2020 WELCOME BACK FAMILIES NEWSLETTER
August 6, 2020
Welcome to the 2020-2021 School Year!
I am excited to journey with your student and your family through this school year as we make our way to 100% high school graduation and a successful future.
School starts on August 18, 2020. School will begin at 9 am-2:15 pm. This year we begin with all instruction in a distance learning model. It includes a combination of live instruction, recorded instruction, and independent time for learning. Also, advisory teachers, counselors, and other support personnel will provide socio-emotional supports during the school day. Intervention to address specific learning needs are embedded every Monday for all students. By creating designated times for each activity, families can create routines for students, so our students stay focused on academics and college-related activities such as the applications and virtual college visits.
Our instructional practices will increasingly reflect culturally relevant pedagogy strategies. We will build our racial literacy and surface implicit bias. Current events and movements in our nation (and the world) will be discussed in classrooms and community town halls and virtual teach-ins with parents, students, and staff.
Our highly motivated, talented teachers and staff are working hard to redesign lessons to provide enriching, challenging learning experiences to motivate them to achieve excellence in the distance learning model. A teacher-created online learning handbook will be shared at our opening meetings, so our students can effectively navigate online discussion boards for academic assignments. Our counselors and support personnel are creating ways to increase family support through monthly parent workshops addressing technical supports about technology and wellness for all students and families.
We have scheduled the following dates for our first meetings:
Returning Suns (Grades 10-12): Tuesday, August 11, 2020, at 9 am. https://tinyurl.com/SunsGrade10-12
New and Incoming Suns (Grade 9): Wednesday, August 12, 2020, at 9am. https://tinyurl.com/SunsGrade9
New and Incoming Suns (Grade 9): Wednesday, August 12, 2020, at 9am. https://tinyurl.com/SunsGrade9
All meetings will take place using Microsoft Teams. Links for these meetings will be on our website on Monday, August 10, 2020: downtownmagnets.org.
(9th grade orientation will occur on August 14. More information to follow next week.)
I hope to see many of you virtually in mid-August. I look forward to working with all of you. Please reach out to me via email sarah.usmani@lausd.net, through our website, or via phone at 323-425-9271.
Go Suns!
Thank you,
Dr. Sarah Usmani
Principal
Dear Downtown Magnets Families
We hope that you are doing well, and all of our students continue to log on to Schoology daily. To help with our home to school connection, we have created a new phone line while we are all at home. This will allow you to send text messages or leave a voicemail if you need to get in contact with us or if you need assistance. The phone number is (323) 425-9271. The messages will be checked from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and we will do our best to get back to you within a reasonable time.
Queridas Familias de Downtown Magnets,
Esperamos que le vaya bien y que todos nuestros estudiantes continúen ingresando a Schoology a diario. Para ayudar con nuestra conexión de casa a escuela, hemos creado una nueva línea telefónica mientras estamos en casa. Esto le permitirá enviar mensajes de texto o dejar un correo de voz si necesita ponerse en contacto con nosotros o si necesita asistencia. El número de teléfono es (323) 425-9271. Los mensajes se verificarán durante el día de 8 a.m. a 3 p.m., y haremos todo lo posible para comunicarnos con usted en un plazo razonable.