New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: john muir fundamental elementary

RIP John Muir Fundamental Elementary GATE teacher Deanna Rodriguez

Posted on August 8, 2014 by Editor Posted in Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD 1 Comment

Deanna Rodriguez and Jacob Pedroza

The John Muir Fundamental Elementary School student body and their parents were shocked this week to hear that popular fifth grade GATE teacher Deanna Rodriguez had suddenly passed away. Reportedly she had a fatal heart attack while undergoing an angioplasty procedure.

Rodriguez taught three of my children, including my son Joey who graduated with the highest GPA in the SAUSD – and who is now finishing his final year at UCLA with degrees in English and Film, and my son Jacob who received a Presidential Award this year as he finished his time at Muir and is now headed for Columbus Tustin Magnet School. Joey earned a Presidential Award too, with Rodriguez’ help! Continue reading→

Rethinking Think Together

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD 15 Comments

Randy Barth, the Think Together CEO, pictured on the right

The Santa Ana Unified School District’s best public schools are those that operate as “fundamental schools.” The parents of kids at these schools promise to be involved with their kids and to make sure they study and do their homework. The kids have a strict dress code and they typically perform better than kids at other SAUSD schools – most of which are not doing well and in fact have not done well for some time. Only 13 out of 56 SAUSD schools have met the state’s API minimum in the past year.

There are a few negatives with regard to fundamental schools. They don’t bus kids in or out. And they don’t offer much in the way of after school care. That is a problem since these typically are not neighborhood schools so kids cannot really be expected to walk home after school.

There is a non-profit called Think Together that operates after school programs at several SAUSD schools. The YMCA used to offer similar programs but I don’t think they are active at many if any Santa Ana schools now. My wife says they were very expensive. Continue reading→

Santa Ana neighborhoods oppose development of the city’s last orange grove

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Development, Entertainment, Neighborhood Associations, Planning, Santa Ana 18 Comments

A developer is proposing to build 24 homes on the 5 acre Sexlinger property on Santa Clara, which is the last Orange Grove left in Santa Ana, and the surrounding neighbors are concerned about the impact of the project on the whole area.

This property was settled in 1914, when a family known as the Sexlingers built a little cottage amid the oranges, apricots and walnuts, according to the O.C. Register. They hung on to their orange grove even as all the land around them was developed into homes, except for Portola Park.

There is going to be a joint Neighborhood Association meeting at John Muir Fundamental Elementary on Thursday, March 17 at 7pm. It will include the Portola Park and Merrideth Parkwood Neighborhood Associations. They usually have joint meetings. These two associations encompass Grand to Tustin andSanta Clara to 17th.

The Park Santiago and Young Square Neighborhood Associations have also been invited to this meeting.

The development company, Tava, is on the agenda, as is Nick Spain. According to Spain, there is still time to kill this project.

Once the environmental impact report is published (late March/early April), the public will have 30-45 days for review and make comments. There is still at least one if not two meetings with the City Planning Commission. He thinks that the earliest that the City City Council would meet to approve the plan would be in late summer/early fall.