Tustin Connect News

Happy Friday! It's another long weekend! How exciting. We have lots of good stuff from Valentine's Day Celebrations and so much more. So start your 3-day weekend right with Tustin Connect News. This week's background features Mrs. Dove's 6th-grade class. They are taking some time for some class bonding and heart-shaped pizza and Valentine-themed treats. So fun! As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or compliments, please reach out to Mr. Fineberg, our principal, at efineberg@tustin.k12.ca.us.

As Tustin Connect continues to grow, the resources and staff do as well. We added a Library Media Technician this week, Ana Vukov. She will support our students with resources and access to the library, iPad troubleshooting, and so much more. We also added Flora Mallowang as a Para Educator. Flora will support our students academically and with executive functioning skills through small group meetings, within the class, and individual meetings. We are excited to welcome Ana and Flora to the Maverick family and invite you to learn more about Flora, Ana and all our staff on our website.

Remember that there is no school on Monday.

As always, 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

Once again, California will allow its mask mandate for indoor public spaces to expired at the end of day on February 15, 2022. However, for K-12 settings, face coverings will remain a state requirement for students and staff members, while they are indoors at school sites (OCHCA Press Release February 10, 2022). Below are a few more details, with active weblinks.

• Recently, the Governor announced that the broader public masking requirement will expire on February 15, 2022, saying COVID-19 cases have decreased 65 percent since Omicron's peak. However, face coverings will remain a state requirement for students and staff while they are indoors, on school sites, while students are present. Masks are not required outdoors, but they are encouraged. Physical distancing is also encouraged, based on campus space limitations. Guidance for the Use of Face Masks

• In planning for the next phase of this pandemic, Dr. Clayton Chau and his team at the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) have reviewed recommendations on face-coverings for the K-12 setting from experts across the country. Dr. Chau has proposed the attached recommended metrics to the California Department of Public Health for consideration to remove the mask mandate for K-12 schools.

• In addition, The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) indicated additional school guidance is on the horizon: “The state is continuing to work with education, public health, and community leaders to update masking requirements at schools to adapt to changing conditions and ensure the safety of kids, teachers, and staff. Additional adjustments to the state's policies will be shared in the coming week.”

• The additional state mandate that all school employees must show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or be tested on a weekly basis remains in place. The Mega-Event limit is being raised back to 1,000 attendees (currently 500 attendees) for indoor events and 10,000 for outdoor events. Mega Events Guidance. Indoor athletes for spring sports will continue to follow our current District protocols.

As shared in previous communications, keeping our students, staff, and community safe, has always been our top priority, and TUSD is unequivocally committed to preserving the safety and success of in-person instruction. Additionally, it is important to reinforce that we are required to continue to meet or exceed all health and safety standards established by the CDPH. That being said, we do anticipate additional announcements to changes in K-12 school guidance as early as this week, and we will share information as it becomes available. We thank you for your patience and ongoing cooperation. Our school administrators, teachers, and staff continue to work to ensure we are maintaining healthy learning environments, while also delivering on our primary goal of providing an exceptional in-person educational program for our students.

Matthew Jennings

Director of Communications

Tustin Unified School District

714.730.7339

President, CalSPRA

Hello Maverick Families,

February 18, 2022

Sharing your Talents We are encouraged by the increased support for PTA in the last few months. It’s been a blessing to meet more interested Tustin Connect families who have brought forward their support, ideas, and enthusiasm. That’s what PTA is! If you would like to know more about the possibilities and volunteer needs please reach out to Melissa Weiss at smw1196@sbcglobal.net, Linda Ly at linda@grandsoirees.com or Ziggy McBride at Ziggy.Mcbride@gmail.com.

Nominations - We have formed our nominations committee and are accepting nominations. If you are interested in joining this amazing volunteer force please contact Ziggy McBride at Ziggy.McBride@gmail.co. Nominees will be announced at our next PTA meeting in March.

We continue to support in-class needs as well as student activities. For a complete list of budgeted items please contact Janice Park-Kim at janiceparkdds@hotmail.com

Please check out the PTA website at tustinconnectpta.com for all pertinent PTA happenings and information.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Your PTA

New SORA collections for the month of February celebrating Black History Month and Valentine's Day. You can click on the links below for the collection and it will take you to the corresponding page on SORA.

Middle School and Up: Black History Month-Young Adult New to SORA - Young Adult

All Students: Black History Month For the Love of Books New to Sora

These collections below are featured on the explore page - Please pass on to your teachers/students.

Student Request - SORA books – Here is a link to the Google Doc that I would LOVE for you to send to your students so that we could get some suggestions and recommendations from them!!

Please check out this flyer regarding possible resources families may be eligible to receive:

• Rental Assistance
• Referrals to Shelter
• Navigation and Referrals to Housing Programs
• Referrals to other supportive services (food pantries, mainstream benefits, healthcare...)

School Website Calendar Link

February 21: No School - President's Day

February 23: Familial Support University workshop topic is “Helping your Child Regulate Emotions” Register to attend here: https://forms.gle/u21cR5KL3giUk3Vd9

March 5: Lions Club Vision Screening starting at 8 am (flyer)

If you have any technology questions or needs, please take a moment to visit the Resources section on our TC website and which has helpful hints and answers many of your questions. It also has a link to our TUSD helpdesk where you can get help for a wide range of issues from iPads to Schoology,, apps and more. Check it out!

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