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In this Message:

• 2021 National Merit Scholarship Corporation Finalists
• Facilities Update
• Safe Schools for All Plan’s Interactive Reopening Map
• Job Opportunities
• Child Development Center Preschool (Parent Pay) Now Enrolling
• Emergency Rental Assistance Program
• Orange County Youth Town Hall: Promoting Youth Mental Health and Well-Being through Resiliency and Community Connection

Upcoming Events

• February 22: CARES Spring Camp Registration
• February 24: Orange High School Showcase & Richland High School Showcase; Educational Services Equity Task Force Meeting
• February 25: Board of Education Work/Study Session
• March 3: OC Youth Town Hall: Promoting Youth Mental Health and Well-Being through Resiliency and Community Connection

Dear OUSD Community,

Since reopening our schools for in-person instruction, the health and safety of our students and staff has been at the forefront of our efforts. To this end, we have been offering no-cost weekly voluntary COVID-19 testing opportunities to our staff and 9-12 grade students, and are happy to share that this opportunity is also being extended to our middle school students.

Students under the age of 18 will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The next event will take place at El Modena High School on February 24. For more information, please contact the Office of Student and Community Services at 714-628-5424.

In addition to offering surveillance testing, we encourage any individual interested in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine to register at Othena.com and download the free smartphone app from the Othena website. Currently, vaccine distribution is be open to all community members age 65 or older, and staff is working with OCDE to automatically register those in the education sector who meet the criteria of Phase 1A and wish to be vaccinated.

Within Orange County’s public schools, there are approximately 5,000 employees who are at least 65 years old, and the goal is to make sure they get appointments before the start of Phase 1B. Currently, about 25 percent of individuals 65 years or older have been vaccinated. Once we reach 50 percent of those who wish to be vaccinated within this age group, officials plan to start Phase 1B, which will include educators and school-based employees. It should take approximately three more weeks to reach 50 percent of the 65-and-older community based on vaccine supply projections.

We are pleased to announce that four OUSD students have been named National Merit Scholarship Corporation Finalists in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program:

• Ryan Mahoney, Canyon High School
• Karina Patel, Canyon High School
• Anna Vaughan, Canyon High School
• Dagny Parayao, El Modena High School

These academically talented high school seniors will now continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million.

Over 1.5 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. National Merit Scholarship winners of 2021 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July.

We are extremely proud to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of Ryan, Karina, Anna, and Dagny, and wish them all the best as they move forward as National Merit Scholarship finalists!

The state recently launched an interactive Safe Schools for All Plan’s interactive Safe Schools Reopening Map, an online tool providing a statewide snapshot of the status of school reopenings across California. This map will display data from all school types – including school districts and charter and private schools – indicating status on reopening, safety planning and COVID-19 supports.

The California Department of Public Health will be adding other key data to the map, including outbreaks reported in each school district and whether the school has partnered with the Valencia Branch Lab for COVID-19 testing. To provide up-to-date information, schools will input their data every two weeks. Additional data – including student enrollment data – will be collected and displayed publicly, subject to legislative approval.

For more information, please visit the Safe Schools for All Hub: https://schools.covid19.ca.gov/

Orange Unified School District’s Child Development Center currently has full-time openings for 3- and 4-year-olds. For more information, please call 714-628-5412.

We invite you to take a moment to follow Orange Unified on social media to receive the District’s latest news and announcements. Social media may also be a critical line of communication during emergencies and will be an excellent place for you to get up to date information: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube