Message from the Superintendent

Upcoming Events

• December 18 - January 5: Winter Break
  
• January 8: School Resumes
• January 10: Legislative Coalition Meeting; Early Learning Parent Informational Meeting
• January 15: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - All Sites Closed; OPEN ENROLLMENT BEGINS
• January 17: NEW STUDENT ENROLLMENT BEGINS
• January 24: Orange High School Showcase & Community Open House
• January 31: Villa Park High School Showcase & Community Open House

In this Message

• Message from Superintendent Gonzalez

• High School Showcases & Community Open Houses

• Attendance Award Winners
• West Orange Receives Prestigious Golden Bell Award
• Warm Hands, Warm Hearts
• Early Learning Program for Families of Children Aged 0-5
• Fletcher Reindeer Fun Run
• Crescent Elementary School Hosts the Annual VEX Robotics Competition
• Measure S Taxpayer Savings
• Nominate Your Favorite School Employee!
• Fred Kelly Stadium, Fall Season of Sports Summary
• CIF Polls, Winter Season of Sport, Polls 12/11/23
• OUSD App
• Employment Opportunities

Dear OUSD Community,

As we approach the winter break, I want to take a moment to extend my warmest wishes to each and every one of you. This season brings a time for reflection, celebration, and cherished moments with loved ones.

Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or simply enjoy the winter season, I hope this break fills your hearts with joy, peace, and happiness.

As a friendly reminder, classes resume on January 8, and the District Office will be closed from December 22 through January 1.

I wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2024!

Sincerely,

Ernie Gonzalez
Superintendent of Schools
Orange Unified School District

Orange Unified School District invites all families and community members to our High School Showcases and Community Open House events. These events are great opportunities to see everything our schools offer our TK-12th grade students and allow our greater community to tour our new state-of-the-art STEM buildings.

Our first event is at Orange High School on January 24. Elementary and middle school performances will begin at 5:00 p.m., with the high school showcase event to follow at 6:00 p.m. We hope to see you at this great community event!

Our district-wide attendance continues to be strong! Our ART tool shows we are up 1.62% over last year. As we move into the holiday season, we traditionally see attendance rates drop. Please continue to encourage your students to attend daily.

Congratulations to the winners for October:

Highest Attendance

California

Palmyra

Jordan

McPherson (secondary)

Most Improved

Orange High School

Prospect

McPherson (secondary)

Parkside (Community Day School)

This achievement reflects our families’ and students’ acknowledgment of the importance of regular student attendance. Winners were recognized with a trophy and a special lunch from Nutrition Services.

West Orange Elementary's Mathematics Academy was honored with California's prestigious Golden Bell Award for Curriculum and Instruction through the California Standards Implementation. This recognition reflects the school's commitment to innovative and effective programs, fostering excellence in academics and leadership. The focus on math enhanced skills and instilled problem-solving mindsets in students, resulting in an 8% increase in students meeting and exceeding math standards from the previous year. Superintendent Ernie Gonzalez praised the academy's efforts, highlighting it as a testament to Orange Unified's commitment to high-quality education. The judging process involves experts assessing various criteria and recognized programs addressing student needs through equity, safety, technology, and wellness.

Read more: https://www.orangeusd.org/about-us/news/release-article/~board/2023-ousd-news/post/west-orange-mathematics-academy-recognized-with-distinguished-california-education-honor

With the holiday season approaching, the Office of Student & Community Services (SCS) seeks aid for students facing unique challenges. Last year, community generosity aided 315 students in need, and this year, challenges persist for our McKinney-Vento (homeless) and Foster Youth students and other families in need. To address their needs, the SCS collaborated with local partners on The Warm Hands, Warm Hearts Program, aiming to provide new jackets and shoes for these students.

Thanks to generous contributions, including $5,000 from the Cordoba Corporation, $4,000 from Stadium Nissan of Orange, name-brand beauty products from Project Glimmer, and district-wide personnel contributions, we're thrilled to announce support for about 515 students. This assistance, from essentials like jackets and shoes, keeps them warm and brings joy to their lives.

Orange Unified School District expresses heartfelt gratitude for the steadfast support benefiting our students this holiday season. We deeply appreciate our supporters' significant and positive impact on those who need it most.

Save the date! Informational meetings about our Early Learning Programs will be held on January 10 from 5:00-6:00 pm and 6:30-7:30 pm in the OUSD Boardrooms.

