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
SAUSD TO LAUNCH ATTENDANCE AWARENESS CAMPAIGN OCT. 5
The Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) will be kicking off an attendance awareness campaign, titled “Present, Engaged, and Supported,” on Oct. 5. During October, the District will motivate all students to attend class, educate parents on the importance of attendance, and support staff to continue building engagement in the classroom. Site incentives will be given to the schools with the most improved attendance for the month of October. Students and parents are encouraged to connect with their school sites for more information.
GRAPHIC: TENTATIVE TIMELINE FOR RETURN TO IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION
A tentative timeline was recently presented to the SAUSD Board of Education for students to return to in-person instruction in a hybrid model. The timeline is tentative and will depend on ongoing health factors in the community. Families will continue to have the option to choose full distance or hybrid learning. Schools are currently sending out a survey to parents/guardians to gauge their preferences. To view the timeline, click here.
CHECK SAUSD WEBSITE FOR COVID-19 TESTING RESOURCES
Although COVID-19 rates are declining countywide, case levels in parts of Santa Ana remain a concern. As a service to the SAUSD 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.
LINK: COMMUNITY RESOURCES NEWSLETTER FOR OCT. 2
SAUSD’s Family and Community Engagement (FACE) department has issued its weekly Community Resources newsletter for Oct. 2. In it, the community can learn more about Medi-Cal and Cal Fresh enrollment assistance, SAUSD Flu Clinics, Mental Health Resources and more. Click here to read it in English; click here for Spanish.
SAUSD NOW OFFERING EXPANDED MEAL SERVICE AT 58 SITES
SAUSD has expanded its free meal service as part of the Board of Education’s ongoing mission to continue to provide free, nutritious food for students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The District is now serving free meals to all children ages 1-18 through Dec. 18. In addition, the District has also expanded service times so that meals may now be picked up in the morning, afternoon and evening. For a full schedule, click here.
HIGHLIGHTED VIDEO
The SAUSD Communications Office is creating a new video series highlighting best practices for at-home video production. Videos will cover optimal sound and lighting conditions, and other topics that may be helpful for employees who are creating video tutorials for their school communities during this time of distance learning. The third video in the series presents tips on performance.
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE NIXLE ALERTS FROM SAUSD 
SAUSD is now using Nixle to send important news and updates to interested members of the community. To begin receiving emails and/or text messages about important District issues, events and programs, text the code SantaAnaUSD to 888777 or click here.
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.
‘MEET YOUR SRO’: OFFICER LIMON, REACH ACADEMY
In honor of the start of the 2020-21 school year, SAUSD is unveiling a new series of videos introducing our School Resource Officers (SRO) to the community. SROs work closely with site administrators, District Safety Officers, and the SAUSD community, to ensure a safe educational environment. Next in the series is a profile on Officer Limon of REACH Academy. Click here to watch it. Other SRO videos can be found here.
#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.
Mariela Alonzo has worked as a nutrition services assistant in the District for five years. One of her favorite things about working at SAUSD is the Seamless Summer meal program because it focuses on feeding the community. She is also a very proud SAUSD parent of two children who attend Mendez Fundamental Intermediate and Romero-Cruz Academy.
Hugo Sierra attended Edison Elementary, Lathrop Intermediate and Saddleback High School. After graduating from Saddleback in 2006, he attended Chapman University where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Math. Sierra graduated in May with his doctorate degree in leadership organization from Concordia University, Irvine.
SCHOOL NEWS
Visit our SAUSD school websites and follow our schools on social media for news on programs, accolades, events and more!
SAUSD STUDENTS TO PERFORM DURING DTSA ARTWALK OCT. 3
SAUSD’s Visual and Performing Arts division is partnering with the Business Improvement District in Santa Ana to host #SAUSDArtsForward, a monthly virtual artwalk highlighting SAUSD teachers and students. This month’s #SAUSDArtsForward show takes place at 6 p.m. on Oct. 3 during Downtown Santa Ana’s monthly digital artwalk. Students from Santiago Elementary K-8’s Drama program will perform silent film pantomimes and share about their creative process and future artistic goals. Tune in to Downtown Santa Ana's digital artwalk to follow along.
CIRCULOS AT ALA TO HOST ONLINE STUDENT EXHIBITION OCT. 5 
Círculos at the Advanced Learning Academy and Well Beings Studio invite the community to attend a student exhibition titled “Ash and Feather: Stories Inside Out.” This fall, 9th grade humanities students from the school explored their stories and identities, learning to cultivate their voices through poetry, creative writing, photography, dance, and art. In partnership with Well Beings Studio, students completed a project season that was focused on making invisible stories visible. The exhibition takes place from 5-6:15 p.m. on Oct. 5 on Zoom.
ICNA RELIEF DONATES FREE FOOD, BACKPACKS TO SAUSD FAMILIES 
ICNA Relief (Muslims for Humanity), a national domestic relief non-profit organization, recently provided 500 boxes of free food and 900 free backpacks filled with school supplies to SAUSD families. Both no-contact distribution events were held at Lathrop Intermediate School.
UPCOMING EVENTS