Tustin Connect News

Happy Friday! Of course, a lot going on as usual. An announcement from Dr. Franklin, some updates on upcoming events, and resources for the whole family fill up the Tustin Connect News. This week's background features Emma's Passion Project. A student from Mrs. Mercuri's Kindergarten class wanted to help out one of her friends who is super into Bald Eagles. It's yet another example of the huge hearts of our students. Check it out. You too could fly your very own eagle. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Mr. Fineberg, our principal, at efineberg@tustin.k12.ca.us.

Dr. Franklin's message below that will be part of the upcoming Franklin Almanac, addresses the question of what next year will look like in TUSD. The goal is to safely bring back students to in-person instruction. As we begin the discussion about 2021-22, be on the lookout for a survey coming out prior to Spring Break. We will be asking you for your plans for the coming year. Rest assured, TC is not going anywhere and the same goes for your assigned schools. It can be a tough decision. Hopefully, the additional information will help. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out at (714) 430-2052 ext. 52103 or efineberg@tustin.k12.ca.us

Mr. Fineberg

District staff has begun turning attention to the start of the 2021-22 school year. It is impossible to confidently predict the state of the pandemic when school resumes in August; however, three principles will continue to guide the District’s decision-making. They are:

1. The District is committed to returning students to in-person learning and regular school activities as soon as possible.

2. The District will continue to follow the guidance and directives of the local and state health officials, and

3. The District will provide parents with choices for students’ schedules and activities.

So, the question is, “Will we resume a normal school schedule in the 2021-22 school year?” The answer depends on the state of the pandemic and the guidelines in place in August from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA). Based on Tustin Unified’s experience with hybrid schedules, in-person school can be safely done by following the current COVID safety protocols, including mask-wearing, symptom monitoring, sanitizing, desk shields, uni-directional traffic flow, and physical distancing.

Of all the above protocols, the one that will keep schools from returning to normal is the physical distancing requirements. The key to a normal start to 2021-22 is for that distance requirement to be lowered. There are several positive developments that might lead health officials to change that recommendation. They include:

• Schools that have reopened to in-person classes, like in Tustin Unified, have been able to conduct school without adding to the community spread of the COVID virus.

• After a tremendous surge in COVID cases in December and January, the case counts have steadily decreased.

• The COVID testing positivity rate continues to decrease and in the week of February 15, 2021, reached the level that would put Orange County into the Red tier on the state’s reopening plan.

• Vaccinations of senior citizens and high-risk school employees have begun. OCHCA predicts that all school employees will have the opportunity to be vaccinated by summertime.

• Vaccination trials are currently underway for children, which may lead to approved vaccines for that age group before the next school year.

In addition to these developments, Tustin Unified has taken additional precautionary steps that include:

1. The addition of a free-standing HEPA air purifier in every classroom installed before the end of the current school year.

2. Weekly COVID testing is available within the District to all students, employees, and their dependents.

The Tustin Unified School District will continue to take steps to reopen schools and resume school activities as normally as possible given current health and safety protocols. As we progress through the year, additional information will be provided to staff and TUSD families.

Come join us for our Virtual Celebration for Read Across America Day on Tuesday, March 2nd @ 5:30 pm. There will be a Literary Character/Dr. Seuss Costume/Virtual Background Contest along with games, prizes, and more. Please sign up below and be sure to make note of the link to the event. We look forward to having a readiculous time with you.

RSVP using this link please!

Tustin Unified has a growing collection of over 750 read-along titles available in Sora.

Read-alongs are a great way for students to experience picture books, beginning readers, and easy non-fiction in an eBook format with professionally recorded narration that plays while they read. Read-along features include:

• Narration that you can start and stop

• Text highlighting so the reader can follow along

• Automatic page-turning and speed control

You can find read-alongs by logging into Sora through Clever, select Explore and look for the featured Fiction and Non-Fiction Read-Along collections!

Questions? Visit the TUSD Library Service eBooks & Audiobooks webpage OR contact your site library staff.

K-5 Trimester Ends: February 26th

Elementary Read Across America: March 2nd RSVP link

PTA General Association Meeting: March 3 @7:30 pm

SAT Administration Day: March 3rd

6-12 Quarter 3 Ends: March 12th

Spring Break: March 15th-19th (No School)

Spring Virtual Event: April 15

Teacher Appreciation Week: May 3-7

8th Grade Promotion: May 19th, 5:30 pm @ B Street Campus

End of Year Virtual Event: May 26 @5:30 pm

Senior Graduation: May 27th, 12 noon @ THS Sports Pavilion

Social-Emotional Learning at Home Resource:

Topic: Using Praise to Encourage Positive Behaviors. SEL at Home

Building Resilience Newsletter: Please take a look at this excellent resource of topics to support your children at home from the TUSD Mental Health Professionals.

• Link for Newsletter

Mandated Hearing and Vision will not be completed in the usual manner this school year.

Please see the “20/21 Mandated Hearing and Vision Screening Update” document which provides educational information to parents to help them identify potential problems with their child’s hearing or vision.

Parents are encouraged to contact their health care provider, or call the school to arrange for screening with the school nurse, if they suspect there is a problem.

That's right, all TC 6-12 students have access to this terrific resource. Take a moment to check it out! It's terrific.

Paper/Grade Slam: Don't forget to use this 24/7 free tutoring service! You can even use it for college essay review and SAT and ACT prep. Here are links to a few resources.

Video Tutorials

• Getting Started on Paper (8:36)

• How Teachers Use Paper (10:48)

• Introduccion a Paper (10:44)

• Paper for Parents (7:05)

• Paper para Padres (14:23)

• Student Dashboard Walkthrough (3:12)

• Teacher Dashboard Walkthrough (2:18)

Online Learning Guide for Students - PDF

Upcoming Parent Nights

• Tustin Parent Night (English) - Wednesday, March 24th at 6:00-6:30 PM

• English Flyer, English Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89137963291

• Tustin Parent Night (Spanish) - Thursday, March 25th at 6:00-6:30 PM

• Spanish Flyer, Spanish Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82323363176

The health, safety, and well-being of our students and staff is our top priority as they return to school. When the new school year begins, the on-campus school will look much different than previous years due to new health and safety measures.

Tustin Unified has created a School Opening and Safety Plan that addresses how schools will meet the needs of students in the coming school year. The plan to reopen schools is based on current guidance from public health officials, state agencies, as well as your valuable input from the recent parent survey, and will be updated as the situation evolves. As a result, TUSD has put together two options that will address social-distancing requirements to keep TUSD students and staff safe while also supporting student learning.

For the 2020-21 academic year, Tustin Unified will provide families a choice of two instructional options, including the hybrid model – a blend of in-person and remote learning, and Tustin Connect (K-12) – 100% online virtual school with optional in-person instruction.

The TUSD School Opening and Safety Plan (English linked, Spanish below) covers ​the many procedures and protocols that are being put in place for a successful and safe reopening. The plan can also be found on the TUSD website at https://www.tustin.k12.ca.us.

PLAN DE SEGURIDAD Y APERTURA DE ESCUELAS PARA EL AÑO ESCOLAR 2020-21

To provide students a flexible, yet rigorous, alternative education solution within a caring community that cultivates success, resilience, and advocacy for themselves and others

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