Dear IUSD Community,

It is incredible that it is already November and that the school year has been in session for nearly three-months! Over the last several months, we have had numerous school projects, reports, assemblies, sports games, pep rallies and so much more. We’ve celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month, held a successful Wellness Fair and Job Fair, and participated in the nation-wide PSAT Testing Day on October 10. These are just a few of the things that have been going on at the Inglewood Unified District. As the holiday season approaches and we prepare for the next school year, we have much more planned ahead. 

Since classes have been in session for several months, I want to take this opportunity to reflect on what we as a District have done well and identify what we can do even better for next year. In addition, to commemorate the season of thankfulness, I want to express my gratitude to be working with a wonderful community of scholars and educators.

Our three themes for this year are excellence, collaboration, and wellness. Thank you, everyone, for striving for excellence and for leading by example for our young scholars. As Dr. Sharroky Hollie said during our “Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching and Learning” professional development day in October, we must model excellence so that our students achieve excellence. I am thankful for our community’s willingness to collaborate and innovate to obtain the best learning outcomes for our students. Collectively, we as a community have a wealth of knowledge and experience. It brings me such joy to watch and learn from my colleagues and discover solutions to challenges that face us every day. I am also thankful for the wellness of our students and staff. Through promoting wellness and balance throughout the district, we want to lift up the importance of taking care of your health, physically, emotionally, and however else it may impact you every day. It is only when we are well that we can do our best work.

Our school sites have continued to change this year. We have added new playgrounds to many of our elementary schools, and have started modernization projects at Payne Elementary TK-6, and at the Woodworth-Monroe TK-8 campus. While it may be challenging to have construction projects underway throughout the school year, we are eager to complete these projects so that our students have modernized learning environments. Thank you all for your patience and understanding while we make these improvements.

I have had the opportunity to visit school sites and observe our programs. Along with representatives from the French Consulate, I visited the French Dual Language Immersion Program where we have little TK and Kindergarteners speaking French! Also at Frank D. Parent TK-8 School, I attended the I Have A Dream Foundation Los Angeles’s Inauguration where they will be launching a mentorship program. In student academic achievement, we have seen growth in our literacy and test scores and will continue improving and expanding our programs.