Tustin Connect News

You must be in heaven, Issue 37 is here and with only 3 weeks of school to go. A big thank you to our amazing PTA and families for an unbelievably awesome Teacher Appreciation Week. Thank you, thank you, thank you. This week is about graduation updates, end of year, and upcoming events. This week's background features a picture of the beautiful care boxes for our teachers created by Mrs. Ly and sponsored by the PTA. It was one display from a week of love. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Mr. Fineberg, our principal, at efineberg@tustin.k12.ca.us.

What an incredible week we had. Big thank you to our PTA, students, and families for treating the staff like gold. On behalf of the entire staff, I wanted to thank you all. What a wonderful week for an incredibly deserving staff! They are amazing professionals. As we approach the three-week mark of school remaining, I wanted to make sure you all have access to the 21-22 School Calendar. There is a link below in red. Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms out there. 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

A Message from PTA

END of YEAR

Graduation and Promotion activities are quickly approaching and the excitement is building! If you would like to volunteer to set up or help in any way please reach out to either Linda Ly (linda@grandsoirees.com), Janice Park-Kim janicekimdds@hotmail.com for 8th grade, Tracy Grozdz for 12th gradeTracygwozdz@sbcglonal.net or myself for any volunteering at smw196@sbcglobal.net.

A huge thank you to Janice- Park-Kim, Mariel Franco-Ellis, Tracy Gwozdz, Linda Ly-Pang, Kerry Alpay, and our teachers for doing all you have done to make sure our graduates have a memorable end to this year!

Looking Ahead

PTA is filling positions for next year. Please consider giving your time and lending your talents to this wonderful school by volunteering for the following available positions.

President – Coordinates meetings and activities for PTA.

Treasurer – Maintains all financial records for review by general PTA. Tustin Connect PTA is small so we anticipate only a handful of transactions a year. This position requires only a few hours a month.

Parliamentarian – Attend meetings and ensures all parliamentarian rules outlined in our bylaws regarding votes, elections and rules are adhered to.

Spirit wear – Coordinate design and ordering of spirit-wear at the beginning of the year. This is a once-in-a-year commitment. All orders are placed online.

Garden – Help maintain gardens and coordinate any new plans with the school and volunteers.

We welcome parent volunteers to head up book clubs, family nights, art activities – just to name a few. If you have a vision, passion, or area of interest you think would benefit students and that PTA can facilitate please let us know! We can’t do it without you.

Thank you,

Melissa Weiss

Smw1196@sbcglobal.net

714-719-3782

VENUE UPDATE and other stuff.

5th Grade: Congratulations to Airi, Elise, Ella and Natasha. All four will be giving speeches at our Promotion Picnic style on Wednesday, May 26th. See flyer for details. As you know, it will be held on the field behind P11 at the B Street Campus. Be sure to bring your blankets, chairs, and sunscreen. ;)

8th Grade: We are on track for Wednesday, May 19th at 5:30 pm at our TC B Street Campus parking lot. This year, Dr. Franklin and Board Member Stone will be joining us for the ceremony. Families will have access to their assigned spot in the parking lot beginning at 3 pm. It will be all yours to decorate for the ceremony and dinner if you choose. Please see the flyer for additional details for 8th-grade speeches and talents. Tryouts are this Tuesday.

Seniors: UPDATE to Venue. As messaged this Friday, the venue has changed for the Senior Graduation Ceremony to Beckman HS Performing Arts Center. Same date (May 27th) and time (noon), just a different venue. Indoors, AC, and cushy chairs. Be sure to get your surveys in to confirm your ticket needs and a few more details. We also need baby pictures. :) Cap and Gown, swag bag pick up, and Ice Cream Man (3-5 pm) will be May 19th from 1-5 pm at the San Juan Street campus. Students interested in giving a speech at graduation, performing the National Anthem, and/or sharing their talents at the ceremony have tryouts this Monday, May 10th at the HS campus at 11 am. Please see the flyer for additional details and timelines.

