Fifth-graders in Mary Thomas-Vallens’ class at Brywood Elementary School were shocked to read in the newspaper that nearly 500,000 Orange County residents don’t get enough food each month.

Christine Amoroso, who has served as principal at Brywood Elementary School for seven years, has been selected as the next principal of University Park Elementary School, IUSD Superintendent Terry Walker announced Friday.

It’s a whole lot of dirt now, but over the next 15 months this empty plot of land south of Jeffrey Road and east of the Santa Ana (5) Freeway will be transformed into a state-of-the-art campus for Irvine elementary students.

BY TERRY L. WALKER, SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS The most sweeping educational reform of the nation’s public schools is on its way, and it happens to align nicely with the direction the Irvine Unified School District is already heading.

Last month, more than 40 of Irvine’s brightest teaching stars were honored during the 27th annual Excellence in Teaching Awards Dinner at the Irvine Marriott.

Dozens of district administrators and all five school board members spent some time on Friday shadowing custodians, electricians, painters, clerks and other classified workers during IUSD’s sixth annual Appreciating Classified Employees Day. (Or ACE Day for short.)

Students at Westpark Elementary School received a pretty big surprise this week.

You may remember that in February IUSD announced its Elementary, Middle and High school Teachers of the Year. Well, today's the day the district does the same for classified employees.