The world could use some extra kindness right now, and students across Orange County are working to deliver it. As we mentioned earlier this week, students and staff are participating in the Great Kindness Challenge, which is a national program dedicated to recording as many acts of kindness as possible in a single week.
As you may know, we at OCDE are very passionate about kindness, so we thought we’d end the week by rounding up a few of the random acts of kindness we’ve seen on social media from schools across the county.
You can also check out this article from the Orange County Register that highlights kindness initiatives at Thurston Middle School in the Laguna Beach Unified School District.
And here are some of the other education stories we are following this week.
- The College Board announced big changes to the format and delivery of the SAT for high school students. Changes, which are set to take effect in 2024, include a shorter, digital test that students can take on a personal or school-issued device.
- La Habra City School District superintendent Dr. Joanne Culverhouse has announced her decision to retire at the end of the school year after 41 years in education.
- In related news, Dr. Carol Hansen announced she is retiring after serving seven years as superintendent of the Ocean View School District.
- The Anaheim Elementary School District announced this week that it’s extended the school day to nine hours at each of its 24 campuses to boost student support and enrichment.
- Dates have been announced for the fifth annual California MTSS Professional Learning Institute. The conference is set to take place from Tuesday, July 12 through Thursday, July 14, in-person, at the Anaheim Convention Center.
- The South Orange County Community College District is extending remote learning for another two weeks, with classes to resume in person on Feb. 21.
- A number of Orange County schools are participating in the Great Kindness Challenge, which is a national program dedicated to recording as many acts of kindness as possible in a single week.
- A California senator this week proposed a new bill to add COVID-19 vaccines to California’s list of required vaccines for attending K-12 schools, a mandate that could take effect as early as this fall.
- The Los Angeles Unified School District will now require students to wear “well-fitting, non-cloth masks with a nose wire” both indoors and outdoors. Employees will have to wear surgical grade masks or higher.
- After shutting down the last two meetings over face mask disputes, the president of the Placentia-Yorba Linda School Board has called for a special session next week requesting the board go back to holding virtual meetings.
- While nearly all students have faced mental health challenges during the pandemic, rates of depression and anxiety are higher among Black students, according to the California Department of Public Health.
- And finally, elected members of the Orange County Board of Education are requesting a judge to intervene in a dispute they are having with the County Committee on School District Organization regarding new voting maps, reports the Orange County Register.
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.