SVUSD eNewsletter
October 7, 2022
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In Episode 3 of SV Connects, join us on a visit to two unique instructional programs in SVUSD as we explore how students learn in our K-12 Virtual Academy and in Linda Vista Elementary’s International Baccalaureate program. |
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Trabuco Hills High School Student Earns Rare "Perfect" Score on AP Exam |
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Trabuco Hills High School celebrates alumnae Maya Benham for earning a perfect score on a college-level Advanced Placement® (AP®) Exam in spring 2022.
Maya was one of only 343 students in the world to earn every point possible on the AP Drawing Exam.
“Maya is a uniquely talented artist. Her work shows a creative lens that professional artists aspire to achieve. We are incredibly proud of this achievement for Maya and her family. She is an outstanding representation of the artists at Trabuco Hills High School and know she has a bright future ahead of her.” Alicia Foulk, Principal
“AP courses and exams are college-level, requiring great focus and persistence among participating students,” said Trevor Packer, head of the Advanced Placement Program. “We applaud the educators who encourage students to challenge themselves, who motivate and encourage diverse students to achieve their academic potential.”
The Advanced Placement Program is committed to ensuring that students have access to the opportunities they have earned. Students who succeed in AP are not only more likely to succeed in college, but have the chance to save a significant amount of time and money by earning college credit or placement.
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Unified Silent Dance Party |
On Friday, Sept 30th, Trabuco Hills High School hosted a Unified Silent Dance party in the football stadium with Unified students from THHS, RSM, Serrano, and Trabuco Mesa! Students danced, laughed, and sang together. It was a night to remember! |
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Rañcho Canada Eagles SOAR |
Rancho Cañada's new ticket tower was revealed at their first SOAR assembly. Due to the many positive behavior choices made by the Eagles, they already hit Level 1. Great job, Eagles!
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RSM E-Bike Safety
Meeting
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The OC Sheriff's Department visited RSM Intermediate and spoke about E-bike safety at the most recent Coffee with the Principal. Captain Kennedy, Deputy Klein, and Deputy Battle helped inform RSM's community about the essentials of E-bikes and addressed parent concerns. |
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Congratulations to Mission Viejo High School math teacher, Kelly Turner, for being selected to present her Graph of the Week concept at the 2022 NCTM conference in Los Angeles.
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SVUSD Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) October newsletter is now available. Don't forget to follow @svusdvapa on social media and visit the SVUSD VAPA website for a calendar of upcoming events.
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School News
Roll Call
October Edition
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The October 2022 Edition of the School News Roll Call magazine is now available! Read highlights from each of our schools and divisions.
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Esperanza
Resource Fair
October 26th
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Join the Esperanza team for the "Life After SVUSD, What's Next?" Resource Fair on October 26th from 5:30-7:00pm. The event will be held at the Esperanza Education Center, 25121 Pradera Drive, Mission Viejo, CA 92691. Resources will include:
- Post Secondary Institutions
- Employment Agencies
- Recreational and Leisure Services
- and many more
Questions? Reach out to Ray Bueche, Esperanza Coordinator at 949-830-5470 or beucher@svusd.org or visit the SVUSD website.
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On September 24th, eight SVUSD Unified students participated in the 12th Annual Special Olympics Southern California Plane Pull event at the Long Beach Airport. There were 65 teams that entered the 2022 12th Annual Plane Pull event to raise money for Special Olympics Southern California. SVUSD's eight Unified students from THHS, MVHS, ETHS, and Esperanza Education Center joined forces with Unified students from Warren HS in Downey Unified and Montgomery HS in Sweetwater Unified HS District. Together they made up the 25 member team, Team Unified.
Team Unified tied for FIRST place with Team UPS for the title of 2022 Special Olympics Southern California Plane Pull Champions, pulling a 124,000 lbs. aircraft 12 ft. in 5.4 seconds!
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Paqui One-Chip Challenge |
Schools across the United States are beginning to see an alarming trend of students participating in the “Paqui One Chip Challenge.” The single chip, which comes individually wrapped in a coffin-shaped box, contains Carolina Reaper Pepper and Scorpion Pepper. Ingesting the chip may lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and burning sensation in the mouth and esophagus. Consuming the chip has resulted in an adverse reaction in some people, resulting in a trip to the Emergency Room.
Be aware that the chip is sold in many local businesses, therefore possibly accessible to your student. The warning listed on the packaging states, “Do not eat if you are sensitive to spicy foods, allergic to peppers, nightshades or capsaicin, or are pregnant or have any medical conditions. Keep out of reach of children.”
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Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Meeting
November 16, 2022
5:00 pm
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Please don't miss our next Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 5:00pm. Parent Education will be provided directly after the meeting. We will have a representative from Regional Center sharing all that Regional Center offers, so please bring your questions. IMPORTANT INFO - The meeting location has moved to the Laguna Hills High School campus library. We have found a more centralized meeting location for both SVUSD and LBUSD parents. Complete details can be found on the South Orange County SELPA webpage, under the "Community Advisory Committee Meetings" accordion. You will also find additional information about viewing the meeting via Zoom in the same location.
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 attend any CAC meeting, as well as, joining the CAC as members. We look forward to seeing you on November 16th at 5:00 pm.
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Menstrual Equity Act
Assembly Bill 367, the Menstrual Equity Act, was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 8, 2021 and will require free menstrual products in all California public schools and colleges during the 2022-2023 school year.
In accordance with Education Code 35292.6, Saddleback Valley Unified School District will ensure the required school restrooms will be adequately stocked. If you have questions, please reach out to your school administrator.
