Message from Orange Unified

Upcoming Events

• November 10: Veteran's Day (observed) - All Sites Closed
• November 16: Board of Education Meeting
• November 20 - 24: Thanksgiving Break

In this Message

• Message from Superintendent Gonzalez
• Second Annual Middle School Cross Country Meet
• Attendance Award Winners
• Congratulations to our Teachers of the Year!
• Villa Park High School Measure S Phase 2 Topping Out Celebration
• Cerro Villa Middle School Recognized by Elks
• Fall Festivals & Dia de los Muertos
• Veterans Honored at Linda Vista Elementary
• Economic Education Celebration at California iInspire Academy
• Author Reads to Students at Jordan Academy
• LCAP Survey
• Fall League Championships
• Employment Opportunities

Dear OUSD Community,

As we approach Veterans Day, I want to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to the courageous individuals who have served in the military. Your dedication and sacrifice are the bedrock of our freedom, and we honor you on this special day. To our veteran students, staff, and families, thank you for your service.

As we reflect on the significance of Veterans Day, let's also look ahead to Thanksgiving. This season of gratitude allows us to appreciate the richness of our diverse community. I encourage everyone to take a moment to express thanks for the connections we share and the opportunities that education provides.

May this season be filled with moments of reflection, gratitude, and connection with loved ones. Let's take this time to appreciate the freedoms we enjoy, the sacrifices that make them possible, and all that we have to be thankful for.

Sincerely,

Ernie Gonzalez
Superintendent of Schools

The second annual Middle School Cross Country Meet was held on November 8 at Villa Park High School. This is one of the many opportunities we are providing our middle school students for school connectedness. Over 100 student-athletes from our middle schools competed in the two-mile boys’ and girls' races. The student and spectator participation was fantastic!

Congratulations to the following teams and individuals:

• First Place Teams: Santiago (Boys), El Rancho (Girls)
• Second Place Teams: El Rancho (Boys), Santiago (Girls)
• Third Place Teams: Yorba Boys (Boys), Portola (Girls)
• First Place Individuals: Elvie Ruiz (Santiago), Robyn Langelier (Santiago)
• Second Place Individuals: Paul Herman (Cerro Villa), Aubrey Munez (El Rancho)
• Third Place Individuals: Jayden Gomes (Yorba) & Easton Piekarski (Yorba) - tie, Chloe Gutfeld (El Rancho)

Our district-wide attendance continues to be strong! Our ART tool shows we are up 1.82% over last year. As we move into the holiday season, we traditionally see attendance rates drop. Please continue to encourage your students to attend daily.

Congratulations to the winners for October:

Highest Attendance

Palmyra

Villa Park Elementary (two-time winner!)

Nohl Canyon

Jordan

Most Improved

Parkside

Canyon Rim

Panorama

Jordan

This achievement reflects our families’ and students’ acknowledgment of the importance of regular student attendance. Winners were recognized with a trophy and a special lunch from Nutrition Services.

Our Teachers of the Year were celebrated at the Disneyland Hotel during the Orange County Department of Education’s annual dinner held in recognition of their care and commitment to providing students with a quality education.

“Orange County classrooms are spaces where empathy, respect, and integrity are nurtured alongside academic growth,” said OCDE Deputy Superintendent Dr. Ramon Miramontes. “This year’s theme, ‘Teaching with Heart,’ perfectly captures the approach of teaching professionals who mold young minds not just with information, but with compassion and purpose.”

Learn more about our employees of the year at https://www.orangeusd.org/about-us/news/release-article/~board/2023-ousd-news/post/congratulations-to-our-2023-ousd-employees-of-the-year

In a significant moment for Villa Park High School and the Orange Unified School District, the school celebrated a time-honored construction tradition with a topping-out ceremony for their new Measure S Phase Two 36 thousand-square-foot building, which will house 18 new 1,200-square-foot classrooms. As follows tradition, the beam was placed with a pine tree and American flag on top of it, signifying the safe completion of the framing of the structure and a wish for continued good luck for the future of the building project and its eventual occupants.

