Message from Orange Unified

In this Message

• Message from Acting Superintendent Gonzalez

• RoboPlay C-STEM competition
• National Football Foundation-OC Chapter Top Football Scholars
• Panorama Elementary School Recognized with the FNL Chapter Excellence Award
• Employees of the Month: June 2023
• VEX Robotics World Championships
• Classified Employee Week 2023
• National Spelling Bee
• Orange High School Spring Concert
• Congratulations to our Retirees!
• #OUSDAttend&Achieve
• OUPSF Awards Grants to Teachers and Staff
• Verizon Innovative Learning Schools Model of Sustainability Award
• Outstanding Leadership in STEM Education
• Graduation Live Streams
• Senior Graduation Store
• 3rd of July
• CIF-SS Champions
• McPherson Seventh-Grade History Students Create African Masks
• Instructional Materials Review
• Employment Opportunities
• Now Enrolling For 2023-2024
• OUSD's YouTube Channel

Upcoming Events

• June 7: Parkside Education Center Graduation; Richland H.S. Graduation; El Rancho Charter School Promotion; Orange H.S. Graduation

• June 8: Last Day of Instruction- Minimum Day; Portola Middle School Promotion; McPherson Magnet School Promotion; Cerro Villa Middle School Promotion; Yorba Middle School Promotion; El Modena H.S. Graduation; Canyon H.S. Graduation; Villa Park H.S. Graduation
• June 9: Santiago Charter Middle School Promotion
• June 20: Special Board of Education Meeting

Dear OUSD Community,

To our remarkable students, you have shown tremendous dedication and resilience in your pursuit of knowledge. Your commitment to learning has been inspiring, and we urge you to carry that same passion into your future endeavors. We encourage you to take a moment to reflect on your accomplishments and cherish the memories you have made. Take advantage of the time off to engage in activities that ignite your curiosity, expand your horizons, and discover new passions. Remember, learning extends beyond the classroom, and every experience is an opportunity for growth.

To our dedicated parents and guardians, thank you for your collaboration and unwavering commitment to your children's education throughout the school year. Your involvement and partnership have played a crucial role in fostering a thriving educational community. As you enjoy this summer break with your children, we invite you to create lasting memories, explore new adventures, and embrace the precious moments of togetherness. Cherish the laughter, the conversations, and the simple joys that make up the fabric of a truly enriching family experience.

To our remarkable staff, you have been our stabilizing force and the champions of our students' dreams. Your dedication, passion, and expertise have transformed lives and created a nurturing environment for growth. As you step into this well-earned break, we encourage you to take time for self-care and rejuvenation. Reflect on the impact you have made and find inspiring solace in knowing that your efforts shape the future of countless young minds.

To our Class of 2023, congratulations on reaching this remarkable milestone in your academic journey! As you step across the stage, adorned in your caps and gowns, know that you carry with you the immeasurable pride and admiration of everyone who has supported you along the way. These years of hard work, late nights, and countless lessons have shaped you into the individuals you are today. The challenges you've faced, the triumphs you've celebrated, and the friendships you've forged have all contributed to your growth and development.

As you graduate and embark on the next chapter of your lives, remember to cherish the memories you've made and the friendships you've formed. Reflect on the lessons you've learned, not just from textbooks, but from the experiences that have challenged and enlightened you. Use the knowledge and skills you've acquired to navigate the path ahead, knowing that you are well-prepared for whatever the next exciting chapter of life brings your way.

Wishing you all a wonderful summer break!

Ernie Gonzalez
Acting Superintendent

Orange Unified held its first RoboPlay C-STEM competition at McPherson Magnet last week, with four schools competing: West Orange, Portola, McPherson Magnet, and Jordan Academy. It was a great competition for all!

The National Football Foundation-OC Chapter honored four top football scholars for 2023 from El Modena High School. Left to right: Mayson Hitchens (3.90 GPA), Elishah Jackett (3.51 GPA), Head Coach Matt Mitchell, Sam Astor (4.3 GPA), and Owen Smith (3.88 GPA). Congratulations, Vanguards!

Recognizing efforts to implement best practices in youth leadership while leading alcohol and drug prevention initiatives, the Orange County Friday Night Live (FNL) Partnership honored Panorama Elementary School’s Friday Night Live Kids program with the Chapter Excellence Award recipient at the annual OCFNLP Chapter Recognition Event on May 12 at Chapman University.

Under the guidance of advisor Kristin Cowan, more than 30 fourth- through sixth-grade students have become leaders on their campus. The FNL Kids chapter at Panorama Elementary School inspires peers with school-wide presentations and activities to pursue healthy lifestyles and to spread kindness.

The elementary school-aged children invite their parents and families to attend monthly meetings where they provide updates on the progress of their work and reinforce healthier choices and the importance of building a welcoming environment.

Established in 1992, OCFNLP is led by the Orange County Department of Education with funding from the OC Health Care Agency’s Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention Team (ADEPT). The partnership encourages young people to take the lead on alcohol and drug prevention campaigns at school and in their communities. In doing so, it promotes leadership, communication, team-building, and problem-solving.

