Hornet Headlines
October 2022 Principal Newsletter by Erika A. Krohn
Principal's Message
Happy October!
September was a great month of learning here at Handy. Third Grade taught the entire school about our core value of Responsibility and Hispanic Heritage Month at an impressive performance at the September Spirit Assembly. English Language Development groups and Tier 2 Reading Intervention groups are in full swing since the beginning of September. Tier 2 Math Intervention groups (both during the school day and afterschool) begin during October. I visited every upper grade classroom to discuss bullying: specifically, I defined exactly what bullying is, what are the consequences for bullying at Handy, and how to be an Upstander. Then, the entire school participated in the Sandy Hook Start With Hello Program to build a kind, caring community here at our school. We also kicked off our GRIP mentorship program at breakfast hosted by our local Chik-Fil-A.
Follow Handy Elementary school on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for weekly happenings at Handy! Please scroll down to see a complete list of October events.
I encourage every Handy scholar to give their best effort each and every day because: Learning today makes a brighter tomorrow!
With gratitude,
Erika A. Krohn, Principal
College Awareness Month
Orange High School Football Game
Early Math Parent Workshop
Here at Handy, we are focusing on improving Math student achievement. Help us with this goal by attending this virtual Parent Workshop:
Thursday, October 13, 2022
6 to 8 p.m. PACIFIC time
The Early Math Forum Registration is now open!
Register here: https://www.accelevents.com/e/early-math-forum
The event is open to all - please share this announcement with others!
Join educators, care providers, and families as we celebrate the math found in everyday places
This year’s virtual Early Math forum will focus on discovering the math in everyday places. The forum’s keynote and breakout sessions will provide ideas and tools to support the mathematical development of all young children!
Topics will include:
- Connection between math and play
- Community Math
- Classroom Strategies
- Tinkering
- PK through 3rd grade alignment
- Math at the library
- Problem Solving
- Universal Design
Let’s learn, play, grow, and interact together!
Keeping our Students Safe with Raptor Visitor Management System
All Handy visitors and volunteers are required to sign in through the Raptor system located in front office.
Raptor is a visitor management system that enhances school security by comparing information on a visitor's driver’s license (or other approved government-issued ID) against a sex offender database and alerts school administrators and the Office of Student & Community Services if a match is found. Once cleared through the system, a visitor badge is produced that includes a photo, name of the visitor, date & time, and destination.
How does Raptor work?
Raptor compares government-issued ID information to a database that contains registered sex offenders from 50 states as well as local flags placed into Raptor by a school site. In the event of a match, Raptor alerts designated school officials.
What is the purpose of the Raptor system?
Raptor enhances and automates visitor management. By proactively alerting personnel to certain potential threats, Raptor allows school administrators to take appropriate steps to keep our students, employees, and visitors safe. The system prints visitor badges for approved visitors that include the visitor’s name, photo, date, time, and destination. These badges enable personnel within the school campus to quickly determine if visitors are in areas where they should or should not be.
Why is the Orange Unified School District using this system?
In an effort to strengthen the systematic and integrated approach of our OUSD EDGE Strategic Plan’s Focus Area 3.0 —Genuine Wellness & Safety— the safety of our students and staff is our highest priority. Raptor provides an extra layer of security for our day-to-day and a consistent, standardized system to track visitors and volunteers. This is especially useful during emergencies to know who is on campus. The system quickly prints visitor badges that include a photo, the visitor's name, time & date, and destination.
Does the school/District have the right to require visitors, even parents, to produce identification before entering the school?
Yes. In accordance with California Penal Code 627, school officials are required to know who is on their school campus and why they are there, particularly when a student is involved (e.g., early pickup). School officials need to be able to confirm that an individual has the authority to have access to the student. In addition to requiring visitors to give their name and purpose for visiting, it also requires visitors to present proof of identity.
Will Raptor be used for large school events (e.g., Awards Assemblies, Back-toSchool Night, etc.)?
Unfortunately, we do not have the capability to scan IDs and print badges for large school events at this time. School sites will have a single-entry point and exit for parents and/or legal guardians. School administration and staff will continue to provide supervision during these larger events.
What types of IDs will work in Raptor?
Raptor is able to scan all U.S. government-issued licenses, identification cards, Matrícula consular ID cards, permanent resident cards, active military cards, and passport ID cards (not the full passport).
What other information is the school taking from driver’s licenses?
Raptor is only scanning the visitor’s name, date of birth, photo, and the last four digits from their ID card for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. Additional personal data will not be gathered, and no data will be shared with any outside company or organization.
What does a visitor do if he/she does not have a government-issued ID?
Visitors without a government-issued ID will be required to meet with the site administrator or office staff. These individuals will be asked to provide their last name, first name, and date of birth for manual entry into Raptor.
