WEEK OF NOV. 20-26, 2020
Official newsletter of the Santa Ana Unified School District, designed to inform the community about District related news, opportunities, and resources. 
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DISTRICT NEWS
WEEKLY UPDATE FROM SUPERINTENDENT JERRY ALMENDAREZ: NOV. 16, 2020
Superintendent Jerry Almendarez has issued a new weekly update for the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) community, covering grading procedures, Learning Labs, and what the county moving back to the purple tier of the state's COVID-19 tracking system means to the District. Click here to read it. 

SAUSD CONTINUES TO EXPAND ‘LEARNING LABS’ FOR SMALL COHORTS OF HIGH NEED STUDENTS
SAUSD expanded Learning Labs to nine campuses this week, bringing back small cohorts of 14 or less students in a safe and supervised environment to access their virtual classrooms. The District is able to continue opening Learning Labs even under the state’s purple tier because they involve very small groups of students per campus, and strict health and safety guidelines are being met. To read more, click here


STATE-OF-THE-ART PERMANENT CLASSROOM BUILDING OPENS AT MUIR 
District leaders gathered at Muir Fundamental Elementary this week to celebrate the opening of a new two-story classroom building housing 22 classrooms and four multi-function STEM collaboration rooms. As part of the project, 24 aging portable buildings were removed and a state-of-the-art classroom wing was constructed in their place. In addition, field and playground areas were expanded. The project was paid for through state funds and money from Measure I. To read more, click here.
BOARD OF EDUCATION RECOGNIZES EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH
In case you missed it, the Board of Education recently recognized the SAUSD Employees of the Month for November 2020. The Certificated Employee of the Month is Jose Manuel Garcia, a teacher at Santa Ana Valley High School. The Classified Employee of the Month is Matilda “Matty” Barriga, office manager at Santa Ana Valley High School. Congratulations to both! To read more about them, click here.
SAUSD TO OBSERVE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY, WEEK OF NOV. 23
As Thanksgiving week approaches, here are some quick reminders about holidays for SAUSD students. SAUSD students will have three days off the week of Nov. 23 for Thanksgiving Recess. There will be no instruction on Nov. 23-25, 2020 and SAUSD is observing the Thanksgiving holiday on Nov. 26 and 27, 2020. School will resume Monday, Nov. 30. Click here to read more.
FACE COMMUNITY RESOURCES NEWSLETTER FOR NOV. 20
The SAUSD Family and Community Engagement (FACE) team has released a new edition of its weekly Community Resources Newsletter. In it, you'll find information about SAUSD helplines, COVID-19 resources, free food resources, and more. Click here to read it in English; click here for Spanish. 


#PROUD2BESAUSD
Are you proud to be an SAUSD employee, alumni, parent, student, or supporter? If so, the SAUSD Communications Office wants to hear from you. Click here to tell us why you're #Proud2BeSAUSD for a chance to be featured in this campaign reflecting the vibrant SAUSD community! To view more profiles, click here.
Meet David Diaz, a proud SAUSD employee!

Diaz is a school counselor at McFadden Intermediate School, and proud product of SAUSD. He attended Greenville Fundamental, MacArthur Fundamental and Segerstrom High schools.

One of his favorite things about SAUSD is the dedicated staff. While he was a student at SAUSD schools, his teachers and coaches guided him and have continued to help him up to this point in his life as an SAUSD employee. “I am truly surrounded by great human beings that love the community that I hold most dear,” he said. 

“I am #Proud2BeSAUSD because it's the school community that I grew up in and am proud to still live in, while helping to pay it forward as a school counselor!”

