AUSD CONNECTION

Dear AUSD Community,

The 2025–2026 school year is off to a smooth and positive start, and I am grateful to our students, families, and staff for the enthusiasm and care they bring to our campuses each day. We are only 14 days into the new school year, and I can already tell it’s going to be a great year.

Earlier this week, the Board of Education recognized Mr. Kenneth Tang for his five years of service as a Board Member and celebrated his new role on the California Teachers Association Board of Directors. We are grateful for his dedication to our district and community, and we wish him well in his new leadership role on the California Teachers Association Board of Directors.

We also had the joy of swearing in Keiko Rakin, who is returning as our Student Board Member for a second term and Angelina Yip, who will serve as our Student Board Member alternate. Both student leaders are starting their third year on our Student Advisory Council (SAC), and will serve its chair and vice chair. The 12 members of SAC will represent students’ voices and will provide invaluable student perspectives to the district leadership team.

As we celebrate these milestones and the excitement of the start of another school year, we also pause to reflect on the tragic school shooting that occurred this week in Minneapolis. Our hearts are with the families and communities impacted by Wednesday’s devastating event. Moments like this remind us of the importance of the safety measures we practice in AUSD. Throughout the year, our schools hold safety and emergency drills so our students and staff are prepared and reassured should the unthinkable happen on one of our campuses. Practicing our emergency protocols helps ensure our campuses remain safe, caring, and nurturing places for everyone. We encourage our families to have age-appropriate conversations with their children and to reassure them that our schools are safe and filled with people who will guide and protect them in emergency situations.

Thank you to everyone who joined us this week in our celebration of Ken Tang, Keiko Rakin, Angelina Yip, and our Student Advisory Council. I am deeply appreciative of all of you and of the ongoing partnership between our schools and the greater community. Together, we will continue to make this a strong and positive school year for all.

Warmest Regards,

Denise R. Jaramillo, Ed.D.

Superintendent

The August 26th Board of Education meeting was a celebratory occasion as AUSD recognized:

• Former Board Member Ken Tang for his five years of dedicated service. (Click HERE to view a video with photo highlights of Mr. Tang's time on the board.)
• Student Board Member and Alternates Keiko Rakin & Angelina Yip, who were sworn into office by Congressmember Judy Chu. (Click HERE to watch them take their Oath of Office.)
• The 12 members of the 2025-2026 Student Advisory Council.

After these recognitions, the Board recessed briefly for a reception in their honor. Alhambra USD would like to thank Paris Baguette San Gabriel for their generous donation of most of the delicious treats that were enjoyed by the attendees.

(Photo Credit: Karlie Yonemoto, AUSD Communications Intern)

Although these slidedecks give you an overview and basic information on these topics, we encourage you to attend our BOARD MEETINGS and listen to the detailed staff reports as they are presented to the Board. Click on the image below to access the PDF of Tuesday's staff report slidedecks.

The second part of this staff report was a feasibility study of possible improvements to the Moor Field property, following the impending move of the pre-school to its new permanent facility. The cost estimates of the four options presented in the feasibility study below can be viewed HERE.

At Tuesday's Board of Education meeting, the Board adopted a resolution recognizing the month of September as Attendance Awareness Month. You can read the full contents of the resolution by downloading the attachment below.

Please join us for our upcoming Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) Meeting on Monday, September 15, 2025 from 6:45pm-8:00pm via Zoom.

Click on the image to download a PDF of the flyer with information or click HERE to join the Zoom Meeting.

Thank you to parents who have already completed the Alternative Income Form (AIF). Completing this form helps ensure Alhambra Unified School District will receive the maximum amount of federal funds for our schools. The collection of household income information is a necessary step for your child's school to receive thousands of dollars in federal funds. ALL families should complete the Alternative Income Form (AIF), irrespective of their household income. One AIF is needed for each student.

Scan the QR code on the flyer, click HERE, download the flyer below, or visit www.tinyurl.com/AIFdirections for instructions to access the Family Portal to start completing your form for the 2025-2026 school year.

