During June 23-August 30, 2014, the Santa Ana Public Library Learning Center will observe special Summer hours:
- Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
- Friday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Saturday 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Category Archives: Education
Teacher’s union taking a big interest in the 2014 SAUSD School Board election?
Valerie Amezcua
This fall’s Santa Ana School Board race is shaping up to be perhaps the most interesting local election in awhile.
Candidates for the SAUSD School Board who already announced that they are running in November include Shuntele Andrews, a retired Valley High School teacher; Cecilia Aguinaga, a community activist who serves on the OC Vector Control Board; Eric Alderete, an attorney and Planning Commissioner; and Valerie Amezcua, a Supervising Probation Officer at the Central Youth and Family Resource Center in the City of Santa Ana.
Two SAUSD School Board Trustees are up for reelection – John Palacio and Audrey Yamagata-Noji. Both have been in office far too long. I hear Yamagata-Noji may be retiring from the School Board. I have not heard that about Palacio. I suspect he will run again. He almost has to. He says he is a political consultant but who would hire him? He needs the pay and benefits he gets from the SAUSD. Continue reading
Find out how to create your legacy through writing from June 16-20
A workshop on “Creating Your Legacy Through Writing” is set for June 16-June 20, 2014, from 12 pm-2 pm at the Garfield Community Center, located at 501 N. Lacy, in Santa Ana.
This is a FREE bilingual writing workshop for seniors (ages 55+) with Sarah Rafael García, author of “Las Niñas,” with a special lunchtime reading on Friday, June 20, 2014 at 1 pm (open to the public). Continue reading
An SAUSD high school student with perfect attendance will win a new car on 6/7
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 2, 2014
Contact: Deidra Powell, Chief Communications Officer, (714) 558-5555 Office, (714) 673-4995 Mobile
Media Advisory: Saturday, June 7 Car Giveaway
One High School Student with Perfect Attendance Will Win a 2014 Chevy Sonic!
Event: One lucky Santa Ana Unified School District high school student, who has had perfect attendance all year long, will be the winner of a brand new car as part of the Perfect Attendance Car Giveaway promotion courtesy of Bruce Hamlin, Owner of Guaranty Chevrolet, located at 711 East 17th Street in Santa Ana. Every year, Hamlin hosts a celebration in the Guaranty Chevrolet showroom for nearly 800 eligible high school students. “The main reason we do this is to help the community. The more students that attend classes daily, the more educated the student becomes. Those are the people that become good citizens and therefore help the community. I feel its beholden on the businesses in each community to help keep our communities strong and safe.” said Hamlin. Continue reading
Fundraiser for Cecilia Aguinaga’s School Board campaign set for 6/5
Cecilia Aguinaga, a leading candidate for the SAUSD School Board election in November, is hosting a campaign fundraising reception on June 5, from 5 to 7 pm, at The Avocado restaurant located at 2525 N. Grand Ave., in Santa Ana.
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez and Santa Ana Councilman Vincent Sarmiento are headlining the fundraising reception. Continue reading
Santa Ana Summer Arts Camp set for June 23 to August 1
The Orange County Educational Arts Academy will be offering its second annual Summer Arts Camp from June 23-August 1. Fees are $132 per week for the full day, 9 AM-4 PM, for students entering 1st through 8th grades in Fall 2014 or $75 for a half day. Extended day option is $60 per week from 7:00 AM-9 AM and 4 PM-6 PM.
Students currently in grades K-1 will have an imagination explorer themed class full of crafts, games, treasure hunts, water fun, sports, field trips. In addition, students will get to choose from cultural dance classes in the afternoon.
Students currently in grades 2-7 may choose from photography, beginning musical theatre, stop motion animation, lego robotics, painting, sports, ceramics, culinary arts, silent film, motion picture theatre, and architecture. Continue reading
The Rancho Santiago Community College District wins a $6M CareerPathways grant
OAKLAND—Almost 40 consortia representing hundreds of thousands of students across California are the first recipients of grants under a new $250 million program designed to help students stay in school and move toward college and employment in high-demand fields, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today.
The California Career Pathways Trust was spearheaded last year by Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg, establishing a one-time $250 million competitive grant program in the state’s 2013-14 budget. Grant recipients are tasked with creating sustained career pathways programs that connect businesses, K–12 schools, and community colleges to better prepare students for the 21st century workplace. Under Torlakson, the California Department of Education (CDE) administers the program, soliciting and identifying the strongest applications based on a rigorous evaluation process carried out by the CDE and its state partners, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and the California Workforce Investment Board. Continue reading
Retired Valley High School teacher is running for the SAUSD School Board
Shuntele Andrews, a retired Santa Ana teacher, is running for the SAUSD School Board in November. She taught Social Studies and History at Valley High School in Santa Ana for 35 years. She was raised in Santa Ana since the age of 11, attending Santa Ana public schools, going on to UCI to earn her Bachelor’s and then the University of Southern California to get her Masters of Education and teaching credentials. She has received the Teacher of the Year award three times and served as the Social Science/History department chair for five years. She has also served on the Blue Ribbon commission and several hiring committees for the principals of Valley High School. Upon retirement she has continued to work for SAUSD as a substitute and CELDT tester.
