TUSD Update
Rosie the Riveter
Save the Date: Say Something Week March 14-18
This Say Something Week Planning Guide provides ideas and best practices for teachers, staff, and administrators. The guide provides a planning strategy and sample, easy-to-implement activities —whether you do activities all week or just one day of the national call-to-action week.
Learning for Equity
Angélica Cárdenas Ayala, Coordinator of Equity Initiatives
Cesar E. Chavez Day March 31, 2022
On March 31st we celebrate Cesar Chavez Day as a nation. Chavez is remembered each year on his birthday for his tireless leadership and nonviolent tactics to gain national attention on farm workers' issues.

Chavez is best known for founding the National Farm Workers Association, which would later become the United Farm Workers (UFW), along with Dolores Huerta. Chavez organized marches, boycotts, pickets, and strikes to help bring farmworkers better wages and safer working conditions. He worked through the UFW to show how important farmworkers were to California’s economy and bring dignity to all agriculture workers." Read more about Cesar Chavez at La Cooperativa Campesina de California.

Check out the California Department of Education’s Chavez Model Curriculum and Resources for Teachers.
What does Diversity, Equity and Inclusion look and feel like at TUSD? 

Responses from the 2021-2022 Superintendent Student Senates:

“Students feel safe and no one is afraid to speak up for what is right or wrong”-Crowell Student 

“Diversity and Inclusion allows everyone to fit in, no matter who they are”-Walnut Student 

“It means being able to have conversations about our unique experiences without being combative”- Turlock High School student 

“Inclusion feels like being able to talk to teachers about my experiences and knowing they care”- eCademy Charter student

“Everyone gets to learn about each other, even when it’s similar or different”- Medeiros student 

“People of different races, gender identities and cultures love each other as equals”- Pitman High School Student 

“Students would feel more comfortable coming to school because they are welcome”- Osborn student
Diversity & Inclusion in the Classroom

Why does it matter? 

Culturally responsive learning environments where students frequently receive messages about the value of diversity in the classroom allow for creativity and foster a sense of belonging for students. There is an abundance of research that demonstrates the cognitive benefits of honoring diversity and practicing inclusivity in the learning environment. 

How to establish a culturally responsive classroom: 

Wall spaces can be used to display posters depicting cultural groups in a non-stereotypical fashion, students can mark the countries from which their ancestors immigrated on a world map, and classroom signs can be hung in several languages. All of these seemingly innocuous flourishes will help inculcate in students the rich diversity that surrounds them, both in the classroom and in the world outside the school walls. Such touches will help promote an environment in which students from diverse backgrounds feel more comfortable being themselves and will help insulate students from the cultural and ethnic stereotypes that pervade television and other mass media outlets. Read more at The Edvocate.

Classroom Resources for Teachers 
Induction Update
Denise Duewell, Coordinator of Induction
Mentors continue to support their induction candidates through the year with anticipation for in-person meetings and positive in-class changes. It is an exciting and busy time for all. Here is a general update.

Mentor Conversations

In February mentors had an opportunity to hone their skills with practice sessions where they took turns being the mentor, mentee, and observer. In those roles, our mentors rehearsed and debriefed the power of the reflective and problem-solving conversations. Mentors reported appreciation and “Ah hah” moments.

Professional Development

Many of our candidates and some of our mentors will be taking self-paced PD through Conscious Teaching as a way to solidify their knowledge and skills in relation to management and engagement.

Free PD is offered through edWeb and SimpleK.12. The trainings offered also allow teachers to choose what they attend and when they attend it. 

March Seminars

We are finally meeting in-person! Year 1 Candidates are in a variety of places. For those who continue working on their TPAs, we will have Kim Cabral-Virgo available for insight and to answer questions. Those who are working on the typical individualized learning plan (ILP) will have time to work with their mentors and to discuss concerns and strategies with other candidates and mentors.

In addition to their ILP, all candidates are applying an equity lens to their work with the book The Equity and Social Justice Education 50.