Read more at https://www.orangeusd.org/about-us/news/release-article/~board/2023-ousd-news/post/villa-park-high-school-measure-s-phase-2-topping-out

College Signing Day

Wednesday was National Signing Day, and we are proud of our student-athletes who signed with four-year institutions to continue their playing experiences:

Canyon High School:

• Austin Dang, Soccer, Cal State San Bernardino
• Cohen Gomez, Baseball, Stanford University
• Sofia Ingle, Golf, Biola University
• Mattias Morris, Golf, Aurora University
• Kendall Nevin, Softball, Portland State University
• Maya Sarhan, University of the Pacific

El Modena High School:

• Isabella Gonzalez - softball, Canisius College
• Nick Santivanez - baseball, CSUN
• Grace Wharton, swimming, UNLV

Villa Park High School:

• Madden Tucker, Softball, Converse University
• Allison Mann, Swim, San Diego State University
• Justin Tims, Baseball, University of Washington
• Taylor Walsh, Women’s Volleyball, Gonzaga University

Congratulations to them all!

The Elks Lodge of Orange honored Cerro Villa MS at their National Middle School Drug Awareness Video Award presentation on October 23. It is important to note that the CVTV class has won more Elks National Awards than any middle school in the country.

In celebration of the season, our sites hosted fall festivals, including Dia de los Muertos events, to honor the diversity of our district and community.

Fifth-grade students shared presentations featuring various veterans, including family members and friends, and sang patriotic songs with the Leopard community as part of their annual Veteran’s Day tradition. It was a fun and inspiring event. Thank you, Veterans!

As part of Economic Education Month, the California Council on Economic Education visited California iInspire Academy to teach students and parents about financial literacy. The event included economics-related games, kid-friendly educational activities, and more – all highlighting why economics isn’t complicated or boring. In addition, California iInspire Academy received a California Assembly Proclamation commemorating California Economic Education Month and the value of economic education for California’s students and families, presented by local Assemblymember Phillip Chen.

Pencraft Award-winning author Noelani Putirka visited Jordan Academy of Language and Computer Science to read to students and encourage them to embrace their differences and be kind to others.

First-grade teacher Sharon McAleer wrote a grant for the visit that was funded by the Orange Unified Public Schools Foundation. The grant funded assemblies for each grade level and signed copies of the book for each classroom and Jordan’s school library.

Jordan’s young Jaguars loved the story and the opportunity to meet a "real live author"! Our thanks to OUPSF for sharing the love of reading with our students!

Canyon High School:

• Girls Golf League champs, 11th in CIF
• Girls Volleyball League champs, CIF semi-finalists qualified for state; Lost in State Regional Final 16
• Girls Cross Country League Champs
• Boys’ Water polo League Champs, #2 in CIF Div. 3, Play in the CIF Championship Game on Saturday, Nov. 11, at Mt. San Antonio College Aquatics Center at 1:40 p.m.

El Modena High School:

Football-North Hills League Champions; lost to Thousand Oaks HS in Division 5 CIF Playoffs, Round 1, 41-34.

Orange High School:

Football League Champions; Division 9, CIF Quarterfinals vs. Rio Hondo Prep HS @ Fred Kelly Stadium, Friday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.

Villa Park High School:

• Football, Co-Champs Crestview League; 10-1 record; won Division 3, CIF Playoffs, Round 1, 28-21 over Millikan HS; Division 3, Quarterfinals, Villa Park HS @ Chaminade HS, Friday, Nov. 10, 7 p.m.
• Volleyball, 2nd Place North Hills, qualified for CIF playoffs
• Tennis (2 qualified for individuals’ playoffs)
• Golf (1 qualified for individuals’ playoffs)
• Boys Water Polo qualified for CIF playoffs

New for this school year is the OUSD App, which is available for download in the Apple App and Google Play stores. Free for our families, the app allows users to see District-level news and events as well as customize their experience by selecting their school(s) of choice to follow to receive news and calendar information directly to their phones. If you haven’t checked it out yet, please do.

• iOS (Apple): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/orange-unified-school-dist/id6446125598
• Android (Google): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.finalsite.orangeusdorg

Are you interested in a profession that makes a positive impact on the community? If so, please visit our website at www.orangeusd.org/jobs to view a vast array of employment opportunities that span from entry-level to upper management, classified and certificated. Join the Orange Unified family and Inspire our learners of today to be purposeful leaders of tomorrow.

Email: communications@orangeusd.org
Website: www.orangeusd.org
Location: 1401 North Handy Street, Orange, CA, USA
Phone: 714-628-4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OrangeUnifiedSchoolDistrictCA
Twitter: @orangeunifiedCA

We invite you to take a moment to follow Orange Unified on social media to receive the District’s latest news and announcements. Social media may also be a critical line of communication during emergencies and will be an excellent place for you to get up to date information: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube