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All Five IUSD Comprehensive High Schools Rank Among Top 6% Nationwide

Issue # 0692

Author

Joshua Tjia
20 Aug

In this Irvine Insider Issue . . .

😁 Laugh of the Day

🌤️ Irvine Weather

🌳🌱 Irvine Partners With Arbor Day Foundation to Give Residents Free Trees

🀄️ Beginning American MahJongg Classes Coming to Woodbridge

🐈‍⬛🍫 Celebrate Chococat’s 30th Birthday at Hello Kitty Cafe Irvine

🚌🌟 All Five IUSD Comprehensive High Schools Rank Among Top 6% Nationwide

🩺 UCI Study Aims to Reduce Serious Side Effects of Cancer Treatment

🌳🚶After Work Fitness Hike Returns to Hicks Haul Road Aug. 31

🫟👕 Get Creative With Shibori Tie-Dye at Heritage Park Library, Aug.

22🎼🎼 Upcoming High School Music Calendar

🐕🏃🏽‍♂️Easy Ways to Add More Activity to Your Pet’s Day

⚽️ Anteater of the Week: Hailey Clingan Leads UCI Women’s Soccer in Season-Opening Draw

🏀🏐🎾⚽️ UCI Anteaters Upcoming Home Games

🏀🏀 Upcoming home games for the IVC LASERS

🏈🎾 High School Athletics Calendar

🚓🏎️ Irvine Police Ask Community for Tips in Stolen Ferrari Case

🍏🥭🍑 Local Farmers Markets

🌟🏪🎉Irvine’s Best Kept Secrets: Is Your Business One of Them?

📅📅 Lots of Local Events

📞💡 Useful Contact Information

What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary?

A thesaurus.

We hope this joke brings some laughter to your day! 😁

Irvine Partners With Arbor Day Foundation to Give Residents Free Trees

Irvine is offering free trees to residents through its Plant It Forward campaign, part of the city’s goal to increase tree shade coverage to 30% by 2055. In partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, residents can choose trees suited to Irvine’s climate and receive guidance on planting and care. With about 85% of Irvine’s trees located on private property, the program encourages residents to help expand the city’s tree canopy, which can provide shade, improve air quality and enhance neighborhoods. Trees can be reserved online while supplies are available.

Beginning American MahJongg Classes Coming to Woodbridge

Woodbridge Village Association is offering a five-week Beginning American MahJongg class for anyone interested in learning the popular tile game. An experienced instructor will guide beginners through the basic rules and strategies with hands-on, step-by-step lessons. Classes meet Mondays, September 28 through October 26, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Woodbridge Community Center.

Celebrate Chococat’s 30th Birthday at Hello Kitty Cafe Irvine

Hello Kitty Cafe Irvine is celebrating Chococat’s 30th anniversary on Tuesday, September 1 with a special appearance from Chococat from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Guests can stop by for a photo opportunity and enjoy limited-time anniversary sweets created for the celebration.

All Five IUSD Comprehensive High Schools Rank Among Top 6% Nationwide

All five Irvine Unified School District comprehensive high schools — Irvine, Northwood, Portola, University and Woodbridge — ranked among the top 6% of high schools nationwide in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 Best High Schools rankings. IUSD is the only Orange County school district to have all of its comprehensive high schools reach this tier. The rankings evaluated schools based on factors including college readiness, advanced coursework, state test performance, underserved student performance and graduation rates.

UCI Study Aims to Reduce Serious Side Effects of Cancer Treatment

UC Irvine researchers are exploring ways to make CAR T-cell therapy safer for patients with aggressive blood cancers. Their study identifies mitochondrial dysfunction as a possible contributor to ICANS, a serious neurological complication that can cause brain inflammation, confusion and seizures. Rather than developing new medications from scratch, the researchers propose studying existing drugs with established safety profiles that could potentially be repurposed to reduce these side effects while preserving the cancer-fighting benefits of CAR T-cell therapy. Further clinical research is needed to evaluate these approaches.

After Work Fitness Hike Returns to Hicks Haul Road Aug. 31

Join an After Work Fitness Hike on Monday, August 31, from 6–7:30 p.m. at Hicks Haul Road in the Irvine Open Space Preserve. The 3.5-mile paved route climbs about 450 feet to Loma Ridge, offering a good workout along with sunset views of Orange County.

Get Creative With Shibori Tie-Dye at Heritage Park Library, Aug. 22

Explore the Japanese art of Shibori tie-dye at Heritage Park Library on Saturday, August 22, from 2–3:30 p.m. Participants will learn simple folding and binding techniques to create unique patterns and can bring a T-shirt or tote bag to dye and take home.

