Saddleback Valley Unified School District
Community Newsletter
November 17, 2017
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Happy Thanksgiving
School Events
THHS Recognized for Unified Sports
& Best Buddies Programs
THHS staff present at CA state SELPA meeting
THHS teacher, Kara Johnson, and Assistant Principal Amanda Bentley share inclusive opportunities available at THHS at the CA state SELPA conference.
THHS teacher, Kara Johnson, Assistant Principal Amanda Bentley and student leaders, Johoneel Hernandez and Samantha Taylor travel to San Diego, CA to speak at the CA State SELPA conference.
As a Special Olympics Unified Champion School and the first school in Southern California to offer Unified Physical Education (PE), staff from Trabuco Hills High School were honored to present to the Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) Administrators of California at a conference in San Diego, CA on November 2, 2017. The conference included 130 SELPA Directors from throughout the State.

Unified PE is a class that consists of 50 percent special needs athletes and 50 percent general education students both working together in the class for PE credit.

THHS teacher, Kara Johnson, Assistant Principal Amanda Bentley, and student leaders from the THHS Unified Sports and Best Buddies programs shared the inclusive opportunities that are available to all students at THHS and their efforts to bring the same opportunities to more schools in and outside of SVUSD. THHS was selected as a Unified Champion School based on their whole school engagement, inclusive sports, and inclusive youth leadership.

Congratulations THHS and
THHS teacher, Kara Johnson for representing all students!
Glen Yermo Students Celebrate
Healthy and Drug Free Lifestyles
Real Superheroes Don't Do Drugs
SVUSD students participated in Red Ribbon week during the week of Oct 23-31, 2017. Red Ribbon Week is designed as a community awareness event to recognize the belief that one person can make a difference in the struggle against drugs.

At Glen Yermo Elementary, students celebrated Red Ribbon week like "Superheroes". The students pledged to stay safe and practice healthy lifestyle habits.

Red Ribbon Week traditionally marks the beginning of the "Four Seasons of Prevention," a year-round focus on prevention. 
ETHS Students Build Upon a Dream
Ashley Fundingsland and Dani Azua pose for a picture during the El Toro Exchange/KindNest event.
ETHS students "shop" at the El Toro Exchange/KindNest store.
ETHS Administrator Dan Bode tried on a tie from the El Toro Exchange/KindNest store.
Exchange/KindNest Foundation
What started as a student's dream to help others has become an international community support project. Morgan Fundingsland, history teacher at El Toro High School, along with her daughter, Ashely Fundingsland, founded the El Toro Exchange Club in 2013 with a goal of providing clean, appropriate, recycled clothing to the students of El Toro. 

The El Toro Exchange Club has become a successful recycled clothing program that helps El Toro High School students and community members “dress their best.” 
 
Once a month, students are invited to “shop” for free at the El Toro Exchange / KindNest Foundation “store” and take home the clothes they want or need to wear. 

"The core focus of this club is helping our own. We wanted to begin something that was just for us. Now we are expanding internationally,” Morgan said. 

"This club actually saved me; it gave me hope after losing everything we had in a fire. This club is very dear to me and that is why I am involved today,” said Dani Azua, current president of the club. “I have continued what Ashley passed on to me and am dedicated to making it grow.”

What isn’t "purchased"  by El Toro students is donated to the Village of Hope, Vietnam Veterans of America, those in Lake Forest who have been displaced by hardship, and non-profit organizations serving the needy in Africa and Mexico. 

If you would like to donate, please bring your clean, recyclable clothes to the front office at El Toro High School. 
Students Recognized at
SVUSD National Letter of Intent
Signing Day
Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo and Trabuco Hills high schools honored their student athletes for signing National Letters of Intent on the early signing day, November 8, 2017. More student athletes will sign letters of intent in April 2018.

The following student athletes have committed early to the following colleges and universities:
Maddie Allen (LHHS) - Humboldt State University - Softball

Drew Baltruweit (MVHS) - California State University, Northridge - Baseball

Megan Casper (LHHS) - University of California, Riverside - Softball

Kevin Champlin (MVHS) - Wheaton College - Baseball

Jacqueline Crowe  (LHHS) - Humboldt State University - Softball

Brendan Guy (MVHS) - University of Utah - Baseball

Matt Hales (LHHS) - Cornell University - Swim

Wetzel Hill (THHS) - Concordia University, Nebraska - Wrestling

Serena Hodson (THHS) - San Diego State University - Volleyball

Alex Jemal (MVHS) - Oregon State - Baseball

Jason Kauo (THHS) - Colorado Mesa University - Lacrosse

Will Levine (MVHS) - Arizona State University - Baseball

Bryan Llopis (THHS) - California State University, East Bay - Cross Country/Track

Erika Morris (LHHS) - Concordia University Irvine- Softball

Maile Powell (LHHS) - University of Hawaii at Hilo - Volleyball

Natalie Regalado (THHS) - San Diego State University - Cross County/Track

Teah Thies (LHHS) - University of California, Santa Barbara - Softball

Taylor Ward (LHHS) - Presbyterian College - Softball

Ellie Whitney (THHS) - University of San Diego - Swimming

 Laguna Hills High Student/Athletes
  Mission Viejo Student/Athletes
Trabuco Hills High Student/Athletes
Picture of MVHS logo
Community Programs Helping SVUSD
Assistance League of Saddleback Valley
The Assistance League of Saddleback Valley has announced "Links to Learning" grants to SVUSD educators and students to support innovative programs. The Links to Learning program awards funds to intermediate and high school teachers allowing them to purchase additional tools to enrich classroom learning as well as expand the existing curriculum with new innovative approaches.

This year Links to Learning will award 32 SVUSD teachers a total of $24,995.73 in small grants to assist educators with a wide range of classroom projects. The winning principals and teachers will be notified in the next few days.

In addition to the Links to Learning grant program, the Assistance League will be providing clothes to 1500 students through their " Operation School Bell" program. Operation School Bell is a program that benefits disadvantaged students in elementary through high school.

SVUSD is honored to partner with Assistance League to enhance the lives of students in our schools.

District Facilities Master Plan
Saddleback Valley Unified School District recognizes that when it comes to educating our children, facilities matter. It is for this reason that a facilities master planning effort is underway to identify the improvements needed to provide our students with the best education possible. Your participation is crucial to delivering a facilities master plan that reflects the needs in our schools. Please take a few minutes to watch the introduction video and take the survey to provide your input (a link to both is provided below).   
  

In addition, Facilities Master Plan Community Outreach Meetings have been scheduled on the following dates and times:

6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m., November 28, El Toro HS, MPR
6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m., December 13, Trabuco Hills HS, MPR
Upcoming Events
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November 20-22      No School
November 23-24      Thanksgiving Holiday (No School)
November 27-30     Elementary Parent Conference Days
December 1 & 4       Elementary Parent Conference Days
SVUSD District Information
Superintendent
Dr. Crystal Turner

Board of Trustees

President
Dolores Winchell

Vice President
Dennis Walsh

Clerk
Amanda Morrell

Members
Suzie R. Swartz
Dr. Edward Wong

Student Member
Daniel Choi