Welcome to the 2024-25 School Year

 

Dear Community Families,

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year at Community Magnet Charter School! This summer flew by quickly, but I hope you enjoyed time with your families and friends. I am very happy to have spent a week visiting Toronto with my family. It just so happened that we were there for Canada Day (similar to our Fourth of July) and the Toronto Jazz Festival! In addition to spectacular fireworks, top-notch dining, and wonderful jazz music, we witnessed the awesomeness of the beautiful Niagara Falls. It was a fun-packed week and I left with a special place in my heart for Toronto!

Speaking of fun-packed, Community was buzzing with fun for most of the summer. We hosted the Kids 4 College Summer Camp, Camp Invention, BSAP Summer Bridging Program and Kinder Camp! This week will be even busier, but without the kids and not so fun. Albert and Rick will complete the final campus cleaning. Office staff will finalize classroom assignments (to be completed by August 8th) and enrollment, as well as distribution of classroom textbooks and instructional materials. Teachers will return to campus for a few days of professional development and then begin preparing classrooms for their new students. We will all be extremely busy, so I humbly ask that you not call the office with questions about classroom assignments until August 8th. Assignments are currently posted on the Parent Portal, but beware . . . they are changing day to day so what you see on Monday may be changed by Tuesday. Also, please remember that we do not accept parent requests for teachers or classrooms. That is a hard CMCS policy. Thank you for your understanding. 

You may have heard that we have three new teachers joining our team this year.  Actually, you may already know two of them. Ty was a tried and true CMCS substitute for few years. He was so well-loved by staff and students alike, so we hired him to join the 2nd grade team (Tracy K. and Terri T.) this year. Jennifer worked as Fanahi's TA for several years before becoming a teacher last year. She spent her first year teaching 4th grade at Valerio St. ES, but will return home to Community to teach 3rd grade. She will join Paul and Jackie on the 3rd grade team. Isabella is new to Community and will join Dylan and Briana to teach 4th grade. All three are amazing and will have the full support of all CMCS teachers and staff. I know that our families will also welcome them to our school community. Now, we still need six Instructional Aides (IA), so if you know of someone, please send them our way! We need to have an IA in every classroom.

Last year, we introduced several new after-school programs and the kids loved them! This year we  are excited to offer the programs again: Math Kangaroo (Mondays), Tuesday Enrichment classes, Musical Theater (Tuesdays), and after-school intervention (Wednesdays and Thursdays). Look out for more information within the next few weeks. I will post registration dates and other news on the Community Corner, so please read it each week.

In addition to these offerings, we are happy to have Student Nest Tutoring Service on campus Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to tutor small groups in reading. Students have already been selected and invited to receive this special tutoring service, offered free through LAUSD.

There's a lot in store for this new school year. The best way to keep up with it all is to read this blog, the Community Corner. For your convenience, you will receive email and text notifications each Sunday around 6pm once the blog has been posted. Also, please feel free to join me for monthly Tea Time with Toni meetings. Tea Time will immediately follow the Morning Assembly once a month. We will discuss important topics and/or topics of interest such as attendance, restorative justice, assessments, the GATE program, or whatever you'd like. If there's a topic you'd like to discuss at Tea Time or a parent workshop you'd like us to offer, please email me at trk2932@lausd.net. I'd love to hear your ideas! I will also be presenting district safety modules which will follow Tea Time with Toni. 

Well, that's all for now. Again, we are looking forward to a fantastic 24-25 school year. We'll see you at New Parent Orientation (August 7) and/or on the first day of school (August 12)!

Best,

Toni

Important Notes for the First Week of School

• New families are invited to attend our Annual New Parent Orientation on August 7, 9:00-12:00. 
• Returning families may log onto the Parent Portal to find out their child’s classroom assignment for the school year. You may call the main office after August 8^th if you need help finding your child’s new assignment. 
• We do not accept parent requests for teachers or classrooms.
• The first day of school is Monday, August 12th.
• Campus opens for students at 7:30am each day. Supervision is not available before that time.

• The schedule for the first week of school is as follows:
• Monday, August 12 –  2:30 dismissal (regular dismissal)
• Tuesday, August 13 – 1:30 dismissal (this is the dismissal time every Tuesday)
• Wednesday, August 14 – Thursday, August 15 – 2:30 dismissal (regular dismissal)
• Friday, August 16 – 12:50 dismissal (minimum day) – note new minimum day dismissal time

        Important Transportation Information!!!  

