Message from the Superintendent

In this Message

• Campus Safety Update
• Orange High School Building Farewell Tour
  
• California iInspire Academy Celebrates Continuing Apple Distinguished School Status
• VAPA Students Perform at Community Fundraiser
• Free Online Tutoring
• Addressing the Opioid Crisis & Fentanyl Poisonings in Orange County
• Dual Immersion Pathway Survey
• Universal Prekindergarten Meeting
• Orange Elks Lodge #1475 Annual Christmas Basket Program
• Nominate an OC Parenting 2023 Top Teacher
• Employment Opportunities
• 2022-23 Health and Safety Plan

Upcoming Events

• December 9: Chapman Hills Elementary STEM Lab Celebration
• December 14: Board of Education Meeting
• December 15: High School Minimum Day; Orange High School 200 Building Farewell Tour
• December 19 – January 6: Winter Break

Dear OUSD Community,

It’s hard to believe that we are halfway through this school year and almost into 2023.

As next week’s Board of Education meeting approaches, I would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest Trustee, Madison Miner (area 4), and congratulate Kris Erickson (area 5), Rick Ledesma (area 7), and Andrea Yamasaki (area 1) on their re-elections. On behalf of the Orange Unified School District and Trustees, I would also like to thank Kathy Moffat for her 22 years of dedicated service on our school board and countless years as a volunteer on our campuses.

The December meeting will take place on Wednesday, December 14. During this annual organizational meeting, the Board of Education will elect its officers, set the calendar of regular meetings for the calendar year 2023, and designate its Board representatives.

Our community members are invited to take an active role in the educational matters at Orange Unified. OUSD School Board Meetings are open to the public and live-streamed for those who are unable to attend in person. Links to the agendas and more are on the OUSD website at https://www.orangeusd.org/departments/board-of-education/agendas

Warmest Regards,

Gunn Marie Hansen

Superintendent of Schools
Orange Unified School District

Around 1 p.m. on December 8, Orange High School went into a lockdown and OUSD campuses near OHS went into a "shelter-in-place" for approximately an hour following an altercation between two students at Orange High School that resulted in a non-life-threatening injury. The victim was transported to a local hospital in stable condition.

OUSD campuses have been cleared as safe by OPD.

Orange Unified is working closely with the Orange Police Department. As of the morning of December 9, the armed student was arrested and booked at Orange County Juvenile Hall, authorities said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call OPD at 714-744-7444 and reference Orange High School.

Phase 2 of Measure S is underway, with the demolition of the 500 building at Villa Park High School beginning in December and the demolition of Orange High School’s old administration building taking place in January. Phase 2 project bids for El Modena and Canyon High Schools are expected to be placed on the agenda for Board review in January and April, respectively.

For more information about our Measure S projects, please visit https://www.orangeusd.org/measure-s

Please join us on Thursday, December 15, from 3 - 5 p.m. as we bid farewell to Orange High School's old administration/200 building! This free community event/open house is an opportunity for you to share your memories and enjoy a nostalgic walk through the old halls of Orange High School before we demolish the building to make way for new campus construction.

California iInspire Academy commemorated its third consecutive recognition as an Apple Distinguished School today with a schoolwide ribbon-cutting celebration. Those in attendance included representatives from local and state government, District leadership, and California iInspire Academy students, staff, and community members.

California iInspire Academy is one of only 689 schools in 36 countries to be identified with the prestigious “Apple Distinguished” honor. The school was first awarded Apple Distinguished status for the 2017-2019 term and then again for 2019-2022.

Apple Distinguished Schools are centers of innovation, leadership, and educational excellence that use Apple products to inspire creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. They showcase innovative uses of technology in learning, teaching, and the school environment and have documented results of academic accomplishment.

More: https://www.orangeusd.org/about-us/news/release-article/~board/2022/post/california-iinspire-academy-celebrates-renewal-of-apple-distinguished-school-status

Top vocalists from six OUSD elementary campuses performed "This is Me" at the GOCAT (Greater Orange Community Arts Theatre) Gala. This was a fundraiser event for the building of a state-of-the-art performing arts venue for use by the Orange community.