According to her website:
As an educator in SAUSD, she is keenly aware of the issues facing our students in our public schools. She believes that our school district deserves a leader who will work diligently to stay in touch with the stakeholders at the ground level: Continue reading
BraveParenting workshop to be hosted by Think Together today in Santa Ana
Think Together is hosting a BraveParenting program today at 2101 East 4th St., in Santa Ana, from 9 am to 12 noon.
The workshop is designed to help you help your child find motivation, direction, and life success. Continue reading
JSerra Catholic H.S. teacher convicted of having sex with a 14-year old student
Orange County District Attorney Press Release
For Immediate Release, Case # 12HF0258: May 29, 2014
SANTA ANA – A former JSerra Catholic High School (JSerra) teacher was convicted by a jury today of engaging in unlawful sex acts with a 14-year-old girl he met at the school. Ricardo Aldana, 40, was found guilty by a jury of three felony counts of lewd acts on a child. He faces a maximum sentence of four years and four months in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration at his sentencing on July 11, 2014, at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-34, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
At the time of the crime, Aldana was a Spanish teacher and boys’ soccer coach at JSerra in San Juan Capistrano. He met 13-year-old Jane Doe while she was a student at the school. He befriended the victim and gained her trust. Continue reading
Saddleback High School’s Spring Pops Concert set for tonight at 7 pm
Saddleback High School Spring Pops Concert
Saddleback High School Spring Pops Concert is set for tonight, Wednesday, May 28th from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Saddleback High School Forum.
Come out and support Saddleback’s Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Beginning Band, and Jazz Band as they preform music from popular movies like Inception, James Bond- Sky Fall, Transformers, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Incredibles, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, and more! Continue reading
SAPD Traffic Safety Fair set for 5/31 at Pio Pico Elementary School
The Santa Ana Police Department is hosting a Traffic Safety Fair on Saturday, May 31, 2014, from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 pm at Pio Pico Elementary, located at 931 W Highland St., in Santa Ana.
Highlights of the event:
- Interactive safety stations focusing on Pedestrian Safety;
- Bicycle Helmet Giveaway & Free Bicycle Registration
- Test your bicycle skills in the Obstacle Course
- Interactive games and Informational booths
The SAUSD honors the top 100 scholars from the Class of 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 21, 2014
Contact: Josie Amador, (714) 558-5555
SAUSD Honors Top 100 Scholars from Class of 2014
Santa Ana, CA – Some of Santa Ana Unified School District’s highest performing students will be honored Thursday, May 22, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. at the District’s Annual 100 Top Scholars celebration. With acceptance letters from some of the most competitive universities in the country ranging from Stanford to MIT and Brown to UC Irvine, UCLA and UC Berkeley, this bright group of students exemplifies success through hard work and dedication despite the challenges and hardships that one may have endured along the way. “Being in the top 100 feels great; it is one of my biggest accomplishments. I have been motivated ever since I was aware that Santa Ana is a community where poverty and challenges exist. I am pursuing a college education to thrive and eventually give back to my community,” said Daisy Andres, a student at Santa Ana High School, who received a college acceptance letter from UCLA. Continue reading
MacArthur’s music students win a $5K prize package from Yamaha
On Monday, May 19 at 10 a.m., MacArthur Fundamental Intermediate School in Santa Ana will host a special assembly with Buena Park-based Yamaha Corp. of America, to celebrate the school’s recent win of a $5,000 musical instrument prize package in Yamaha’s Quest for Music Education online contest. MacArthur is one of eight schools to win the contest nationwide out of 1,600 that entered.
MacArthur is a high-achieving school despite the fact that many of its students come from underprivileged homes. Indeed, the school community marshaled an impressive degree of student, teacher and parent involvement to succeed in the Quest for Music Education contest, which awarded prizes based on the level of participation by each school.
Educators at MacArthur chose a viola, a cello and a euphonium to enhance the school’s musical offerings. (A euphonium is the second-lowest pitched brass instrument after the tuba.) The Quest for Music Education contest consisted of a series of online quests undertaken at usa.yamaha.com that covered a variety of music and education topics. Continue reading
2nd Annual Scholarship Awards & Artspiration Auction is set for 5/28
Santa Ana Unified School District and Santa Ana Public Schools Foundation to host the 2nd Annual Scholarship Awards & Artspiration Auction
The Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Education together with Santa Ana Public Schools Foundation are holding a Scholarship Awards Ceremony and Artspiration Auction featuring artistic inspirations of the students of Santa Ana Unified School District. The event will take place on Wednesday, May 28 with a silent auction at 5:00 p.m. and a ceremony of scholarship award winners at 7:00 p.m. at the Bowers Museum.
Proceeds from this event are to benefit the SAPSF Scholarship fund, music and art programs, and the Educator Make a Difference Grant programs. Continue reading