All TUSD middle and high school students who ride an e-vehicle (e-bike, e-scooter or e-skateboard) to school are invited to attend our next e-vehicle safety presentation on February 20. Join us at Pioneer Middle School at 5PM as Tustin Police Department shares important information for students and parents. Beginning in the 2024-25 school year, students who ride e-vehicles will be required to attend this presentation and purchase a permit for $5. Those who attend now will be able to obtain their permit for next school year. There will be additional opportunities to attend in the future. Please see the attached flyer for additional details.

Our school counselors provide support to all TUSD students. From academic strategies to managing emotions and planning postsecondary options, their dedication to the success of our students is clear. Moreover, they provide resources and support to families, engaging our community through workshops and events. Join us in celebrating our fantastic school counselors and all that they do for TUSD. Happy National School Counselors Week!

Our Robotics Extravaganza is TUSD's largest VEX Robotics competition with more than 500 Tustin Unified students participating from grades 4-12. Held this past weekend at Orchard Hills School, 81 TUSD teams gave it their all with remarkable results. Congratulations to tournament champions Legacy Magnet Academy's Teams 393A and 393C, who also took home the Excellence Award. Legacy Robotics' Team 393B won the Design Award, Team 393D won the Innovate Award, Team 393V won the Robot Skills Champion award, Team 393W won the Amaze Award and Team 393X won the Build Award. From Foothill High School, Knight Time Bots D Team 6627D were Tournament Finalists, also winning the Sportsmanship Award. Pioneer Middle School's Checkmate Team 6722A won the Create Award and Quintessential Team 6722D won the Middle School Excellence Award. Orchard Hills' Robohawks Century Team 8838B brought home the Think Award while Robohawks Egg Team 8838E were Tournament Finalists. Moreover, Utt Middle School's Team A 9805A was awarded the Judges Award.

At the elementary level, teams also did well with Hicks Canyon's Hicks Team A winning the Teamwork Champion Award and Robot Skills Champion Award, Team B winning the Design Award and Team C bringing home the Elementary School Excellence Award. Tustin Memorial Academy's Team B secured the Innovate Award while Arroyo Elementary's Artificial Intelligence won the Judges Award. And, Orchard Hill's teams saw several award wins as Golden Wave won the Think Award, Celestial won the Excellence Award and Teamwork Champion Award, and Fusion won the Create Award.

Congratulations to all our teams for competing well, and a huge thank you to Orchard Hills for hosting this successful day of competition.

February is Career Technical Education Month.  In TUSD we are empowering futures through CTE pathways. Hear directly from two students about their multiple pathway experiences in the CTE-integrated curriculum offered at Legacy Magnet Academy. Their stories highlight the value of hands-on learning and real-world experience. To learn about all CTE Pathways offered at Legacy Magnet Academy and in Tustin Unified School District, visit the TUSD College and Career Readiness webpage.

The Tustin Public Schools Foundation prize patrol was busy this week awarding 90 Enrichment Grants to teachers from every school in the District. Events like the Dino Dash and the Annual Golf Classic and Auction, along with support from community members and businesses, help to make celebrations like this possible. Awards will help students of all ages with reading resources, calming support, games and activities, art projects, music, advancing technology, and more! This was the most competitive year to date with applications doubling. TPSF appreciates all teachers who took the extra effort to apply for projects that directly impact student learning and hopes to fund even more next year. By supporting TPSF, students from all District schools will benefit. Find out more about how you can be involved at www.tpsf.net.