If you have a child under the age of 5, please come and check out the opportunities that are available for your child.

For more information, visit www.orangeusd.org/earlylearning

Fletcher’s PTSA held its biggest fundraiser of the year - the annual Reindeer Fun Run – with the goal of raising $30,000. However, the students exceeded their goal, and Mrs. Cardenas is going to kiss a surprise farm animal as she said she would if the students successfully met their goal. Thank you to all the Falcon families and friends for their generosity and support of Fletcher Academy!

Last weekend, Crescent Elementary School hosted the 3rd Annual "Orange County Classic" VEX Robotics Competition, where over 32 teams from Southern California showcased their robot designs. The students diligently created, programmed, and drove their robots for months, aiming to excel in challenges like the Skills and Teamwork Challenges. The top-scoring teams move on to regional, state, and potentially international competitions.

Crescent's program, led by Rich Ireland, focuses on STEM education and emphasizes teamwork, diversity, and skill-building. With a diverse student body, including a notable representation of girls, the program nurtures skills beyond STEM, fostering creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration. It's an intensive commitment for both students and parents, but the rewards are vast, offering invaluable experiences and preparing students for future careers in STEM-related fields. The program's impact extends beyond technical skills, empowering young minds and instilling crucial life skills applicable in various professional settings.

Read more at:

https://www.orangeusd.org/about-us/news/release-article/~board/2023-ousd-news/post/crescent-elementary-school-to-hosts-the-annual-vex-robotics-competition-for-robotics-teams-from-southern-california

Measure S, a $288 million General Obligation bond to fund facility modernization and construction projects at Orange Unified’s four comprehensive high schools, was approved by voters residing within Orange Unified School District boundaries in November 2016. With the bond’s passage, voters agreed to a $29 tax per $100,000 of assessed property value.

Due to prudent financial planning and increased overall property values, residents in OUSD’s boundaries were taxed only $25.33 per $100,000 of the assessed property value on their 2023-2024 property taxes. According to District records, this equals $25,816,319 million in total taxpayer savings since 2017-18.

Read more at https://www.orangeusd.org/about-us/news/release-article/~board/2023-ousd-news/post/measure-s-taxpayer-savings

To submit your nomination, visit https://parentingoc.com/education/top-teacher-employee-awards/#//

The Pride of Orange Unified, Fred Kelly Stadium, hosted our inaugural CIF Girls’ Flag Football Games this season, including Canyon HS hosting Esperanza HS on Tuesday, August 22. All four high schools had extremely competitive CIF Girls’ Flag Football teams, and all four schools played at Fred Kelly this first season. We look forward to an expanded format next season and the advent of CIF Playoffs for Girls’ Flag Football!

Fred Kelly Stadium also hosted 20 varsity football games this season: 18 regular season football games and two CIF Playoff Football Games. At our peak, we hired nearly 40 dedicated Stadium Staff to work our games for 13 straight weeks.

Each game supported fabulous high school football and an exciting high school student experience. Our competitive marching band, cheer, dance, choir, and marvelous Student Sections are top-echelon achievers! All four high schools’ Student Sections were listed in the top rankings of the Student Sections in Orange County!

Read more at https://www.orangeusd.org/about-us/news/release-article/~board/2023-ousd-news/post/fred-kelly-stadium-fall-season-of-sports-summary

Canyon High School:

Girls’ Basketball, #3, Division 4AA

Girls’ Water Polo, #6, Division 2

El Modena High School:

Girls’ Water Polo, #10, Division 6

Orange High School:

Girls’ Basketball, #11, Division 4A

Villa Park High School:

Girls’ Basketball, #7, Division 3A

Girls’ Soccer, #8, Division 1

Girls’ Water Polo, #12, Division 3

**Conference contests begin this week for most winter sports, with the final contests Jan. 27-Feb. 3. CIF-SS Playoffs commence the first full week of February 2024, with most championship rounds occurring the last weekend in February 2024.

New for this school year is the OUSD App, which is available for download in the Apple App and Google Play stores. Free for our families, the app allows users to see District-level news and events as well as customize their experience by selecting their school(s) of choice to follow to receive news and calendar information directly to their phones. If you haven’t checked it out yet, please do.

• iOS (Apple): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/orange-unified-school-dist/id6446125598
• Android (Google): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.finalsite.orangeusdorg

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

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orangeusd
Twitter: @orangeunifiedCA

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OUSD

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