OUSD Community Schools Newsletter
March/April 2023
OUSD Community Schools Update
Transformation of our schools into places where educators, local community members, families, and students work together to strengthen conditions for student learning and healthy development.
At our most recent Community Schooling Steering Committee we discussed expansion of the Learning Links program with funding from the Community Schools Grant. Additionally, we worked on Orange Unified's vision for Community Schooling:
Community Schooling within the Orange Unified School District gives students and parents a voice by engaging families and identifying needs to improve student achievement. Community schooling within OUSD empowers parents because there is always a need to unite families.
California iInspire Academy
As a school community lead, one of the most important parts of my job is considering the diversity of our community. As a school, we celebrated International Week before Spring Break. Throughout this week we celebrated the different cultures and diversity at our school. One event allowed students to discuss their family heritage and then locate it on the appropriate continent. Our community represents different backgrounds, cultures, ethnicity, and language and it was fun to celebrate these together! Our upcoming STEAM Family Science Night event is April 25th, we will be having a Magician, Art station, animal exhibit, musical instrument petting zoo, and more for our families at California iInspire Academy!
Communication:
Please follow us on social media and/or contact us to find out more about our programs.
- Instagram@ Californiaousd
- Facebook@ Principal Brunasso
- Twitter@ iInspire_CA
- Call: (714) 997-6104
- Website: https://www.orangeusd.org/california-iinspire-academy
Cambridge Elementary
Exciting things are happening at Cambridge Elementary, we recently partnered with Santiago Canyon College to provide ESL classes for our parents; our ESL Class for Adults began Feb 24, 2023 this class will be held every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:00am -10:00am. This class is 100% FREE for our families and community members.. Register now if you are interested, space is still available! ESL Class Provides instruction for students in various levels of beginning English proficiency. Emphasizes in speaking, listening, reading and writing English in familiar contexts. Cambridge is also planning to host a Family Math Night where parents and kids are actively engaged in fun, with creative and unique, standards-based math activities that will contribute to more powerful learning experiences. We hope to see you all here, at Cambridge we believe having healthy connections with family and friends creates a happy, successful life!
Communication
Below please find additional ways of finding out what programs will be offered on our campus.
Social Media announcements Follow us on
Facebook @Cambridge Elementary
Twitter @cambridge_elem
Instagram @cambridge_elem
School Broadcast Messages
E-mail Correspondence
Parent Surveys
Personal Phone Calls & Follow-Ups
Smore Newsletter
I will be glad to assist you with any questions you may have
“Informed Parents are Involved Parents!”
You can reach me @ (714) 997-6103
Lampson Elementary
Exciting things happening at Lampson Elementary!!
We are excited to announce the return of ESL classes for our Lampson parents and community members. ESL classes are held on campus three times a week and led by a Santiago Canyon College professor.
In addition, we partnered with an amazing resource called Shoes That Fit, which provided over 75 pairs of new shoes for our Lampson kiddos! 😊
Lastly, it is with great excitement to announce our newest partnership with Olive Crest. A parent educator from Olive Crest will provide a 7-week workshop on active parenting school-aged children. Classes begin mid-April and will be offered in English and Spanish. It is available to our Lampson families and community members at no cost.
A special shoutout to Ms. Pantoja for providing me with the necessary support as I continue to establish a positive rapport with students, families, and staff.
We hope to continue to develop a plethora of resources for our families and community.
Feel free to look over our April calendar for more exciting events. 😊
Follow us on social media and/or contact us to find out more about our programs:
- Instagram @lampsonleopards
- Facebook @LampsonElementary
- Smore Newsletter
- Email: alexa.gonzalez@orangeusd.org
- 714-997-6153 ext. 4409
Jordan Academy
A lot of things are happening at Jordan! We had Big Smiles, a mobile dental program coming to Jordan in March, 27 of our students had the opportunity to see the dentist and get some dental work done in the comfortable and familiar surroundings of their school. By bringing this program to Jordan, we keep our students in class and is easy and convenient for parents.
Early in February, we invited the parents of our English Learners students with an ELPAC score of level 3. The reason was to explain to them the importance of supporting their students when they were close to taking the ELPAC test. We were happy with the participation, 90% of the parents that we called attended, that was over thirty parents; we offered two sessions, the first one was right after school drop off and another one before school pick up. Parents had good questions like what ELPAC stands for, how often the test is taken, how can they help their student practice at home, and why might be a good reason their student has not passed the test yet. Parents were appreciative of the meeting and the time our resource teacher took to explain everything in detail.
