Message from the Superintendent

In this Message

• In Our Schools: Running Springs, Portola & Cerro Villa, Adult Transition, Parkside
• Canyon High School Students Recognized as National Merit Commended Students
• Partnership with MOTAL & SCC Brings History to Life for Orange Unified Students & Community
• College & Career Fair
• Homecoming Game Live Streams
• SAT & PSAT/NMSQT Opportunities
• 2022-23 Health and Safety Plan
• Employment Opportunities

Upcoming Events

• October 7: Villa Park High School Homecoming Game & Live Stream
• October 12: Parent Workshop -Three Essential Life Skills for Preschoolers; Walk to School Day
• October 14: Canyon High School Homecoming Game & Live Stream
• October 19: Parent Workshop -Three Essential Life Skills for Preschoolers
• October 20: Board of Education Meeting
• November 17: Board of Education Meeting

Dear OUSD Community,

In light of recent events involving the synthetic opioid known as fentanyl in the Los Angeles Unified School District, we would like to assure our community that we are actively working with our local first responders to train staff in the use of opioid overdose reversal medication naloxone (Narcan). Narcan has no adverse side effects and is available without a physician's prescription at most pharmacies.

A new and concerning version of fentanyl is known as “rainbow fentanyl.” This is a potentially fatal drug that can be found in many forms, including pills, powder, and blocks that can resemble sidewalk chalk or candy. Even one small dose of fentanyl - the equivalent of 5-7 grains of salt - is enough to kill.

Any pill (regardless of its color, shape, or size) that does not come from a healthcare provider or pharmacist can contain fentanyl. Fentanyl is often pressed into counterfeit pills made to look like legitimate prescription opioids, such as oxycodone, or even anxiety medications like Xanax. Because it’s cheap to produce, it’s also showing up in other street drugs like cocaine, heroin, and MDMA. Many fentanyl victims don’t even know they’re taking the drug.

It’s important to take seriously the risks that fentanyl, alcohol, and other drugs pose to our community. Please speak with your child, as age-appropriate, about the risks of consuming anything from a stranger and/or buying or sharing prescription medication. Knowledge is power and speaking up may save a friend’s life.

The CDC offers more fentanyl-related facts, tips and resources on its website.

Things You Can Do to Protect Your Child

Start a Conversation at Home: Don't dominate the conversation, be willing to listen.

Set clear expectations about drug and alcohol use, including real consequences for not following rules.

• Develop strategies to deal with peer pressure to use drugs.

Talk to your child often about school, friends, and activities.

• Know where your child is and know their friends.
• Look for changes in friend groups and behaviors.

• Look for signs such as drowsiness, sedation, confusion, disorientation, slurred speech, pinpoint pupils, change in sleeping patterns, lack of good hygiene, unkept bedrooms, and falling grades.
• People who are under the influence of fentanyl do not have objective signs of intoxication that are common with other substances.
• Often, young adults are found deceased from fentanyl poisoning while they are laying in their beds, where their family members believed, they were just listening to music, playing video games, or sleeping.

• Most of the fentanyl pills and powder are being sold on social media platforms.
• Apps should be actively monitored for any signs of dealers reaching out to your child. Different lingo is used to solicit buyers with phrases such as “M30, percs, blues, tango and cash, and xannie bars.”
• Users purchase drugs using cash apps. The average price for a counterfeit pill is $20.
• Parents should monitor all cash apps and should be aware that dealers will often deliver the pill(s), which are easily concealed, directly to the user’s home and simply drop it off in a location where it is undetected and easily accessible to the user.
• If you find any pills, do not touch them. Call local law enforcement for removal.

Contact the 24/7 Mental Health & Substance Use Access & Assessment Hotline (888-818-1115) to get help for a friend or loved one struggling with substance abuse.

We wish to keep our students and families as safe as possible and free from the dangers caused by illicit substances.

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

Running Springs Academy has joined a network of 1,900 schools in the United States and over 5,000 schools worldwide authorized as International Baccalaureate (IB) World Schools.

