SVUSD eNewsletter
May 12, 2023
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Surprise! On Thursday, April 27th, our Superintendent, CSEA president, and members of the Superintendent's Executive Cabinet surprised all of our district-wide Classified Employees of the Year. Congratulations to our awardees, and thank you for all of your hard work! |
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Vital Link
Art Competition
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Congratulations to the following SVUSD students for placing top honors in Vital Link OC's Digital Media Arts Competition!
- 1st Place Photography – D. Tran (featured image)
- 3rd Place Graphic Design - P. Tran
- 3rd Place Promo Marketing - G. Ortega
The competition had over 200 submissions this year from schools all around Orange County and SVUSD's students were at the top of the list!
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La Madera Student Recognized by OCSD |
La Madera sixth graders participated in the Above the Influence program which is provided by Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD). Recently sixth grader, Lauren Larsen, had to call 911. Calling 911 is part of the Above the Influence lesson plan. Lauren did exactly as she was taught and provided dispatch with precise and accurate information. Due to the information she provided, the suspect was successfully apprehended by law enforcement. In recognition of Lauren’s calm assuredness, and her assistance in apprehending the suspect, several deputies from our local OCSD came to campus to recognize her with a special award. We are so proud of Lauren for using what she learned at school to help make a difference in our community! |
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Mission Viejo HS Student Becomes Screenwriter |
Arian Vaghef, a senior at Mission Viejo High School, has written his first script for an animated show that will begin production soon! At the beginning of his senior year, Arian decided to try his hand at writing and creating an animated show instead of taking the traditional route through college. He used the internet to learn much of his craft. Arian joined a screenwriters’ group through Reddit where he received immediate feedback through his peers. He was then able to set up an appointment with a major entertainment group (unfortunately the details can’t be disclosed until the project airs, due to an NDA) where he pitched his project. His show was greenlighted at the beginning of this year, and should air sometime in the near future. Arian noted, “It would be great if more students understood that they don't have to wait until some time far in the future to start their dreams-- they can start them now.” Way to go, Arian! |
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SVUSD Seniors Awarded State Seal of Civic Engagement |
Hannah Averbuck from Saddleback Virtual Academy and Prince Plotena from Trabuco Hills High School recently earned the California State Seal of Civic Engagement. This award is given to California students who demonstrate excellence in civics education and participation, as well as an understanding of the United States Constitution, the California Constitution, and the democratic system of government. Hannah earned the award through creation and production of Santa Rosa High School's first news broadcast, The Panther Prowl, in which she addressed social isolation, lack of club interaction, and the disconnect between the school and local community. Prince addressed the issues of mental health and school safety through his work with the California Boys State conference. Through this work, he has since joined the SVUSD Student Advisory Council to further support his proposals for improving mental health, school facilities, and safety for his peers. Congratulations, Hannah and Prince, on your outstanding work towards student civic engagement! |
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CAMTSS Features La Paz Intermediate |
Congratulations to La Paz Intermediate for being featured in the Winter Edition of the CAMTSS Newsletter. The CAMTSS newsletter is shared across the state to highlight best practices in MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support). It shines the spotlight on schools across the state and their signature practices for the success of all students. |
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Kiwanis Recognizes Silverado HS |
The Kiwanis Club of Mission Viejo recognized Silverado HS students for outstanding contributions to Silverado and the community. Congratulations to Collin Thibault, Efrain Palacios, Robbie Pozo, and Yasan Draginov for this recognition! |
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Best Buddies
Buddy Pair
of the Year
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Trabuco Hills High School students, Sasha DeJong and Annabelle Roehricht, were selected as Best Buddies California Buddy Pair of the Year for 2023 out of over 120 Best Buddies Chapters in Southern California. Selection for this award is based upon weekly Chapter participation, inclusion advocacy on campus, growth, sustainability, and activity. Sasha and Annabelle have been Best Buddies in the THHS Unified program for the past four years and have participated in Friendship Walks, Best Buddies events, Chapter events, dances, lunches, and dinners. Their favorite thing to do together is go out to sushi. |
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LHHS Teachers Receive Crystal Apple Awards |
Congratulations to former SVUSD Assistant Superintendent Laura Ott for receiving the first ever Lifetime Achievement Crystal Apple Award! Timothy Marklevitz and Robert Snyder from Laguna Hills High School also received Crystal Apple awards. The Crystal Apple awards are chosen by students to recognize and thank the teachers who have had a positive impact on their lives. |
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Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate Visual Art |
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Congratulations to Ashley Jung, Abigail Lei, Lauren Sunkin, and Melanie Ocampo of Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate School for their selection into the Orange County Department of Education’s OCArts4All County Showcase! See their work on display through Thursday, June 8th in Crystal Court at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. |
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SVUSD Summer Free Meals Program |
SVUSD Food Services will be serving FREE meals this summer to students attending summer programs at specified District school sites. Also, for all children 18 years and under (not required to be an SVUSD student), free meals will be provided at the El Toro Library. |
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2023-2024 Bus Pass Application Now Open |
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2023-2024 applications for school bus passes to Linda Vista Elementary, San Joaquin Elementary, La Paz Intermediate and RSM Intermediate are now being accepted.