• You should be receiving your bus route/stop in the mail directly from Transportation. If you have not, contact Kathryn and she will try to help. Kxm2679@lausd.net
• You must wait at least two weeks to request changes to your route. Even if changes were approved last year, you must use the route/stop assigned this year until changes can be accommodated. Contact Kathryn beginning August 26^th and she will submit requests.
• Fill out your Transportation Plan google form (link here) by August 7^th. We need to know how your child is getting home from the first day of school (and every day) in time to notify teachers and get tags on backpacks. If we have not received the google form by the 7th, our default plan will be to put your student on their assigned bus.
• If the bus is your transportation plan, we encourage families to use it from the first day on. Kindergarten parents are welcome to follow the bus, park (on the upper yard) and watch your student get off the bus.
• We will be putting more info about bus and valet on our website soon!

IMPORTANT: NEW LAUSD POLICY!!!!

Please be aware that LAUSD has a new policy prohibiting food deliveries to school campuses.

SCHOOL IS COMPULSORY!

Students need to come to school every day. When possible, please schedule your child’s medical appointments outside of school hours. (See the bell schedule for our school hours.) If you must schedule an appointment during school hours, please check in at the main office to pick up/drop off your child.

The following types of absences are excused: illness, doctor’s appointments, funerals, family emergencies, court dates, religious observances, etc. Examples of unexcused absences include: vacations, “we slept in,” “we took a family day,” “we went to Disneyland for her birthday,” "we visited relatives out of state/country," etc. Even if you send in a note to explain the absence, those examples would be designated as unexcused. For more information, please refer to LAUSD’s Attendance Guide.

You may know that LAUSD has an Independent Study program. This program is intended to provide make-up classwork for students who must miss school for legitimate long-term absences (for example, needing to go out of town for a death in the family, quarantine/lengthy stay at home for serious illness, or needing to make a visa appointment in a home country). Independent Study is NOT for “we are taking 2 weeks off and going abroad,” or “we are starting our Winter Break 10 days early.” For Independent Study in excess of 15 days, you must enroll in the online City of Angels program.

REGISTER FOR KIDS 4 COLLEGE FREE AFTER SCHOOL CHILD CARE

Click here for the application. Return the completed application to the main office.

Save the Dates . . .

Recurring Activities

• Morning Assembly: Fridays, begins August 16
• Student Nest Tutoring Services: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays- begin August 19
• Tiny Spotlight Musical Theater: Tuesdays, begins August 27

AUGUST

• August 7
• New Parent Orientation

• August 12
• First Day of School
• Parent Meet & Greet
• August 16
• Opening Morning Assembly
• Tea Time with Toni - Introduction to the New School Year
• Parent Meeting - Creating Welcoming Environments
• Minimum Day - 12:50 Dismissal

• August 19
• Student Nest Tutoring Services begin for select students
• August 23
• Mandatory Parent Volunteer Meeting

• August 27
• Musical Theater scheduled to begin
• August 29
• Back to School Night
• August 30
• NO SCHOOL - Admissions Day

SEPTEMBER

• September 2
• NO SCHOOL - Labor Day

Click here to view the 24-25 School Calendar

VALET RULES

For the SAFETY of your child and ALL children and parents at CMCS, if you are driving your child to school you MUST follow these valet rules. 
• Arrive at CMCS between 7:30 and 8:00
• Enter through the gate on the EAST side of the school.
• Drive along the left curb.  The right curb is a bus lane whether or not the buses have arrived.
• Wait patiently in a single file line along the left curb of the driveway.
• When a valet volunteer or LAUSD staff directs you, turn right at the parking lot and pull up to the Valet Curb.  There can be a maximum of 3 cars at the Valet Curb.  
• Under no circumstances can you park with your child and walk them through the parking lot. If, especially during these first weeks of school, you want to walk your child to the front gate, you MUST drop your child at the Valet Curb and then park your car.  Your child can wait for you near the valet volunteers on the bench by the Valet Curb.
• When you arrive at the Valet Curb, your child should be ready to exit the car from the passenger side of the vehicle.  IF a passenger side exit from your vehicle is unavailable, your child must wait until a valet volunteer opens the driver side door and escorts them in front of your car onto the curb.
• Under no circumstances should the driver exit the vehicle.
• Do not pull around cars in the valet line including at the Valet Curb.  The line is single file from the east gate entrance  through to the west gate exit.  Please wait your turn to drop off your child and to exit campus.
• FINALLY, be patient and kind.  The valet volunteers and LAUSD staff are there for the safety of your children.  Please treat them, the children, and the other drivers with respect.