Coming This Week
August 18–26, 2017
Rio Hondo College Launches 2017-18 School Year
Rio Hondo College will welcome back students to fall semester on Saturday, Aug. 19 with new courses in nursing, hospitality as well as an expanded focus on math and English at its three educational centers. This is the first semester for the College’s Rio Promise program, which waives first-year tuition for 2017 graduates of high schools in Rio Hondo College’s service area. Media Contact: William Diepenbrock, 909-206-5304 (office) or 909-214-6909 (cell)
San Ysidro School District Hosts 3rd Annual Families First Resource Fair
San Ysidro School District will host its third annual District-wide resource fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19 at the District Office, 4350 Otay Mesa Road, San Ysidro. Backpacks filled with supplies will be provided for K-8 students in need. Free food and drinks will be available for all attendees. Additional resources for community members will include job assistance programs, housing and food programs and information on county benefits. Media Contact: Maritza Fairfield, 909-445-1001 (office) or 909-816-7722 (cell)
McKinley Elementary school is expanding its coding and robotics lessons to all students for the 2017-18 school year. McKinley’s robotics and coding lessons were previously offered to only fourth and fifth-graders and will now be available to kindergarten through third-grade students when school begins Monday, August 21. Media Contact: Lauren Creiman, 909-833-9853 (office)Read More
Coolidge Elementary School will kick off the 2017-18 year with a solar eclipse observance from 8:30 to 11:45 a.m. Monday, Aug. 21, hosted by San Gabriel Unified parent and astronomer Donald W. Hoard. Hoard will discuss his work with NASA and careers in astronomy. Students will learn what causes an eclipse, what to look for when one occurs and how to view the eclipse safely. Coolidge Elementary is at 421 N. Mission Drive, San Gabriel. Media Contact: Lauren Creiman, 909-833-9853 (office)Read More
Rio Hondo College is collaborating with Central Oregon Community College on a $778,000, three-year National Science Foundation (NSF) project as part of its Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program to develop a safety certification program for technicians who work on electric and fuel cell vehicles. The NSF/ATE funding, awarded July 28, is the second received by Rio Hondo College’s innovative Alternative Fuels Technology Program, a leader in training students and industry technicians to work on alternative fuels vehicles. The two colleges will meet in August to establish a timeline for the project, which will likely include setting up a classroom at each college to beta-test developed concepts with collaboration from industry experts. Media Contact: William Diepenbrock, 909-206-5304 (office) or 909-214-6909 (cell)Read More
Rio Hondo College Math and Science Division Hosts Eclipse Viewing
Rio Hondo College’s Math and Science Division will host an eclipse viewing in the lower quad of the College’s Whittier campus, providing solar eclipse viewing glasses to students, faculty, staff and administration on a first-come, first-served basis. The eclipse begins at 9:05 a.m. and ends at 11:44 a.m. Maximum coverage occurs at 10:21 a.m. with nearly 71 percent of the sun blocked by the moon. Media Contact: William Diepenbrock, 909-206-5304 (office) or 909-214-6909 (cell)
For the first time since 1979, a total solar eclipse will be visible in the contiguous U.S. on Monday, Aug. 21 – providing Baldwin Park Unified students with an amazing opportunity to learn about astronomy by experiencing a celestial phenomenon. Officials are encouraging students to take precautions when viewing the event. Media Contact: William Diepenbrock, 909-206-5304 (office) or 909-214-6909 (cell)Read More
Lynwood Unified Set to Open School Year with New Coding, Software
Lynwood Unified School District campuses will welcome back more than 15,000 students for the 2017-18 year on Wednesday, Aug. 23 with programs and initiatives aimed at boosting student success and college readiness. Programs include an after-school computer coding club; new assessment software for English language arts, math, science and social studies; an anti-bullying week; expanded student intervention and college preparation courses Media Contact: Jahmal Corner, 909-445-1001 (office)
San Gabriel Unified Welcomes Students, Parents at Back-to-School Nights
