The Santa Ana Unified School District announced that it’s partnering with Angel Stadium to host all of its commencement ceremonies for the class of 2021 at the Anaheim ballpark.
“This is part of the ongoing effort to make this experience the most memorable and inclusive for our students and families,” the district said in a news release.
Santa Ana’s graduations are set to take place in the Big A around the second week of June. More information, including the specific dates and times of each ceremony, will be released at a later date.
And here are some of the other stories we’ve been following this week:
- After a year of COVID-era restrictions on youth sports, signing day was cause for celebration for Orange County student-athletes who will be taking their talents to the collegiate level.
- With Orange County in the less-restrictive orange tier, the 16,000-student Anaheim Elementary School District became the latest OC district to resume in-person instruction, reopening its campuses on Monday, April 12.
- A case manager with Project Hope Alliance has become a lifeline for Santa Ana students whose families are struggling with housing insecurity, and she knows first-hand the challenges many of them face.
- In recognition of the Week of the Young Child, OCDE’s Early Learning team shared six simple tips for families preparing their young children for kindergarten.
- Each year around this time, OCDE and VSA Orange County team up to spotlight the artistic achievements of individuals with disabilities. The 2021 VSA Festival, which will be held virtually for the second year in a row, will reflect the theme “Be Brave, Be Kind, Be You.”
- Orange County continues to mourn the loss of Dr. John (Jack) Bedell, a longtime professor who leveraged his signature charm, wit and humor to build relationships and find consensus during his 16 years on the OC Board of Education. Bedell died April 7 at age 78.
- Orange County high schoolers are encouraged to build inclusive communities while playing popular online games during a series of upcoming gaming nights organized by the North America Scholastic Esports Federation.
- Two Orange County districts have been recognized by the state for the work of their school attendance review boards, or SARBs, which are being hailed as model programs that developed innovative strategies to support students during distance learning.
- State health officials have released updated guidance for indoor live performances and private events. Both documents break down what’s allowable in each tier of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, although the governor has said the color-coded tiers used to track county progress could be phased out as early as mid-June if certain criteria are met.
- A recent survey indicates Asian American students are far more likely to be learning remotely than members of other racial and ethnic groups, with nearly 7 in 10 still in distance learning as of February. Experts cite a number of possible explanations.
- Schools and districts across the state are employing social-emotional learning techniques and expanding their mental health services to bridge learning gaps for students who endured an array of hardships and trauma during the pandemic.
- The governor said opening schools for full-time in-person instruction in the fall was “foundational,” though he stopped short of mandating it, emphasizing the importance of local control.
- Excitement and relief were among the emotions felt by students, parents and staff as the first wave of campuses reopened in the Los Angeles Unified School District following more than a year of distance learning.
This is the part where we encourage you to keep up with local education news stories by bookmarking the OCDE Newsroom, subscribing for emailed updates and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.