Principal's Message...
I am so appreciative of the TC community including PTA, Staff, Students, and Families. It was great to see so many of you at the Virtual Lovefrest on Thursday night. As we continue to find new and creative ways to connect our students and families, your participation and support is critical. In case you missed this Quarter's School News Article, here's a link. It celebrates the successes of our students and the uniqueness of our program(page 21). 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
Valentine's Day Lovefest
In case you missed it. The virtual Lovefest was a huge success and super fun for all. We had crafts, games, costume contests, and talking. Lots of catching up with friends and students. We are looking forward to another event in March to Celebrate Read Across America. As promised, here are the winners from each of the events. We will be sending out your prizes shortly.
Elementary School Winners
Kahoot
1st Place: Abs
2nd Place: Natalie M.
3rd Place: Shinobu L.
Best Costume: Perez Family
Best Virtual Background: Mary H.
Middle School Winners
Kahoot
1st Place: Andrew D.
2nd Place: Sophie L.
3rd Place: Alex E.
Best Costume: Nadia W.
Best Virtual Background: Max G.
High School Winners
Kahoot
1st Place: Ryan S.
2nd Place: Sydney V.
3rd Place: Payton L.
Best Costume/Virtual Background: Sydney Vu
A big thank you to our PTA for sponsoring the prizes and crafts and our HS Leadership Class for organizing the high school event.
Elementary Information
3rd Trimester Student Learning Survey: On Monday morning, you received a link via email to the survey. You will have the opportunity to make your preference for either In-Person or Virtual Learning for the 3rd trimester. The survey will be open through Tuesday, February 16th.
Mark Your Calendars: Dr. Seuss Read Across America is coming March 2nd. If you'd like to get a sneak peek at some of the great resources and ideas, check out this website.
iPad Issues?: Many of the recent iPad issues (apps freezing or auto-closing, apps not auto-updated, etc.) have been traced back to iPads running out of storage space. Please delete unnecessary files and apps to free up space for school-related apps to update and function properly.
Middle School Information
8th Grade Promotion and Picture Proofs: Please mark your calendars for Wednesday, May 19th at 5:30 pm for our 8th-grade promotion. The plan is to be in-person. Families will remain in their car while students are in-person in chairs using the B Street Campus Parking Lot. More details to come. If you are able, we are still looking for volunteers to help with planning. Please contact Mr. Finebeg if you can help out. If you have not picked up your proofs, please do so at the TC B Street Office to pick up your proofs.
Math Pathways Important Information: Please take a moment to review the linked letters based on your child's current math level. This is important information as we look at placing students in math classes for 2021-22.
Math 6/7 Families: English Version Spanish Version
Math 8 Families: English Version Spanish Version
Algebra 1 Families: English Version Spanish Version
High School Information
Senior Graduation and Photos: Great news! We are currently making plans for an in-person Sernior Graduation at the THS Sports Pavillion. We are currently scheduled for Monday, May 24th at 12 noon. Please mark your calendars. Thank you to Mrs. Gwozdz for volunteering to help with the planning. We could use some additional volunteers. Please contact Mr. Fineberg, if you are able to help. Reminder that proofs for our senior photos have arrived. Please stop by the office to pick them up.
Summer CTE Internship for Rising Seniors: The TUSD CTE Summer Internship Program will be launched this summer. This exploratory opportunity will be for rising Seniors in the summer of 2021. See the flyer for more information.
Leadership Class Projects: Please support our Leadership Class Philanthropic projects as you see them come up. Below is Maia's project. She's looking for support by writing letters to the frontline workers at Hoag. Please see below for more details.
No Cost COVID Testing for In-Person Attending Students
Tustin USD is excited to announce another date for our no-cost COVID testing on a voluntary basis for all students who attend in-person for either hybrid learning, extracurriculars or athletics (flyer linked). TUSD has partnered with LivingFit Nation to provide this opportunity on February 17 and will be hosted at the B Street Campus Parking Lot.
Here are the details:
- No cost
- February 17 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- B Street Campus Parking Lot
- The linked flyer has links with information on how to register and schedule your time
- Walk-ins will only be accepted after 3:30
- On your scheduled day, park and look for the pop-up tents set up in the parking lot
- Lab results are provided within 48 hours
- Students do not need to quarantine after voluntary testing
The TUSD Board of Education is committed to student and staff safety and is offering no-cost testing to help prevent the spread of the virus. TUSD strongly encourages you to take advantage of this opportunity.
Vision and Hearing Update
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.
Virtual Musical Theater Classes: Registration Now Open
For parents and students of students ages 9-18: Sergestrom Center is offering an upcoming series of Virtual Musical Theater Classes taking place in February. Registration is now open and classes are first-come, first-served with limited space available. Use the link below to register as soon as possible to guarantee a spot for your student.
The February series includes a total of five live, online classes in musical theater, acting, and dance, and tuition for all five classes is $150. Classes range from 60-75 minutes and are taught live online by some of the industry's leading professional artists and educators. The February session dates, times, and registration are available through this link.
CLICK HERE to register today!
K-12 Digital Books Resource Spotlight
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.
Important Upcoming Dates
President's Day Holidays(No School): Friday, February 12th, and Monday, February 15th
K-5 Trimester Ends: February 26th
Read Across America: March 2nd
6-12 Quarter 3 Ends: March 12th
K-5 Elementary Student Learning Survey: February 8th-16th
TC Virtual Lovefest: Thursday, February 11th 5:30 Elementary, 6 pm Middle, 6:30 High
Counselor Corner
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.
Grade 6-12: 24/7 Virtual Tutoring for all Tustin Connect Students
That's right, all TC 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.
How Do Students Use PAPER's Essay Review?
TUSD's School Opening & Safety Plan
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
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