Upcoming Northwood High School’s Music Calendar

No further events scheduled for this month.

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://timbmusic.org/events/

Upcoming Woodbridge High School’s Vocal Music Calendar

No further events scheduled for this month.

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://woodbridgechoirs.weebly.com/calendar.html

Upcoming Irvine High Choral’s Music Calendar

No further events scheduled for this month.

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://www.ihschoralmusic.org/calendar.html 

Upcoming Portola High School Music’s Calendar

No further events scheduled for this month.

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://www.phsmusicbooster.org/buy-ticket

Easy Ways to Add More Activity to Your Pet’s Day

A little activity each day can go a long way toward keeping dogs and cats healthy, happy and mentally engaged. Choose activities that fit your pet’s age, size, fitness level and individual needs.

  • Make walks part of the routine: Start dogs with short, comfortable walks and gradually increase the time as they get used to the activity.

  • Turn exercise into play: Fetch, tug-of-war, hide-and-seek and playdates are fun ways to keep dogs moving.

  • Mix things up: Hiking, swimming or pet-friendly outings can add some variety to your dog’s usual routine.

  • Bring the fun indoors: Indoor fetch, hide-and-seek and other simple games can keep pets active when going outside isn’t practical.

  • Give cats something to chase: Cat wands and other interactive toys encourage natural chasing, jumping and pouncing.

  • Create space to climb: Cat towers, scratching posts and safe climbing areas can help cats stay active while satisfying their curiosity.

  • Keep toys fresh: Rotating your cat’s toys from time to time can help prevent boredom and renew their interest in play.

  • Try short play sessions: Cats often enjoy several quick bursts of play throughout the day rather than one long session.

  • Follow your pet’s comfort level: Every pet is different, so adjust activities as needed and check with your veterinarian if you have questions about what’s appropriate.

Anteater of the Week: Hailey Clingan Leads UCI Women’s Soccer in Season-Opening Draw

UC Irvine junior defender Hailey Clingan was named Anteater of the Week after helping the women’s soccer team earn a 1-1 draw against Utah Tech, including a key goal-line save and a free kick that led to the tying goal. Clingan played all 90 minutes, and UCI next faces Stanford on Sunday, Aug. 23.

UCI Anteaters Upcoming Home Games

Men’s Soccer

  • Thur, Aug 20 - Oregon State, 6:00 PM

Women’s Volleyball

  • Sat, Aug 22 - vs Concordia Irvine, 3:00 PM

🏐⚽🏀 Upcoming home games for the IVC LASERS 

Women’s Volleyball

  • Fri, Aug 21 - vs Chaffey, TBA

  • Fri, Aug 21 - Scrimmage Tournament, 9:00 AM

Women’s Soccer

  • Tue, Aug 25 - vs Norco, 3:00 PM

High School Athletics Calendar

**

Updated with August Schedule

Upcoming Irvine High School’s Varsity home games:

August 2026

Monday, August 24

  • Tennis, Girls - 3:15 PM Capistrano Valley

  • Golf, Girls - 4:30 PM vs Corona Del Mar

  • Flag Football, Girls - 6:30 PM vs El Modena

Irvine Police Ask Community for Tips in Stolen Ferrari Case

Irvine Police are asking for the public’s help identifying a suspect connected to the theft of a 2020 Ferrari Portofino. Detectives have released the available photo of the suspect, though the image is not the best quality. Anyone with information is asked to contact Irvine Police at [email protected].

Irvine’s Best Kept Secrets: Is Your Business One of Them?

We know our community is brimming with businesses that have fascinating stories and big hearts. If you’re a local business owner making waves, crafting unique experiences, or simply putting a smile on our faces, we want to chat with you! “Irvine Insider” is eager to shine a light on the unsung heroes of our city. Let’s collaborate and let the community know what makes your business special.

Click the link below and fill out the Local Business Spotlight Application Form to be featured and let’s celebrate the spirit of Irvine together!

Irvine Insider is sent to a local audience of Irvine residence Monday through Friday with 50% - 60% open rate. Our newsletter is a great way to reach Irvine residents.

  • Kaiser Permanente Irvine Farmers Market

  • Saturday Farmers Market at Mariners Church Irvine

    • When: Saturday, 8 AM - 12 PM

    • Where: 5428 Bonita Canyon Dr, Irvine, CA 92603

  • Great Park Certified Farmers Market

  • Manassero Farmers

    • When: Daily, 9 AM - 4:30 PM

    • Where: 33 Irvine Valley, Irvine, CA 92604

  • Tanaka Farms

    • When: Daily, 9 AM - 5 PM

    • Where: 5380 3/4 University Dr, Irvine, CA 92612

    • More Info:Tanaka Farms

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