San Gabriel Unified School District will welcome families at a series of Parent Info Nights across the District, providing educators a chance to connect with parents and showcase latest programs and curriculum for the 2017-18 year. Events will run from Thursday, Aug. 24 to Tuesday, Sept. 19. Media Contact: Lauren Creiman, 909-833-9853 (office)
Rio Hondo College Receives $778,000 NSF Award for Fuels Training
Rio Hondo College is collaborating with Central Oregon Community College on a $778,000, three-year National Science Foundation (NSF) project as part of its Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program to develop a safety certification program for technicians who work on electric and fuel cell vehicles. The NSF/ATE funding is the second received by Rio Hondo College’s innovative Alternative Fuels Technology Program, a leader in training students and industry technicians to work on alternative fuels vehicles. Media Contact: William Diepenbrock, 909-206-5304 (office) or 909-214-6909 (cell)
San Ysidro School District Names Principal for La Mirada Elementary
Luis Ramos, a lifelong San Ysidro community member, was named principal of La Mirada Elementary School on Aug. 10 after serving in an interim capacity over the last year. Ramos joined the San Ysidro School District in 2005 as a sixth-grade teacher at La Mirada. He taught eighth grade and served as an assistant principal at San Ysidro Middle School before becoming assistant principal at La Mirada. Ramos was raised in the South Bay and graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in education. Media Contact: Katie Rucke, 858-371-4260(office)
Baldwin Park Unified’s Holland Middle School, Santa Fe School and Central, Walnut and Elwin elementary schools received silver recognition from the California Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Coalition for implementing strategies that promote safe and positive learning environments. The California PBIS Coalition (CPC) emphasizes methods of teaching behavioral expectations and supports those lessons with positive reinforcement. School staff say student behavior is improving and achievement is climbing. Media Contact: William Diepenbrock, 909-206-5304 (office) or 909-214-6909 (cell)Read More Photos
Follow-up Stories
Whittier Union Launches Year with Freshman First Day, Welcomes 1,000s
Whittier Union High School District kicked off the 2017-18 school year on Aug. 15, giving nearly 3,000 members of the Class of 2021 a preview of the schools they will call home for the next four years. In an effort to eliminate any first-day jitters before the official start of school, each comprehensive high school welcomed freshmen with opening pep rallies with colorful balloons, spirited music and displays of Condor, Lancer, Titan, Chieftain and Cardinal pride as part of Freshman First Day. On Aug. 16, Whittier Union welcomed close to 11,900 new and returning students for the official first day of school year. Media Contact: Juliette Funes, 909-447-2404 (office)
Jefferson Middle School’s 389 incoming sixth-graders received a warm welcome at their new school on Aug. 11 as part of the Where Everybody Belongs program, which transforms eighth-graders into mentors for incoming middle school students. The program aims to provide sixth-graders with a sense of support and school pride while teaching eighth-graders about leadership. Media Contact: Lauren Creiman, 909-833-9853 (office)Read More Photos
More than 15,000 Paramount Unified School District students bid farewell to their summer break and hello to classmates and teachers, new and old, on Aug. 16, the first day of the 2017-18 school year for all 18 PUSD elementary, middle and high schools. Media Contact: Jahmal Corner, 909-445-1001 (office)Read More Photos
San Gabriel Unified Middle School Mentors Welcome Nearly 400 Students
Jefferson Middle School’s 389 incoming sixth-graders received a warm welcome at their new school on Aug. 11 as part of the Where Everybody Belongs program, which transforms eighth-graders into mentors for incoming middle school students. The program aims to provide sixth-graders with a sense of support and school pride while teaching eighth-graders about leadership. Media Contact: Lauren Creiman, 909-833-9853 (office)
Whittier Union High School District welcomed nearly 3,000 incoming freshmen for Freshman First Day on Aug. 15. Freshman First Day is an orientation program that enables new students to meet classmates and take part in fun activities. Students previewed their classes and had a chance to meet their teachers and administrators, as well as Link Crew students, who will serve as mentors. The program takes place annually at each comprehensive high school to help smooth students' transition from middle to high school, and has proved very successful in increasing academic achievement. Media Contact: Juliette Funes, 909-447-2404 (office)Read More Photos
