The Irvine Unified School District has once again been named one of the nation’s Best Communities for Music Education by the prestigious NAMM Foundation.

Art students at Sierra Vista Middle School were recently tasked with illustrating some of the concepts behind a schoolwide program that promotes positive behavior.

“Scherzo.” That was the word that officially clinched the Orange County Spelling Bee for Sierra Vista Middle School’s own Alan Shi, who will go on to compete in the 86th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee at the end of May.

Plaza Vista School recently found itself in the pages of the Irvine World News after celebrating a successful jogathon fundraiser with some good ol’ fashioned pie-throwing and beard-dying.

At the request of IUSD’s Board of Education, a pair of consultants teamed up at this week's school board meeting to discuss options for generating new revenue for 21st century learning through a technology bond.

It’s hard to believe, but it’s already time to start making plans for the 2013-14 school year. And if your child will be joining IUSD in the fall, we’ve got a pretty important date to share: March 8, 2013 is when the enrollment window opens for all students who will be new to the district.

So we're in the office a little early this morning, and for good reason. Irvine’s three Teachers of the Year, representing the district’s elementary, middle and high schools, will soon be revealed during surprise visits to their respective campuses.

More than 400 students from the Irvine and Tustin unified school districts showcased their own creative inventions and fielded questions from curious visitors during the 26th annual Astounding Inventions contest.

As we touched on in an earlier post, IUSD continues to explore new technologies in and out of the classroom, with the intent of leveraging the talents of its staff and engaging students.

A Venado Middle School teacher is the subject of a nice feature story on the Orange County Register’s website. Reporter Lauren Jow penned the profile on Brendan McBrien, who has taught music for more than 25 years and composed hundreds of original songs. Here’s a brief excerpt: