Message from the Superintendent

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In this message:

· Día de Los Muertos

· OUSD Reimagining Schools Phase 2 Plan Survey

· Measure S Progress

· COVID-19 Update

· Elementary and Middle School Report Cards

· Veterans Day

Upcoming Events

· November 10: Positive Discipline Virtual Workshop

· November 11: Veterans Day Holiday

· November 13: Elementary & Middle School Minimum Day – End of Trimester 1

· November 19: Board of Education Meeting

· November 23-27: Thanksgiving Break

Dear OUSD Community,

Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) took place earlier this week, and it was wonderful to watch Jordan Academy of Language & Computer Science's immersion classes celebrate this event for their second consecutive year. Dancers from Relámpago del Cielo Grupo Folklórico pre-recorded a dance for Jordan students, and both distance-learning and on-campus students performed socially-distanced as well. This culturally relevant event is a great opportunity to help the Spanish/Computer Science dual immersion students understand the heritage behind the language they are learning.

Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a time when families gather to honor and remember loved ones who have passed. Day of the Dead altars, known as altares de muertos or ofrendas, are set during the Day of the Dead celebrations on November 1 and 2 to honor the deceased. These altars are the most prominent feature in the celebration because they show the souls the way to their home. Altars make the souls (animas) feel welcomed and show them they have not been forgotten.

Recently, our elementary and high schools sent out a survey to staff and student families to garner feedback about our current instructional model and support mechanisms. Data analysis reveals that the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and staff is looking into ways to perpetuate continuous improvement while we engage in virtual, hybrid, and in-seat instruction. The OUSD Reimagining Schools Phase 2 Plan survey for high school families is currently open, and we encourage parents/guardians of OUSD high school students to provide feedback. This input is essential to help inform future OUSD Slice Instructional Models as well as identify additional resources essential to ensure the needs of all students are met. The survey closes on Friday, November 6.

Progress continues to on our other Measure S projects, with the installation of structural steel at Canyon High School this week. After some moderate delays in the structural steel installation process, Villa Park High School STEM center construction is back on track and is moving forward nicely. The building is scheduled to open to students later this Spring. El Modena's STEM center is also making headway after a slight delay and is scheduled to open for classes this Spring. Additionally, Orange High School's Measure S STEM Complex will open for student use in the next couple of weeks.

With the ongoing health and safety measures in place on our campuses, we are pleased to share that minimal impacts to our on-campus programs have occurred as a result of COVID-19. Contact tracing by OCHCA has indicated that positive cases have resulted from community spread as opposed to on-site transmission. Regardless, staff continues to track data to ensure we are mindful of the ever-evolving case rates in Orange County. School-specific infection rate data is available on our COVID-19 Dashboard. Based upon current trends, it is likely that we will remain in Phase 2 of our Safety & Health-Driven School Reopening Plan for the rest of this school year.

As a reminder, elementary and middle schools (Cerro Villa, McPherson 6-8, Portola, and Yorba) will have a minimum day on the trimester's final day, Friday, November 13. Finalized trimester 1 report cards will be ready to view for elementary and middle schools on Thursday, November 19. As a reminder, printed report cards will not be mailed home while we are engaged in Phase 2 learning but can be accessed electronically through the Parent Portal. Instructions regarding electronic report card access are available at https://bit.ly/2IbBCeZ.

The schedule for high school report cards and grading windows is on our website under About Us > Calendars.

Next Wednesday, November 11, is Veterans Day. All sites will be closed in honor of those who have served our country in the United States Armed Forces. Veterans Day is on November 11 to mark the end of the major hostilities of World War I, which occurred at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926. In 1954, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day.

Thank you for your partnership as we work together to support our students and each other.

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

The County of Orange Health Care Agency has asked for our help in conducting a survey of attitudes toward vaccination for COVID-19, which will be of great assistance to them in planning for distribution of the vaccine when it becomes available. We want them to listen to your opinion, and we’re asking you to take less than five minutes to fill out a simple questionnaire concerning how you feel about being vaccinated against COVID-19. Just click on this link to reach the survey, and it will automatically be submitted when you complete it. You do not need to give your name or any other identifying information. All responses are anonymous and confidential. If you receive this request more than once, please only complete the survey once.

Thank you for performing this valuable service to your community and your fellow citizens.

English: https://www.research.net/r/covidvaccine_English

Arabic: https://www.research.net/r/covidvaccine_Arabic

Farsi: https://www.research.net/r/covidvaccine_Farsi

Chinese: https://www.research.net/r/covidvaccine_Chinese

Korean: https://www.research.net/r/covidvaccine_Korean

Spanish: https://www.research.net/r/covidvaccine_Spanish

Vietnamese: https://www.research.net/r/covidvaccine_Viet

Cambodian/Khmer: https://www.research.net/r/covidvaccineCambodian

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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