Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Education

Dysfunctional administration affecting student health services at Santa Ana College

Posted on by Posted in Education, Health and Medical, Raúl Rodríguez, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Do you remember when Raul Rodriguez, chancellor of the Rancho Santiago Community College District, called the Coast Community College District’s trustees “dysfunctional” and he alleged that they had displayed “passive aggressive racism” when they fired their Chancellor Andrew Jones, an African-American? (Source – O.C. Register)

Turns out the CCCD Trustees had many good reasons to fire Jones – he simply wasn’t very good at his job. And if they were racists why would they have hired him in the first place? (Source – O.C. Register)

Now the political correctness chickens are coming home to roost for Rodriguez. Continue reading→

A Santa Ana H.S. teacher reportedly marked students absent after the anti-gun walkout

Posted on by Posted in Education, Guns, Santa Ana, SAUSD 7 Comments

One of our readers sent us a note today via Facebook alleging that Mr. Joe Penaflor, the boys soccer coach at Santa Ana High School, had marked all his students who participated in the anti-gun violence march on Wednesday absent from his class!

Our reader thought this was crazy because the SAUSD participated in the walk-out. She wondered why the SAUSD made phone calls to the parents letting them know about the pending walk-out. And why they did not advise that students would get marked absent for participating in the walk-out. Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s Vista Heritage Charter Middle School received a $20K computer science grant

Posted on by Posted in Education, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Vista Heritage Charter Middle School Receives $20,000 Grant to Implement Innovative Computer Science Curriculum by Project Lead The Way

Santa Ana, CA – Students at Vista Heritage Charter Middle School will soon have access to computer science courses that will give them an advantage in their education and future careers. The opportunity is made possible through a partnership between the Verizon Foundation and Project Lead The Way (PLTW), a nonprofit organization that provides transformative learning experiences for K-12 students and teachers through K-12 pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science. Vista Heritage Charter Middle School joins more than 10,500 schools across the U.S. in offering PLTW programs to students. Continue reading→

Valley High School was locked down this morning while the SAPD searched for a car theft suspect

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Education, Santa Ana, SAPD, SAUSD Leave a comment

Valley High School was locked down briefly this morning while the SAPD pursued three suspects who fled from the police, according to the O.C. Register.

The suspects were in a stolen car. Two of them were arrested as they tried to flee but a third suspect got away, according to the SAPD. Continue reading→

The Santa Ana City Council majority is trying to sneak through a major change to our local elections

Posted on by Posted in 2018 elections, Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Education, Jose Solorio, Juan Villegas, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento 2 Comments

The Santa Ana City Council majority is up to their old tricks again. This time they are trying to sneak through major changes to our local elections ordinance without much input from the public.

They are going to consider, at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, placing a ballot measure on the June Primary Election ballot that will change our City Council elections to district-specific elections instead of the current at-large model. Continue reading→

The SAUSD celebrates five nominees for prestigious Congressional U.S. military academies

Posted on by Posted in Education, Lou Correa, Military, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

March 2, 2018 – The Santa Ana Unified School District is celebrating a precedent in the District where five current and former students have been nominated to the prestigious Congressional U.S. Academies. “This speaks to the caliber of students that we have in this District. This prestigious nomination ultimately affirms the student’s impressive achievements, such as remarkable leadership abilities, scholastic aptitude, and extracurricular talents,” said Valerie Amezcua, President of the Santa Ana Unified School District. Continue reading→

Free summer kids’ opportunities Jamboree event at the Discovery Cube this Saturday

Posted on by Posted in Education, Entertainment, Family, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

JAMBOREE AT THE CUBE

Parenting OC returns to the O.C. Discovery Cube for its 12th Anniversary Edition of their FREE Kids’ Summer Opportunities Jamboree event on March 3, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.. This is an all ages free family event!

This year, Jamboree will have special guests, along with games and many new exhibitors featuring family travel destination spots, summer camps, and school information. Continue reading→

UCI Jumpstart’s Literacy Fair coming to Santa Ana’s Heritage Museum on March 3

Posted on by Posted in Education, irvine, Literacy, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

UC IRVINE’S JUMPSTART LITERACY FAIR TO BRING BOOKS TO LIFE TO ENCOURAGE

EARLY CHILDHOOD READING ON SATURDAY, MARCH 3 AT HERITAGE MUSEUM IN SANTA ANA

The program works with early childhood educators to reduce achievement gaps for children in underserved communities

Families from across Orange County are expected to attend UC Irvine’s Jumpstart’s free annual Spring Literacy event on Saturday, March 3, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Heritage Museum of Orange County at 3101 W. Harvard St., in Santa Ana. The exciting event supports the development of literacy through STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) activities, readings from children’s authors, activities such as making your own balloon rocket car, science experiments, and other STEAM related activities to encourage an interest in reading among preschool age children.

