HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!
HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!
Lunar New Year 🏮🎊
Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year (CNY) or the Spring Festival, is the most important traditional holiday in many Asian cultures, including China, Vietnam (Tết), and Korea (Seollal). It marks the beginning of the lunar calendar and is celebrated with family gatherings, feasts, fireworks, and various cultural traditions.
Key Facts About Lunar New Year:
- Date: Varies each year, typically falling between January 21 and February 20 (based on the lunar calendar).
- 2024 Date: February 10, 2024 (Year of the Dragon)
- 2025 Date: January 29, 2025 (Year of the Snake)
- Duration: Traditionally 15 days, ending with the Lantern Festival.
Lunar New Year Traditions:
✅ Reunion Dinner – Families gather for a big feast on New Year's Eve.
✅ Red Envelopes (Hóngbāo/Ang Pao) – Elders give money in red envelopes to children and younger family members for good luck.
✅ Fireworks & Lion/Dragon Dances – Used to scare away evil spirits and bring prosperity.
✅ Cleaning & Decorating – Homes are cleaned before the new year to sweep away bad luck, then decorated with red banners and lanterns.
✅ Zodiac Sign Influence – Each year is associated with an animal from the Chinese zodiac cycle (Rat, Ox, Tiger, etc.).
WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT
COMMUNITY MAGNET CHARTER SCHOOL HAS BEEN NAMED A
2025 SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE!
Click here to read more about this honor and to view a complete list of schools receiving the National Merit Award for Academic Excellence
Dear Community Families,
We are thrilled to share that Community Magnet Charter School has been honored with the National Merit Award for Academic Excellence! A special shoutout to our incredible Magnet Coordinator, Phyllis, whose dedication and hard work made this achievement possible. Congratulations to all!
After nearly two weeks away from our beloved campus, we were thrilled to learn that we were finally cleared to return last Tuesday. While Principal Timmerman and the wonderful staff at Westwood Charter treated us like royalty, nothing compares to being home. That said, if we had to be relocated, we couldn’t have asked for a better place!
Our excitement was dampened by ongoing red flag warnings and AQI alerts, keeping our students indoors all week. We're all hoping for rain this weekend so we can finally return to our normal routine.
Several district officials visited our campus throughout the week to address our needs and concerns. Teachers requested new classroom rugs, which will be provided—thank you, Fanahi! In the coming weeks, I will meet with LAUSD's Office of Emergency Management to update our school's safety plan, incorporating lessons learned from the Palisades fire and the tragic loss of two LAUSD schools.
Thursday was filled with unexpected events. First, wildfires once again threatened to close the CMCS campus. Fortunately, the brief evacuation warning was lifted just in time for school to continue. Then, an accidental fire alarm activation prompted a campus-wide evacuation to the upper yard—just as students were still arriving. While the situation was stressful, it provided a valuable opportunity to review our safety procedures.
Adding to the day's surprises, we received a brief but meaningful visit from LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, Dr. Karla Estrada. During their tour, they noted the need for a speaker at the back of campus to ensure announcements, bells, and emergency alerts are clearly heard in the upper yard. They also recognized the importance of having school buses on standby during red flag days for potential quick evacuations. Superintendent Carvalho assured us that he would work on securing both improvements.
I understand that many parents have requested a review of our school's Safe School Plan. This plan is reviewed and updated annually by the CMCS Safety Committee, approved by LASPD and/or LAPD, and the district's Office of Emergency Management. It is then presented during a Tea Time with Toni meeting and reviewed with all staff in September or October. Parents and community members are welcome to request to review the document at the main office. To ensure everyone is aware of our safety procedures, please review the protocols below.
Thank you for all you do and for being patient and cooperative over the last few weeks.
Best,
Toni
Campus Safety Plans
To ensure everyone is aware of our safety procedures, please review the following protocols:
Structural Fire
In the event of a structural fire on campus, we will follow the same evacuation procedures as Thursday morning’s false alarm:
- All staff and students will quickly evacuate to the upper yard.
- Teachers will account for all students, and we will verify all adults on campus using sign-in binders.
- It is essential for all visitors to sign in at the main office before entering campus.
- Key office staff and our plant manager will determine the source of the alarm. If it is a false alarm, we will notify the LAFD to prevent them from responding to the alarm. If it is determined to be a true emergency, the fire department will be on their way within seconds of receiving the alert.
Brushfire or Wildfire
If a brushfire or wildfire threatens the area:
- Everyone on campus—students, staff, and visitors—will evacuate to the auditorium for accountability.
- We have an agreement with transportation and Superintendent Carvalho to have buses on standby.
- After confirming all individuals are accounted for, we will evacuate via bus to a designated relocation site.
