TLC NEWSLETTER May 2025

May Highlights

• Senior Handprinting Ceremony – Last month, seniors at TLC San Diego celebrated a meaningful tradition as the Class of 2025 took part in the Senior Handprinting Ceremony. Each senior dipped their hand in vibrant paint and pressed it onto a shared canvas, creating a colorful collage of memories and milestones. This lasting display will hang proudly on campus—not only as a celebration of their time here, but also as a way for future classes to remember them by. It's a legacy of spirit, unity, and the unique journey of the Class of 2025. As one senior put it, "One day future students will walk by this and wonder who we were. That’s pretty cool.”

• In addition to our 12th grade students who are graduating and our 8th grade students who are promoting to high school, TLC celebrated our Kinder and 5th grade promotions across our school sites this month. Below are some snapshots from our San Diego site celebrations.

• TLC Chula Vista hosted their first Annual 5K Fun Run this month. This was a joyful way to celebrate the end of testing and the school year. In addition, this event was 100% student-led! From planning the route and timing system to set-up and clean-up, our amazing students ran the show. Each student earned a 5K medal, 2 hours of community service, and—if they were fast enough—a popsicle before they ran out! We’re already looking forward to next year. Huge thanks to everyone who participated and supported this awesome event!

• We are looking forward to celebrating our 8th grade promotion and 12th grade graduation this week. Highlights from those events will be shared in our first newsletter next school year. Congratulations to all students on a great year!

Summer Meals

The Learning Choice Academy will not distribute breakfast and lunch during the summer. However, we recognize the importance for families to have continued access to free or affordable meals while school is on break. Here are a number of resources for food and meals over the summer:

• Summer Meal Program - Feeding San Diego
• Summer Meals - San Diego Unified School District
• Summer-Food-Service-Program-SFSP - Temecula Community Services. SFSP will be available from June 16 to August 8.
• 2025 Summer meal sites in San Diego County

National Physical Fitness and Sports Month

Research has shown that sports and exercise protects the mental health of kids, as well has having numerous physical benefits. Kids should aim to get 60 minutes of physical activity each day, while adults should aim for 30 minutes. May has been designated National Physical Fitness and Sports Month to encourage this activity and keep all members of a family health.

Here are some tips and ideas to get your family moving from Action for Healthy Kids:

Exercise is one of the keys to keeping your family healthy. Regular physical activity can help kids improve fitness, build strong bones and muscles, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and reduce the risk of health conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Whether indoors or outdoors, these 5 energy-filled activities will be sure to motivate your kids and help both of you channel that extra cooped up energy.

Bike to School: It’s an opportunity for parents and students to connect outside of school hours and allow students to improve their bicycle skills. What parent wouldn’t want that?

Do yoga as a Family: Yoga is really easy to teach even to a small child. Teach your kids about stretches, muscles, and how to look after their bodies at this age. This helps them eat healthier and feel better in the short term. It also sets up healthy habits for their long term.

Join a local sports league: Time spent on sports builds skills like teamwork, collaboration, and problem solving – qualities that last a lifetime. With exercise, you’ll find that your kids are more likely to build self-confidence and agency.

Family Fitness Classes: Give your kids at least 30 minutes of active play per day, that they are not currently getting through school sports or other activities. Improving the amount of physical activity they do reduces the risk of preventable health conditions.

Start a walking program: Walking is one of the easiest exercises for kids as it uses no specialized gear or facilities. If you exercise with your children, they will benefit greatly from the bonding time, and you can be a great role model and teach them the importance of moving their bodies and staying healthy.

STEAM Activities: STEAM refers to activities that integrate science, technology, engineering, arts, and/or mathematics. Incorporating STEAM activities into everyday learning and play provides children with unique opportunities to create and experiment.

Keep these tips in mind:

• Do it together: get involved in activities that you can do together.
• Think outside the box: If a child shows interest, follow up. Ask friends and neighbors what they do with their kids. Try a variety of activities and allow your kids to pick something they are interested in.
• Pick an activity that everyone can take part in, and you will be amazed how much fun you will have together.

Kaiser Permanente Get Fit and Thrive Challenge 2025

To help families stay active this summer, the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative, Kaiser Permanente and Star 94.1 are partnering on the Kaiser Permanente Get Fit and Thrive Challenge.

Active participants will be entered to win a pair of tickets to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and the grand prize of a family vacation for four at the Sheraton San Diego Resort. More details are below!