The students performed under the direction of music teacher Emily Burkhart, who said, “I'm so proud of them and the important message they shared to be true to who you are and to be proud of it!”

The California State Library provides free online tutoring for California K-12 students. Through HelpNow, live real-time homework assistance is available 24 hours a day by laptop, tablet, or phone from qualified tutors using state curriculum and standards. Tutors do not provide answers — they provide guidance and help. All tutors have passed background checks and possess, at a minimum, a bachelor’s degree.

To learn more, please visit

https://www.library.ca.gov/services/to-libraries/online-tutoring/

On December 15 at 5:30 p.m., Vice-Chairman Donald P. Wagner and the Orange County Health Care Agency Mental Health and Recovery Services are hosting a forum to raise awareness about the increase of opioid misuse and rise of opioid poisoning and overdose deaths.

This community forum is being held to share information about the dangers of drug use. Those interested can register at

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=VppE5D3NukCuMiWmPeqrO6CvW7PZo8RHrAURdlo0zs9UOUpXNVA4R1VMMUxDTzFUQVZCSk1QOFhGWS4u

In addition, the Orange County Department of Education has developed a resource to share with families called Five Things Families Need to Know About Fentanyl and Fake Pills. This resource is available in multiple languages and formatted as a printable one-page PDF and multi-image social media post. It is available at link.ocde.us/fentanyl as part of a Fentanyl Toolkit that will continue to grow as additional resources are developed and translated.

On January 11 at 5:00 p.m., we will be hosting a Universal Pre-K meeting at the District Office (1401 N. Handy, Orange).

If you have a child born on or before April 2, 2019, then this meeting is for you! Please CLICK HERE for more information.

We are currently considering the addition of a fourth dual immersion pathway for our students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. We have developed a Dual Immersion Task Force, which has developed a short survey to help guide the decision-making process. Please complete the survey at https://forms.gle/ft1Gh8QQFp8K4Jzj8 to help inform the development of our new pathway.

For more information on the Orange Unified School District’s Dual Immersion Programs, please visit: https://www.orangeusd.org/enrollment/new-enrollment/immersion-programs

Orange Elks Lodge #1475 invites our community to their Christmas Basket Drive Thru Distribution. Items will be available on a first-come, first-served basis on Saturday, December 10, at 9 a.m. Cars will enter City Hall parking lot at 300 E. Chapman Ave. from E. Almond St. The line will go East on Almond St., North on Shaffer St., West on Chapman Ave and then South on Grand St. ending before the red zone which is located across from the Fire Station.

Do you have a teacher at your school who does more than educate students? Who gets students excited about learning, teaches life lessons, is valued by parents, peers, administration, and students, and whose classes consistently rank among the top in test scores? Nominate him or her to be honored by Parenting OC in our upcoming March 2023 Top Teachers issue!

More: https://parentingoc.com/2022/09/top-teacher-employee-awards-2023-nominations

Are you interested in a profession that makes a positive impact on our 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.

Please be sure to check out our 2022-23 Safety and Health-Driven Plan, which outlines what we have implemented to keep our students and staff healthy in the new school year.

Our community showcases will take place at our four comprehensive high schools and feature the elementary and middle schools within each Slice Family. Community members are also welcome to tour the new Science Center at each site.

The dates and times are as follows:

• Villa Park High School—Feb. 1 from 5:00-7:30 p.m. with elementary and middle from 5:00-6:00 p.m.
• El Modena High School—Feb. 8 from 5:00-7:30 p.m. with elementary and middle from 5:00-6:00 p.m.
• Orange High School—Feb. 15 from 5:00-7:30 p.m. with elementary and middle from 5:00-6:00 p.m.
• Canyon High School—Feb. 22 from 5:00-7:30 p.m. with elementary and middle from 5:00-6:00 p.m.

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