Hello Cambridge Families!

I hope you had a great first week back!

Registration and open enrollment for next school is open. Please register for next school year so we can be prepared to welcome your students back!

We also have an opportunity to Showcase the other schools in the feeder pattern that your children might attend--Portola, Yorba, and Orange High School--at our community showcase next Wednesday at Orange High School. Please stop by this free event to see what it will look like as your Cubs move along into our other schools.

We also have a Farmer's Market next week on Wednesday. This is open to the entire community.

That's it for now!

Go Cubs!

Mr. Encheff

Principal

All sites will be closed on Monday, January 20, in observance to Martin Luther King Jr Day. Enjoy the long weekend! see you back on the 21st!

We are excited to announce the dates for our 2025 High School Showcases, providing families with the opportunity to explore the diverse and exciting educational programs offered at each of OUSD’s family of schools. These showcases are designed to help families make informed decisions about their student’s future, providing a deeper understanding of the unique opportunities and pathways each school offers. If you or your student is uncertain about which OUSD school to attend or simply want to learn more about our programs and check out our updated facilities, this is the perfect opportunity to discover how OUSD’s schools give students the Orange Unified EDGE.

2025 High School Showcase Schedule:

• Orange High School – January 22, 2025 | 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM
• Villa Park High School – January 29, 2025 | 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM
• El Modena High School – February 5, 2025 | 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM
• Canyon High School – February 19, 2025 | 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Each showcase will feature:

• Informational sessions about OUSD's signature academic programs from TK-Grade 12
• Tours of the new STEM complexes and other school facilities
• Opportunities to meet with school representatives and faculty members

These events are open to all families and are invaluable resources for making decisions about your child’s educational journey. Whether you're exploring a specific school or simply curious about what OUSD has to offer, the Community Showcases are a must-attend event.

We look forward to welcoming the community and helping families make one of the most important decisions regarding their students' futures.

Free Farmers Market/Mercado de Agricultores Gratuito

We are inviting all Cambridge Students to enter their drawings in our yearbook cover contest. One winner will be selected to be displayed on the front cover.

Reminder: Enrollment for new students, as well as inter-district transfers and open enrollment, is coming up!

• January 13 - 27: Open Enrollment

• January 15: New Student, TK, & Kindergarten Enrollment

• February 4: Inter-District Transfer Window Opens

VALENTINE CANDY GRAM SALE
Date: Wednesdays Jan 22nd - Feb 12th

Time: TK/Kinder: Classroom Visit
1st-6th: Brunch

Location: Playground
Cost: $3.00 per gram

Sponsor by Student Council

*Parents if you would like to buy Candy Grams for your students please stop by the office.

2024-2025 District Advisory Council (DAC)

Purpose and Responsibilities of DAC Representatives

Purpose The District’s Strategic Plan and Local Control and Accountability

Plan (LCAP) calls for more intensive support to parents for

student achievement and engagement through the District

Advisory Council (DAC)

• Meets compliance for Title I/State Compensatory Education (SCE) parent advisory council
• Involves parents in the planning, development and evaluation of Title I and SCE programs and services in the District
• Serves as the District LCAP Committee

Responsibilities:

Learn about state, federal regulations and provide input

Discuss academic programs and services

Share effective practices from school sites

Strategize to increase parent involvement and engagement

Provide recommendations to district administrators and Board

We kindly ask that you complete this form to assist us with our 2025-2026 TK planning.

(Le solicitamos amablemente que complete este formulario para ayudarnos con nuestra planificación de TK para el año 2025-2026.)

Identifying & Supporting the Needs of All Students

We invite you to join one of our Fall Parent Information Sessions to learn more about the GATE screening and testing process, as well as how we can support your child's academic needs.✨

🌟 Student Referral for 2024-25 GATE Screening 🌟

Submit this form so that your student can be screened for GATE identification and unlock their potential! 🚀📚

Fill out the form here

If you do not wish to have your child participate in the 3rd-grade GATE universal screening process, please complete the form below and return it to your child's classroom teacher or the school office. 📋

Let’s help your child shine! 🌟

Parents can enroll their children in our afterschool programs at no cost. Information about these clubs and the registration process is as follows:Search - OUSD Expanded Learning Programs (eleyo.com)

Clubs and Programs include:

