A Guide to Great Schools

A guide to great schools

Kids Love School

That’s not such a crazy statement when you live at Great Park Neighborhoods, because here, classmates and neighbors are one in the same. It’s a place where students meet and walk or ride their bikes to school. Where they learn and play together in creative spaces. Where extracurricular clubs and team sports help their talents shine. Where kids stand out while fitting in, and have a blast doing it … now, what student isn’t going to love that? And don’t worry, parents, there’s plenty for you too. With state-of-the-art facilities, athletics and a commitment to the arts, the highly rated Irvine Unified School District is one of the best in California. It’s all pretty wonderful, we have to admit. Why weren’t schools this lovable when we were younger?

SOLIS PARK K- 8

A DESIGN/BUILD COLLABORATION BY FIVEPOINT AND IUSD

OPENED AUGUST 2022

INNOVATION AND DESIGN LABS

SPECIAL EDUCATION HUB

DEDICATED MUSIC ROOM

STATE-OF-THE-ART SCIENCE CLASSROOMS

Serving two neighborhoods, Solis Park is the community's third K-8 school with a campus spanning seven buildings and 108,000 flexible square feet where students are free to collaborate, discover and grow. That might mean testing out experiments in an innovation lab, or identifying native butterflies in the arts and science courtyard, or perfecting their three-pointers in the full-court gymnasium — wherever the day leads, this interactive curriculum will leave a long and lasting impact.

OUTDOOR SCIENCE AND ART COURTYARD

OPEN-AIR LEARNING SPACES

FITNESS LAB

FULL-COURT GYMNASIUM ALL-SCHOOL COMMISSARY

OPENED AUGUST 2O18

CADENCE PARK K- 8

A DESIGN/BUILD COLLABORATION BY FIVEPOINT AND IUSD

INNOVATION LAB WITH MAKERS SPACE

VIDEO PRODUCTION ROOM

LIBRARY WITH DEDICATED STORYTELLING SPACE

OUTDOOR COLLABORATION AREAS

GYMNASIUM WITH ATTACHED FITNESS LAB

CLASSROOMS FOR GRADES 1 – 5 INCLUDE DIRECT CONNECTION TO INTERIOR COLLABORATION SPACES

A QUAD FOR GRADES 6 – 8 WITH AN OUTDOOR AMPHITHEATER AND GARDEN

Cadence Park is the second K- 8 school at Great Park Neighborhoods, and it’s following in Beacon Park School’s very cool footsteps. You’ll find lots of innovative and reflective spaces that promote both personal and communal learning, plus inspiring places like the media center’s ‘illumination room’, a working garden and a full-size gymnasium. The architects had a lot of fun with this Art Deco-inspired space. Three tiers of elevation and four distinct instructional wings make for one amazing environment.

BEACON PARK K- 8

A DESIGN/BUILD COLLABORATION BY FIVEPOINT AND IUSD

OPENED AUGUST 2O16

STUDENT COLLABORATION SPACES

DEDICATED MUSIC CLASSROOMS

DEDICATED SCIENCE CLASSROOMS FOR GRADES 4 - 8

INNOVATION LAB

DESIGN LAB

DEDICATED FITNESS LAB FOR GRADES 6 - 8

Beacon Park School was designed to meet criteria developed by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools, which establishes guidelines for campuses that “promote environmental stability, energy-efficiency and alignment with modern teaching methods.” In keeping with this campus concept, the grounds include covered walkways between each of the buildings, a separate kindergarten area with play structures, outdoor learning areas between classroom buildings, student gardens, grass fields and grade level-appropriate play equipment.

FULL-COURT 11,000 - SQUARE - FOOT GYMNASIUM

DEDICATED KINDERGARTEN PLAY AREA

LARGE OUTDOOR FIELD

PORTOLA HIGH SCHOOL

OPENED AUGUST 2O16

PERFORMING ARTS BUILDING WITH A 720 - SEAT THEATER, BLACK BOX AND DANCE STUDIO

2,044 - SEAT GYMNASIUM INCLUDING TRAINING FACILITIES AND TEAM ROOMS

ELECTIVE BUILDING FOR VIDEO PRODUCTION, 2D & 3D ART AND MUSIC ROOMS

SPECIAL EDUCATION FACILITY

BASEBALL, SOCCER AND SOFTBALL FIELDS

STUDENT UNION

DEDICATED SCIENCE LABS

EIGHT TENNIS COURTS

GREEN ROOF FOR SUSTAINABLE LEARNING

Portola High School is IUSD’s fifth comprehensive high school. Serving Great Park Neighborhoods, as well as part of North Irvine, the state-of-the-art school was designed to meet criteria developed by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools. That means there’s good lighting, clean air and comfortable classrooms so that every student has the best possible learning environment, with the smallest impact on the environment. In less ‘school-y’ terms, it is awesome.

FOOTBALL STADIUM SEATING CLOSE TO 3,000

We Went to the Principal’s Office

Ask Mrs. Phillips about IUSD — she’ll say it’s more than just a school district, it’s an extended family. After all, she was born, raised and educated in Irvine, and she’s been working in the school system for 30 years; first as an elementary school teacher, then principal at Portola Springs, then as a District history and social sciences coordinator, then its director of literacy. Oh, and her mother used to teach at Vista Verde K-8, where Mrs. Phillips was in the opening first-grade class.

