The Irvine Public Schools Foundation is once again putting out the call for its Parents Appreciating Teachers and Staff recognition program, which allows families to recognize their favorite IUSD employees.

At a Feb. 12 award ceremony, Woodbridge High’s Academic Decathlon team learned that it placed fourth overall in the 45th annual Orange County Academic Decathlon, and that wasn't the only good news. The school also earned an invite to compete at the state competition in March.

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.

Imagine a super-rigorous math competition, one that challenged teams of up to four students to answer a real-world problem by employing complex mathematical models that included algebra, geometry and calculus. Oh, and give each team 36 hours to come up with a solution.

IUSD’s Stonegate Elementary School has been nominated for a prestigious National Blue Ribbon award, state officials announced Thursday.

A pair of Irvine schools made headlines recently on the Orange County Register’s website. For starters, Register reporter Samantha Schaefer previewed Northwood High School's third annual Timberwolf 5K Run/Walk, which will raise money for Northwood's athletics program and Families Forward.

The National Merit Scholarship Corp. has released its latest list of semifinalists who are in the running for prestigious National Merit awards, and 94 of them are from right here in IUSD.

Each year around this time, the Irvine Public Schools Foundation co-hosts a luncheon to recognize some of the most dedicated parent volunteers in IUSD. While the event usually culminates with one overall winner, a pair of volunteers has earned the top award for 2012.

Calling for a greater effort to notify neighboring communities, the IUSD Board of Education continued a proposal to add canopies topped with solar panels to the parking lots of 11 Irvine schools.