We started our new after-school program, Running Club, this program is designed to help kids become more physically fit, promote an active and healthy lifestyle and combat the onset of childhood obesity. . . while having fun! This is accomplished through various fitness games, which help improve speed, agility, hand/eye coordination, flexibility, and your child's overall fitness. Students participating have the opportunity to attend the one-mile OC Marathon in early May.
Sycamore Elementary
Taft Elementary
During the month of March our Community Schooling focus was on two initiatives, providing students with a new pair of shoes, and getting ESL (English as a Second Language) classes back up and running. I’m proud to say that we accomplished both goals. A huge thanks to our partner Shoes That Fit for providing us with 150 pairs of shoes (and socks!) for our students, all that was left was distributing them. It was heartwarming to see the joy and happiness on each student’s face when they received their new pairs of shoes. Our amazing community liaison Maria Espitia and I made sure that each student’s shoes fit them perfectly before they took them home. Some students even asked if they could wear their new shoes to class that day, which I was more than happy to let them do. 😊
In March we sent out a survey to our parents regarding when they would be most available to attend classes on our campus. Now, we have a set schedule and start time for our ESL class which will begin on April 10th and will meet regularly on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:30 am-11:30 am. It is my hope that our parents can attend classes regularly, and ultimately gain proficiency in the English language which can help them grow in their personal and professional lives. Our principal Amy Alvarado has made it possible for all members of the community to attend ESL classes at our school, it is not necessary for them to have children attending Taft. If you know anyone interested or would like to share with members of your community, please email me for a flyer/ so we can get them registered.
Keep up with all our events on our social media pages:
· Instagram @tafttigersoud
· Facebook @TaftElementary
· Website: www.orangeusd.org/taft-elementary-school
· Smore Newsletter
· Call:(714) 997-6254
· Email: librahim@orangeusd.org
West Orange Elementary
At West Orange we have partnered with the Boys and Girls Club and Laguna Art Museum to bring Family Art Nights on campus for our families. At our first Family Art Night, Families worked on a color blending activity together and creating designs on wood ornaments by using the blending techniques. Our families had a great time and enjoyed creating art together as a family. Our next Family Art Night will be April 18th at 6:00 PM.
Our Parent Center is almost complete! Our parent center will be a space for our parents to attend workshops and trainings. We established the WO Parent Tech Corner where parents will have access to computers, printers, and digital resources/programs. Our goal is to create a space where parents and community members can build their technology skills as well as learn about the digital world. In addition, we have a resource wall, event calendar, and communication board accessible to all. We are currently working on establishing a dry food pantry in partnership with the OC Food Bank to supply dry food items to families and community members in need. Our collaboration with the OC Food Bank is new to West Orange and will bring many needed resources to our community. Furthermore, our community is thrilled about our ESL classes, American Red Cross workshops and all of the exciting trainings/events we have rolled out this year. We look forward to bringing additional workshops and resources to our families and community.
Learning Links Expansion
What do our earliest learners need? If we look at our current EDI (Early Developmental Index) data it tells us they need support in fine and gross motor development, playing and getting along with their peers, helping those in need and communication skills. Children that have a strong foundation in these areas are typically ready to start kindergarten and continue to be successful as they promote to higher grades.
Through the Community Schools Grant our district is supporting an expansion of our highly successful Learning Links program. This expansion will offer more opportunities across the district for child Birth - 4 years old and their families. The plan is to offer Learning Links at all 11 Community School Campuses.
Learning Links is a caregiver and me program offered to families with child Birth - 4 years old. An interactive experience engages adults as they stay and learn with their child. Facilitated by a credentialed preschool teacher, families can expect to play and interact with developmentally appropriate materials and activities. Each experience is designed to address the areas on the EDI that the children in our district showed the most need. For example, addressing the fine Motor need, the teacher will have several activities that are designed to build up the muscles in a child's hand. Some activities include playing with playdoh, stringing beads, placing pegs on a peg board, and opportunities to draw. Strong fine motor muscles are important when it becomes time to grip a pencil correctly, manipulate a computer mouse, tying shoes etc.
An added benefit of Learning Links is the relationships the families build between each other. Learning Links is a safe place for caregivers to share with one another about the experiences they are going through while raising young children. They can offer each other advice and support. The teacher is a knowledgeable resource for advice or referrals if a family is worried about different aspects of their child's development. The children make friends with other children their age while learning how to communicate with their peers. Learning to share and take turns with their peers will help them be successful in school.