Message from the Superintendent

In this Message

• Athletics Update
• Senior Banners
• College for Kids Summer Program
• Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program
• Transitional Kindergarten Enrollment
• Retiree Celebration
  
• In Our Schools
• Celebrating the Class of 2021
• Job Opportunities

Upcoming Events

• May 28: Elementary Minimum Day
• May 31: Memorial Day Holiday
• June 1: Open House – Chapman Hills
• June 2: Retiree Celebration
• June 3: Board of Education Meeting
• June 9: Middle & High School Minimum Day
• June 9 & 10: High School Graduation Ceremonies
• June 10: Last Day of Instruction/Minimum Day

Dear OUSD Community,

With less than two weeks of the school year remaining, we are as busy as ever wrapping up this school year as we prepare for 2021-2022. With decreased restrictions in place throughout California, we are pleased to share that indoor athletics will now allow a total of four spectators per student-athlete. This is in alignment with the four attendees per graduate being allowed to attend our in-person graduation ceremonies at Fred Kelly Stadium.

In the coming days, you will start to see banners featuring our graduates popping up on light poles in Orange and Anaheim Hills. We are excited to roll out this opportunity for students for the first time in OUSD history. Additionally, keepsake banners for each senior who participated will be displayed on the fence line at Fred Kelly Stadium during graduation. Students will be allowed to pick these banners up from their school of attendance the week after graduation.

It has been a challenging year, and I am so proud of the efforts of our teachers, staff, administrators, and families to provide ongoing educational and socio-emotional support to our students during this time. To help students mitigate learning loss over Summer Break, we have partnered with Santiago Canyon College to make their "College for Kids Summer Program" available for all Orange Unified students AT NO COST TO FAMILIES. This incredible opportunity will accelerate progress to close learning gaps and provide students in grades K-12 with access to rigorous, fun, interactive, and engaging enrichment opportunities in four different formats to meet our students' learning needs. These formats are remote live (live online), online (100% online with no set class time), in-person (with social distance and mask protocols), and remote blended (both online and in-person). More information about College for Kids is online at https://www.orangeusd.org/our-schools/summerschool

If you are in need of a reliable home internet connection to participate in programs such as College for Kids, but can't afford it, the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program may be able to help! EBB is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program that provides a temporary discount on monthly broadband bills for qualifying low-income households. To receive the connected device discount, consumers need to enroll in the EBB Program with a participating provider that offers connected devices (not all service providers offer device discounts). The service provider will provide the discount to the consumer. More information about this program is available at getemergencybroadband.org/do-i-qualify/

We are also currently accepting new student enrollments for fall. We are pleased to offer Transitional Kindergarten (TK) to children turning five years old between July 1 and December 3. This program offers a bridge between preschool and kindergarten that will give children whose birthdays fall late in the year an opportunity to learn important academic and social skills in a hands-on way that supports their development. Children turning five years old between December 3 and April 1 will be eligible for Expanded TK, as space permits, and will be placed on a waitlist. The California Standards for kindergarten have changed over the years, and many of the skills children were once taught in first grade are now expected in kindergarten. TK is an option that allows families to give their children the gift of time to develop at their own pace. More information about this opportunity for young learners is on our website at https://www.orangeusd.org/enrollment/transitional-kindergarten

Finally, we look forward to wishing our retirees well at the Retiree Celebration on June 2. The event at Fred Kelly will be live-streamed on the OUSD YouTube channel for public viewing. While we will miss our retiring friends and colleagues, we wish them all the best as they transition to a new chapter in their lives.

I wish you and yours a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend as we take time to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our United States of America.

Warmest Regards,

Gunn Marie Hansen, Ph.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Orange Unified School District

Six teams from Mrs. Truong and Ms. Alvanos' C-STEM Robotics classes at McPherson Magnet School created and submitted designs to be judged at the yearly ocMaker Challenge, and seven students earned recognition and monetary awards.

Kayla Hernandez, Anissa Villa, Kylie Tafua, and Madelyn Armendariz designed the Basketball Alarm Clock, which resembles a backboard with a basketball hoop and only turns off when the basketball goes through the hoop. The Basketball Alarm Clock earned 2nd place in Division B, Level 2 Category.

Teodoro Villareal, Alex Garcia-Budino, and Samuel Jackett designed the TAS Mask, a face mask that allows people to eat or drink easily through a flap. The TAS Mask earned 3rd place in Division B, Level 2 Category.

We are so proud of our hardworking Meteors! Check out all the ocMaker Award Challenger Winners at tinyurl.com/ocmakerchallenge

Canyon High School has been fortunate over the years to have many students take home distinguished awards in nearly every category at the Orange County Film Festival, including Best Short Film, Best Director, Best Cinematographer, Best Producer, Best Music Video, Best Independent Film, Best PSA, Teacher Mentor of the Year, and the most coveted award, Filmmaker of the Year.

As a class, Mr. Graham's students received over 15 nominations and ultimately brought home awards for Best Independent Film, Best Sound Design, and Filmmaker of the Year.

The 2021 Orange County Film Festival Award Winners and Nominees are:

2021 WINNERS

• Winner - Filmmaker of the Year - Ryan Robinson
• Winner - Best Sound Design - Ryan Robinson (3 nominations)
• Winner - Best Independent Film - Joey Sparacino for "Lily the Great"

NOMINATIONS

• Best Short Film: Ryan Robinson & Zach Shenouda for "Hot Seat"
• Best Director: Joey Sparacino for "Lily the Great"
• Best Production Design: Joey Sparacino for "Lily the Great"
• Best Producer: Joey Sparacino for "Lily the Great"
• Best Story: Ryan Robinson & Zach Shenouda for "Hot Seat"
• Best Actor: Brian (Lucas) Lipscomb for "Hot Seat" (directed by Ryan Robinson/Zach Shenouda)
• Best Actor: Elaina Solomon for "Lily the Great" (directed by Joey Sparacino)
• Best Music Video: Sophia Berry for "Remember"
• Best Music Video: Joey Sparacino for "Please Notice"
• Best Sound Design: Ryan Robinson (with 3 separate nominations)
• Best Commercial: Ryan Robinson & Zach Shenouda for "UNO Club"
• Best Independent Film: Ryan Robinson & Zach Shenouda for "UNO Club"

Since 2003, the Orange County Film Festival has annually showcased the work of up-and-coming filmmakers.

In addition to the awards at the Orange County Film Festival, Canyon High School students won statewide awards in the Directing Change Film Festival and the Elks Lodge competition, in addition to having two students nominated for Filmmaker of the Year by the Orange County Register.

Seniors, send us a picture of your decorated graduation cap to showcase on our social media and website! The deadline to submit photos is Monday, June 7. Please email your photos to Classof2021@orangeusd.org.

Orange Unified School District is gearing up for its Spring recruiting and hiring initiative. Are you interested in a profession that makes a positive impact in 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.

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

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