With staggered start dates in August and September, districts throughout Orange County are continuing to welcome back students.
The Brea, Garden Grove, Los Alamitos, Placentia-Yorba Linda and Saddleback Valley unified school districts all reopened this week, as did the Magnolia and Westminster school districts and the Huntington Beach Union High School District.
On Tuesday, the Orange County Register dispatched a couple photographers to the North Orange County cities of Brea, Placentia and Yorba Linda to snap these classic back-to-school pictures, which pretty much capture the mixed emotions we tend to see this time of year.
Meanwhile, in preparation for the new school year, a group known as Operation Warm Wishes helped students gear-up with backpacks and school supplies during a charity event in Tustin. And, for the second year in a row, the Costco in Laguna Niguel donated new backpacks to the students of San Joaquin Elementary School in Laguna Hills.
And here are some additional education news stories from the week:
- The release of this year’s standardized test scores measuring student achievement in California has been delayed due to a data issue.
- After issuing precautionary pink slips to teachers in the spring, two large Orange County school districts reported only a small number of actual layoffs by the time their campuses reopened in August.
- OCDE is accepting applications from school districts, charter schools and county offices of education for the second round of grants tied to the California MTSS initiative.
- The graduate of a South County virtual school says she benefited from the school’s flexible schedule, which allowed her to gain valuable job experience and jump start her career.
- As lawmakers discuss legislation that would bar schools from ringing the first bell before 8:30 a.m., a new report from the RAND Corporation suggests the state economy would reap billions of dollars in benefits from later start times.
- To assist responders in an emergency situation, an Orange County construction company painted numbers on the rooftops of Villa Park High.
- After receiving an increased number of interdistrict transfer appeals, the Orange County Board of Education recently issued a letter to local school districts outlining the factors it considers when reviewing appeals.
- A student from an independent high school in Newport Beach founded a program that helps elementary and middle school students keep their minds academically engaged over the summer.
That’s what we’re hearing anyway. For more education news stories, visit news.ocde.us.