I am pleased to share that there were a number of facilities improvements recently made at Venado. Numerous indoor and outdoor video surveillance cameras were installed on our campus. Live and recorded video footage is visible to site administrators and district security staff. The Irvine Police Department also has the ability to view camera footage, if needed. In addition, access control has been installed on numerous common doors throughout campus. The access control system will control when these doors are locked and unlocked. In the past, these doors have been unlocked during the school day to provide access to the building to students and staff. The access control system also allows us to immediately lock all common doors in the event of an emergency. Staff were trained on October 2 by district security staff and site administrators. Students will be trained during a special Homeroom class on October 4. The access control system will be fully activated shortly thereafter. No site funds were used to make these investments, which promote greater levels of security and safety.
In addition, I am pleased to report that new St. Augustine grass, fruitless olive trees and other drought tolerant and native plants were recently planted in the quad area. There is an emerging body of research on the impact of green spaces on wellbeing and mental health. The quad area looks amazing, and I am very happy with the outcome. I would like to extend a special thank you to IUSD’s Maintenance and Operations team for their continued support in helping make Venado green and beautiful.
~ Luis Torres, Principal