March Highlights
- Mrs. Felizardo's 5th grade class from TLC La Mesa toured the The Helix Water District this month, giving them the chance to learn all about the non-profit government agency, which serves approximately 278,000 people and ensures water quality and reliability.
- Many families took an outing to Knotts Berry Farm this month, where they enjoyed rides, shows, and attractions organized in four themed areas inspired by the history and culture of California.
- Staff from TLC Chula Vista embraced the staff spirit this month with multiple spirit days. The themes were "Black Out Day," "Lumberjack Day," and "Anything But a Cup Day." These days gave staff a chance to adorn their favorite black and flannel attire while staying hydrated using their creativity! Thank you to the Chula Vista staff for such great participation and for adding some levity to the school days before Spring Break.
Student Spotlight
Carson Scholar Recipient
Congratulations to Luna Garcia, 10th grade student at TLC La Mesa, who has been selected as a 2025 Carson Scholar!
As a Carson Scholar, Luna will receive a $1,000 scholarship for her college education. Luna shared that,
I'm so excited to have received this recognition and to be able to contribute to my college fund.
The Carson Scholarship Program recognizes students for outstanding academic achievements, strong character, and a commitment to serving their communities. Luna said,
I've always liked doing challenging work to work towards a goal and accomplish that goal. And I also really like the idea of being able to help others in whatever way I can.
Luna credited TLC Counselor, Ms. Peterson, and her Educational Partner, Ms. Lipinski, for supporting her with the application process, as well as her family, who provided feedback on her application.
Luna has a bright future ahead of her, having just given a TEDx talk in addition to being recognized as a Carson Scholar. Congratulations again to Luna on this achievement and all that is ahead.
Read Across America Week
TLC La Mesa and Chula Vista celebrated Read Across America Week in March with a themed Dr. Seuss week. This included school decorations, Dr. Seuss themed spirit days, and staff reading Dr. Seuss books to students to promote the importance of reading. It was a great way to link reading to fun and creativity while also celebrating the impact Dr. Seuss made on children's love of reading.
New Survey Tool - Parsec Real
TLC is excited to be launching a new survey tool to gain instant feedback from our student, parent, and staff communities. This tool, called Parsec Real, also gives respondents the opportunity to provide feedback through their preferred method, whether that is text, voice recording, or video.
We value the voices and input of our students, parents, and staff and want to understand how various school communities feel about different topics. We are looking forward to using this tool to better understand diverse thoughts and perspectives of our community so that we can work together to create the best school possible.
Parsec Real is a great option to capture feedback because:
- The surveys will always be short – 5 questions or under.
- Respondents can respond via text, voice recording, or video message.
- Surveys are sent via a web-based link and can be answered on any device.
- The tool will provide a summary report of the data gathered, which can be shared back with the community for increased transparency, understanding, and dialogue.
Students recently received the first survey, a short 4 question survey that sought feedback about TLC’s book fairs. TLC staff are now planning how to utilize this tool going forward. We’re excited to share more surveys soon and look forward to capturing – and listening to – the many voices of our community.
TLC San Diego - WASC Accreditation Visit
TLC’s three school sites are all proud to be WASC accredited schools. This means that they belong to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Having this designation signifies to the broader community that our schools are trusted places for learning. As WASC describes it:
"The public is assured that accredited institutions are evaluated extensively and conform to expectations of performance and quality. Because accreditation requires continual self-evaluation and monitoring of its programs and operations in relation to the impact on student learning and periodic external review, the public can be assured that the educational quality of programs and services offered by the institution are current, reflect high standards of quality, and are offered with integrity.”
This month, TLC San Diego underwent a full WASC review and accreditation process. This involved preparing a comprehensive report that detailed the activities and accomplishments of the school, as well as identified areas for growth. This process incorporated the work and input of the entire San Diego staff team.
The accreditation process culminated in a 4-day visit from a WASC committee, made up of trained representatives from other California schools. During their visit this committee toured the school site, observed classes, and conducted interviews with staff, students, parents, and board members. Thank you to all who participated in this process!
