August 24, 2020
Dear Families of Thurgood Marshall Elementary School (TMES),
Welcome to Mustang Country! We hope your family had a relaxing summer and that both you and your children are looking forward to a wonderful 2020/2021 school year. This year, we will continue to focus on increasing academic achievement and developing social and emotional learning to inspire collaborative conversations and corporative learning for students and staff with Distance Learning (DL).
The summer of 2020, will forever be remembered as the COVID-19 summer. Our families and staff have waited patiently for the re-opening of school. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility. Due to COVID-19, many of our families struggled emotionally, physically, and financially. We cannot even begin to imagine the toll that the National pandemic caused our families. As a school community, we stand with your family as we embark on a “new normal” for our mustangs. Getting back to a school routine might be challenging, but we encourage you to have a growth mindset, stick-to-itiveness, and grit. As a school community, we will support the social and emotional health of our mustangs with the use of the Sanford Harmony Social and Emotional Curriculum. Our school is a demonstration school for Sanford Harmony and we have found success with deep implementation over the past three years. Within Mustang country, we believe that we must continue to instill the love of other fellow mustangs, despite their differences. It is our responsibility as educators to ensure that all mustangs believe that they are an individual of great worth. Also, we want to ensure that mustangs feel valued and appreciated no matter their race, color, ancestry, national origin, ethnic group identification, age, religion, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression. First-quarter, all mustangs will focus on diversity and inclusion. We will also join in on a new journey for our school to become a “No Place for Hate” school.
As a school community, we are aware that mustangs have missed attending class physically and learning within the walls of the physical school grounds. Whether we are virtual or in person, we believe that students can learn and acquire the necessary skills to thrive. As partners in education, we will work with your family and meet our mustangs right where they are academically, behaviorally, and socially/emotionally.
On Wednesday, August 26, 2020, your child’s teacher will receive an e-mail with the assigned class placement. Our TMES teachers return to work on August 26, 2020, from their summer break. It is at that time that they will be working on solidifying their grade level class schedules. The assigned teacher will contact your family with an initial TMES welcome with class-specific information. Class schedules will be flexible for the first week as we find a solid structure that will work for mustangs and families. We ask for your patience as we embark on this new journey. CVESD will be hosting a Virtual Opening Welcome Night on Thursday, August 27, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. Click here to access this event.
On Friday, August 28, 2020, starting at 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., we will distribute grade level supplies by last name and grade level in zones one thru three. The distribution schedule for a pick-up is as follows: 2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. last names A-F, 2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. last names G-L, 3:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. last names M-R, and 4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. last names S-Z. Click the Map. In the bus loop, parents/guardians can pick-up devices/wi-fi and PTC will distribute pre-purchased yearbooks to families. If your family is not able to stop by for supply and device distribution, staff members will be available on Monday, August 31, 2020, starting from 8:45 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Due to COVID-19 safety and CVESD guidelines, all parents/guardians and visitors will be unable to come on campus until further notice. We understand that this information is a shock to our families and hope that you understand these safety measures.
School resumes on Monday, August 31, 2020. Per AB 77, the required distance learning daily instructional minutes by grade level were decreased due to COVID-19. The required instructional minutes are as follows: TK/K: 180 instructional minutes (3 hours), grades 1–3 230 instructional minutes (3 hours 50 minutes), and grades 4-6 240 instructional minutes (4 hours). We encourage families to mustangs get up, take a shower, put on their mustang gear, eat breakfast, and be mentally ready to start the school day. Although the instructional day will look different, mustangs will learn the essential standards and build a virtual relationship with their teacher and peers.
Has your family income changed due to the impact of COVID-19? We encourage all families to apply for click here to apply for the free or reduced lunch program. Families can apply and qualify for free meal or reduced meal. On Monday, August 31, 2020, TMES Nutrition Team will distribute five days’ worth of meals (breakfast and lunch) from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in front of the mural area. Meals will be free to eligible students that qualify under the free and reduced-priced meals program.
Our annual TMES Curriculum Night will take place virtually on Thursday, September 10, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. We will have two sessions. The first main session will begin at 5:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. and our second session will begin at 6:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Parents/guardians with more than one child will be able to virtually visit multiple teachers during session one or two. During both sessions, the same content will be shared.
Student placements and teacher assignments are tentative until such time that we see students virtually during the first weeks of school. Historically, new arrivals occur which may require some change in class assignments to accommodate class size limitations. If your child is directly impacted, a notification will take place from the front office. As a staff, we make every effort to keep the whole child in mind as we considered class placements in order to establish well-balanced classes and to provide a positive educational experience for all students to thrive.
Continue to read e-mails from school messenger and CVESD. We encourage all families to subscribe to our blog by visiting http://www.thurgoodmarshallmustangs.org/. If you have any questions, please call our front office Monday thru Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at (619) 656-6252. It is our pleasure to assist your family. We are asking all parents/guardians to help us encourage active participation and spark excitement for school distance learning. At TMES, we will work very hard with you to ensure that your child receives the best education possible.
In Service,
Monica Loyce, Ed.D.
Principal