• CF Fitness (exercise, organized games, and teamwork drills)
• Soccer, Flag Football, and Volleyball Teams (join a sports team--one per trimester)
• Culinary Classes (learn how to cook and bake)
• Spanish Classes (learn the language and culture)
• eSports (join the Nintendo Switch Mario Kart team)
• Art Club (develop skills in a variety of art forms)
• Lego Robotics (join the Lego team and compete against other schools)
• Multimedia Crew (join the school's crew that will put together our yearbook--Invite Only)
• Leadership (join the school's ASB team and help make Cambridge a fun place to be)
• Dance--Hip Hop, Baile Folklorico, and Cheer

Clubs and Programs

• Offered different days of week depending on club and coach availability
• Afterschool for typically 1-2 hours
• Students can enroll in clubs if they are already part of Campfires or ELOP
• Weekly attendance is encouraged (especially for dance and sports clubs that participate in competitions and performances)
• Registration: An online form has been sent to all parents that includes options for enrichment clubs and programs. Additionally, you can come to campus to have us support you with online registration.
• Enrollment Process: Accepted participants will be notified via email and a flyer will be sent home with students who are accepted

Cambridge is pleased to welcome back our ESL class, thanks to our collaboration with Santiago Canyon College!

Learning Link at Cambridge Elementary School 🎉

Caregivers, bring your little ones (ages 0-4) to explore, learn, and make friends at Learning Link! Our wonderful teachers will guide you through fun, developmentally-appropriate activities, including a take-home craft. No registration needed—just drop in!

🗓️ Starts August 29, 2024 🕒 Thursdays, 1:25 PM - 2:10 PM 📍 Cambridge Elementary School 📞 For more info: 714-628-5828 | kgioia@orangeusd.org

🎉 Join Cambridge United! 🎉

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Involved and organized parents and teachers are what make good schools GREAT! 💫 All membership fees stay right here at Cambridge and help make our school an even better place for your students by:

✨ Supplementing education
✨ Planning awesome activities that build community
✨ Supporting our amazing Cambridge staff (like movie nights 🍿, carnivals 🎪, educational assemblies 📚, sports equipment 🏀, and more!)

Cambridge United Membership fees are just $10 per family! 💵
Cash 💸 or make checks payable to Cambridge United.

Please return the completed form with cash or check payment ($10) to your child’s teacher. ✏️ Let’s make this year the best yet!

Please add these dates to your calendar!

• January 20, Martin Luther King Jr. - No School
• Jan 22, Free Farmers Market - 9 am - 10 am
• Jan 29, ELAC Meeting - 8:15 am - 9:15 am

The office will not deliver fast food meals to students and students are not allowed to bring fast food to the lunch area. All food must be packed in a lunch pail. If students forget a lunch, they can eat food from our cafeteria. All students are provided an opportunity for free lunch on a daily basis.

(Information found under Health and Nutrition section in Parent Student Handbook)

Parents and Guardians You can take advantage of our Text Messaging Service

Our school utilizes the SchoolMessenger system to deliver text messages, straight to your mobile phone with important information about events, school closings, safety alerts and more.

You can participate in this free service* just by sending a text message of "Y" or "Yes" to our school's short code number, 67587.

You can also opt out of these messages at any time by simply replying to one of our messages with "Stop".

We recommend saving this short code and Caller ID to the contacts on your phone. This will help prevent any 3rd party call blocking systems from interfering with your receipt of important messages sent by the school or district.

Follow us on Instagram for fun Announcements!

https://www.instagram.com/cambridge_elem/

This document contains information about school-wide policies and practices. Please take some time to read through it with your family.

Spanish

The Orange Unified School district participates in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program by offering one free breakfast and one free lunch to students during each school day, regardless of income status.

Learn more at https://www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/index.php?sid=2501081743337031

Section 5 of Article IX of the State of California Constitution guarantees students a “free public education.” The State Supreme Court concluded in the 1984 case of Hartzell v. Connell, “that all educational activities carried on by public school districts, extra-curricular as well as curricula, must be without cost to the students who participate in such activities.” This same ruling found that “mandatory fees for participating in such extra-curricular activities as drama, music, and athletic competition were illegal under the State Constitution.” Furthermore, they also rejected the argument that “fees could be charged so long as the district waived fees for students who were financially unable to pay.” Recent proposed legislation includes reimbursement with interest for any illegally-collected fees as well as a district sanction.

Email: dencheff@orangeusd.org
Website: https://www.orangeusd.org/cambridge-elementary-school
Location: 425 North Cambridge Street, Orange, CA, USA
Phone: 714.997.6103