Programs include Friday Night Live chapters at the high school level, Club Live groups at the middle school level, and Friday Night Live Kids in the upper elementary grades.

“This month we celebrate Bianca Cannavo, Speech & Language Therapist at Imperial Elementary School, and Richard Snooks, Sr. Maintenance Specialist/Repair & Construction in the Maintenance & Operations Department, who have been selected as “YOU’VE GOT THE EDGE” Employees of the Month for June.

Both Bianca and Richard go above and beyond to serve the staff and students of the Orange Unified School District in ways that reflect the core values of OUSD’s EDGE.

Imperial Elementary Principal, Kristi McDougall, had this to say about Bianca:

Bianca works with our Special Education team to ensure all students receive a high-quality education. She collaborates with the whole team to provide the best outcomes for student success. She is a strong advocate for students to ensure that they are receiving appropriate services and support. In addition, Bianca is well-spoken and works well with families. She is able to explain the process and structures in place for Special Education services in a way that is easily understood by everyone. She is always approachable and willing to help out when needed. Bianca is a superstar at Imperial!

Director of Maintenance & Operations, Tony Nequette, had this to say about Richard Snooks:

Richard goes above and beyond every day. He is the "man behind the scenes" that keeps the district going. From moving teachers to assembling furniture, Ricky does very important work that keeps OUSD moving every day. Most importantly, he moves about his day with a smile and makes every challenge into a positive. Across the District, he is a go-to person and someone that is respected for his dedication. He has the OUSD EDGE in every way.

We want to thank Bianca and Richard for representing OUSD’s EDGE values. They will be awarded a customized EDGE tumbler with their names engraved, gift cards from School’s First and the Orange Unified Public Schools Foundation, and a framed Employee of the Month Certificate.

Congratulations, Bianca & Richard! The Board of Education thanks you for your dedication and devotion to the Orange Unified School District.

The Canyon High School Robotics Team represented Canyon well at the VEX Robotics World Championships in Dallas. TX! "Serving up the competition,” the Canyon Cooks placed 26th in their Division of 80 teams. They were picked by the 11th-ranked team in their division to partner with and go into the playoffs and made it to the quarterfinals. With over 800 teams competing from around the world at this event, we are so proud of how well they did! We look forward to next season being even better!

El Rancho Charter Middle School student Aaron Lim advanced to the Scripps National Spelling Bee Quarterfinals in Washington, DC.

Two hundred thirty-one students from across the country were selected to compete in the Spelling Bee, and Aaron ultimately tied for 74th place in the nation. Great job, Aaron!

To learn more, please visit https://spellingbee.com/speller-summary/13

OUSD held its 2023 Retiree Celebration at the District Office. Congratulations to all our retirees, and thank you for your years of service and dedication to our students and community.

Orange Unified School District continues to strive for high overall student attendance rates, school connectedness, and student achievement. In our quest to improve attendance and student connectedness, and achievement, the Orange Unified School District Attendance Improvement Initiative will be known as #OUSDAttend&Achieve.

Perfect Attendance Tuesday Winners from May 16 are:

• Elementary School Enrollment <450; Palmyra Elementary, 96.73%—Principal Christina Bletterman
• Elementary School Enrollment >450; Crescent Elementary, 97.33%—Principal Antoinette Coe
• Middle School; Santiago Charter, 96.85%—Principals Dr. Jim D’Agostino and Ashley Pedroza
• High School; Villa Park High School, 95.30%—Principal Dennis McCuistion

Perfect Attendance Tuesday Winners from May 23 are:

• Elementary School Enrollment <450; Linda Vista Elementary, 96.42%—Principal Renee Ybarra
• Elementary School Enrollment >450; McPherson Elementary, 97.63%—Principal Brenna Godsey
• Middle School; El Rancho Charter, 96.39%—Principal Michele Walker
• High School; Villa Park High School, 94.19%—Principal Dennis McCuistion

Perfect Attendance Tuesday Winners from May 30 are:

• Elementary School Enrollment <450; Panorama Elementary, 97.15%—Principal Erin Rosselli
• Elementary School Enrollment >450; Crescent Elementary, 96.31%—Principal Antoinette Coe
• Middle School; McPherson Secondary, 97.24%—Principal Brenna Godsey
• High School; Canyon High School, 96.05%—Principal Brent McKee

We will continue our attendance initiative right at the commencement of the new school year with a focus on Attendance Awareness Month in September and a clear focus on attendance incentives, interventions, and celebrations for meeting school goals in 2023-24.

Exciting news! Orange Unified Public Schools Foundation (OUPSF) is thrilled to announce that they have awarded 57 teacher and staff grants across 27 schools in their inaugural year, totaling an impressive $44,050! These grants have been made possible thanks to the generous support of donors from our community, including Chapman University.

Together, we are dedicated to empowering educators and enhancing the learning experiences of our Orange Unified students.

For more information about the awarded grants, follow OUPSF on Instagram at @supportOUPSF. Stay connected and be inspired by these grants’ positive impact on our schools.

Verizon Innovative Learning Schools (VILS) has honored Orange Unified with the Model of Sustainability Award for the VILS implementation at Portola and Yorba Middle Schools. This award recognizes that OUSD has very collaborative, strong principals and district leaders with systems and structures in place that will sustain the program for years to come.

