Message from the Superintendent

In this Message

• Olive Elementary Highlighted by AVID
  

• UC Davis Recognizes C-STEM Educators of the Year

• National Hispanic & African American Recognition Award Recipients

• National Merit Commended Student

• “You’ve Got the EDGE!” – October Employees of the Month

• Dual Immersion Task Force
  

• Employment Opportunities

• Family Night at Santiago Canyon College

• Running Springs Academy Accepting 7th Grade Interest Applications for 2023-24

• 2022-23 Health and Safety Plan

Upcoming Events

• November 2: FREE parent classes to support preschoolers

• November 9: FREE parent classes to support preschoolers

• November 16: FREE parent classes to support preschoolers; Family Night at Santiago Canyon College

• November 17: Board of Education Meeting

• November 30: FREE parent classes to support preschoolers

Dear OUSD Community,

We would like to invite you to take a moment and follow our district and school social media feeds. Staying in touch with us on social media will keep you in the loop on the amazing things we are accomplishing together each day. Social media may also be a critical line of communication during emergencies and will be a great place for you to get up-to-date information.

Knowledge - Learn about what makes our community, schools, district programs, students, teachers, district staff, families, and the future so amazing!

Stay Connected - Keep up to date with what is going on at your student’s school and the district as a whole. Participate in the shared experience of our social media community. Like, share, and comment on topics that inspire you!

Emergency Communication - During emergencies, district and school social media feeds may be a critical line of communication with our community. One of the first lines of communication to be updated could be social media.

Just click on the account links below and like and follow to stay in touch!

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn

A complete list of OUSD’s official social media accounts is on our website at

https://www.orangeusd.org/about-us/socialmedia

Warmest Regards,
Gunn Marie Hansen, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools

Olive Elementary was highlighted by AVID - Advancement Via Individual Determination – as a model of excellence for the elementary implementation of the AVID College Readiness System. Educators and educational leaders from around Southern California visit Olive to see how staff incorporates the AVID program into their school culture to help ensure college readiness for all students, from kindergarten all the way through sixth grade.

We are so proud of Olive Elementary for serving as a model for AVID Elementary implementation for Orange Unified, as well as other schools and districts across Southern California.

Read more at https://bit.ly/OliveES-AVID

Congratulations to West Orange Principal Monica Murray, C-STEM Administrator of the Year, and McPherson Magnet School teacher Lauri Truong, C-STEM Teacher of the Year. UC Davis recognized them with statewide awards for their work with math instruction.

The National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP) is one of several initiatives the College Board has undertaken to create pathways to college for underrepresented students. Working with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the National Hispanic Recognition Program identifies talented Hispanic students and connects them with colleges and scholarships.

The National African American Recognition Program (NAARP) is one of several initiatives the College Board has undertaken to create pathways to college for underrepresented students. The National African American Recognition Program identifies talented African American students and connects them with colleges and scholarships.

Congratulations to:

El Modena High School

Aubrey Valdez: National Hispanic Recognition Award (NHRA)

Elian Gonzalez: NHRA

Ethan Espinoza: NHRA

Maria Segovia: NHRA

Matthew Perez: NHRA

Sophia Alvarado: NHRA

Toyin Malomo: National African American Recognition Award (NAARA)

Orange High School

Adolfo Bello: NHRA

Deseray Lua: NHRA

Joshua Martinez: NHRA

Mackenzie Cuevas: NHRA

Martin George: NHRA

Villa Park High School

Billy Cox: NAARA

Aidan Henderson: NHRA

Alaiya Garcia: NHRA

Dariana Chavez: NHRA

Emily Diaz: NHRA

Karla Marquez: NHRA

Lucas Ogburn: NHRA

Luke Brown: NHRA

Miranda Viveros: NHRA

Robert Huelskamp: NHRA

To receive one of these awards, students:

• Must have a 3.5 GPA or higher at the time they are submitting the application. Both weighted and unweighted GPAs are considered.
• Must have a permanent address in the United States, a United States Territory, US military base, or attend a Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) school. U.S. citizenship is not required.
• Must identify as African American, Hispanic, Indigenous, or attend high school in a rural area or small town.
• Sophomores must have taken the PSAT/NMSQT in Fall 2021 OR at least two distinct AP Exams in 8th or 9th grade.
• Juniors must have taken the PSAT 10 in Spring 2021 OR the PSAT/NMSQT in Fall 2021 OR at least two distinct AP exams in 8th, 9th or 10th grade.

Villa Park High School senior Aaron Trinh has been named a Commended Student in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program for his exceptional academic promise.

Commended Students placed among the top five percent of 1.5 million students who entered the 2023 Merit Program by taking the 2021 PSAT/National Merit Scholarship qualifying test. Congratulations to these outstanding students!

Congratulations to Jose Penilla, Campus Security at Canyon High School, and Elizabeth Morlet, Counselor at Parkside Education Center, who were both honored at last night’s board meeting as October 2022 Employees of the Month!

Both Jose and Elizabeth 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.

Parkside Education Center Principal, Julie Lucas had this to say about Elizabeth:

Liz embodies both the “D” and “G” from the OUSD EDGE vision.

Liz Morlet works with students at Parkside and especially the ASPIRE program to support academic, social-emotional, mental health, and behavioral needs. She is an excellent communicator with teachers, administration, parents, and outside resource agencies to provide a highly important connection between families and the school. She assists parents with mental health support for some of our most vulnerable and high-needs students. She is tireless in her efforts to ensure the students at Parkside connect and are supported to all avenues of Genuine Wellness. Liz is creative with her solutions in assisting students, empathic, and positive with staff and parents. She is sought after by all stakeholders here at Parkside and is a highly valuable and wonderful OUSD employee!

Canyon High School Assistant Principal Greg Smith had this to say about Jose:

Jose Penilla is the backbone and conscious of student well-being at Canyon HS. Jose consistently puts the welfare and success of its students and staff first so that Canyon continues to serve OUSD and Anaheim Hills with pride. Jose Penilla is a great man who is critical to making Canyon the great place it is for students.

We are looking to create a DI Task force to open another dual immersion school!

We would meet once a month after the workday around 4:00 to discuss the data, community interest, language options, etc.

¿Está interesado en una profesión que impacte positivamente a la comunidad? Si es así, visite nuestro sitio web en www.orangeusd.org/jobs para ver una amplia gama de oportunidades de empleo que van desde el nivel inicial de entrada hasta la alta gerencia, clasificados y certificados.

Únase a la familia del Distrito Unificado de Orange e inspire a nuestros estudiantes de hoy para que sean líderes con propósito en el mañana.

Santiago Canyon College (SCC) Family Night is back in person this year! It is on Wednesday, November 16, at 6:00 pm.

This event is great for high school seniors and their families to be introduced to SCC’s dedicated faculty, counselors, club advisors, and coordinators. Each family will receive a folder filled with important information about what SCC has to offer. While we encourage students to register for the event, one does not have to register to participate.

Running Springs Academy has been identified as an authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) World School.

Currently a K-6 school, Running Springs is now accepting interest forms for students who will be in seventh grade during the 2023-24 school year. Space is limited, and priority enrollment will be given to current 6th-grade Redhawks.

For more information about Running Springs Academy, please visit orangeusd.org/running-springs-elementary-school

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.

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