New process for RSM! The RSM bus pass application will be open May 11 – June 1. Passes will be assigned via a random lottery process. Applicants who do not receive an initial pass will be placed on the waiting list.
Linda Vista, San Joaquin, and La Paz bus passes will continue to be processed on a first come, first served basis, with the application window open May 11 through June 8.
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Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Meeting
May 24, 2023, 5:00 pm
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Please don’t miss our next CAC meeting on Wednesday, May 24, 2023 at 5:00 pm. We will be holding our elections for voting members and Executive Board members There are open positions for SVUSD and LBUSD parents to join the team. We need you! If you are interested in joining the group as a voting member, please visit our webpage or go directly to the CAC Participation Application. We are meeting at Laguna Hills High School and we also offer a Zoom option. A map of the school site and Zoom information can be found under the “Meetings” accordion on the CAC webpage. We hope you can join us!
If you are wondering what the South Orange County SELPA Community Advisory Committee is all about . . . the purpose of our Community Advisory Committee (CAC) is to improve and promote communication between schools, parents, and public agencies to increase community awareness, facilitate parent education and support, and to coordinate activities on behalf of children with exceptional needs. All are welcome to come to any CAC meeting, as well as, joining the CAC as members.
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Is there someone in your circle that is doing some amazing things for the Special Education community? Is there a student that shines? Maybe a teacher, instructional assistant or administrator who has gone the extra mile? Don't forget our amazing parent volunteers and PTA, too! We want to celebrate all of these accomplishments at our CAC meetings. We will be celebrating with a large group of nominees at our May 24th meeting, so please join us! The cut-off for nominations for the May meeting is May 5th at 5:00 pm. |
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The District Safety Department recently completed a safety timeline highlighting District safety efforts over the last six years. This, along with Board presentations and numerous safety resources can be found on the District website, under the section titled "Additional Resources."
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Additional perimeter fencing projects were completed at Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate, Linda Vista Elementary, and Del Lago Elementary. Fencing projects are planned at an additional thirteen SVUSD sites and will be completed in early August 2023. |
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Welcome to 6th Grade Day! Sixth graders from across the District get the chance to visit their future Intermediate schools, previewing what the next two years of school life will be like. Check out the scenes from all 4 of our Intermediate campuses. |
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2023 Classified Employees of the Year |
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Saddleback Valley Unified School District, in conjunction with CSEA, school sites, and divisions, looks forward to the opportunity to choose Classified Employees of the Year each spring. We appreciate our Classified Employees every day and recognize this important branch of employees and the integral work they perform.
From this esteemed list, one Classified Employee for each of eight categories is chosen to represent SVUSD in the county's competition. Please join us in congratulating our 2023 SVUSD Classified Employees of the Year:
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Cynthia Guerrero
Clerical and Administrative Services
Portola Hills Elementary
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Thomas Cronin
Custodial and Maintenance Services
Print Shop
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Sally Medina
Food and Nutrition Services
Food Service
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Rachell Chasteler
Health and Student Services
Linda Vista Elementary
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Cathy Hanson
Paraprofessional
Robinson Elementary
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Joanne Masci
Security Services
Foothill Ranch Elementary
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Steven Levasseur
Skilled Trades
Operations
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Johnny Ng
Technical Services
Information Technology
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Santiago Elementary Named Both
2023 CA and U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School
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Congratulations Santiago Elementary for being named a 2023 CA Green Ribbon School and 2023 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School. Santiago is among 14 other schools to earn the 2023 California Green Ribbon School title. Only three schools and one district have earned the title of 2023 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School. OCDE Newsroom featured an article about these prestigious awards.
