During the last couple of months, our Community School Initiative has been busy expanding existing partnerships and finding new ones to better support our students, our families and our community.

Summer Successes:

Donations from Dominguez Dream - We applied for and were awarded generous funding for school items including 3D printers, Music equipment, and rewards for the Literacy Incentive program through Dominguez Dream!

Summer School -  we averaged 150-200 meals daily provided to our students and many youth in the community. We had COVID testing weekly on-site for participants and provided In-home Rapid Test kits upon request for the community.

P-EBT Re-issued - at the end of the school year we conducted a survey where we verified that nearly 10% of our families did not receive their P-EBT cards last year. We were able to secure many of them before benefits expire, including some families receiving benefits of $1,300. 

Food Distributions - A successful new food distribution partnership with TriCity Food Pantry, where they give out produce, breads, meats, and other food goods. They will be at Laurel biweekly on Thursday this school year as an additional food resource.

Dental Clinics - VCC Mobile Dental unit is scheduled for school-wide screenings and sealants this fall and spring.

Vision to Learn - The Mobile Optometrist will be providing free glasses to all students who need them. First, they will be on campus for initial screenings Aug. 23rd. Based on the screenings, students will later be provided a full vision exam on campus. Vision to Learn will provide free prescription glasses for our students that have a one year warranty for lost or damaged replacements. We are excited to have a new partnership like this!

Oceanside Unified's early implementation of the Community Schools model, and the team's success expanding resources for students and families led to the expansion of Community Schools as a district to two additional schools: Pablo Tac School of the Arts, and Chavez Middle School. OUSD was awarded additional grant funding to support this initiative and invest in transforming our schools into student-centered community hubs for our students and their families. This would not be possible without your support of our students.

Thanks to our friends at the Adult Transition Program, every Tuesday we have a Mobile Food Pantry that brings free food items & produce for our community, families and students!

This week, 35 households were able to grab food from the pantry, which benefits over 175 people in our community. This event is here weekly, every Tuesday from 2:30-3:15PM, and open to any and all that want to participate.

Thank you to all our students, families, and staff who completed a Community School survey. The Laurel Elementary community completed over 200 surveys!

Your feedback is a crucial part of understanding where we are succeeding, and where we need to place our attention. Shared decision making will be fundamental to our success moving forward. Soon we will have a Progress Review meeting where we will share our successes thus far, the results of the survey, and announce our raffle winners!

You are able to complete the survey here, if you haven't already. Thank you for your voice!

As the local positive COVID cases surged after Winter Break, many families faced barriers to accessing medical services, waiting in long lines, or scheduling difficulties. We coordinated with our community partners at the Vista Community Clinic to help with all of those obstacles by bringing their vaccination clinic to our school. 58 people were able to vaccinate! 64% received their 1st dose, while 36% took advantage of the convenience and got their booster.

Thank you to the Vista Community Clinic for the support and vaccines. Thank you to our teachers and staff for helping with flier distribution.

We love our students and families!

If you or someone you know can benefit from resource help and support, please contact Mr. Josh, your Community School Coordinator.

Right as it was getting cold and before winter break, our community partners at the Assistance League donated jackets and blankets to our school. We distributed over 125 jackets with blankets to nominated students today.

Thank you to the Assistance League for the generous donation. Thank you to our teachers and staff that helped with nominations and distribution.

We love our students and families!

If you or someone you know needs resource connections or support, please contact us.