SVUSD eNewsletter
April 28, 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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2023-2024 School Year Bus Pass
Application Sales Window Opens Soon!
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RSM Intermediate (New Process): May 11 - June 1
Linda Vista, San Joaquin, La Paz: May 11 - June 8
New Information for RSM Bus Passes!
Due to high demand, the 23-24 RSM Bus Passes will be assigned by a random lottery process. Applications shall be submitted online during a three-week window, May 11 – June 1, then will be randomly selected to receive the passes until all seats are filled. Applicants who do not receive a pass in the lottery will be placed on the waiting list.
Linda Vista, San Joaquin, La Paz Bus Passes
Linda Vista, San Joaquin, and La Paz Bus Passes will continue to be processed on a first come, first served basis.
Price
Full fare bus passes $572
Reduced fare bus passes $286
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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 also 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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Patriots of both past and present joined together at de Portola elementary for an awesome week in celebrating the 50th year of their school. Many activities throughout the week culminated in a student-led assembly with guest speakers, poets, and singers ranging from current students and staff to the MVHS pep squad to city officials and several former faculty members. About 500 families joined together in a community picnic later in the afternoon, with many connections being strengthened and new relationships being formed.
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Fourth District PTA Recognizes
SVUSD Teacher and PTA Unit
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The Fourth District PTA, represented by 21 school districts and more than 400 local units, yearly recognizes outstanding service and commitment by those who work with children and youth in our schools and who are committed to the mission and values of PTA.
Congratulations to THHS teacher, Lisa Lotito-Byers, for being recognized as the 4th District PTA Outstanding Teacher and to Melinda Heights PTA for being named the 4th District PTA Unit of the Year!
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Mission Viejo High School Boys Varsity Volleyball Team Wins League Title |
Congratulations to MVHS Boys Varsity Head Coach Ryan Thurlow, Assistant Coach Mark Metrakos and MVHS student-athletes for capturing the league title at home vs. Dana Hills. This is the 2nd league title for boys’ volleyball in MVHS history, first in 2019 and now 2023. The team is currently 9-0, another first for the MVHS volleyball team to go undefeated! Go Diablos! |
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Melinda Heights Student Finalist
in National Geography Bee
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Congratulations to Ritvik Swamanathan, a stellar sixth grader at Melinda Heights Elementary. Ritvik is a finalist in the National Geography Bee and will be traveling to Arlington, VA to compete against students from throughout the USA. His incredible scores during his qualifying rounds have made him eligible to compete in the International Geography Bee in Ecuador in 2024. Ritvik has been studying geography for three years and this year learned all 197 flags of the world! |
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Trabuco Hills HS Wrestler Places 2nd at Nationals |
Trabuco Hills High School Varsity Wrestler, Kylee Golz, placed 2nd at the NHSCA Virginia Nationals. Kylee went into the tournament unseeded and successfully became an "All American" and National Finalist! Congratulations, Kylee! |
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School News
Roll Call
April Edition
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The April 2023 Edition of the School News Roll Call magazine is now available! Read highlights from each of our schools and departments. |
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SVUSD Visual and Performing Arts |
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Trabuco Hills High School Chamber Choir
The THHS Chamber Choir performed at the CMEA (California Music Educator's Association) California State Choral Festival on March 31, 2023. Applications were open to all high school level choral ensembles throughout the state of California. Of all who applied, seven were selected to perform as an adjudicated performance based off of previous year's recordings and their program's philosophy and history. Congratulations THHS Choir!
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Mission Viejo High School Choir
Congratulations to MVHS Chamber Singers & Treble Choir for placing 2nd and 3rd (respectively) in their divisions AND Chamber for taking Sweepstakes at WorldStrides Nashville! In addition to their choral performance, students were able to soak in all that greater Nashville had to offer, including Vanderbilt University, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the current Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, RCA Studio B, the Civil War Battlefields in Franklin, and the Hermitage (home of President Andrew Jackson), students continued their educational knowledge that spanned far beyond the classroom!
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Trabuco Hills High School Instrumental Music
THHS Music and ETHS Music both performed wonderfully at the 10th Annual Orange County Philharmonic Society Orchestra Invitational on March 27th. Only seventeen of the top Orchestras from Orange County are invited to this prestigious event. Congratulations to our talented musicians in SVUSD
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Trabuco Hills High School IB Unified Club Performs for Special Olympics
Southern California Board Members
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On Thursday, March 30th, eight students from Trabuco Hills High School's IB Unified Club performed scenes from It's Our School, Too!, a play written by Special Olympics, in front of more than 40 Special Olympics Southern California Board Members at the Laguna Hills Community Center. It's Our School, Too! focuses on inclusion, interactions, and difficult situations students with and without disabilities face in schools. IB Unified is an inclusive club on Trabuco Hill's campus led by IB students Hannah Lim and Anya Thakar, where students in the foundational program and students in the International Baccalaureate program meet monthly for arts, crafts, activities, and socialization. Students in IB Unified focus on connection, growth, and friendship between students with and without disabilities. Under the direction of Trabuco Hill High School's IB Coordinator, Lindsay Casserly and Special Education Teacher, Kara Johnson, IB Unified connects over 40 students with and without disabilities and continues to grow each year.
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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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