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San Joaquin Teacher Named
2024 Orange County Teacher of the Year
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Congratulations to Laura Blackie for being one of six Orange County educators named 2024 Orange County Teacher of the Year! Mrs. Blackie teaches fourth-grade at San Joaquin Elementary. Laura has been featured in articles in both The Orange County Register and OCDE Newsroom.
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Kiwanis Club Recognizes
MVHS Students
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The Kiwanis Club of Mission Viejo recognized Mission Viejo High School Students for outstanding contributions to MVHS and the community. Congratulations to Lauren Hendrawan, Gianna Lopez, and Aria Morrill for this recognition! |
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El Toro HS Student Places 1st
at Coastline ROP
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El Toro High School student Charu Tripathi recently represented ETHS at the reception for Coastline ROP after taking their Medical Innovations and Entrepreneurship class. She designed a pediatric cardiac stent that grows with the patient using nanotechnology and an expanding cobalt chromium material and won the ROP competition! Also, she received the Congressional Bronze Award with Gold, Silver, & Bronze certificate. She will soon be receiving a medal from a member of congress. |
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Mission Viejo HS Students Named Exchange Club
Youth of the Year
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The Crossroads Exchange Club and South Orange County Exchange Club held their 17th Annual Youth of the Year Recognition Awards on August 26, 2023. Congrats to MVHS Seniors Judd Karn and Ahin (Irene) Kim as Youth of the Year recipients! Judd Karn will attend Brown University and Irene Kim will attend Princeton University. Go Diablos!
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ETHS Ceramics Wins '23 National Show |
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Congratulations to El Toro High School students Seth Duffy (Best of Show 12th grade), Kalea Pollard (10th grade), and Brook ePlummer (11th grade), for having their ceramic art pieces accepted into the American Museum of Ceramic Art's national juried high school exhibition. The ceramic artwork by these students was selected from among hundreds of submissions of high school students across the nation. Their works are featured in the virtual opening reception and awards ceremony online now through August 31, 2023. Learn more about the exhibit and see it at AMOCA's YouTube channel!
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Cielo Vista Elementary Happenings |
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Cielo Vista students performed in Capistrano Folklorica at their annual Showcase. Celebrating diversity is a goal promoted as part of SVUSD's SVConnects initiative! |
Cielo Vista is excited to celebrate each and every student's culture through digital and 3-D displays from the Panorama Playbook telling who they are and their heritage. |
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Cielo Vista's PBIS work recognizes classified staff at their monthly Hawks Assembly. Food Service team, Tresia and Jasinda, are amazing feeding all the students at Cielo Vista every day! |
Cielo Vista is proud to partner with RSM Intermediate and have student mentor leaders from RSM come help out younger friends at CV. |
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Saddleback Valley Parent Teacher Association |
Help strengthen our community & make an impact by joining one or more of our SVUSD school PTAs. |
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Saddleback Valley Educational Foundation |
The Saddleback Valley Educational Foundation (SVEF) is dedicated to supporting SVUSD in our efforts to maintain a high quality educational program with a priority to impact STEM access for all students. Check out SVEF's website for programs, and contribution and volunteer opportunities. |
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Follow Us on Social Media for the Latest Updates |
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Superintendent
Dr. Crystal Turner
Board of Trustees
President
Barbara Schulman
Vice President
Dr. Edward Wong
Clerk
Suzie R. Swartz
Members
Amanda Morrell
Dan Walsh
Student Member of the Board
Kaitlyn Heinecke
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SVUSD WEBSITE QUICK LINKS
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Thank you for subscribing to the official Saddleback Valley Unified School District eNewsletter. We welcome your feedback, any news that can be shared with the community, and appreciate comments and suggestions. Contact the District Office directly with inquiries. Please do not reply to this e-mail as we are unable to respond to messages sent to this address.
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