Our initial feedback from the visiting WASC committee has been extremely positive. They noted the dedication and passion of staff and they were enthusiastic about TLC’s triad model, observing how deeply the staff and parents work together at our school to support students’ education.
We will hear back about the renewal term recommended by the committee when they share their final report with us by the beginning of June.
Thank you again to all who contributed to this process. We are proud to be a WASC accredited school and know this would not be possible without the tremendous support of our community.
Preparing for Testing
Spring state testing for students will take place between April 21 - May 9. Each site will have its own testing schedule within this window. Your School Site Administrator and teachers will provide more specific details to help you prepare after Spring Break. In the meantime, below is some context about why we test students, and how you can best prepare your students for testing.
Why Testing is Important
In addition to the assignments and assessments administered directly by your grade level teachers, TLC runs a series of district-wide tests throughout the year. Each set of tests serves a specific purpose, including measuring growth in reading and math and proficiency in grade level standards.
Tests that measure growth offer us data that help to guide instruction and better serve students with support that is targeted directly to their needs. Tests that measure proficiency help us to ensure that we are effectively serving our students and setting them up to succeed in school and life.
How to Prepare
The Child Mind Institute has a few recommendations about how to prepare for tests and calm potential nerves:
- The best ways to cope with test anxiety include planning and practice. Reviewing the specific test format and taking practice tests will make kids feel calmer. So can guessing questions that might come up and practicing answering them.
- Strategies to help test anxiety include reminding yourself that it’s okay to skip questions and come back to them, and avoiding spending too long on one question.
If parents or students have any questions about the format of tests or what will be included, you can ask your Educational Partner for more information as soon as you get back from Spring Break. Being informed and clear on what to expect is the best way to calm nerves and be successful in test taking.
If you’re looking for additional information on how to cope with anxiety during the test, you can browse these tips from Harvard University.
Preparing Technology
In addition, it is also important to prepare technology for testing. Device malfunctions can lead to increased anxiety if things go wrong on test day. To avoid any disruptions, every student should hard restart their testing machine one week before testing.
This does not mean putting your device in sleep mode or closing a browser. It means fully shutting down your device and starting it again.
This is a simple step you can take to drastically reduce potential anxiety or test disruption.
Again, your school site teachers and leadership will share more information after Spring Break. Please feel free to contact your Educational Partner for additional support and resources.
School Breakfast Week
This month, TLC joined schools and organizations across the country in celebrating National School Breakfast Week. As described by the School Nutrition Association,
National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) celebrates the importance of a nutritious school breakfast in fueling students for success. This special observance during the first week of March celebrates the national School Breakfast Program and the many ways it gives kids a great start every day.
There are many well known facts about the importance of eating breakfast. The Food Research & Action Center for instance, put together this research brief, detailing the proven ways that eating breakfast can impact students. Summary findings include:
- Skipping Breakfast and Experiencing Hunger Impair Children’s Ability to Learn;
- Eating Breakfast, Including at School, Helps Improve Student Academic Performance and Behavior;
- Breakfast in the Classroom Programs and Programs Offering Breakfast at no Cost to all Children in the Cafeteria Yield Other Positive Results;
- Beliefs About Breakfast Can Influence Participation in School Breakfast;
- School Breakfast Decreases the Risk of Food Insecurity; and
- School Breakfast Can Improve Children’s Dietary Intake and Protect Against Obesity and Other Negative Health Outcomes.
As a reminder, all TLC students can receive breakfast for free at our school sites on Hybrid Program school days.
Special thanks to our TLC Nutrition Team who make it possible for all our students to receive free meals.
Tip of the Month: Electrical Safety
The following information comes from the Edison Electric Institute, who provide the following tips about staying safe around electricity:
General Extension Cord Safety Tips
- Never use extension cords as a constant, long-term extension of your household’s electrical system. Continuous use can cause an extension cord to deteriorate and can result in a potentially dangerous electric shock or fire hazard.
- Never plug a space heater into an extension cord or power strip.
- Never plug two extension cords together. Doing so can result in overloaded circuits, short circuits, and damaged cords, which could lead to fires or electric shocks. Instead of plugging extension cords together, consider installing additional outlets where needed.
