Happy New Year!
Dear Community Families,
Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed the warmth and comfort that the holidays with family and friends can bring. During our three-week break, I spent a few days in Chicago—and while I was really hoping for snow, the weather stayed mild and snow-free. Even so, it was wonderful to spend time with my daughter and simply enjoy being together. We visited the Christkindlmarket and warmed up with delicious hot mulled wine, which made the trip feel especially festive. Once back in LA, I tried a new Pilates class, which I’m hoping to incorporate into my weekly routine, and enjoyed some quality time at the spa with my sister. Since I truly love being home when it rains, I didn’t venture out too much once I returned—but I thoroughly enjoyed staying cozy inside while the rain fell outside. I hope you were able to enjoy the rainy days, too.
As we settle back into our routines and begin the second semester, we are excited to see many of our popular after-school activities ramping up again. Tiny Spotlight will begin rehearsals for its production of Frozen on January 20, and we can’t wait to see our students shine again on stage. The Tuesday Enrichment registration link will be posted in this blog next Sunday, with classes beginning on February 3. Math Kangaroo resumes on January 26, with just six sessions remaining before the big math competition on March 19. After-school tutoring with Student Nest will also resume on February 2, and after-school intervention dates will be shared soon. Please be aware that late buses will begin on February 2. There will be no late buses in January. All Tiny Spotlight and Math Kangaroo families, please adjust your plans accordingly for January 20, 22, and 26.
In addition to these activities, our 2026 CMCS Read-a-Thon—Minecraft Edition—kicks off on Friday, January 16, and will run through February 13. Be sure to check out the flyer below for more details on how students can participate and get excited about reading.
As our campus becomes busier in the weeks ahead, please take a moment to review the valet procedures and attendance reminders at the end of this blog. Safety remains our top priority for both students and staff, and consistent attendance plays a critical role in supporting the academic growth we are seeing across our school.
We look forward to continued growth and achievement for every student at Community. Thank you for the ongoing support you provide to our school and our students each day!
Best,
Toni
P.S. I can’t let you go without sharing the amazing work from our fifth-grade students in Room 13! I’m excited to highlight Gabriella’s Historical Fiction Book Reports. Students created Google Sites for their projects, and Gabriella thoughtfully compiled all of the links into one document.
Click here to view Room 13's Historical Fiction Book Report Websites!
SAVE THE DATE!!
- Morning Assembly: Fridays
- Tuesday Enrichment: Tuesdays
- Tiny Spotlight Musical Theater: Tuesday & Thursday casts
- Student Nest Tutoring Services: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays
- After-School Intervention: Wednesdays & Thursdays
- Math Kangaroo: Mondays
Save the Dates . . .
- January 12
- Second Semester begins
- January 15
- Safety Drills
- January 16
- Pajama Day & Read-a-Thon Kickoff
- January 19
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day- NO SCHOOL
- January 20
- MOY (Middle-of-Year) iReady Assessments begin, Gr. K-5
- Tiny Spotlight rehearsals begin
- January 23
- TeaTime with Toni
- January 26
- Math Kangaroo resumes
- January 27
- Community Council Meeting
- SWPBIS Council Subcommittee meets
- January 28
- 3rd grade arts field trip
- January 29
- Above & Beyond Club
- February 2
- 5th Grade Physical Fitness testing window opens
- Math Kangaroo
- 4th Grade field trip to VT Ranch
- Student Nest tutoring begins
- February 3
- Tuesday Enrichment begins
- February 4
- 4th grade arts field trip
- February 9
- Math Kangaroo
- 5th grade arts field trip
- February 16
- NO SCHOOL- Presidents Day
- February 19
- Safety Drills
- February 23
- Math Kangaroo
- Rm. 13 field trip
- February 24
- Community Council meeting
- Kindergarten and 5th grade Black History Month presentations (8:30 and 1:00)
- February 27
- Tea Time with Toni
- Black History Month assemblies: Celebrating Black History in the Big Easy
- March 2
- Math Kangaroo
- March 5
- Above & Beyond Club (tentative)
- 3rd grade field trip (tentative)
- March 6
- Book Fair Preview
REGISTER FOR KIDS 4 COLLEGE FREE AFTER SCHOOL CHILD CARE
- 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.
IMPORTANT REMINDER ABOUT CHANGES TO YOUR DAILY TRANSPORTATION PLAN
As you know, we have several after-school activities at Community. There's Kids 4 College camp, musical theater, math kangaroo, Tuesday enrichment, intervention, and tutoring. Later in the year, we'll also have late field trips. Getting students to their buses after dismissal has become a challenge. Late notifications of last minute changes in transportation plans exacerbate the problem. In order to help us get your students off smoothly at the end of the day, we ask that you please call the main office before 12:00 pm to notify us of any changes to your transportation plans. Since Kathryn does not always get to her email in time, I encourage you not to email her with these changes. In order to get the message into the bus book and out to classes before dismissal, it is very important that you notify the office in a timely manner. Every day, buses sit and wait as we try to get last minute messages to students. Too many times, we've had to stop the bus and get a child off or have the bus return to school to pick up a child because of late communication. The students have a long enough ride and the late notifications add more time to the commute.
Please always call before 12pm.
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.
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