Emphasizing inquiry-based learning, collaboration, international-mindedness, and student agency, IB World Schools strive to inspire lifelong learning and a belief that education can help build a better place for all. IB World School status means that Running Springs demonstrates a commitment to these standards of education, and it will be regularly evaluated to ensure that the standards and practices of the IB are being maintained.

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

On September 28, Portola and Cerro Villa Middle Schools’ Advanced Band and Orchestra musicians were invited to represent Orange Unified, alongside other local music programs, and perform the National Anthem on the field before the game! After the performance, the student musicians took their seats above home plate and enjoyed an Angels win over the Oakland A's.

ATP students communicate to staff on a microbusiness model called “coffee cart,” where the students sell small beverage and snack items to staff and practice money management, simple food/beverage prep and hospitality and social skills.

Congratulations to Andre D., Parkside’s Student of the Month for a Social Emotional Competency – this month’s trait was self-awareness! Andre was nominated by Ms. Mercer for being a role model who is confident, kind, aware of his emotions, and always ready to help his peers who are having a hard day.

The following Canyon High School seniors have been named Commended Students in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program for their exceptional academic promise:

• Maria Ali
• Cassandra Chang
• Charlotte Chang
• Micah Cheng
• Kunritty He
• Elise Huynh
• Karina Kewalramani
• Deven Lathiya
• Jason Pham
• Vishwa Reddy
• Arjen Singh
• Kenneth Vu
• Danielle Walker
• John Williams
• Nathaniel Yun
• Karina Zambani

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!

Orange Unified School District is proud to have partnered with The Museum of Teaching and Learning (MOTAL) and Santiago Canyon College (SCC) to present to our students and community the exhibit A Class Action: The Grassroots Struggle for School Desegregation in California. This traveling exhibit tells the story of the famous civil rights court case, Mendez et al. v. Westminster School District of Orange County et al., that ended segregation in public schools across the State of California. The court’s decision in this case also had a powerful impact on the 1954 United States Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that "separate education facilities are inherently unequal” and the subsequent desegregation of schools across the country.

A Class Action will be open to the public until December. We encourage our community members to visit the display to learn more about our local history and the positive impact that one’s legacy can leave on our community.

Our fifth-grade students learn about the Mendez case as part of California’s state history, and many of our students have enjoyed seeing local history come to life at SCC.

SAVE THE DATE! The OUSD Virtual College & Career Fair will be held Oct. 11-12 from 4:00-7:30 p.m. Representatives from over 150 colleges, universities, and military branches will be present. We will also have workshops on financial aid, FAFSA, and NCAA athletics.

The Virtual College Fair is free! Register today at https://bit.ly/2022-collegefair

Villa Park High School’s game will be live streamed tonight, October 7, followed by Canyon High School’s game on October 14. All four Homecoming games stream for free on the OUSD YouTube channel! Watch the archives of the Orange and El Modena High School Homecoming games and subscribe now at youtube.com/OrangeUnifiedCA

SAT Saturday Offerings

OUSD will be offering transportation from Orange High School, El Modena High School, and Canyon High School for SAT testing at Villa Park High School on December 3.

Families must register students for the SAT via the College Board Registration Site and communicate with your student’s counselor to help coordinate transportation if you need bussing. Space is limited – please register ASAP if you are interested in taking the SAT on December 3. The registration window closes on November 3.

Additional SAT test dates and locations are on the College Board’s website at https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/test-center-search

Khan Academy (satpractice.org) offers free, personalized online practice tailored to each student’s strengths and areas where they may need help. Students can find additional practice materials and practice tests at https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/practice-preparation

For more information, please visit the Parent Resource page under Student Achievement at https://www.orangeusd.org/departments/educational-services/student-assessment-educational-measurement/parent-resources

PSAT for 9th and 10th Grade Students

We are excited to announce that we are gathering information regarding OUSD students in grades 9 and 10 who are interested in taking a PSAT on a Saturday in Winter 2023.

Please register your interest before the form closes on October 31.

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.

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.

Stop by the Santiago Canyon College Business and Career Education Career Fair on October 25 to learn more about our career opportunities!

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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