Is an ID card scan necessary each time a person comes to the school campus?
No. After the first scanning at each campus, the office staff would simply find the visitor’s name in the system (first or last name look-up) and use the record of the previously scanned ID to sign the visitor in and print a visitor’s badge. This makes check-in much easier after the initial visit. The office staff is able to view the ID card picture in Raptor to make a visual verification of the person signing in.
Will volunteers, district, and county employees have to be scanned into the Raptor System? Yes, volunteers must follow the same procedures as any visitor to a school site. Identity must be verified with an acceptable form of identification. Orange USD and County employees are not required to be scanned into the Raptor System. They will show their District or County ID to office staff before entering the school campus. In accordance with California Penal Code 627, school officials are required to know who is on their school campus and why they are there.
What is the checkout process for visitors leaving the school campus?
The checkout process does not involve scanning the card again. The office staff will simply find the name of the person signing out and click the 'sign-out’ button. This provides a record of entry and departure and time on any campus. The visitor badge should be returned to the office staff for proper disposal.
What if the system flags an individual? What is the protocol?
The staff member scanning the ID will contact the school administrator immediately to confirm that the information is correct. No identified visitor with a positive sex offender “flag”' will be permitted onto the campus. However, California law provides the site administrator with the ability to grant limited, escorted access to a campus where the identified visitor’s child attends under specific circumstances and conditions. The school administrator will also contact the Office of Student & Community Services for support.
Will I be required to complete this process if I am simply dropping off an item in the office for my child?
No, this process is only for persons wishing to enter the campus.
Where can I obtain a Government-issued form of identification?
For a California Driver's License or ID, visit a local DMV office or go to www.dmv.org. For a Military ID card please go to: www.cac.mil/uniformedservices-id-card/ For a Permanent Resident Card please go to: www.uscis.gov/i-90 All parents have a right to participate in their child’s education.
Attendance Matters!
Excessive absences and/or tardies put students at a disadvantage and interrupt learning. If your child has 5 or more absences already, you will receive a letter from the principal during October.
Please be sure to call in when your child is absent to verify and let us know the reason:
714-997-6183
Free Tutoring Support for 4th-12th graders: Paper Education
Many parents ask about tutoring. Paper is a way for every student to access one on one tutoring!
Paper is a secure, online tutoring service that provides students with unlimited, 24/7 academic support. Whether they’re stuck on homework, studying for a test, or need someone to read and make suggestions to their essays, there will always be experts available online to assist students in over 200 subjects and more than 4 languages.
Paper tutors have been specially trained to conduct expert, academic support in a secure, chat-based platform. With a commitment to helping students learn, they’ll never give students answers, but rather interact with them in an encouraging tone to lead them forward.
This is a free service that we’re providing, so students are encouraged to use it as much as they need, whenever they need. Our teachers also have accounts and will be able to review all student activity to see what they’re working on and provide more targeted instruction as needed.
If you’d like to learn more about Paper you can sign up for a Paper hosted Parent Info Session, available in both English and Spanish. Or if you’d like to speak to a member of the Paper team directly, you can reach them at parents@paper.co.
To see Paper and the help it offers firsthand, we encourage you to login with your students. To get started, simply visit Paper’s student login page, type your school’s name, and log in via Clever using your school credentials
We’re thrilled to offer our students the unlimited, 24/7 support that Paper provides and we can’t wait to see what we’re able to accomplish together.
October Events
- October 3-7-Parent Conference Week, minimum days
- October 4-PTA Board Meeting, 8:30 A.M. in conference room
- October 6-ELAC PSP Parent Workshop, Gang Prevention 8:30 A.M, Room 63
- October 6-Future Panther Orange High Football Game, 7:00 P.M. at Fred Kelly Stadium
- October 7-School-wide Talking Circles about Respect
- October 11-Afterschool Math Intervention begins
- October 12-Walk to School Day, meet at Stater Brothers and Fire Station at 7:35 A.M.
- October 13-GRIP Greeter Sign Up-8:30 A.M. at lunch tables
- October 17-Green Team begins (afterschool)
- October 19-Unity Day, Anti-Bully Presentations, WEAR ORANGE
- October 19-GRIP Mentor/Mentee event, 12:45-1:45, make Veteran's Day Cards
- October 21-Wear Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness
- October 22-Saturday Enrichment Gaming Academy, 8:00-12:30 @ Orange High
- October 24-28-Red Ribbon Week
- October 26-Trunk or Treat, 5:30-6:30 School Parking Lot
- October 27-School Site Council at 2:45 (virtual)
- October 31-8:30 A.M. Fall Costume Parade
Handy Elementary School
Website: https://www.orangeusd.org/handy-elementary-school
Location: 860 N. Handy St. Orange, California 92867
Phone: (714) 997-6183
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Handyelementary/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Twitter: @handyelementary