AUSD invites you to join our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Advisory Committee. This committee meets four times per year to review our progress toward educational equity and to provide input on equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts across our schools. If you are interested, please complete the interest form by August 31st.

Click HERE for details and the interest form link (with translations in Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese) or go directly to the interest form by clicking HERE.

Stay Informed: If you have not already done so, please make sure you have signed up for SMS/Text message alerts through the Parent Portal. The SMS/Text feature of our mass communication system (Blackboard) has significantly improved our communication capabilities, ensuring timely and efficient updates for our staff and families, especially during emergencies, but you have to make sure you have entered a cell number in the Emergency Messaging section for the system to alert. Click HERE to view our SMS/Text Frequently Asked Questions.

We are excited to share that our district has received a new shipment of Chromebooks. Our goal is to ensure every student has the tools they need for learning.

Distribution has already begun, and students identified as needing a device are being prioritized. Thank you for your patience and support as we complete this process.

• All AUSD 9th-12th grade families are invited to attend!
• Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2025
• Location: San Gabriel High School
• Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm

tinyurl.com/ccfs2526topics

AUSD is steadfastly committed to creating safe, stable, nurturing, and welcoming environments for all students and staff. The District prohibits unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, immigration status, and other protected characteristics as outlined in its policies, ensuring inclusivity and equity across all educational programs and activities. AUSD reflects the diverse population of the world and celebrates this diversity through daily educational experiences and honors contributions from historically marginalized groups, including LGBTQ+ communities.

We have put together many resources to support our immigrant families. Please click on the image or "button" below to visit our website and access these resources.

Summer Projects - Our Facilities team was hard at work to get our schools ready for opening. Please click HERE (or on the image below) to see all the improvements completed this summer.

Mark Keppel High School Auto Tech Building Project:

The Board of Education of the Alhambra Unified School District is seeking qualified, interested individuals to fill two (2) vacancies on its independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee (“COC”) for the District’s Measure HS and Measure AE school facilities bond programs.

Vacant Positions:

1) One member active in a bona fide taxpayers association

2) One member active in a business organization located in the district

Interested community members who live within the AUSD boundaries are encouraged to apply. Click HERE to review the committee bylaws and complete the application. Completed applications should be sent to the Alhambra Unified School District Office of the Superintendent.

Committee Responsibilities:

In accordance with Education Code Section 15278(b), the Citizens’ Oversight Committee shall:

• Inform the public concerning the District's expenditure of bond proceeds of Measure HS

and Measure AE.

• Review expenditure reports produced by the District to ensure that Measure HS and

Measure AE bond proceeds were expended only for the purposes set forth in Measure HS

and Measure AE, respectively; and

• Present to the Board in public session, an annual written report outlining their activities and

conclusions regarding the expenditure of bond proceeds of Measure HS and Measure AE.

If you have any questions, please call (626) 943-3330.

Food and Nutrition Services' INTERACTIVE ONLINE MENUS are available for all AUSD schools.

Click HERE to access the online menu and check out the many great features, including nutritional information, calorie/carb/fat trackers, allergen alerts, and much more!

The regulation for a milk substitution has changed. Parents may now complete THIS FORM to request a milk substitution (soy milk) with your child's school meals. This form is for a milk substitution ONLY and does NOT require a medical professional's signature.

All other food substitutions still require the Medical Statement to Request Special Meals and/or Accommodations Form, which is available HERE.

ALL AUSD students are eligible to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day. We are able to provide this under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program.

Parents/guardians no longer have to complete a meal application, but we do ask that you fill out the Alternative Income Form instead. (See information in the "Educational Services" section.)

LITTLE BITS OF GOOD NEWS & INFORMATION FROM AROUND THE DISTRICT

(Visit our social media platforms to see additional photos of many of these events/activities.)

Thank you to everyone who submitted photos of your First Day of School! We loved seeing all the happy, excited faces of our students and staff members. Please visit us at @AlhambraUSD on Facebook or Instagram to view all the #AUSDFirstDay2025 photos.