It’s simple math. Add Mrs. Phillips’ experience to her boundless dedication, and you’ll get an energetic principal who’s ready to lead. Or as she puts it, “I love having the opportunity to build something from the ground up. To create a community, a climate, a culture that’s warm and accepting, and embraces all that Irvine has to offer.”

This inclusive spirit is a point of pride at Solis Park. Its flexible indoor-outdoor spaces let students learn their own way, instilling a sense of collaboration and belonging. And its K-8 model provides extended support for students and their families. “I’m thrilled about the amenities and the building … the technology we’ll have access to,”

Principal Phillips said, “but it’s the people and the connections that bring it to life.”

PRINCIPAL HEATHER PHILLIPS SOLIS PARK K-8

Mr. Grasso is super excited about Cadence Park School. And we don’t blame him. Over his 27 years as an educator ( 21 of them right here in IUSD), he’s been a science teacher, a math teacher, an assistant principal and a principal at another school. And now he can add “principal who opened a brandnew school” to his impressive resumé.

And oh, what a cool school it is. The Art Deco-inspired building has four distinct instructional wings full of innovative learning spaces—like a media center flooded with natural light and full of inspiration for students and staff members. And thanks to Principal Grasso’s passion for environmental education, there is a working garden on campus so kids can learn about and get in touch, literally, with nature.

As Mr. Grasso says ... it’s not just about setting up a school. It’s about building the foundation of a new community. Which is why he’s relying on his staff of motivated teachers to bring new ideas that they want to implement. “The sky is the limit on what we’re able to do to engage and excite students about school and learning,” he states. Talking to him made us want to go back to school. (Especially after we saw the awesome gymnasium.)

Principal Linville has enjoyed a 23year tenure as an educator at IUSD, and has served in a variety of different capacities. Teacher. Director of Ed Tech. Assistant Principal. Director of the online academy. But his all-time favorite is Principal of Beacon Park, where the personal highlights of his day include visiting with students during lunch and impromptu classroom visits.

What does he love about Beacon Park’s K–8 format? “We look at kids as family. We get to see them go from Kindergarten to 8th grade, become role models in the school, then come back and visit once they’re in high school,” he says. An added bonus: having elementary and middle schools together lets him hone some of his lesser-known skills: magic tricks for the younger students, and exhibiting some “cooler moves” for the older ones (thanks to input from his own 8th-grade son).

Linville’s goal as principal is to implement creative ways to learn that make the school fun, but also recognized for its rigor and academics. And to maintain what makes Beacon Park K–8 so special: the feeling of a small village, where no kid feels lost, thanks to a staff that brings energy every single day. And expect Mr. Linville to be around for a while. As he puts it, “I want this to be my forever school.”

Mr. Pehrson helped open Portola High School after ten years as the principal of University High School, which has been consistently recognized as one of the top high schools in the nation. Needless to say, he brings a lot of experience and ideas to Portola—like providing kids with a “Skills Toolbox”—19 essential skills that students will “sharpen” during their four years at the high school, setting them up for success beyond graduation. “Our goal is to develop well-rounded students, and prepare them for a changing world,” Pehrson said.

That well-rounded education comes from a ‘cross-curricular’ concept, where teachers work together as a team and show students how to draw connections across content areas. As Pehrson states, “Every teacher hired here loves kids. Students will go home saying that every teacher is their favorite teacher.”

Of course, that’s what it’s all about. Kids loving their teachers. And kids loving school. And with state-of-the-art facilities, motivated and highly qualified teachers, and an integrated, challenging curriculum—all the elements are there.

“I love seeing the looks on kids’ faces when they come here,” Pehrson said. “I love hearing them say how awesome it is.”

PRINCIPAL KRIS LINVILLE BEACON PARK K-8

PRINCIPAL JOHN PEHRSON PORTOLA HIGH SCHOOL

PRINCIPAL CARLO GRASSO CADENCE PARK K-8

Behind Every Great School is a Great School District

OR IN OUR CASE, A SUPER - GREAT, TOP - RATED SCHOOL DISTRICT.

You probably already know a lot about the Irvine Unified School District. The top scores, the honors and accolades. So maybe you already know the following facts. Don’t worry, there’s no pop quiz.

IUSD regularly has students who receive National Merit Scholarships.

Portola High School has been nationally recognized with the "Best of the Best K-12 Education Award" for design excellence from Engineering News Record.

More than 90% of Irvine Unified School District students attend college.

IUSD is one of the nation's Best Communities for Music Education, as voted on by the NAMM Foundation.

The District’s schools have earned the California Distinguished School and Gold Ribbon Schools Award designations—considered the state’s highest honor— more than 75 times since 1986.

IUSD is at the forefront of the ‘green schools’ movement— promoting environmentally friendly construction, with more than two dozen solar installations including carports and rooftops.

In Irvine, around the perimeter of the Great Park, a new kind of community is being created, with walking and biking trails to connect to the greater Irvine trail system, to the Irvine Transportation Center and into the Great Park. Anchored in the values of Irvine, but designed to enrich life in a variety of innovative ways.

GreatParkNeighborhoods.com

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