- We currently have two relocation sites and are working to secure a third.
Relocation Sites
Primary Location: Westwood Recreation Center
📍 1350 Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025
Backup Location: UCLA
📍 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095
Communication During Emergencies
During a relocation, please do not call the school’s main office or attempt to come to the school. It is crucial to keep phone lines and roadways open for district, city, and emergency officials.
Parents will receive updates from the school and district once everyone is safe via Blackboard Connect (the same system used for Sunday blog notifications). To ensure you receive these messages:
- Keep your contact information updated in the school office.
- If you are not receiving messages, you may have opted out. Please follow the directions below to opt back in.
Your cooperation is vital to ensuring the safety of all students, staff, and visitors. Thank you for your attention to these procedures.
Here is the information on how to opt in to BBC messages if users accidentally opt out of messages.
The Connect system allows individuals receiving calls, emails or texts to Opt-Out from getting future communications.
- At the end of every call, Opt-Out instructions will be heard. The recipient can press the appropriate number to Opt-Out the phone number on which they are receiving the call. Alternatively, they can dial (855) 502-7867 to Opt-Out.
- This will impact receiving Outreach (general) messages and Blackboard Teacher Communication messages. It does not impact Attendance or Emergency calls sent by schools, local districts or central district offices. Attendance and Emergency calls directly impact the safety of students and staff and will continue to be delivered by the system.
- If an erroneous call is being made to a non-parent or non-employee, and they have already Opted-Out using the automated system, there is still the potential for them to receive Attendance and Emergency calls. To fully prevent calls from being made to this erroneous number, it must be corrected on the MiSiS Parent/Guardian Information screen for K-12 schools or the appropriate screen in EESIS and DACESIS for Early Education Centers and Adult schools, respectively. For employees, the correction must occur in the Employee Self-Service system (ess.lausd.net). Deleting the number directly from Connect will only be effective for 24 hours or until the next LAUSD data file is received by Finalsite.
- Parents and employees can choose to Opt back into receiving Outreach (general) messages by calling (855) 502-7867 for any phone number that was previously Opted-Out.
- Parents and employees can choose to Opt back in to receiving Text messages by texting "START LAUSD" to 91841.
- For opting emails back in, please contact the Mass Notification (formerly Blackboard) Office (see Contact Us).
- Teacher Communication messages will also include the same Opt-Out instructions.
- For every text and email message sent, the recipient will also be provided instructions on how to Opt-Out from receiving future messages.
UPDATE ON CMCS ROOFING PROJECT
SUMMER WORKSHOP FOR STUDENTS WITH THE UCLA MATH PROJECT
- Target Audience: 3rd - 5th grade students (6th grade also welcome)
- Focus Areas: Algebraic reasoning and fraction understanding through engaging group problem-solving activities
- Dates: July 8-11 or July 14-18
- Location: Da Vinci Schools in El Segundo
- Registration: Open NOW
SHOPPING SPREE FOR FAMILIES IMPACTED BY THE PALISADES/EATON FIRES
The LAUSD Education Foundation would like us to share this opportunity for families that have been impacted by the fires to a free shopping spree with clothing for all ages. This is being organized by the company The A List and will begin on Tuesday, January 21, and will go through to Friday, January 31.
The boutique space will be at 9290 Civic Center Dr. in Beverly Hills.
For families who have been impacted by the fire and would like to participate in this opportunity, please sign up by going to this google form. You will receive a confirmation email with a date and time based on your responses.
- 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.
Save the Dates . . .
- Math Kangaroo: Mondays
- Student Nest Tutoring Services: Mon., Wed., Thurs.
- Tuesday Enrichment : Tuesdays
- Tiny Spotlight Musical Theater: Tuesdays & Thursdays
- After-School Intervention: Wednesdays & Thursdays
- Morning Assembly: Fridays
- Parent Workshop: Parenting in a Digital World
- Parent Workshop: SaRah Feinstein- Intro to Positive Behavior Intervention and Support - Restorative Practices
- January 28
- Tuesday Enrichment begins
- January 31
- Principal for the Day
- February 3
- 5th Grade Physical Fitness test window opens
- February 4
- Council Meeting
- February 5-6
- First week of after-school Intervention; Reading focus
- February 6
- Safety Drills
- February 7
- Deadline for Middle-of-Year Assessments
- DIBELS Reading: Gr. K-2
- iReady Reading, Gr. 3-5
- iReady Math, Gr. K-5
- February 14
- Happy Valentine's Day!
- TeaTime with Toni
- February 17
- NO SCHOOL - Presidents Day
- February 21
- Black History Month Assemblies
- February 25
- Black History Month Presentations by Kindergarten and 5th Grade classes
- February 28
- Book Fair Preview Day
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