2023 Winter Break Highlights

As we prepare to enjoy the winter break, I want to connect with you and wish each of you a very happy holiday season. By now you should have received our annual State of Our Schools mailing and had a chance to review a few of the past year's highlights. Our students' hard work and achievements continue to impress me and I love that we take this opportunity to share our success stories with the community.

Our staff remains committed to ensuring our schools are engaging and vibrant communities where students feel connected. I appreciate your continued partnership in making sure our students attend class each and every day to receive the maximum benefit to their educational goals.

I also want to express my gratitude that so many of you have chosen to give back to our students and families who need extra assistance, especially in light of all the hardships in the world. From Project Hope and PTA donations of school supplies and costumes to the Fall canned drives, blood drives, and our holiday Sponsor a Family program, it is touching how many of you continue to prioritize serving others and giving back. This is one of the reasons I enjoy working in our District. We may have more than 20,000 students, but we continue to maintain that familiar, inclusive close connection with each other.

Happy Holidays,

Dr. Tim Stowe,
Superintendent of Schools

During back-to-school online registration, we asked you to sign an “Every Day Counts!” pledge to try to send your student(s) to school every day this year. We appreciate everyone’s hard work and commitment to this district-wide goal and encourage you to make sure your student is back in class when we resume on January 8, 2024.

While we are making great progress, during the holidays and cold and flu season it can become even more challenging. We acknowledge that it can sometimes be confusing to know when to send your student(s) to school and when to keep them home if they’re sick. For a quick reminder, you can look at our County Health Guidelines also available in Spanish (Español) to help you make a decision. We know that unforeseen circumstances may occur, so if your student has to be out, consider making it only a partial day, or if they are out for three or more days, sign up for an Independent Study Contract to keep them up to date on their classwork.

Every day of school is an important opportunity for students to learn, connect to their peers and teachers, and ultimately enjoy the learning environment they’re in every day so we appreciate your continued attention and support in this effort!

We are gearing up for our popular Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program for the 2024-2025 school year! We are inviting native English and native Spanish-speaking students to attend this program at Carr and Torrance Elementary. To learn more about how this program could benefit your students (or another Transitional Kindergarten student you might know!), you are invited to a Parent Information Meeting on January 10 at 6:00 p.m..

In addition, we are also looking forward to providing those families who have a new TK or Kindergarten student enrolling for the 2024-2025 school year, with more information about what you can expect at a series of in-person Family Info Nights on the following dates, all starting at 5:30 p.m.:

Central Area, 1/18/24 - Torance HS Auditorium
North Area, 1/25/24 - North HS Performing Arts Center
West Area, 2/1/24 - West HS Performing Arts Center
South Area, 2/8/24 - South HS Performing Arts Center

Please click here for our Torrance Unified high school addresses.

We are proud to be partnering with Hazel Health to offer our students additional virtual access to qualified therapists, especially outside of school hours. As a reminder, if you’ve been struggling to connect your child with a therapist, or if you’ve noticed changes in your child’s behavior, don't wait until January; we encourage you to reach out and get started today. The program is completely free, and the sign-up should only take about five minutes. Then, Hazel Health’s licensed therapists can help your child with:

• Mood/behavior changes, motivation, grief/loss
• Anxiety, worry, fears
• Depression, Loneliness
• Social skills, bullying, sexual identity challenges, peer & family relationships
• Academic stress

We are looking forward to our Torrance Unified elementary, middle, and high school students displaying their Science Technology Engineering Art and Math (STEAM) skills for next year’s STEAM Fairs and Invention Convention opportunities. Students are invited to participate in school site STEAM Fairs throughout February 2024, and then our districtwide STEAM Fair will take place on February 29, 2024 at Torrance High School. Our STEAM events have generated tremendous involvement and attendance, and we’ll soon host the California Invention Convention Southern Region on March 23, 2024 at El Camino College as a part of our Innovation Festival. This new expanded event will feature additional activities including a Student Maker Faire, artistic performances, and a Wellness Center. We encourage you to view the December 2023 Parent Information webinar reviewing the upcoming STEAM events.

TUSD Community,