In our continued commitment to serving our community and providing current information, we have some important updates in this week’s message. In addition, we want to invite you to our March 10, 2021 Board of Education meeting at 5:00 p.m., where I will provide an update regarding the reopening of our schools. Please click here to access the Board meeting livestream information.
IUSD School Reopening
You may have recently heard in the news that the L.A. County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) is permitting L.A. County schools to reopen for in-person instruction for students at grade levels TK- 6. The state permits elementary schools to reopen as soon as the county reaches a 7-day COVID-19 adjusted case rate of 25 per 100,000. L.A. County reached that threshold countywide on February 15, 2021.
The safety of our students, staff and community continues to be our top priority. Inglewood Unified School District (IUSD) will continue to provide a virtual learning model as we make plans to reopen for in-person instruction. IUSD will continue to address safety measures and other considerations to return students and staff to school campuses as soon as possible. Most recently, IUSD has partnered with Beach Cities Health District to provide COVID-19 vaccines for our staff. Through this partnership, IUSD staff will have an opportunity to access vaccination appointments at Inglewood High School. IUSD will continue to work to prepare for a safe reopening.
For more information detailing the protocols and measures IUSD is taking to ensure the health and safety at our district and school facilities, we invite you to review the IUSD Health and Safety Plan Presentation which can be found here.
Special Message from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond
We are extremely honored and grateful to State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond who recorded a special message for our IUSD community! His message acknowledges the deep impact that this pandemic has had on our students, families, and staff. He also stresses the importance of attending school every day. To view the video, click here.
Black History Month
In honor of Black History Month, we would like to continue our series to highlight some of the many African-American figures who have made significant contributions to sports, science, arts and politics. This week we celebrate madam Vice President, Kamala Harris.
Daughter of a Stanford University Professor and Indian Diplomat, Kamala Harris was raised to make an impact for the things she believed needed changed. That is what motivated Kamala to major in political science and economics at Howard University. After graduating from Howard in 1986, she went on to receive her Law Degree from the University of California Hastings College of the Law in 1989. According to Whitehouse.gov, Kamala worked as Oakland’s district deputy attorney from 1990-1998, prosecuting cases of gang violence, drug trafficking and child abuse. In 2010, she was elected Attorney General (AG) in California, becoming the first African-American woman to hold that title.
According to Whitehouse.gov, Kamala fought for California homeowners against big banks that were unfairly foreclosing homes, worked to protect Obamacare, helped win marriage equality for all and reached a large settlement against for-profit education companies who scammed students and veterans. In 2016, Kamala was elected to the U.S Senate where she fought for immigration reform and women’s reproductive rights. In addition, her legislation to preserve historically Black Colleges and Universities was passed, as was her effort to implement capital into low-income communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On August 11, 2020 Kamala accepted President elect Joe Biden’s invitation to run alongside him as Vice President. On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first woman and first Black woman Vice President of the United States of America. Thank you, Vice President Harris, for advocating for students and inspiring so many women and girls of color across this nation and the world. To learn more about Kamala Harris, click here.
Wellness Art Contest Winner
Our District would like to congratulate Inglewood High School 11th grade student, Angela Lemus, on winning our District’s Wellness Art Contest. In our collaboration with the Rams organization, we asked students to illustrate, “What Does Being Healthy Mean to You”. Not only will Angela’s art be featured on our website, she will also work with our graphic designer to create a design that will be featured on our food trucks. In addition, Inglewood HS Principal, Ms. Tate, shared that Angela recently won the Student Body elections as the School Site Council Student Representative, becoming the Junior Class President. She completed the first semester with all A’s and is currently achieving a 4.0 for the semester. Angela, you are a leader and a true reflection of Inglewood High School and our District. Keep up the great work!
El Camino College
In collaboration with South Bay Promise, El Camino college is hosting a series of Information Sessions to teach incoming college students how they can receive free tuition for up to two years, regardless of financial need. In addition, they will include information regarding priority registration, support from an eligible Student Support & Success Program, personalized program orientations and more! The Information Sessions begin on Thursday, March 4, 2021 from 5:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. To register, please select from one of the following dates:
Thursday, March 4, 2021 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 18, 2021 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 1, 2021 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 15, 2021 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
For more information, please click here or contact Ananda Williams, South Bay Promise Program, at southbaypromise@elcamino.edu.
MyON Winter Reading Challenge
Our District would like to recognize the winners of the MyON Winter Reading Challenge. Students were encouraged to read as much as they could on the MyON platform between December 18 – January 18, 2021 and over 70 of our dedicated students from an elementary, middle and high school level, completed more than 300 minutes of reading. Congratulations to our IUSD students. We encourage you to keep reading! Please click here to see the names of our outstanding readers.
Social and Emotional Support
As we approach almost a year of IUSD rising to the challenge of COVID-19, I am so inspired by the resiliency, strength and dedication of our students, families, and staff. We want to stress the importance of social-emotional support for our students during this pandemic. The Child Mind Institute has created a helpful tip sheet that can be used as a guide to assist parents with monitoring these specific components of their children’s health. Please click here to access the tip sheet and additional supportive resources, including Facebook Live video chats with expert clinicians, remote evaluations, and consultations. For additional mental health services, you may contact the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Help Line at (800) 854-7771 with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week assistance.
“Grab and Go” Meal Distribution (Modified Schedule)
Due to a temporary modified schedule “Grab and Go” meals will be distributed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Meals for Tuesdays and Thursdays will be distributed on Mondays and Wednesdays, respectively. Meals can be picked up between 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at all school sites EXCEPT for Oak St. Elementary, Morningside High School, Bennett Kew Elementary, and Inglewood High School.
