Dec. '23 Shout Outs!

A monthly update on GSAs & the PSUSD LGBTQ Alliance

Dear school leaders, GSA advisors, teachers, families, and students

Thanks for reading the PSUSD LGBTQ Alliance's Shout Outs Newsletter. This issue features lots of wonderful pictures of students, staff members, and families enjoying the Palm Springs Pride Parade! Additionally, we have included a few resources to help support students and staff members over the upcoming Winter Break. You'll also find the LGBTQ Alliance's year-at-a-glance calendar, helpful glossaries of terms, updates on GSA clubs across the district, a staff resource library, and more!

🌈PSUSD LGBTQ Alliance

📧 lgbtq@psusd.us

Navigating the Holidays

As we approach the three-week Winter Break, it is important to acknowledge that being home for the holidays can be emotional and challenging for LGBTQ+ folks, especially if their family environment is not supportive of their identity.

Below, please find two resources that can be shared with your students and staff members. These resources are geared toward middle/high school students and adults. However, if you are at an elementary school and know a student who may also be feeling the stress of being at home and away from their school support system over the break, you can have a conversation with them and share some of the tips from these resources.

Advice for LGBTQ+ Students Staying at Home for the Holidays

For many LGBTQ+ youth, this time of year can be a more difficult time than others. Schools are closing for winter break, some of us are gathering to celebrate holidays, and lots of us are spending more time with family than usual.

glsen.org

Holiday Checklist for LGBTQ+ People

A Big Thank You to the Family Engagement Center!

As exciting and joyful as the parade was, the celebrations really started well before we stepped off on the parade route! A million thanks are owed to the staff at the Family Engagement Center for organizing an incredible pre-parade breakfast get-together. Everyone enjoyed the delicious burritos prepared by Monzerrat Ruiz and her family, the donuts donation made possible by Teresita Perez, and the decorations, hair ribbons, and temporary tattoos organized by Frankie Espinoza, Lilly Hernandez, Sandra Monroy, and Jarvis Williams. Frankie's lovely daughter Miyah was in charge of the temporary tattoos! Special thanks also to Student Services Data Specialist Sal Cabazos for his engaging read-aloud of Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag.

Out and About Across the District!

Cabot Yerxa Elementary School

The members of the CYES Rainbow Club had a blast at the Palm Springs Pride Parade! They also met on November 30th and had a special guest: Lex Ortega from the LGBTQ+ Communnity Center of the Desert! Lex shared information about The Center with the kids, and also had a great conversation with them about allyship. They brought friendship making materials along and the kids had a wonderful time making bracelets to give as allies and friends.

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Raymond Cree Middle School

RCMS GSA members had a wonderful time marching in the Palm Springs Pride Parade!

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Nellie Coffman Middle School

The NCMS GSA and two of their amazing counselors enjoyed the Palm Springs Pride Parade!

Mt. San Jacinto High School

The Unity Club at MSJHS received a Foundation grant and a grant from the Palm Springs Gay Men's Chorus. They plan to hold mixers and a dance with the goal of spreading unity! Their members also enjoyed marching in the Palm Springs Pride Parade.

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We want to celebrate YOU!!

If you would like your school featured in the next newsletter,

send updates and pictures to Annie Axsom at aaxsom@psusd.us!

2023-2024 Year at a Glance

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Click the image to view the PSUSD LGBTQ Alliance 2023-2024 Year at a Glance! Here you'll find training opportunities, GSA meeting dates, community events, and more.

If you would like your school's event or GSA meeting dates added to the calendar, email the PSUSD LGBTQ Alliance at lgbtq@psusd.us.

Brave Spaces Parents

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Brave Spaces Parents is hosted by the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert. Meetings are the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. Brave Spaces is a support group for adult family members and allies of transgender, non-binary and gender-expansive tweens and young teens. The mission of this group is to create a safe/brave peer community where adults can support each other and find helpful tools on the parenting journey. One-on-one parent support/education meetings are also available for parents seeking additional resources.

LGBTQ PAC

All are welcome to attend the LGBTQ+ Parent Advisory Committee meetings to offer input and learn about supports and services offered in PSUSD. Please share these flyers with families at your school!

Here is the link to register: https://bit.ly/psusdlgbtq

And here is a link to the LGBTQ PAC Newsletter: https://bit.ly/lgbtqpsusd

Resources for School Leaders

Staff Resource Library

Click here for a Google Drive folder of ready-made lessons, information about laws, resources to share with families, and more compiled by the PSUSD LGBTQ Alliance.

The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert

Visit this page for excellent local resources for students and families.

The original source for supporting LGBTQ+ students

GLSEN is an educators' network founded in 1990. They offer a comprehensive set of resources for building an LGBTQ+ inclusive school community.

Thinking about school climate?

This guide from Learning for Justice will take you through the steps to building the kind of school climate that's safe for our most vulnerable students.

LGBTQ+ Glossary

Click here for a helpful glossary of terms relating to LGBTQ+ topics.

LGBTQ+ Glossary in Spanish

Click here for a helpful Spanish language glossary of terms relating to LGBTQ+ topics.

Elementary Level Glossary

Click here for a resource from Welcoming Schools that shares elementary level definitions for LGBTQ+ terms.

Toolkit for "Being There for Nonbinary Youth"

This toolkit synthesizes the key tips and takeaways from “Being There for Nonbinary Youth” and offers online resources for supporting transgender students.

learningforjustice.org