About 1,700 students in the Los Nietos School District will discover new digital tools, remodeled classrooms and a soon-to-be completed science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) lab when they return to campuses on Monday, Aug. 14. Students in grades three through eight will also receive 1:1 access to digital tools this year. Media Contact: Jahmal Corner, 909-445-1001 (office)Read More Photos
Lynwood High School junior Carl Lewis recently got to experience something that many sports fans often dream of – the chance to go one on one with professional basketball stars and college standouts. Since July, Lewis and several of Lynwood’s High’s most skilled basketball players have gone toe-to-toe against Real Run Basketball’s top talent, where they practiced ball handling, endurance and passing drills. The Lynwood students then had a chance to put these new skills into practice with weekly matches against various college and professional players. Media Contact: Jahmal Corner, 909-445-1001 (office)Read More Photos
Paramount Unified Educators Rekindle Passion through Thought Exercise
Paramount Unified teachers and principals are starting the new school year with a critical question: Why are they in education? Superintendent Dr. Ruth Pérez posed the question during a districtwide staff meeting on Aug. 14 and is requiring principals to share their answer with their schools. The exercise is helping educators at each school reflect on what makes them passionate and reaffirm the things that motivate them to do their best. By re-examining the past, Paramount Unified educators are communicating to students and the community that working in education has meaning beyond a career choice. Media Contact: Jahmal Corner, 909-445-1001 (office)
More than 13,000 students returned to Baldwin Park Unified schools on Aug. 14 for the 2017-18 year, greeted by special programs designed to inspire learning, build camaraderie and strengthen instruction. Elwin Elementary, with 392 students in transitional kindergarten through sixth grade, launched the new year with a “walk and talk” before school to energize students and give them a chance to reconnect with friends. Later, students took a special writing assessment as part of a focus on writing skills for all grades. At Sierra Vista Junior High, smiling staff greeted students as they picked up school schedules and explored the campus to find their classes. More than 760 seventh- and eighth-graders attended a welcome rally to learn school policies and expectations. Baldwin Park High School’s concert band and cheer team kicked off the year with a drumline and pom-pom-filled celebration to welcome more than 1,800 new and returning students. Media Contact: William Diepenbrock, 909-206-5304 (office) or 909-214-6909 (cell)Read More Photos
San Gabriel Unified Educators Kick Off 2017-18 Year with Breakfast
San Gabriel Unified School District administrators, teachers and staff jumpstarted the 2017-18 year with its annual Back to School Breakfast and Professional Development Day on Aug. 17. SGUSD administrators shared the District’s vision for the year, introduced new hires and honored 62 staff members for milestones ranging from 10 to 30 years of service. Media Contact: Lauren Creiman, 909-833-9853 (office)
Upcoming Events
San Gabriel Unified Welcomes Students, Parents at Back to School Nights
San Gabriel Unified School District will welcome families at a series of Parent Info Nights across the District, providing educators a chance to connect with parents and showcase new programs and curriculum for the 2017-18 year. Events will run from Thursday, Aug. 24 to Tuesday, Sept. 19. Media Contact: Lauren Creiman, 909-833-9853 (office)
Monrovia Unified to Hold Grand Opening for Computer Science Magnet
Monrovia Unified will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 8 to celebrate the opening of Santa Fe Computer Science Magnet School, 148 W. Duarte Road, Monrovia. The school takes on the focus this year, launching a Code to the Future program along with rigorous new science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) core curriculum. The event will include a tour of computer science-infused classrooms. Media Contact: Nancy Yeang, 909-445-1001 (office) or 909-331-6646 (cell)