Jumpstart will give more than 1,000 free books to children who attend the event. Nurses from Santa Ana Unified School District will be present as well to provide free basic health screenings for children. Children’s author Annie Banannie, who brings stories to life with her unique balloon storytelling, will also be at the event. Continue reading→

Kiddie Academy now open and enrolling in Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in Education, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Kiddie Academy® Expanding Footprint in Orange County

Kiddie Academy®, the leading provider of comprehensive education-based child care programs, is expanding its footprint in Orange County with its newest location in Santa Ana.

“We are so thrilled that we are growing to provide our unique services to more children in Orange County,” said Joseph Haikal, owner of the Kiddie Academy® coming to Santa Ana in fall 2018. Haikal already owns well-established academies in Tustin, Irvine and Huntington Beach. “This is a really exciting time for us and we look forward to introducing our well-trained, attentive staff to local area parents and their children. In the near future, we look forward to assisting local children in developing the confidence and self-esteem necessary they need to meet the challenges of tomorrow.” Continue reading→

The OC School of the Arts was locked down today due to a nearby fatal shooting

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Crime, Education, Santa Ana, SAPD Leave a comment

An unidentified man was shot multiple times in the chest this morning, Feb. 23,  in an alley at 15th Street, which compelled officials at Orange County School of the Arts, a few blocks away, to lock down their school until 12:30 p.m., according to the O.C. Register.

The victim was shot when he was between Broadway and Durant Street and then he ran to 15th and Broadway, where he collapsed, according to the SAPD. Continue reading→

Santa Ana teens completing the Ambassadors of Compassion Leadership Program

Posted on by Posted in Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Red Carpet Kickoff for 16-Week Student Mentoring Program

Santa Ana Teens Completing Ambassadors of Compassion Unique Leadership Program

Santa Ana, California, February 14, 2018 – There is a new movement of youth under way in Santa Ana that will change the city. Local media outlets can witness this change and cheer for our students at the upcoming red-carpet event along with celebrities, city and civic leaders, the local business community, educators and parents.

We invite you to help honor over 1,000 Santa Ana students who have lifted up their city through their labor service projects and completed the 16-week measured transformational journey thru the Ambassadors of Compassion RISE & LIFE Leadership Development Programs that lead to higher grades and graduation rates. Continue reading→

A Good Samaritan stopped an allegedly homeless woman from kidnapping a Lathrop student this morning

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Education, Santa Ana, SAPD, SAUSD Leave a comment

Amy Martinez, a 12-year-old girl, was walking to Lathrop Intermediate School this morning when an apparently deranged 34-year-old homeless woman, Claudia Cruz Hernandez, aka Claudia Hernandez Diaz, put her in what Martinez referred to as a bear hug and started walking away with her, according to KTLA.

Martinez bravely screamed for help – and Hernandez responded in Spanish by admonishing the little girl not to cry. Continue reading→

The SAUSD is using videos to train teachers and staff on how to handle a school shooting

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

SAUSD Has Variety of Safety Plans and Training to Ensure Campuses are Safe

(February 21, 2018) – The Santa Ana Unified School District community sends its heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the families, students, teachers, and staff, who have been impacted by the senseless tragedy in Broward County, Florida that resulted in the death of 17 innocent people and several other injuries. Continue reading→

Santa Ana Valley High School CyberPatriot Team advances to semifinals

Posted on by Posted in Education, Military, Politics, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

News Release: Santa Ana Valley High School CyberPatriot Team Advances to Semifinals

(February 13, 2018) – A team of students from Santa Ana Valley High School is headed to the Semifinals of CyberPatriot – the Air Force Association’s (AFA) National Youth Cyber Defense Competition.

Established by AFA in 2009, the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Education Program is designed to excite, educate, and motivate students toward careers in cybersecurity and other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation’s future. Continue reading→

SAUSD School Accountability Report Cards now available online

Posted on by Posted in Education, Santa Ana Leave a comment

UPDATED SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT CARDS AVAILABLE ONLINE

The SAUSD this week has uploaded new School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs) to the District website.

SARCs are available on the District’s public and internal webpages, along with their translations in Spanish and Vietnamese (as determined by schools’ language demographics). Continue reading→