- Do not run cords through walls, doorways, ceilings, or under rugs or carpet. If a cord is covered, heat cannot escape and can create a fire hazard.
- Make sure that your extension cord or power strip is properly rated for the device that will be plugged in and is marked for either indoor or outdoor use.
- Regularly inspect electrical cords and extension cords for damage.
Indoor Safety Tips
- Reduce your electrical load by using energy-efficient appliances and lighting.
- Unplug small appliances when not in use.
- Use an outlet cover or plastic outlet cap to keep children safe around outlets.
- Make sure your home has smoke alarms. Test them monthly, change batteries yearly, and replace the unit every 10 years.
Outdoor Safety Tips
- Know what’s below before you dig. Dial 8-1-1 to have your local electric or natural gas company representative mark the location of underground lines for free.
- Never touch downed power lines.
- Watch for overhead power lines every time you use a ladder, work on roofs and trees, or carry long tools or loads. Keep kites, model airplanes, and metallic balloons away from power lines.
- Do not overload outdoor electrical and/or extension cords or allow them to run through water or snow on the ground.
Safety Drills Recap
This month, TLC La Mesa conducted an Earthquake drill for 7 minutes with 343 participants.
STAR Student Recognitions
March: Citizenship
TLC recognizes STAR students each month based on a determined character trait. March's character trait is Citizenship. Students are nominated by their Educational Partners and School Site Administrators. Congratulations to this month's STAR students!
Fatimah Al-Bayati
Serenity Bowers
Tony Bradley
Keyani Bright
Libby Camat
Lexie Carrillo
Andrea Cortez Ascencio
Eleni Davila
Elias De La Mora
Miranda Delgadillo
Micah Elie
Mahkai Evans
Matthew Ferrer Romero
Lucy Fonseca
Shannen Foster
Josiah Gomez
Gisselle Gonzalez
Bryce Gugins
Rocklynn Hawley
Trenton Hough
Sophie Huynh
Eion Jepson
Nathanael Jepson
Ellenor King
Johnny Marcoux
Chloe Medina
Kamila Mercado
Luis Meza Lopez
Isaac Miller
Robert Morales
Colin Mulligan
Isaac Mundy
Zoe Nares Lozano
Dakota Nealey
Benji Perez
Mia Perez
Jesed Posada
Sky Rodriguez
Leo Rodriguez
Eadric Rodriguez
Galilea Rojas
Jax Rojas
Ally Ryan
Shaha Salem
Ellyn Shnati
Luciano Silva
Simon Becker
Sophie Huynh
Dina Sosa
Raynor Sparks
Elaine Sparks
Jonathan Stewart
Mariana Trujano De Los Santos
Gianna Trujano De Los Santos
Samuel Trujano De Los Santos
Jimena Uraga
Lauren Wiley
Zaliyah Williams
Jesse Wilson
This month's staff recognitions for Citizenship are:
Dallon Beachem
Elena Bell
Brittany Branton
Tracy Carsten
Brontee Cintron
Taylor Cunningham
Rhonda Dulay
Cassy Felizardo
Danica Fetty
Tia Fuqua
Faith Galbadores
Jenna Hochstadt
Jennifer Jacobus
Ali Lipinski
Ways To Support
In addition to being a valued member of TLC, there are various ways you can support our school. We'll try to highlight different avenues each month so that you can find a way that feels best for you. And if your support is simply being a member of our community, we're glad you're here!
Camp Fundraiser
Each year, 6th grade students from TLC have the opportunity to attend camp at the Cuyamaca Outdoor School. Run by the San Diego County Office of Education, the Cuyamaca Outdoor School gives students an incredible experience of being in nature amid the unspoiled 25,000-acre Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. Students learn valuable science lessons and more through trail experiences and hands-on projects that are both meaningful and memorable.
TLC provides scholarship funds to students who cannot afford the camp fee. This way we can ensure that ALL students are able to access this opportunity.
You can help all kids go to camp through:
- Purchasing candy via our online store by April 4.
- Sharing the online store link, flier, or QR code with others.