El Monte City School District to Host Tech Fair

El Monte City School District invites parents and community members to attend its second annual Tech Fair, which will showcase how students are building Lego robots, learning computer coding and creating with 3D printers. Families are encouraged to learn how technology is used across the District during student- and teacher-led presentations. Guests will participate in opportunity drawings, watch an online chess tournament and enjoy light refreshments courtesy of Durfee School’s culinary arts students.

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West Covina Unified IB Student Earns Prestigious Summer Scholarship to Study Abroad

Edgewood High School junior Nour Sourakli will spend her summer abroad – studying Spanish language and culture – after earning a Global Navigator Scholarship from CIEE and the International Baccalaureate Organization. Sourakli’s weighted 4.2 GPA, success in Edgewood’s IB Diploma Programme and passion for other cultures helped her score the scholarship, which will help fund four weeks of studying in the Intensive Spanish Language and Culture program in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Fontana Unified Receives $3.1 Million Grant to Fund Electric Buses

Fontana Unified will continue efforts to reduce air pollution and transportation energy costs with 10 new electric school buses, thanks in part to a $3.1 million grant from the California Energy Commission. The grant will help fund the replacement of 10 diesel buses with 10 electric, zero-emission buses, as well as an electric bus charging infrastructure.

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Río Hondo College Backs Washington Boulevard Route for Metro Gold Line Extension

Río Hondo College’s Board of Trustees on Feb. 19 added its voice of support to the proposal to extend Metro’s Eastside Gold Line along Washington Boulevard instead of a route along Highway 60, saying the first option is easier to build and provides robust ridership opportunities. The light rail extension would run through Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs and end in Whittier – all communities served by Río Hondo College. The area is densely populated with low-income, mostly Latino residents.

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Firebaugh High School Unveils New Mural in Celebration of Arts and Partnership with PepsiCo

Firebaugh High School students joined Lynwood Unified Board members and community leaders on Feb. 21 to unveil a new campus mural as a crowd of nearly 500 celebrated arts and student achievement. Superintendent Gudiel R. Crosthwaite welcomed the Office of Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon to Firebaugh, Lynwood Mayor Aide Castro, Board President Gary Hardie Jr., PepsiCo North America West Division President Johannes Evenblij and Los Angeles Lakers great A.C. Green to the ceremony.

Monrovia Unified School District Trustees Present at California’s Premier Continuing Education Event

Monrovia Unified School District representatives gave presentations on how intervention and support programs are building stronger ties with parents to boost student achievement during the California School Boards Association’s (CSBA) 2019 Annual Education Conference (AEC) and Trade Show held Dec. 5-7 at the San Diego Convention Center. The conference featured over 120 workshops on topics that included teaching and learning, advocacy, engagement and community relations, equity, opportunity and access, wellness and safety, and funding, finance and facilities. Monrovia Unified School District was selected to present two of those workshops.

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Lynwood Unified Celebrates Student Talent and Cultivates Potential During Black Teen Summit

Firebaugh High School sophomore Elijah Arch always imagined the college experience as a stressful one, full of exams, assignments and little else. Arch has revised his thinking after attending the District’s seventh annual Black Teen Summit where he met college students who shared enriching experiences that transcend any midterm. Arch was one of nearly 250 students from Lynwood Unified’s high schools who learned about college life, entrepreneurship, and job and career resources during the Feb. 18 event, which was themed “Proud to be me - From Struggle Comes Strength.”

South El Monte High STEM Scholar Earns Early Acceptance to Stanford University

South El Monte High School senior Santiago Alvillar has been fascinated with science, technology, engineering and math since he was a young child reading his older siblings’ high school textbooks. Now he has the opportunity to study the disciplines in Silicon Valley, learning from some of the country’s top educators at one of the most elite universities in the world. Alvillar, a first-generation college student, has been accepted as a member of Stanford University’s Class of 2024 through its Restrictive Early Action program. Stanford, which has an admission rate nearing or below 5%, will cover all expenses.

El Monte High Senior Awarded Prestigious QuestBridge Scholarship

When El Monte High School senior Dana Hua competes in a 24-hour computer coding hackathon, her ambition and drive compel her to sacrifice sleep so she can concentrate on helping her teammates develop praiseworthy apps and games that are educational and fun. Those long hours of hard work have finally paid off. Hua – a first-generation college-goer with a 4.41 GPA and 1550 SAT score – is among 1,127 seniors (out of 15,000 applicants) to be awarded the 2019 QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship, guaranteeing her a full four-year ride to a college partner.

