October 1, 2021

Dear Inglewood Unified School District (IUSD) Staff, Students, Families and Community:

In our continued commitment to serving our community and providing current information, we have some important updates in this week’s message.

Hispanic Heritage Month
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we would like to highlight some of the significant contributions Hispanics and Latin American figures have made throughout history. This week we celebrate former professional baseball pitcher, Fernando Valenzuela. Known as “El Toro”, Fernando Valenzuela was responsible for bridging the gap between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the city’s Mexican American community. Born November 1, 1960 in Etchohuaquila, Mexico, Valenzuela was discovered in 1977 by a Los Angeles scout while playing in the Mexican League. At the age of 20 years old, Valenzuela caught the attention of fans when he pitched during a National League (NL) Los Angeles Dodger game in 1981. Following the 1981 season, Valenzuela was the NL Rookie of the Year and was the first player to be named the best pitcher in the league, while simultaneously leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a World Series title. According to History.com, Valenzuela became a cultural icon in the Latino community in the United States and a hero in his home country. Valenzuela was so popular that a phenomenon known as “Fernandomania” increased the attendance at games on the road by an average of 9,000 fans. Valenzuela had a career record of 173 wins and 153 losses and played 11 of his 17 years in the major leagues with Los Angeles. Thank you to Fernando Valenzuela for his significant contribution to major league baseball. To learn more about Fernando Valenzuela, please click here.

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Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER III Plan)
Our District is hosting a workshop for parents on October 5, 2021 and October 12, 2021 at 3:45 p.m., to receive feedback regarding a plan for the use of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (ESSER III). The ESSER funds are allocated to school districts to address the academic impact of lost instructional time as well as respond to the academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of all students, particularly those students who are disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that you will join us as we greatly appreciate your input and support. To join the October 5th meeting, please click here. To join the October 12th meeting, please click here.

Alternate Income Form
This is a friendly reminder to parents/guardians to submit your Alternate Income Form. We previously released information that IUSD is participating in the Seamless Summer Meal Option, a program that provides students with breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks at no additional cost to families. In order to continue receiving additional District funding for this special program, families are required to complete the “Alternate Income Form”. As a way to ensure our parents/guardians submit their form, our district is having a competition between elementary and secondary schools where the two winning schools will have an In-N-Out truck for lunch. Be sure to submit your Alternate Income Form by clicking here to help support your school!

Aeries for Parents Workshop
In collaboration with Los Angeles County Office Education (LACOE) Community Schools, Morningside High School is hosting a virtual Aeries workshop for parents on Tuesday, October 12, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. This workshop will provide information to parents regarding the student information system, Aeries, and provide instruction on how parents can access their child’s class schedule, grades, transcripts, attendance status in real time, missing assignments, and more! Participants will also receive instruction on how to create an Aeries account. For additional information, including zoom details, please click here.

Early Literacy Fellowship Certificate Program
Our District is excited to announce the launch of our Early Literacy Fellowship Certificate Program for teachers looking to advance professional development in evidence-based instruction pertaining to foundational reading skills in grades TK-2 or in special education. The series of workshops will focus on the science of reading and instructional practices that support the science. Workshops begin October 6, 2021 and will be held every month through March 2022. All sessions with the trainers will take place virtually after school from 2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Follow-up sessions with coaches will begin after school from 3:00 p.m.- 4:30 p.m. and will be in person, pending COVID-19 restrictions. Teachers who are interested in learning more about the Early Literacy Fellowship Certificate Program, please click here.

West Basin Water Harvest STEAM Adventure
The West Basin Municipal Water District is hosting a virtual Water Harvest STEAM Adventure, an online journey where students can help discover and solve the mystery of our disappearing water supply, on Saturday, October 23, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. Students will have the opportunity to conduct science experiments, observe technology demonstrations, and interact with some fascinating critters. In addition, students will be able to enjoy hands-on activities led by biologists, engineers, chemists, and other water experts. As an added bonus, participants will have an opportunity to win free prizes. To register for this event, please click here.

SoFi Hiring Fair
As a way to ensure SoFi Stadium remains connected to the economic development of Inglewood and the surrounding areas, they are hosting a job fair throughout the month of October to fill event day and management positions. Some of the jobs in the departments and companies include, SoFi Stadium, Legends Hospitality, Crowd Management, ABM Janitorial and parking management. The remaining hiring dates are October 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. and will be held inside the stadium at Level 3 East Canyon. For additional information, including the option to apply online, please click here.

October is College and Career Readiness Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is here and I invite everyone to join us in participating in our activities as we commemorate October as College and Career Readiness Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I invite all staff and students to wear a t-shirt from a university or college to promote higher education on Wednesdays throughout October. Share a picture on social media using #IUSDCollegeShirtWednesdays. Please click here for additional College and Career Readiness Awareness activities for the month of October. Additionally, for the week of October 4-8, we are encouraging students and staff to decorate a door, cubicle or hallway with a Breast Cancer Awareness theme. Share pictures of your creations on social media and use #IUSDPinktober. Please click here to access additional Breast Cancer Awareness activities.

Hispanic Heritage Month Art Contest
As a way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, our District is hosting a Hispanic Heritage Art Exhibition on Saturday, October 9, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Crozier Middle School. The theme is “Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope” and students will have the opportunity to showcase their creations which may include posters, sculptures, or paintings. Students must submit their entries by October 4, 2021 to the IUSD Special Projects Department located at the District Office in Bungalow B1. For additional information, please contact Lillian Grant at Lillian.Grant@inglewoodusd.com. Please click here to access the information flyer.

COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics
Our District is hosting vaccination clinics for students, parents/guardians and families and daily COVID-19 testing. We are excited to announce that we are extending our weekly COVID-19 testing to parents/guardians and families, in addition to students and staff. Vaccine Clinics at school sites have begun on a rotating schedule, hosting two vaccine clinics per site. The first and second round of vaccine clinics this week will take place on October 7, 2021 at Inglewood High School from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. For questions regarding the Vaccine Program, please contact Project Coordinator, Marvin Lawton, at (310) 912-9164 or vaccines@inglewoodusd.com.

COVID-19 Testing
Please click here to access our school site based COVID-19 Testing schedule. You may access additional information regarding the vaccination clinics schedule, COVID-19 testing and more here! For questions regarding the COVID-19 Testing Program, please contact Project Coordinator, Jenny Fuentes, at (213) 476-3667 or submit an email to COVIDTaskForce@inglewoodusd.com.

IUSD Meal Service Update
Students enrolled in Independent Study School will be able to pick up Grocery Kits that include 5-days’ worth of Breakfast and Lunch meals as well as milk and produce. One meal kit per student will be distributed on a weekly basis. Parents/guardians can now pick up the Grocery Kits every Thursday at Woodworth-Monroe from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. For additional questions, including information regarding pick up accommodations, please call the Food Services Department at (310) 680-4870. Please click here to access the IUSD Grocery Kit distribution schedule.

Thank you staff, parents, students, and community members for your ongoing support and commitment to the success of our district.

WeAreInglewoodUnified

Sincerely,

Erika F. Torres, Ed.D., MSW
County Administrator