Good morning, TUSD!

Dear TUSD Staff, Families and Community:

It is with great excitement that we launch a new communication feature in Tustin Unified, the Superintendent's Newsletter! Throughout this school year, you will receive weekly updates on many of the amazing things taking place in TUSD. Our goal is to provide you ongoing information that you can read in five to ten minutes. We hope you enjoy these updates and feel connected to our schools and programs.

As we finish the first week of school, I am thrilled to share that we had an exceptional opening. Our team has been out at every school site, and we continue to hear stories about happy students who are already making new friends and connecting with their teachers, support staff and site administrators. I could not be any more proud of this year's kick-off and I look forward to seeing our students and staff in action in the coming weeks.

Thank you for all you do to support teaching and learning in TUSD!

Kindly,

Mark Johnson, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Tustin Unified School District

Students on the first day of school 2022-23

A Message from the Board of Education

Dear TUSD Staff, Families and Community:

On behalf of our entire Board of Education, we want to welcome you to the 2022-23 school year! Like you, we are excited to have our students back on our campuses and look forward to an extraordinary year. We would like to thank our teachers, classified staff, and leaders for the role they have played in getting ready for our students’ return this past Tuesday!

I had the pleasure of visiting three school sites this week, and I was extremely impressed with everything I observed. From the way we greeted students in the morning, to the organization of classes, to the calmness by which students moved between periods, to the laughter all throughout our campuses as friends reunited with one another, it was all heartwarming.

I have always been proud to represent this community as a School Board Member and I know that my fellow Board Members feel the same. Thank you to everyone for launching this school year with so much positive momentum!

Jonathan Abelove

Board President

Tustin Unified School District

Meet Our Communications Team

We are excited to introduce our Communications Team. Rina Lucchese joins as the Director, Communications and Community Engagement. When not sharing the great work of the TUSD, you will find her enjoying time with her husband and two elementary-aged daughters or hunting down antiques in Old Town.

Cesar Ordiano, Digital Media Administrator, is the proud dad to three daughters, two who are students at Sycamore Magnet Academy in the dual immersion program. He and his wife recently celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary.

Together, Rina and Cesar are honored to connect with the families, staff and community of TUSD. Reach out to our communications team to share your story. We look forward to joining you in celebrating our TUSD community!

slideshow of images of staff engaged in summer professional development

Staff Engages in Summer Learning Opportunities

While there are many things that make the staff in TUSD exceptional, we want to highlight something that we think is amazing: their commitment to ongoing learning. This summer, we had over 250 elementary teachers participate in professional growth opportunities! These teachers studied topics such as: literacy strategies (the science of reading), math intervention strategies, integrated structured literacy with TC Phonics, and getting started with math workshop.

At the middle and high school levels, we are extremely proud to share that we had over 170 teachers participate in summer learning opportunities. These sessions focused on topics such as: literacy in the content area, designing new courses in data science and financial literacy, training in designated English Language Development, curriculum design, and intensive math strategies.

As I come to the end of my eighth month on the job here in TUSD, I want to express my deep gratitude to all of our employees for their commitment to ongoing learning. It is the only way we can continue to get better. I would also like to thank our Ed Services Team for organizing and leading this tremendous work!

Join Us on September 20th for the State of the Schools

Hosted by the Tustin Public Schools Foundation, the eleventh annual State of the Schools will be held on Tuesday, September 20th. Join us at Foothill High School to hear from featured speaker, Superintendent Dr. Mark Johnson, as he shares the latest in education news and an update on our schools. All proceeds from the evening will provide enrichment programs for all TUSD schools. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the Tustin Public Schools Foundation's website.

We are looking forward to connecting with you! Tag us on social media so that we can celebrate a great year together. #weareTUSD #ThisIsTUSD

Instagram Post of first day of school video