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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SAUSD NOW OFFERING EXPANDED MEAL SERVICE AT 58 SITES
The Santa Ana Unified School District this week 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.
16 SAUSD EMPLOYEES NOMINATED FOR CONGRESSMAN LOU CORREA’S 'WOMEN OF THE YEAR' AWARD
Sixteen SAUSD employees have been nominated for the “Women of the Year” award by Congressman Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana. Every year, the congressman highlights remarkable women from the 46th District at the annual event. All of the nominees are trailblazers and role models for the young women who will serve as agents of change for the next generation. This year’s nominees were recognized alongside other distinguished women from the community during a special pre-recorded virtual ceremony on Sept. 18 via the Congressman’s Facebook page. For a full list of nominees, click here. To watch the ceremony, click here.
SAUSD EMPLOYEES, PARENTS HONORED DURING SENATOR TOM UMBERG’S ‘WOMEN OF DISTINCTION’ CEREMONY 
SAUSD was well represented at this year’s ‘Women of Distinction’ ceremony, held via zoom by Senator Tom Umberg (34th District) on Sept. 16. Two SAUSD employees received the Woman of the Year award in the “education” category: Bertha Benavides and Robyn MacNair. The following SAUSD employees and parents were also among this year’s nominees: 
Susie López-Guerra, Theresa Cisneros, Martha Rivera, Michelle Dominguez, Josie Amador, Cecilia Bautista, and Angie Gomez. To read more, click here.

‘MEET YOUR SRO’: OFFICER LIMON OF LORIN GRISET 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 to the community. The Santa Ana Unified School District Police Department provides for the safety and security of District students and staff, using a Community Oriented Policing framework. School Resource Officers help carry out the Department’s mission by working closely with the SAUSD community, to ensure a safe educational environment. Next in the series is a profile on Officer Limon of Lorin Griset Academy. Click here to watch it. Other SRO profile videos can be found 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 first video in the series presents tips regarding sound.
60 SANTA ANA VALLEY STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN JOHNSON & JOHNSON ‘BTE’ PROGRAM 
A group of Santa Ana Valley High School community members, including SAUSD Board President Dr. Rigo Rodriguez, Board Vice President Valerie Amezcua, and Superintendent Jerry Almendarez, joined Principal Katie Berger recently for the kick off of the Bridge to Employment (BTE) program at the school. BTE inspires young people to stay in school, excel academically, and elevate their career aspirations. Johnson & Johnson, in partnership with UC Irvine and High School Inc., will bring this three-year program to 60 Valley students, providing them with academic advice, college preparation support and career coaching. To read more, click here.
KARINA’S BACKPACK PROJECT DONATES 6,000 BACKPACKS TO 10 SAUSD SCHOOLS
On Sept. 15, Karina’s Backpack Project, in partnership with the Joy of Sharing Foundation and Dreams for Schools, kicked off its 2020 backpack distribution campaign by giving out over 900 free backpacks filled with school supplies to Madison Elementary School students. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, health protocols were practiced during the event to maintain everyone's safety. In total, the group will donate 6,000 backpacks to 10 SAUSD schools this month. To read more, click here.
MONTE VISTA RECEIVES OFFICE DEPOT DONATION
Office Depot this week presented Monte Vista Elementary School with a donation of $15,216.56 that was raised through the "Round It Up" program at stores across Southern California. The funds will be spent at Office Depot/Office Max to benefit the students and staff of Monte Vista.
UPCOMING EVENTS