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Join Lomarena Elementary students as they connect with each other and answer their Question of the Day and take a peek at Club Rush at El Toro High School where there is a service, academic, or fun club for every student! |
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PBIS State Recognition Awards |
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Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, or PBIS, is an evidence based, proactive approach to teaching and reinforcing positive behaviors at schools, thus creating social emotionally competent students, reducing bullying behaviors on our school campuses, decreasing rates of student reported drug and alcohol abuse and increasing academic performance. The California PBIS Coalition put forth rigorous standards to school sites to achieve state recognition for their implemented practices. This achievement recognizes school sites for creating a safe, positive, consistent, and predictable system for behavioral supports. Only 1,370 of the over 10,000 school sites in California achieved recognition from the state and 19 of those schools are right here in Saddleback Valley Unified School District this year. |
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Gold Recognition:
Melinda Heights Elementary
Los Alisos Elementary
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Bronze Recognition:
Gates Elementary
La Madera Elementary
Montevideo Elementary
Portola Hills Elementary
Santiago Elementary
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Silver Recognition:
Del Cerro Elementary
Foothill Ranch Elementary
Glen Yermo Elementary
Lake Forest Elementary
Lomarena Elementary
San Joaquin Elementary
Trabuco Elementary
Trabuco Mesa Elementary
La Paz Intermediate
RSM Intermediate
Serrano Intermediate
Silverado High School
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Trabuco Hills HS National Merit Semifinalists |
The 2021 PSAT/NMSQT served as an initial screen of the entrants to the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program. Semifinalists are the highest scorers in each of the 50 states and represent less than 1% of each state’s high school seniors. A list of semifinalists by high school is sent to four-year U.S. colleges and universities. Our semifinalists and their counselors are working hard to complete their National Merit Scholarship applications in order to be considered as finalists. We have high hopes that both Claire Stuvland and Harika Amineni (*not pictured) will advance to Finalist status. Congratulations to our students. |
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El Toro High School Principal in the News |
With her interest piqued by the September 16, 2022 OC Register article featuring Dr. Jimmy Martin following in his father’s footsteps as Principal of El Toro High School, NBC Universal’s reporter Vikki Vargas did a follow-up story. Ms. Vargas interviewed Dr. Martin and two current ETHS teachers that were actually hired by his father, “Doc” Martin. Coincidentally, both were also instructors of Dr. Martin in his younger days - Mark Flippin was his football coach and Monalee Vail was his 8th grade algebra teacher.
Click here to watch the interview.
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CASC Symposium for Student Board Members |
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On Monday, September 12, 2022, Student Board Member Kaitlyn Heinecke (LHHS) and Student Board Representative Bartev Stepanian (ETHS) attended the CASC (California Association of Student Councils) Symposium for Student Board Members at OCDE (Orange County Department of Education) directed by Student Board Representative Irene Kim (MVHS).
Students learned about the Roles and Responsibilities of Student Board Members, Challenges Faced by Student Board Members, Presentation Skills, Education Policy, Student Rights, and other essential information. They also had an opportunity to learn from SVUSD Trustee Barbara Schulman regarding the importance of their roles during a formal question and answer period, as well as an informal lunch conversation.
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Lomarena Celebrates Community Heroes |
On September 12th, Lomarena celebrated the heroes in our community! All First Responders, Active Military, Veterans, and their families were invited to join the school for a breakfast sponsored by Lomarena's lovely PTA and to enjoy patriotic presentations the students prepared for their heroes. Students got to see PRIDE in action through the work of adults in our community who show Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Diligence, and Empathy in their vocations.
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Fall Family Lunch Returns to Montevideo |
Family Lunch is back at Montevideo! Montevideo families joined students for lunch and lunch recess for their Fall Family Picnic, sponsored by the Montevideo PTA. They weren’t completely surprised when they needed to make more sign-in sheets and Visitor stickers for those coming on campus. Families and friends had a wonderful time eating their lunches and playing at lunch recess. What a joy to be all together! |
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Students in the Preschool Connection are off to a great start to the new school year! This month, students in Ms. Rebecca's class practiced blowing bubbles, which helps develop oral motor skills as well as visual tracking and hand eye coordination skills! Interested in enrolling your child? Space is available at select locations! |
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The Learning Connection (TLC) |
TLC's before and after school program is hiring! Lead the coolest kids in town in a fun and exciting after school experience at a campus near you! No weekends, no nights, paid holidays, and paid vacation time! Plus, ask us about making your own schedule and working as little or as much as YOU want. Join our team and get paid to play! For questions, email David Blake at david.blake@svusd.org.
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Welcome New Administrators |
Cathy Rodriguez
Assistant Principal,
Gates Elementary School
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Ashley Stift
Assistant Principal,
El Toro High School
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This year the PSAT exam will be held on Saturday, October 15, 2022, at each of our four comprehensive high schools. Limited tests are available to purchase. Contact your school's student store or guidance department for more information. If you need assistance with paying for the exam, please see your counselor.
To learn more about the PSAT, please click here.
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SVUSD is currently hiring Instructional Assistants. Elementary, Intermediate and High School level positions available. |
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All year long, we post happenings from throughout SVUSD on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. We share content from all of our school sites, so you don’t want to miss out. New for this school year is our weekly Mascot Monday trivia quiz, which is found only on SVUSD social accounts, so follow us today!
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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
Amanda Morrell
Vice President
Barbara Schulman
Clerk
Dr. Edward Wong
Members
Suzie R. Swartz
Greg Kunath
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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