LMEC Parent and Student Handbook

Construction on 28th Street Continues

Although construction continues on 28th Street it is no longer occurring in front of the middle school drop off zone. Families are able to drive in and drop off along 28th Street but there may continue to be delays due to construction further down the street so please plan accordingly. Thank you again for your flexibility.

Soccer Scrimmage on Tuesday, April 12 Against Mountain View K-8

LMEC's soccer program has it's first scrimmage this Tuesday against neighboring school Mountain View afterschool on Tuesday.

6th Grade College Visits

This week and next week our 6th graders will be visiting UCSD and SDSU to tour the campuses. It's never too early for students to start thinking about their futures and learning about what it takes to be "college ready." It should be a great experience.

Save the Date: School-wide testing the Week of May 9th

The state of California is moving forward with state-wide testing for this school year. All students in grades 3-8 will be taking the CAASPP in English and Math and 5th and 8th graders will have an additional science test they will need to take. The Week of May 9th, LMEC will be on a special schedule for testing. We are required to have 95% of our students take the CAASPP or the school is penalized. That is why we are letting you know early when we will be testing our students so that parents can plan accordingly. We ask that parents make sure students are present in school that week (i.e. schedule doctor's appointments, etc. for alternate days so students won't be absent from school).

Criteria to Participate in 8th Grade Promotion and End of the Year Activities

LMEC's 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony will be held on June 14th - as the date gets closer, more details about the ceremony will be shared. Due to the challenges that our students have faced over the past two school years due to COVID the vast majority of students will automatically promote to 9th grade - if your child is not on track to promote you have already been contacted by your child's counselor. If you have not been contacted, then your child is on track to promote to 9th grade.

Participation in the 8th grade promotion ceremony and end of the year 8th grade activities, however, have their own set of criteria to participate and we wanted to share that criteria with families.

• No F’s in scholarship on the Semester 2 final report card

• No U’s in citizenship on the Semester 2 final report card

• No more than 10 tardies or student has attended Saturday Academies or tutorials to clear tardies

OR

• Student meets Individual Learning Contract Requirements determined by the student’s support team and signed off by Principal or Vice Principal

If you have any questions about whether or not your child is on track to participate in the promotion ceremony and end of the year activities please contact their youth advocate/counselor.

Free Dress Fridays

Effective immediately middle school students (grades 6-8) are no longer required to wear uniforms on Friday. We are implementing a "free dress" Friday policy. Students must continue to follow all district dress code guidelines (please review our student handbook for details around dress code).

COVID Health and Safety Update - District's Updated Mask Policy

As of April 4, 2022, wearing masks at schools and district offices is no longer required but is strongly recommended. As a school community, we fully support the decision of all students, families, and staff to continue wearing a mask or not. Harassment or bullying of anyone based on this personal choice will not be tolerated.

Below are some great resources for staff and families to help students understand and ease fears and anxiety they may be experiencing:

• Coping with Anxiety as Mask Mandates Lift (Michigan Health)

• How to Deal With Bullying Over Face Masks in School (Boston Children’s Hospital)

• A Social Story about Mask Change

LMEC Campus Tours

Do you have friends and family in the community that are interested in attending LMEC but would like more information about the campus? LMEC is now open every Wednesday at 4:00 PM for campus tours. To schedule a tour please email Ms. Connie Gonzalez at cgonzalez2@sandi.net.

Also here is the presentation we have been sharing with student and families at our feeder schools: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Ywa9KnD9qYNhwkQLCaQvbJ8E483wK4You0WpqcbNM3I/edit?usp=sharing

LMEC in the News

And in case you missed it, the SDUSD Board of Education unanimously approved the new attendance boundary for the LMEC campus and the new high school program. This will be the first time in more than 30 years that a new, comprehensive neighborhood high school will be opening in San Diego Unified. This historic event was featured on multiple local newscasts. Our students will no longer need to leave the neighborhood to get a first class high school education.

• SD Union-Tribune / SD Union-Tribune espanol

• KUSI News

• 10News

Reporting Absences

We wanted to make sure families are aware of how to report non-COVID related student absences. The easiest way to report an absence is to email our attendance clerk, Ms. Margarita Lopez at mlopez@sandi.net. You may also call the school at 619-344-6500 and press 3 to leave a message for Ms. Lopez. Once the absence has been reported no further action is needed on your part. Within 24 hours, when you check PowerSchool, you should see the attendance code has been changed from an A to an E which indicates the absence has been reported and excused. We also strongly recommend either you or your student reach out to the teachers to find out about any missed work. Email is normally the fastest way to communicate with teachers.

Students Speaking Out

Students Speaking Out is a program of San Diego County Crime Stoppers a community-based nonprofit organization (501c3). Students Speaking Out was inspired by the Campus Crime Stoppers program which has helped to solve hundreds crimes on local school campuses. The mission of Students Speaking Out is to empower young people to use their voices to make schools and communities safer. CLICK HERE for more information about Students Speak Out.

CLICK HERE to anonymously report an issue on campus or in the community.

Calling Our Main Office Line (619) 344-6500

Based on feedback from families, we are changing our automated message. Starting Monday you will hear a new automated message when you call the LMEC main office line. Please listen to the whole message as our recording has recently changed. Please press 1 for the message in Spanish. Please leave us a voice message and we will return your call within 24 hours.

For general questions when calling the site please press 0 when listening to the automated message.

If you are picking up a student for an appointment, especially during lunchtime, please call the office an hour before to make sure your student is ready. You can also send a note with your student the morning of so they know to expect you.

Save the Date

• April 22: P4 Grading Window ends

• May 9-13: School-wide Testings: CAASPP

• June 14th: 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony

Stay Connected with LMEC

LMEC communicates with families in a variety of ways.

• Visit our school website: https://lmec.sandiegounified.org/

• Join our LMEC ClassDojo: https://www.classdojo.com/invite/?s=4eece53ff64aa62934ed2100

• Follow us on Instagram & Facebook: lmecsandiego

• Follow us on Twitter @LMECSD

• Not receiving weekly phone calls and emails from the school? Contact the main office at 619-344-6500 or visit the PowerSchool Parent Portal and make sure your contact information is up-to-date