For year 2 candidates, the end of the induction journey is near, and the March seminar is a turning point! This is where candidates receive the exit interview “assignments” (questions/projects). At this time they learn what the interviews will look like, how they will be scored, and how this relates to recommendation for the clear credential. They will end their shortened seminar by signing up for their exit interview.
Tech in TUSD
Marshall Beyer, Coordinator of Educational Technology
Paper for Education is available for all 6-12 students in TUSD! Students can connect with a real, live tutor 24-7! Whether they need assistance with an assignment in class or any type of writing feedback (essay, college application, lab write-ups, an introductory paragraph, etc.) Paper is there for them.
Check out the latest video from Taking a Byte Out of Ed Tech YouTube on the new Lyrik Sound Amplification system!
Check out the link below for updates on Discovery Education! March Highlights from Discovery.
Meet Janine
Janine Arakelian, Cunningham Elementary School
How long have you worked in TUSD? This is my 19th year working in TUSD.
What is your job title? Principal at Cunningham

Where did you work prior to TUSD? While I was in college, I worked for a non-profit organization called Girls, Inc.
Any info you would like to share about your job? Average day? Like everyone else in TUSD, I don't have many "average" days. My favorite days are spent with the kids outside and in their classrooms.

Things you are most proud of? My family! My husband and I have two incredible daughters. I'm proud of the humans they are both growing up to be. They are kind and funny--we laugh a lot at home. Of course they fight even more, but the laughs help soften the arguments. I'm also really proud of the relationships I've been able to make with others here in TUSD. At all of the sites I've worked at, I've made some lifelong friends who have become family.

Challenges? Like everyone else out there, the past few years have been tough. Other than that, the most challenging thing is getting everything on my to-do list checked off at the end of the day.

Favorite memory/story? There are a lot! I have some fun memories from each of the places I've worked. One of my favorites happened when I was at Crowell. I have an age spot on my cheek that looks like an apple with a bite taken out of it or a Pac-Man. One of my kids asked me about my face tattoo, which was actually the age spot. He was pretty disappointed that it wasn’t a tattoo of either symbol.

What are you reading? I just finished What Happened to You by Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey. I highly recommend it as it talks about the impact of childhood trauma. I'm currently re-reading a classic: The First Days of School by the Wongs. I teach a class at CSUS and my students are reading the most recent edition.

Any favorite shows you’re watching on TV? I love reruns of Friends and The Office. I've also recently started watching Hallmark movies on the weekend and I'm enjoying the escape from reality.

Fave movies? The Sound of Music is my all-time favorite movie. I like movies with a happy ending--no scary or suspenseful movies for me!

Anything surprising we may not know about you? It's not so surprising for those who have worked with me, but I've been a Type 1 diabetic for over 30 years. I wear a continuous glucose monitor and an insulin pump to help keep things under relative control. All of my friends who have worked with me have helped care for me on numerous occasions and I am forever grateful for all of them. And while I'm on the subject, my parents and my husband deserve a tremendous shout-out for caring for me on a daily basis. A super strange thing about me is that I have a fear or phobia of certain patterns that look I refer to as "barnacles.” There's a real name to it that I can't Google because it will show photos that will traumatize me. Some of my dear friends out there know about it and always get a good laugh out of it.

Anything about your personal you’d like to share? My husband and I met at Turlock Junior High the first year the "new" campus opened. We didn't start dating until after college. We're blessed to have all of our parents in town and owe a lot to all of them for all they've done and continue to do for us. Both of my parents work for TUSD--my mom is a clerical substitute and my dad ("Papa Joe") is our duplicating technician. My parents are my role models and I hope to be just like them when I grow up.
Winter on Fire
Marie Russell, Chief Communication Coordinator
For those interested, Netflix just made the Oscar-nominated documentary Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom free to watch on YouTube.

In just 93 days, what started as peaceful student demonstrations became a violent revolution. Netflix documentary Winter on Fire brings you the story of Ukraine's fight for freedom from the frontlines of the 2014 uprising.
Save the Date
Pitman High School
COVID-19 Resources
Effective March 14, 2022
Share Your Awesome!

Marie Russell
Chief Communication Coordinator
mrussell@turlock.k12.ca.us
209.648.0968