OCDE Education in the News

Monday, December 11, 2017

OCDE NEWSROOM

Orange Unified School District appoints interim superintendent to stay in role permanently

The Orange Unified School District this week appointed Gunn Marie Hansen as the district’s new superintendent. Hansen has been the interim superintendent since September, after Michael Christensen retired.

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/08/orange-unified-school-district-reviews-superintendent-candidates/

Santa Ana Unified records suicide prevention video

Santa Ana Unified School District staff and leaders recorded a suicide prevention video on Dec. 6 to kick off the district’s “We Care” campaign. The video will be released in January with the intent of encouraging students struggling with sadness, depression and other issues to seek professional help.

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/08/santa-ana-unified-records-suicide-prevention-video/

King & Queen of Hearts school fundraiser starts Dec. 14

The Los Alamitos Education Foundation will launch its fifth annual King & Queen of Hearts fundraiser with the announcement of its Royal Court on Thursday, Dec. 14. With candidates from throughout the district, three men and three women will vie for the title of King and Queen through Saturday, Feb. 24, when the man and woman who raise the most for LAEF will be crowned at a gala.

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/08/king-queen-of-hearts-school-fundraiser-starts-dec-14/

Sheriff deputy assigned to Yorba Linda schools to spread anti-drug, anti-violence message

A deputy sheriff is scheduled to begin work this week in Yorba Linda’s public and private schools in a program to provide drug and violence diversion education to fifth- through 12th-grade students. The deputy’s assignment will supplement the existing School Resource Officer program, assist in homeless liaison efforts and be available for operations conducted by the North Orange County Public Safety Task Force.

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/07/drummond-sheriff-deputy-assigned-to-yorba-linda-schools-to-spread-anti-drug-anti-violence-message/

Investigators attempting to determine source of shooting threat at Aliso Niguel High School

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department increased its presence at Aliso Niguel High School on Friday, Dec. 8, in the wake of an anonymous threat of a planned shooting on campus. However, investigators had not uncovered evidence to suggest the threat was credible or imminent, said Ryan Burris , a spokesman for the Capistrano Unified School District.

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/08/investigators-attempting-to-determine-source-of-shooting-threat-at-aliso-niguel-high-school/

LOS ANGELES TIMES

DAILY PILOT

‘Freedom Writers’ teacher urges Back Bay High students to ‘never suffer in silence’

Before Erin Gruwell could even begin sharing her life story Friday at Back Bay High School, students hugged her as they walked into the campus auditorium in Costa Mesa. The UC Irvine alumna shared how she initially envisioned becoming a lawyer before she landed her first job as a teacher at Wilson High School in Long Beach in 1994. She later turned the experience into a book, which was adapted into the movie “Freedom Writers” in 2007.

http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-erin-gruwell-20171208-story.html

DAILY PILOT

Corona del Mar Middle School students pay a holiday visit to veterans in Long Beach

Corona del Mar Middle School students and parents brought some holiday cheer Thursday to veterans at the VA Long Beach Healthcare System hospital. About 170 parents and seventh- and eighth-graders presented a brunch and a variety show that included 25 skits. Veterans also received gift bags filled with hats, socks, toiletries and handwritten letters of appreciation from students.

http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-cdm-va-20171208-story.html

Schools are closed amid firestorms, but campus kitchens stay open

When L.A. Unified closed 265 schools because of area fires, meals were sacrificed as well as academics. About 80% of district students are from low-income families, and many depend on schools for breakfast, lunch and — in some cases — dinner. The nation’s second-largest school system responded by designating three San Fernando Valley schools as areas where students and area families could pick up food Friday and Saturday.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-edu-meals-for-closed-schools-20171209-story.html

PRESS-ENTERPRISE

Two seniors at Rancho Cucamonga High create ‘I Am Project’ to celebrate diversity

Two seniors at Rancho Cucamonga High School created a project to celebrate diversity during the school’s Week of Kindness this week. The “I Am Project” was posted on campus and featured more than a hundred portraits of students and staff with a word that they proudly identify as, whether it is ethnicity, religion, gender or something else. The students, JC Lagarde and Irene Kim, said they did this to send the message that although we are all different, at the end of the day we are human.

http://www.pe.com/2017/12/08/two-seniors-at-rancho-cucamonga-high-create-i-am-project-to-celebrate-diversity/

EDSOURCE

How one California school district is leading the way on new science standards

As schools nationwide take on the most comprehensive overhaul of science standards in 20 years, a school district in a quiet suburb of Los Angeles has become a pacesetter. Without relying on outside funding, or major grant money, Torrance Unified has trained more than 500 teachers and has unveiled the new standards to all 24,000 students in the district.

https://edsource.org/2017/how-one-district-came-to-lead-the-way-in-the-new-science-standards/591432

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