Superintendent's Message
Dear BOUSD Community,
It is with great pleasure that I have the honor of welcoming all our families to the 2022-2023 school year! I hope you found time to relax and connect with family and friends over a well deserved summer break! Brea Olinda Unified School District is looking forward to our partnership to ensure our children reach the highest level of success possible, as we focus on three essential goals this year: academics, social and emotional wellness, and safety.
Academically, our vision is to provide unlimited possibilities that ignite the educational imagination of all learners to thrive in our ever-changing world. We do this by enlisting highly-skilled teachers and staff in programs that include dual language immersion programming, computer science immersion programming, and a hands-on approach to learning through our Career Exploration and STEAM programs. Not to mention, a multitude of extracurricular activities and child development programs that focus on whole-child learning.
As we enter this year, BOUSD is increasing its emphasis on the social-emotional and mental health of our students and staff. In support of a safe and healthy learning environment, we added psychologists, marriage family therapists and intervention specialists to compliment our counseling staff. We also partnered with Project Kinship and Care Solace to provide an extra layer of care for our community and staff. Wellness will continue to be an integral part of the educational experience for our students this year because student engagement and connectedness is a key component of their academic success.
Safety is also a top priority for the District. Our students and staff participate in required safety training in schools every year. It is only through practicing lockdowns, fire drills, duck-and-cover and shelter-in-place procedures, and other scenarios that students and staff can be prepared for an emergency. Additionally, our safety committee meets regularly, we manage an extremely collaborative relationship with law enforcement officials who are an extension of our operations and we are continually evaluating safety protocols across every level. The Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center (OCIAC) will also be a resource partner for our schools as they conduct additional safety assessments with recommendations for all of our campuses. We have a school resource officer who is available in our schools every day. Further, it is important to recognize that everyone plays a critical role in school safety. Students, staff and the community are encouraged to be observant and let an adult know if they see or hear something that makes them feel uncomfortable, nervous or frightened, and especially if they hear threats of dangerous behavior. This can be done in-person, or through our Text-A-Tip program (See Something, Say Something). If you ever have any doubt, contact law enforcement immediately.
Thank you for trusting the education of your students to our dynamic district. We look forward to greeting our students in the classrooms on Monday, August 15 as we begin another amazing school year.
Sincerely,
Brinda C. Leon
Superintendent