Fontana Unified 1:1 Initiative to Tackle Digital Divide, Provide Every Student with a Laptop

Fontana Unified School District is aiming to narrow the achievement gap with the launch of a 1:1 device initiative that will equip every student with a laptop to foster digital literacy. The first phase of the initiative rollout – which provides more than 11,000 high school students with a Dell Latitude 3190 laptop, stylus, protective case and earbuds – began in January at Jurupa Hills High School, followed by Fontana, A.B. Miller and Summit high schools. Rollout at Henry J. Kaiser, Eric Birch and Citrus high schools will run from late February to mid-March.

Buena Park School District Students Thrill Community with Classic Songs during annual Choral Festival

About 220 Buena Park School District students crooned, grooved and danced their way through seven decades of music for more than 600 applauding parents and community members during the District’s third annual Choral Festival. The “Blast from the Past” themed festival on Feb. 20 featured students dressed as rockers, hippies and disco dancers as they sang popular songs from the 1950s through the 2010s at Thanksgiving Church.

El Monte Union Recognized as Leader in Sustainability and Green Technology

El Monte Union High School District has been recognized as a leader in promoting green technology in its schools, implementing green school practices in its operations Districtwide and fostering environmental sustainability in the classroom. Green Technology – a nonprofit initiative designed to inform government efforts toward sustainability and promote the development and distribution of green technologies – honored the District with a Leadership Award at its annual Green California Schools and Community Colleges Summit and Exposition on Oct. 16.

Calendar Items

Thursday, February 27

Monrovia Unified to Host Preview Night for TK/K: Monrovia Unified School District will host a Transitional Kindergarten/Kindergarten Preview Night for families from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27 in the District Board Room, 325 E. Huntington Drive, Monrovia. The event gives parents the opportunity to learn more about the District’s programs such as computer programming, Spanish and Mandarin dual-language immersion, music, art, and outdoor education.

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Buena Park School District to host ‘Jungle Book’ Performance: Corey School students will take the stage dressed as tigers, monkeys and pumas during their school’s musical theater production of “The Jungle Book.” The school will host showings at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25 and Wednesday, Feb. 26 and at 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7351 Holder St., Buena Park. The event is open to the public.

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Los Angeles Rams Visit Inglewood’s Warren Lane Elementary School: In celebration of Black History Month, members of the Los Angeles Rams organization will visit with students at 11:45 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, at Warren Lane Elementary, 2602 W 79th St., Inglewood. Rams members will read “Dear Black Boy” by Martellus Bennett to classes and finish the reading with a pizza party.

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Friday, February 28

Fontana Unified Computer Science School to Hold Epic Build Showcase: Chaparral Academy of Technology – one of Fontana Unified’s two Code to the Future schools – will hold its second Epic Build Showcase of the year at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb, 28. Students will demonstrate the skills they are learning through Chaparral’s immersive computer science curriculum, including coding, building and programming LEGO robots. Chaparral Academy of Technology is at 14000 Shadow Drive, Fontana.

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Monrovia Unified Middle School to Compete at Robotics Contest in Spain: Monrovia’s Clifton Middle School robotics team, the Hippie Bots, has been selected to represent the United States in the FIRST Tech Challenge Barcelona Championship in Vic, Spain. The competition, open to middle and high school students, will take place Thursday, Feb. 27 and Friday, Feb. 28.

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Clifton Middle School’s Hippie Bots Travel to Robotics Competition in Spain: Monrovia’s Clifton Middle School robotics team, the Hippie Bots, have been chosen as the sole representative of the United States to compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge Barcelona Championship in Spain. The competition, open to middle and high school students, will take place from Thursday, Feb. 27 to Friday, Feb. 28.

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Monrovia Unified’s Hippie Bots Travel to Robotics Competition in Spain: Monrovia Unified’s Clifton Middle School robotics team, the Hippie Bots, have been chosen as the sole representative of the United States to compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge Barcelona Championship in Spain. The competition, open to middle and high school students, will take place from Thursday, Feb. 27 to Friday, Feb. 28.

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Tuesday, March 31

Fontana Unified Opens Enrollment for Transitional Kinder, Kindergarten: Fontana Unified School District is accepting 2020-21 enrollment applications for transitional kindergarten and kindergarten through Tuesday, March 31. Fontana Unified offers comprehensive early learning opportunities that include coding and robotics, dual language immersion and leadership development. Visit www.fusd.net for enrollment information.

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Friday, April 10

Río Hondo College Provides Tax Filing Aid to Families in Need: IRS-certified students from Río Hondo College will provide free basic income tax return preparation aid for individuals and families who earned $56,000 or less in 2019 as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The program is being held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Fridays, Jan. 31 through April 10, excluding Feb. 14 and March 27. For information, call 562-463-7359.

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