Tustin Connect News

Welcome Back! We hope you had a great Spring Break. For our 6-12 students, it's the beginning of a new quarter. For all of us, it marks the home stretch for the 20-21 school year. Big announcements, good news, and updates for the 21-22 school year below. This week's background features Mrs. McCourtney's 3rd Grade Class Thank You Notes to the Tustin-Santa Ana Rotary Club. Each year, the Rotary provides trees for all of our 3rd-grade students to plant at home in honor of Arbor Day. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Mr. Fineberg, our principal, at efineberg@tustin.k12.ca.us.

We are excited to be back and in the home stretch for the 21-22 school year. As mentioned last week, the news related to COVID vaccine rates and the related metrics surrounding the disease continues to be very positive. As a result, Dr. Franklin released some great news about the 21-22 School Year below. As a result, we temporarily put our survey on hold in order to provide families the most up-to-date information with which to make a decision for the upcoming year. Please know that the delay will not negatively impact your child's ability to attend their school of residence for the 21-22 school year. Thank you for your patience as we work to provide you with an opportunity to make an informed decision for the 21-22 school year. 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

Tustin Unified School District

Message to Parents and Guardians

March 25, 2021

Students Will Return to Full-Time In-Person Learning for 2021-22;

District Will Also Offer Tustin Connect Independent Study Program

Dear TUSD Families:

Great news! As COVID-19 cases continue to decrease and vaccines become more widely available, the Tustin Unified School District is pleased to announce all students will return to full-time, in-person instruction at all elementary, middle and high schools for the 2021-22 school year. The first day of school is Thursday, August 12.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued updated guidance on physical distancing in schools. The language is similar to the new CDC guidance, which advises a minimum of three feet between students instead of six feet. This change in social distancing guidelines from six feet to three will accommodate more students on campus and increase valuable in-person instructional time.

In the 2021-22 school year, Tustin Unified will return to a traditional schedule of five days per week. In April, families will have the opportunity to learn more about the District’s award-winning Tustin Connect K-12 School that offers an independent study program. Families who wish to keep their students home during the 2021-22 school year will have an opportunity to transfer to Tustin Connect. Please look for this message in the coming weeks.

Due to these recent developments, TUSD is also working on a process to expand in-person classes for the remainder of this school year for those students who have already opted for in-person instruction. Details are being worked out and will be shared as soon as they are available.

Tustin Unified continues to make every effort to maintain a safe and healthy environment for students and staff, while adhering to all health and safety guidelines established by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA). The District’s health and safety measures include face coverings, daily temperature checks, physical distancing, use of outdoor and flexible learning spaces, enhanced ventilation systems, stand-alone air purification systems for each classroom, office spaces and common areas, handwashing/hand sanitizing stations, and increased disinfecting practices and protocols.

The District greatly appreciates your continued cooperation throughout the school year and will continue to work closely with CDPH and OCHCA to monitor the situation and provide updates as needed.

Please continue to visit the TUSD website at www.tustin.k12.ca.us for additional information and resources, including the TUSD COVID-19 Dashboard.

Keep strong and stay healthy.

Gregory A. Franklin, Ed.D.

Superintendent

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.

Spring Virtual Book Fair: April 5-18 (more details to follow)

Incoming 6th Grade Parent Night: April 8 5 or 6 pm dependent on 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: Handling Conflicts SEL at Home

TUSD Mental Health 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

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.

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

TUSD News Release:

Tustin Connect School Principal Erick Fineberg has been named the 2021 California Continuation/Educational Options Administrator of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA).

“There are thousands of school administrators in California representing 19 regions and to be chosen as a state Administrator of the Year is quite an accomplishment,” Tustin Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Gregory Franklin said. “Erick is an outstanding educational leader who is making a tremendous difference in Tustin Unified by expanding learning opportunities for all students.”