At our annual staff Welcome Back meeting and breakfast, we officially recognized our 2025 Employees of the Year:

• CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEE of the Year: Marlene Miller, Book Room Clerk, Mark Keppel High School
• MANAGER of the Year: Christa Van Orden, Director - Elementary Education, Educational Services
• TEACHER of the Year: Christina Kwon Loose, 7th Grade Language Arts & Social Studies Teacher, Martha Baldwin School (Mrs. Loose has also been named a finalist for Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year; the awardees will be announced at a celebratory luncheon on September 19th.)

Prior to receiving their engraved bell, a video was shared about each honoree. These videos were lovingly put together by their friends/colleagues.

San Gabriel High School is turning 70 this year, and they want SGHS alumni to be a part of the celebration! From sharing your stories to helping plan, your involvement will make this milestone unforgettable. Scan the QR Code or click HERE to update your contact info and let them know how you'd like to be involved.

Together, we’ll honor the past, celebrate the present, and inspire the future of San Gabriel High School. Here’s to 70 years of Matador pride, and to the many more to come!

Congressmember Judy Chu is hosting her second annual Congressional Youth Advisory Council (CYAC).

CYAC is open to any high school students in California's 28th Congressional District, to work with staff and a diverse group of leaders from the community to collaborate and identify how the federal government can help the community.

Apply to join. Applications are due September 15, 2025. For more information about the program and to submit the online application, please visit Congressmember Chu’s website at (https://chu.house.gov/congressional-youth-advisory-council).

For the second year, female residents of Alhambra are eligible to apply to be on the Rose Court. Serving on the Rose Court is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to grow as a leader and receive a $7,500 educational scholarship. Last year, AHS' Isabella Jackson made it all the way to the finalist round. We hope to see even more AUSD students from Alhambra apply to be on the 2026 Rose Court. Eligibility requirements and applications are available on the Tournament of Roses WEBSITE.

Please join the Alhambra Chamber for its annual Alhambra Day of Service that is set to take place on Saturday, September 20, 2025, 8:00AM - 11:00AM.

This day of service will consist of projects around the city where community members can join in and volunteer to beautify the community and other initiatives. Please visit https://tinyurl.com/adossept2025 for more information and/or to sign up.

For the second year in a row, the Alhambra Educational Foundation was voted San Gabriel Valleys' BEST Non-Profit Organization in the recent Southern California News Group's Readers Choice Awards!

Shop the deepest discounts of the year and support the Alhambra Educational Foundation all in one day!

Plan to join us on Saturday, September 20th 9:00am to 9:00pm.

Tickets are on sale now! Click HERE to view more details on the flyer.

The 12th annual Pumpkin Run is scheduled for Sunday, October 26th. Proceeds from this fun community event will benefit the Alhambra Educational Foundation. Register by August 31st to qualify for early bird registration prices.

For more information or to register, please visit: https://alhambrapumpkinrun.com.

Alhambra Latino Association (ALA) met with this year's 2025 scholarship recipients to distribute their scholarship checks. ALA took a few minutes to give some tips that hopefully will be helpful in their college journey. It was lovely to see the excitement in their faces about the next chapter ahead. Congratulations 2025 scholarship recipients!

(From left to right: Hannah Saso, Matthew Fuentes, Camila Rodríguez, Nevaeh Saldivar, Anthony Ramos, Mayra Sánchez, Carlos Sánchez, Geneviene Hernández)

AUSD will be hosting a Livescan One-Stop Shop with our Liberty Tax partner that is open to all sites for NEW volunteers on Thursday, September 11, 2025 from 5:00pm-7:00pm at the AUSD District Cafe (1515 W. Mission Rd., Alhambra).

1) Volunteers must complete volunteer registration form at the school site prior to this event*

2) Volunteers must bring HR Volunteer Verification Form with Principal’s signature

Scan the QR Code on the flyer for more information and the fillable forms.

AUSD is continuing our Game Changer program, which recognizes exceptional contributions of our staff members. Nominations for the 2025-26 AUSD Game Changers are open!