We are thrilled to announce that Jordan Academy Principal Jon Ruffridge was selected as one of this year’s OC STEM Initiative Outstanding Leadership in STEM Education awardees for his efforts to engage, motivate and inspire learners and his contributions to STEM education in our community.

Through the generous support of the Samueli Foundation, he was awarded a $500 personal cash award and a $1,500 cash award to support Jordan’s STEM programs.

Our thanks to Jon for his demonstrated leadership and continued commitment to facilitating transformative STEM learning experiences in OUSD.

We look forward to celebrating our Class of 2023 on June 7 and 8. Orange Unified School District will once again live-stream our graduation ceremonies for our families and community.

Dates, times, and links are as follows:

June 7, 4 p.m. - Parkside & Richland:
https://youtube.com/live/smsezbjD6r0?feature=share

June 7, 7 p.m. - Orange High:
https://youtube.com/live/KpvTzFfB1Bs?feature=share

June 8, 1 p.m. - El Modena:
https://youtube.com/live/lNMSEf0sbjg?feature=share

June 8, 4 p.m. - Canyon:
https://youtube.com/live/Z7Uvh-n21Mk?feature=share

June 8, 7 p.m. - Villa Park:
https://youtube.com/live/3FDODx453Jw?feature=share

Until then, keep your eyes open when you’re driving around town! This year, we have once again worked with our local cities to highlight some of our graduating seniors on banners placed along major streets in Orange and Anaheim Hills. We sincerely hope these banners encourage our community to celebrate the Class of 2023 and inspire our youngest scholars to strive for personal and academic success.

Celebrate your High School graduate while supporting a good cause! Explore our school-specific Grad Stores for orchid leis, kukui nut leis, teddy bears, and beautiful flowers. Beat the line by ordering online and picking up your purchase at the booth at the Fred Kelly Stadium entrance. Visit www.oupsf.org for more information. Your purchase makes a difference!

Seniors, send us a picture of your decorated graduation cap to showcase on our social media and website! The deadline to submit photos is Thursday, June 8. Please email your photos to Classof2023@orangeusd.org.

Join us for the City of Orange's 3rd of July Celebration at Grijalva Park! Buy tickets online at https://oupsf.cheddarup.com to support OUSD schools. Enjoy music, food trucks, activities, and fireworks. Choose your preferred OUSD school for a $2 donation per ticket. Take advantage of this chance to have fun while supporting public education in our community!

Congratulations to Canyon High School’s baseball team for defeating Crean Lutheran 6-5 in the CIF Southern California Division 4 Regional final at Canyon High School this past Friday.

The regional championship is the first for the Canyon program and came 13 days after the Comanches (23-12) captured the CIF Southern Section Division 4 championship, its first section title in baseball in 26 years. Congratulations to Canyon’s baseball team for earning the titles of CIF-SS Division 4 Champions and CIF State Division 4 Regional Champions!

CIF-SS Division 3 Swimming: Grace Wharton, El Modena HS, CIF Champion in the 500 Freestyle and 100 Back Stroke

CIF Individual Wrestling Champions: Kevin Cardenas and Roy Haroun, Villa Park HS

Traditional Cheer:

Villa Park Traditional Cheer won their third CIF Championship in the last four seasons of the sport. The Villa Park High School Game Day Team was also the National High School Cheerleading Championship Runner-up. Coaches: Isabel Cruz and Lisa Hedspeth

Mr. Turner’s seventh-grade History students create masks to go with their 7th grade Africa history unit. It is an annual project, but this is the first time it has returned since COVID. Students can use any materials to create these works of art, but Mr. Turner also teaches them paper mache, and many students choose to use that medium. Students research actual African tribal masks and then go from there.

We are excited to share with you that we are going through the process of instructional material reviews of the following programs:

• High School AP Spanish – AP Spanish Preparing for the Language and Culture Examination
• High School Environmental Science - Environmental Science Your World, Your Turn
• High School Spanish IV – Revisita Conversacion Sin Barreras

The review process for these adoptions is a critical component; thus, we invite all parents and community members to review the recommended programs.

Materials can be reviewed online at our website https://www.orangeusd.org/departments/educational-services/k-12-curriculum-gate/curriculum-services/textbooks-library-services via the Public Textbook Review button or in person at the Office of Curriculum & Instruction (1401 N. Handy St. Orange, Ca, 92867 - Building D) from June 5 – July 21, 2023. For in-person, an appointment must be made first by calling (714) 628-5452.

We are looking forward to receiving additional input on these programs. We value your partnership and participation in this process.

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.

Give your child the Orange Unified EDGE! orangeusd.org/enroll

If you missed any of our PreK-12 Showcases and would like to book a personal tour of one of our schools, please complete the interest form or call Dr. Ken Miller at 714-628- 4350.

Did you know that we have a YouTube channel? Check out our videos featuring programs throughout the District, Board Meetings, school highlights, Measure S progress, graduation ceremonies and more at https://www.youtube.com/OrangeUnifiedCA

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