, which tend to occur closer to the start of school.

2. Follow Traffic Rules: Carefully read and abide by all traffic regulations and street signs to ensure everyone’s safety.

3. Be Aware of Parking Enforcement: Torrance Parking Enforcement has been observed patrolling the area periodically, so please be mindful of where you park.

4. Student Drop-Off on the School Side: To prioritize safety, please drop students off on the East side (school side) of Casimir Avenue so they do not need to cross the street in front of traffic.

5. Use Crosswalks: Students must always use crosswalks when crossing the street and should look both ways for oncoming traffic.

6. Dismissal Tip: At the end of the school day, students may exit through the East gate on Spinning Avenue, which can help avoid some of the crowds on Casimir Avenue.

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to creating a safe and positive environment for all our students!

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 empowering your middle schooler to take a stand against bullying, humor boosting connection, providing a listening ear, learning from tests, keeping the learning going, volunteering, applying strengths to struggles, tips for group study, and communicating.

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.

For those families who have little ones at home, our Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten enrollment will begin at the end of this month, scheduled by quadrant. You can learn more at our upcoming TK/K Parent Info Day this Saturday, January 25 from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

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.

The City of Torrance is updating its plans to ensure a safer, more sustainable, and inclusive community. These updates will:

• Guide how land is used for housing, businesses, and open spaces.

• Improve policies to protect against natural disasters and environmental challenges.

• Address community needs like cleaner air, safer neighborhoods, and better access to resources.

We need your input! Please take a moment to share your thoughts by completing this survey.

Your voice matters in shaping Torrance's future!

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

Let's start 2025 off strong and try our best! 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 Chance Hansen!

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

Mr. Merrihew’s Gotcha raffle winners for this week are Tyler Chin and Ricky Kim! Congratulations!

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

1/22 - 2/12 - CJSF Toy Drive

2/7 - No School - Student Free Day

2/10 - No School - Lincoln Day

2/11 - 2/14 - February Spirit Week

2/12 - CJSF Applications Due

2/17 - No School - President's Day

3/14 - No School - Local Non-Instructional Day

4/4 - End of Quarter 3

4/7 - 4/11 - No School - Spring Break

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/