Want to reward an extra-special AUSD employee? Nominate them to be a Game Changer HERE. The first nominating window will close on September 5, 2025.

For the second year in a row, AUSD was voted as San Gabriel Valley's Favorite Work Place!

Come be a part of the AUSD Team! Please click HERE for full-and part-time positions. We have competitive salaries and excellent benefits! AUSD posts all job opportunities at EdJoin.org/alhambrausd. Make sure to check back often.

https://www.ausd.us/apps/events/

• September 1: Labor Day Holiday (All AUSD schools/offices will be closed)
• September 3: Back-To-School Nights (Brightwood 6th-8th & Ramona 1st-8th; See LIST of dates and times)
• September 4: Back-To-School Night (Moor Field Preschool; See LIST of dates and times)
• September 9: Special Board of Education Meeting (Agendas & Minutes)
• September 10: Happy 70th Birthday, San Gabriel High School!
• September 11: Back-To-School Night (LIFT Adult Transition; See LIST of dates and times)
• September 11: Livescan "One-Stop Shop" for AUSD Volunteers 5:00pm-7:00pm (Flyer)
• September 15: Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) LCAP Meeting 6:45pm-8:00pm (Flyer)
• September 16: Board of Education Meeting (Agendas & Minutes)
• September 17: AUSD 18th Annual College Fair 6:00pm-8:00pm (Flyer)
• September 19: "AUSD Connection" Newsletter emailed to Parents, Students, and Staff Members
• September 20: Citadel Shopping Extravaganza (Supports AEF) 9:00am-9:00pm (Flyer, Tickets)
• September 21: AUSD Booth at Farmers Market / Fiesta Alhambra 9:00am-11:00am
• September 19, 22, 23, 25, 26: Elementary Minimum Days: Parent Conferences & Preparation

Click on the high school logo to access their current athletic calendars.

On August 11th, the City of Alhambra hosted a group of Taiwanese high school visitors at City Hall. The group originally also wanted to tour one of our high school campuses and meet AUSD students, but their only available day was before school opened. Instead, 11 members of AUSD's Student Advisory Council (SAC) joined the City Hall tour to give the Taiwanese students an opportunity to meet and interact with their California peers. About half of the visitors had earlier participated in English Conversational Enhance Program (ECEP), a virtual exchange program. Three SAC members had also participated in this program and were able to meet friends they had previously only seen through Zoom.

Following the tour of City Hall, they gathered in Council Chambers for a presentation and Q&A session with Mayor Katherine Lee and Councilmember Noya Wang. After exchanging gifts and contact information, all the participants gathered together for a group photo before saying their good-byes. Thank you to the Alhambra council and staff members for being such gracious hosts, and allowing AUSD students to participate in this cross-cultural exchange.

(Photo Credit: Madeline Nguyen & Hayley Wong, AUSD Communications Interns)

Click on the masthead images below to view digital versions of the current issues. AUSD students, staff members, and programs are heavily featured in both papers. NOTE: Each month, look for AUSD Communications Interns' (ACI) photographs and/or writing featured in both community publications.)

Alhambra Unified School District is often featured in local media (print and television news). Click below to access some of our favorite stories, featuring AUSD students, staff members, schools and programs!

Do you have something newsworthy to share? Click on the Publicity Request button so we can spread the word!

Please visit us on social media (@AlhambraUSD) to keep up with the latest AUSD news. We are especially active on Facebook and Instagram. If you want our notifications/reminders to show up on your timeline, make sure to follow/like us!

CONTACT US:

Website: www.ausd.us
Address: 1515 West Mission Road, Alhambra, CA, USA
Email: AlhambraUSD@ausd.us

Phone: (626) 943-3000

Facebook: @AlhambraUSD
Instagram: @AlhambraUSD

Twitter/X: @AlhambraUSD

YouTube: @AlhambraUSD

Alumni, retirees, family members (who are not the primary contact in PowerSchool), and local community members can receive future issues of this newsletter. Share this newsletter with them and have them click the "SUBSCRIBE" button below.

It's a great way to stay connected with AUSD! 💖