page background

Message from the Superintendent

February 26, 2021

Message from theSuperintendentFebruary 26, 2021

In this Message:

  • Peek Inside Our Schools
  • Job Opportunities
  • Drive-thru Food Distribution Event
  • Safe Schools for All Plan’s interactive Safe Schools Reopening Map


Upcoming Events


Dear OUSD Community,


After a long wait, we are happy to share that youth and adult sports competitions — including football, baseball, rugby, water polo, softball, and cheerleading — can resume outdoors if certain health and safety protocols are met.


The updated California Department of Public Health (CDPH) guidance allows outdoor, high-contact sports to commence in counties in the purple and red tiers of the state’s COVID-19 monitoring system as long as they meet the case rate requirements and with modifications and testing required for certain high contact sports. Test results must be available within 24 hours of competitions.


We look forward to welcoming our approved athletics programs onto the Fred Kelly field for their first competitions of the season. On March 11, Canyon will play El Modena at 7 PM, and Villa Park will play Orange on March 12. While we work with CDPH and our site administrators to address how to safely welcome spectators, planning is underway to live-stream the games for public viewing. Additional information will be provided as we receive more details.

zoom_out_map

Thank you for your patience and support as we continue to gear up for this monumental effort.


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

OUSD’s COVID-19 Dashboard
As of January 2021, any student-athlete who is positive for COVID-19 and is on campus during their infectious period is included on the OUSD Dashboard, even if they are in 100% distance learning.

Peek Inside Our Schools

At Anaheim Hills Elementary School, Mrs. Morgan’s sixth-grade students - both in-person and distance learners - participated in a science experiment using the District-adopted science curriculum: Amplify. Students learned that a location’s air temperature is determined by the amount of energy in the air in a previous lesson. In this experiment, students answered the question, “How does air get energy?” All students participated in a demonstration with a heat lamp acting as the sun and rocks acting like the Earth’s surface. They measured the before and after temperatures of the rocks under the heat lamp and the air with no surface below. Students worked to support the claim that that energy from the sun is not transferred to the air directly. Instead, it is transferred to Earth’s surface and then into the air. Temperature evidence showed that after 20 minutes of the heat lamp being on, the air temperature directly above the rocks was 33 degrees warmer than the air with no surface below, which was only a few degrees warmer. Students thoroughly enjoyed participating in this experiment experience organized by Mrs. Morgan.

At Cerro Villa, fifty-five students were celebrated as Student of the Month for January at a special drive-thru celebration on Wednesday. Students earned recognition for their academic performance and demonstration of one of the Cerro Villa Middle School positive attributes: Responsibility, Community Advocate, Effective Communication, Active Collaboration, Digital Citizenship, and Critical Thinking. Students received a special certificate with a personalized note from the teacher presenting the award. In addition, students received a special note of congratulations from a leadership student, food treat from PFSO, Chick-fil-A sandwich, and CV pencil. Congratulations Vikings! We are proud of you!

zoom_out_map

Job Opportunities

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.

Drive-thru food distribution event

Saturday, February 27, beginning at noon, free groceries will be distributed at St. John’s Church, at the corner of Shaffer Street and Chapman Avenue in Orange. This event occurs the fourth Saturday of each month. Please wear a mask.

Safe Schools for All Plan’s interactive Reopening Map

The state recently launched an interactive Safe Schools for All Plan’s interactive Safe Schools Reopening Map, an online tool providing a statewide snapshot of the status of school reopenings across California. This map will display data from all school types – including school districts and charter and private schools – indicating status on reopening, safety planning and COVID-19 supports.


The California Department of Public Health will be adding other key data to the map, including outbreaks reported in each school district and whether the school has partnered with the Valencia Branch Lab for COVID-19 testing. To provide up-to-date information, schools will input their data every two weeks. Additional data – including student enrollment data – will be collected and displayed publicly, subject to legislative approval.


For more information, please visit the Safe Schools for All Hub: https://schools.covid19.ca.gov/

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