Social-Emotional Learning at Home Resource

Topic: Give Children Age-Appropriate Responsibilities

English Copy

Spanish Copy

Mental Health Newsletter

Below is an outstanding resource for families to access with a wealth of resources that is created by our Mental Health Professional team at the district level.

• Link for Flyer

Senior Speech Tryouts: Monday, May 10th at 11 am @ HS Campus

8th Grade Speech Tryouts: Tuesday, May 11th @ 12:45 @ B Street Campus

New TC K-5 Students Information Meeting: Tuesday, May 11th @ 5:30 pm

Senior Cap and Gown, Swag Bag, and More Pick Up: May 19th, 1-5 pm @ HS Campus

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

HS Course Request Due: May 21st, 3:00 pm (don't delay in getting your requests in)

5th Grade Promotion Picnic: May 26th @ 10:30 am B Street Campus Field

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

Senior Graduation: May 27th, 12 noon @ THS Stadium

In case you missed it. This message was sent out on Monday to all families. This new system will provide us with some great resources and capabilities to streamline our communications.

Hello TUSD Families,

As we approach the end of the 20-21 school year, we want to bring some news regarding how we communicate out to families. Our communication system as we call "Aeries Communications" developed by SignalKit is evolving into a new more advanced system under the creators of ParentSquare. This transition will be occurring on Friday, April 30th. On April 30th, we will be sending out an invite email to confirm your accounts and contact information. This email will be coming from "donotreply@parentsquare.com". Confirming your account will provide access to the ParentSquare system (website and app) and give you additional resources to videos about the system. ParentSquare will still be accessible inside Aeries and be named "Aeries Communications" for users even without confirming your account. The ParentSquare App/website is just one of many ways to access ParentSquare. ParentSquare contains new advanced features like RSVP calendar sign-ups, integrated surveys, electronic signature collection, and many others that will allow us to communicate in ways not possible before. Please see the links below for an overview video and additional resources for parents on the transition to ParentSquare.

Overview video of the ParentSquare system before it goes live on Friday, April 30th.

TUSD Parent Resources/Support for ParentSquare and Aeries

Thank you for your time and cooperation as we continue to improve our systems. TUSD is proud to provide a system that will allow us to better communicate and collect feedback from our families.

Registration is now open for the TPSF Summer Academy. The Academy runs over 4 weeks split into 2 2-week sessions. June 7-17 and June 20-July 1 M-Th from 8:30 - 12:30. There are options for in-person and online courses for students in K-12 grades. In case you didn't know, Mr. Fineberg is the director of the program. It's pretty amazing. Check out the different options at www.tpsf.net/summer or you can always ask Mr. Fineberg.

As we return from Spring Break and head into the summer months, it is also a time when many of our students are thinking of enrolling in community college courses. If you are thinking of doing so, please take a moment to review the linked document. It provides an overview of the enrollment process and related websites as well. It's super helpful and a great place to start. If you're considering taking a community college course, please reach out to Mr. Moreno and/or your advisory teacher. We can help you not only pick the best courses for your graduation plan but also help you navigate the process.

If you have not heard, IVC offers a Promise Program that provides two years of free tuition and other fees. The deadline to apply has been extended to April 16, 2021. Prospective IVC students must complete the steps to becoming an IVC student and submit a FAFSA or California Dream Act application before that deadline in order to be considered for the Irvine Valley Promise Program. For more information or to learn about the Promise Program please visit www.ivc.edu/promise or email ivcpromise@ivc.edu.

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 the second Tuesday in English and every second Thursday in Spanish.

• Tustin Parent Night (English) - Second Tuesday every month. Register using the following link: https://pages.paper.co/webinars-for-parents-and-guardians

• Tustin Parent Night (Spanish) - Second Thursday every month. Register using the following link: https://pages.paper.co/es-us/presentaciones-para-padres-o-representantes

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.

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