CITIZENS’ BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE QUARTERLY REPORT
A new Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee Quarterly Report has been published. The report highlights current and recently completed construction projects across the District, including: modernization at Carver Elementary School, the construction of a new library and CTE Digital Media Arts Lab at Santa Ana High School, the building of preschool lab classrooms and a new playground at Jackson Elementary School, and much more. To read it, click here


CHECK SAUSD WEBSITE FOR COVID-19 TESTING RESOURCES
COVID-19 case levels in parts of Santa Ana remain a concern. As a service to the community, the District has posted information about free COVID-19 testing opportunities being offered by the City of Santa Ana, Latino Health Access and other groups to the COVID-19 resource webpage. Click here to view them.
O.C. HEALTH CARE AGENCY SEEKING FEEDBACK ON COVID-19 VACCINE 
The O.C. Health Care Agency is conducting a survey of attitudes toward vaccination for COVID-19, which will be of great assistance in planning for distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available. The District is helping to get the word out, as it is important that the SAUSD community is represented in this important outreach effort. To participate, click here.
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES FOR SAUSD STUDENTS AND FAMILIES
Did you know that SAUSD offers a list of mental health and wellness resources that students and families can connect with during weekends and after-school hours? Click here to learn more about the agencies that can be contacted during these times for help.
MEAL SCHEDULE: THANKSGIVING WEEK UPDATE
The District is serving free meals to all children ages 1-18 at 58 sites through the end of 2020. In addition, the District has also expanded service times, so that meals may now be picked up in the morning, afternoon and evening. Please note, that although Thanksgiving Recess is coming up, Nutrition Services will continue to serve meals at all school sites on Nov. 23, 24 and 25. For an updated schedule, click here.
FOLLOW SAUSD ON NEXTDOOR
SAUSD is also providing free meals for children at Warwick Square and Villa Del Sol apartment complexes. SAUSD serves free meals to children ages 1 to 18 at the Warwick Square apartments, located at 780 S. Lyon St., #911, from 11 a.m. to noon, and at the Villa Del Sol apartments, located at 811 S. Fairview St., from noon to 1 p.m. Click here for details.
DOWNLOAD PARENTSQUARE APP TODAY
SAUSD is now using the ParentSquare app to increase communication among families, schools and the District. Download the app today at the Apple AppStore or Google Play to begin receiving important news and updates from SAUSD teachers, schools, and departments. Click here for more information.
SCHOOL NEWS
Visit our SAUSD school websites and follow our schools on social media for news on programs, accolades, events and more!
SANTA ANA PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION TO OFFER NINE SCHOLARSHIPS 
Mark your calendars. The Santa Ana Public Schools Foundation will soon be providing graduating seniors from all SAUSD high schools the opportunity to apply for nine different scholarships to support post-secondary educational goals. Applications will be available on the foundation website beginning Nov. 30, and must be submitted prior to Feb. 14, 2021. For more information, click here.
VARSITY NEWS NETWORK NAMES GODINEZ A REGIONAL CHAMPION
The Varsity News Network, a high school sports website and marketing platform used by over 2,500 high school athletic departments nationwide, has named Godinez Fundamental High School a Regional Champion in its 2019-2020 National Championship. The competition aimed to determine and celebrate the school with the most deeply connected sports community in the VNN network. Godinez was recognized for producing some of the best content in the VNN network, generating over 1,000 page views on nearly every post.
Posted by creatingcreators: #TBT to an incredible day when Heninger Elementary students got to spend the day learning how their favorite characters are created at the Nickelodeon studios!
Shared by Franklin Bolts: Thank you to our amazing Franklin Family - students, parents/guardians, family members, and staff - for such an amazing turnout yesterday! We hope you enjoyed the sugar cookies!
Shared by Lathrop Intermediate: Learning labs are open this week. Providing students with a safe space to learn with supports.
Posted by santaana_highschool: Meet Melvin and Milena! These Saints have had PERFECT ATTENDANCE in Learning Labs since the first day. Each day, they show up, ready to login and learn. All of our other students in the labs are also taking advantage of the quiet space, access to adult tutors and overall support! 


UPCOMING EVENTS
  • Nov. 23-25 - Non-Instruction - Thanksgiving Recess
  • Nov. 26-27 - Thanksgiving Holiday - All SAUSD offices/schools closed
  • Dec. 15 - Annual Organizational & Regular Board Meeting
  • Dec. 18 - Duty Day - Student Free Day (High School only)
  • Dec. 21-22 - Non-Instruction/Winter Recess - Schools closed 
  • Dec. 23-25 - Christmas Holiday - All SAUSD offices/schools closed
  • Dec. 28-30 - Non-Instruction/Winter Recess - Schools closed 
  • Dec. 31-Jan. 1 - New Year's Holiday - All SAUSD offices/schools closed