Message from the Superintendent

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In this Message:

• Board of Education Update
• New CDPH Guidance for Sports
• Measure S Update
• Thank you, Assistance League of Orange!

Upcoming Events

• December 18: Minimum Day (High Schools)
• December 21 - January 8: Winter Break
• January 12: Facilities Master Plan Virtual Town Hall, Canyon HS Feeder Schools
• January 13: Facilities Master Plan Virtual Town Hall, El Modena HS Feeder Schools
• January 14: Facilities Master Plan Virtual Town Hall, Orange HS Feeder Schools
• January 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• January 20: Facilities Master Plan Virtual Town Hall, Villa Park HS Feeder Schools

Dear OUSD Community,

At this week’s annual organizational meeting held by the Board of Trustees, three board members took the oath of office. John Ortega (Area 2) was re-elected to serve for the 2020-2024 term. The Board also welcomed new Trustees Ana Page (Area 3) and Angie Rumsey (Area 6). All three Trustees were sworn in by Superintendent Gunn Marie Hansen, Ph.D. Trustee Page additionally took her oath in Spanish, facilitated by Business Services Executive Director Jenny Delgado. Trustee Areas 1, 4, 5, and 7 will be up for election in 2022.

The Board of Education also adopted the Calendar of Regular Meetings to be held on Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. (virtually until further notice). The first meeting of 2021 will take place on January 21.

Board meeting agendas, minutes, and meeting dates are on the OUSD website at https://www.orangeusd.org/departments/board-of-education/agendas

Congratulations to Trustees Ortega, Page, and Rumsey on their election to the Board of Education! I look forward to working with you, in partnership with our community, to provide a safe, equitable, and innovative culture of learning for each scholar to have a competitive EDGE as a leader.

This past Monday, the California Department of Public Health released new guidance for youth sports that will allow team competitions to start on January 25, at the earliest, assuming that regional stay-at-home orders are lifted. The return-to-competition date will be reassessed by January 4, based on California disease transmission trends and is subject to change at any time given the level of COVID-19 transmission in California.

The new CDPH guidance classifies sports by their level of risk for transmission of COVID-19: low, moderate or high. This classification applies to training or practicing with others, not individual conditioning and exercise. There are also new directives and recommendations related to face coverings, physical distancing, hygiene, equipment sanitation and indoor venues. The release of the new guidance ended a more than four-month wait for coaches and school administrators following the CDPH’s last update on August 3. The guidance in its entirety is available online at https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/outdoor-indoor-recreational-sports.aspx

District staff is actively working on plans to safely allow for competitive athletics to resume as soon as public health guidance permits. We thank you for your patience as we, too, eagerly await the return of inter-team competitions, meets, races, and similar events.

In alignment with our Orange Unified EDGE focus areas, we are pleased to have opened the Orange High School STEM Complex for teaching and learning. This beautiful 43,200 square foot facility enhances Focus Area 1.0: Excellence in Academics and Leadership, as well as Focus Area 2.0: Genuine Wellness and Safety, on the Orange High School campus. It was also constructed mindful of Focus Area 4.0: Efficient Use of Fiscal Capital and was built on time and under budget.

Measure S Phase I construction is also ongoing at El Modena, Villa Park, and Canyon High School.

We are so excited to now offer our 4th-6th grade students access to Paper Education, so all students in grades 4-12 can access. Paper Tutoring allows students to receive live tutoring in any subject, 24/7. Paper can also provide essay writing support by reviewing essays in under 24 hours and providing feedback on how to improve your grammar, content, and structure, and it is available for any subject. Students can sign in through the MyOUSD Dashboard.

We were pleased to present a proclamation to the Assistance League of Orange to recognize their 80th anniversary and thank them for the many programs that have served Orange Unified students over the years.

As Winter Break approaches, I would like to take the opportunity to extend warm wishes to you and your family for a relaxing break and a happy new year!

Sincerely,

Gunn Marie Hansen, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Orange Unified School District

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

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