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.
Welcome Back
The Inglewood Unified School District was excited to welcome our students back for the 2021-2022 academic year. Students were greeted with balloons, a red carpet as well as cheerful teachers, staff, and District leadership, as they joined their classmates for their first day of school. The start of the school year was a new experience for all of us and our District would like to thank our amazing parents/guardians, students, and staff for their patience and understanding, as we continue to make any necessary changes to ensure the health and safety of our schools and community. Please click here to view ABC 7 Ashley Mackey’s first day of school coverage at Worthington TK-6 Elementary.
Los Angeles County Office of Education Teacher-of-the-Year
Our District would like to congratulate Dr. Carolyn Johnson for her recognition as the 2021-2022 Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) Teacher of the Year for the Inglewood Unified School District. LACOE will be honoring Dr. Johnson at their 40th Annual Teachers of the Year Banquet on Friday, September 24th. Dr. Johnson is being recognized because of her unwavering support to students throughout her tenure. She has dedicated her professional life to being an advocate for inclusion, equity, and access for her students in the Beulah Payne School community since 1990. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Johnson! We are extremely grateful for your dedication and commitment to our District.
California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Results
At the end of last school year, students in grades three through eight and high school participated in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) assessments, a report that shows scores for English language arts (ELA), and mathematics. Student Score Reports can now be accessed electronically through the AERIES parent portal of our student information system. Students in grades four through eight who took the test in previous years will also see past scores so you can see your child’s progress over time. If your child is in grade five, eight, or in high school, a second score report may be included for science that shows an overall score and information on how well your child did in different science domains. Please click here for information on how to access the student test score portal for parents.
Health and Safety
COVID-19 Testing Program
In our efforts to prioritize health and safety, onsite weekly COVID-19 testing began on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 for staff and students through our partnerships with testing laboratories. This component of our mitigation strategy will add another layer of protection against the spread of COVID-19. The details of the testing program are as follows:
Parents/Guardians who wish to have their child participate must complete an Online Registration by visiting https://sunriselab-ca.labsvc.net/ patientportal/ to opt into the testing program. Unvaccinated Employees are required to complete this registration. This is a one-time registration, which includes the consent required to participate in the testing program. Parents/Guardians may opt-out their students at any time.
There is no cost to participate in this program. Parents/Guardians will be asked to input their child’s health insurance information, if applicable, but they will not be billed or charged a copayment.
Our COVID-19 testing teams will visit each site once per week. A team will visit each classroom and call small groups of 3-5 students at a time into the hallway to perform a cheek swab PCR test. Participating employees will be tested concurrently. We anticipate that the process will take 30-60 seconds per participant by the third week of implementation.
Participants will receive direct notification of their results via email within 24 hours.
Please click here to access additional information about COVID-19 testing, vaccination clinics and more! 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.
Backpack donation from Office Depot and CDE Foundation
Office Depot’s “Start Proud” back-to-school investment program, which provides students, parents and teachers with school supplies, partnered with California Dedicated to Educators (CDE) Foundation and Labor Management Initiative, to nominate Ms. Aba Ngissah, Hudnall Elementary School teacher and President of the Inglewood Teachers Association (ITA), to receive 250 backpacks and school supplies such as rulers, notebooks, pencils and much more! In addition, parents received a $20 Office Depot gift card to use for additional supplies. Thank you to the CDE Foundation, Labor Management Initiative and Office Depot for supporting our students and families.
Attendance Raffle Giveaway
Our District’s Attendance Campaign, “Every Student. Every Day.” was launched on the first day of school because at IUSD we believe that success for every student begins with attending school every day. To support this campaign, our District will be raffling Jared Goff JG16 gear for students who attend on the first day of school from each school. In addition, students with perfect attendance for the first week of school will be entered in a raffle to win a Lenovo Tablet. Student awardees will be randomly drawn from each school by the District Office. The names of student awardees and the prizes will be delivered to schools by Wednesday, September 8, 2021.
Information Technology (IT) Update
Our District is excited to share that the IT Department developed a three tiered system of support, which includes one technician at every site to ensure technical needs are met, an improved work order system, and established a helpdesk line that is available Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. This line is available to all that require technical support, including staff, students, and parents. The helpdesk line can be reached at (310) 680-5100.
We have also implemented a new security appliance that will allow us to provide Wi-Fi service at all school sites while still maintaining the privacy and security of our student’s data. This allows access for all who bring their own device to our school sites.
IUSD Construction Projects
Sound Mitigation and Modernization Projects at Morningside High School
Morningside High School is in the process of completing a sound attenuation renovation for doors, windows, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and ceiling systems for Buildings A, B, C, D, E, G, R, S, and T. In addition, old flooring was replaced, and new marker boards were installed along with interior and exterior building painting. The lighting system was also upgraded with new LED fixtures and improved internet infrastructure was installed. Restrooms associated with each building were brought up to current American with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards as well. After being non-operational for several years, the elevator at building S was brought up to full operation and state certification. New guardrail mesh inserts were installed at the balcony of building S and bookshelves were also refinished and have been reinstalled along the library walls in building E. We will continue to share updates on the construction projects at various IUSD sites in future communications.
Fall Sports Schedule
Our District is excited to share Inglewood High School and Morningside High School’s upcoming fall sports schedule for the 2021-2022 school year. We are so thankful to all of our athletics staff and student athletes and their ability to ensure student safety, and see that our teams were free of any COVID-19 cases during the 2020-21 school year. Athletics is such an integral part of IUSD and we look forward to supporting our students as they compete and represent our District with pride! Please click here to access the Inglewood High School fall sports schedule and click here to access the Morningside High School fall sports schedule.
Alternate Income Form
IUSD is participating in the Seamless Summer Meal Option during the 2021-2022 school year and this program 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”. The income form will not only provide free meals, it may also assist with after school academic and enrichment programs, state and federal funding for school budgets, resources for classrooms and much more! In addition, our district is having a competition between elementary and secondary schools where the two winning schools will have the In-N-Out truck for lunch. Be sure to submit your Alternate Income Form to help support your school before the deadline on September 15th. Please click here to complete the form.
IUSD Meal Service Update
For students returning to in-person, meal distribution will return to normal and students will receive breakfast and lunch during the regular school day, at no charge for all students! Staff will continue to wear masks and gloves during distribution of meals. Meals will be provided in the cafeteria, but students may eat and drink outdoors if available. Students enrolled in Independent Studies will receive 5-Day Grocery Kits. Starting September 1, 2021, parents can pick up the grocery kits at the following schools as follows:
In addition, effective September 7, 2021, our District will begin to provide supper to our IUSD students, free of charge! Supper will include the 5 basic components of a meal (Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Protein, Dairy). Supper will be available as a grab and go meal when students leave for the day. If they participate in ASES, they will receive a warm meal provided at the school site. For additional information regarding meal distribution, please contact the IUSD Food Services department at (310) 680-4870.
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
