Alumni actors from John Glenn High School are returning to the stage once more to perform in the hilarious tour-de-force play, originally performed in 2005, "Made Up Stuff" on Friday, March 7 at 7 p.m. While the play has been entertaining Norwalk audiences for nearly a decade, this is the first time alums are coming back to relive their days performing in front of their community. As an added bonus, audience members will experience the up-and-coming JGHS Alumni band, Watch for Horses, who just played The House of Blues, at intermission. Contact: Christina Esparza, 909-445-1001 (office) or 626-383-6367 (cell)
Several Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District schools had reason to celebrate this week as they have been recognized for their exemplary curriculums and programs. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson on Tuesday, Feb. 25 tapped El Camino High School as one of the state’s 2014 Model Continuation High Schools, setting the standard for other continuation schools in the state. In addition, the California Business for Education Excellence (CBEE) on Feb. 26 also recognized nine NLMUSD elementary and middle schools with its prestigious Honor Roll School award; Hutchinson and Los Alisos middle schools, as well as Johnston, Eastwood, Escalona, Gardenhill, Morrison, La Pluma and Lampton elementary schools were all awarded for raising their students to grade-level proficiency and beyond. Contact: Christina Esparza, 909-445-1001 (office) or 626-383-6367 (cell)
Follow Up Story: Nearly 30 of the best middle school musicians within the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District performed alongside professional musicians and played a concert with the La Mirada Symphony on Feb. 18 at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. The students, who auditioned to play with the symphony, performed two pieces: “Voyage to the Edge of the World” and “The Courage March.” Photos of the event are available. Contact: Christina Esparza, 909-445-1001 (office) or 626-383-6367 (cell)
A program created by the University of California, Irvine that is designed to close the achievement gap among English-language learners is expanding to the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District after the U.S. Department of Education awarded an $11 million grant to the program’s creator. Contact: Christina Esparza, 909-445-1001 (office)
The Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District and the Teachers Association of Norwalk-La Mirada reached a tentative agreement that boosts teacher salary and health care coverage. Contact: Christina Esparza, 909-445-1001 (office)
Fifth-graders at Norwalk-La Mirada Unified's Eastwood Elementary School decided to forgo their annual Thanksgiving party to make “Blessing Bags” for the homeless on Tuesday, Nov. 26. Students made bags that contained toiletries and other essentials, along with a letter of encouragement from the children. Photos of the event are available. Contact: Christina Esparza, 909-445-1001 (office)
Norwalk-La Mirada Unified's Sanchez Elementary School is teaming with the city of Norwalk and Save the Children to train students, parents and community members on the basics of emergency preparedness. The ongoing project has the likelihood of expanding to the entire district. Contact: Christina Esparza, 909-445-1001 (office)
Students at Norwalk-La Mirada Unified’s Eastwood Elementary logged more than 1,000 minutes of reading time over the summer and won the opportunity to “slime” their principal. iREAD is an online program designed to keep students’ minds nimble during the summer break. Photos are available. Contact: Christina Esparza, 909-445-1001 (office)
A groundbreaking structured play program at Norwalk-La Mirada Unified, called Playworks, has significantly contributed to a drastic drop in referrals and an increase in API scores. The program is expanding to all NLMUSD schools this year. Contact: Christina Esparza, 909-445-1001 (office)
Top seniors from John Glenn, La Mirada, Norwalk and Southeast high schools visited their former elementary schools on May 12 to inspire students to work hard toward their goals and that anyone can go to college during the District's inaugural Kinder to College event. The District launched the event to promote a college-going culture from kindergarten through high school. Students wore graduation caps and gowns or college T-shirts while they talked about the university they will attend and what they will study, or how they will serve the United States in the Marines, Navy, Air Force or Army.
