Banning Unified Tests Artificial Intelligence System in Classrooms
Banning Unified Tests Artificial Intelligence System in Classrooms
Cabazon Elementary School has been selected as the pilot campus for Merlyn Mind, an artificial intelligence (AI) system designed to help streamline classroom interaction with technology and make lessons more engaging for students. First-grade teacher Krista Bautista and second-grade teacher Anita Thao began using the Merlyn Mind equipment in their classrooms in early October. The equipment is designed to empower teachers to leave their desks and navigate through apps, tabs and tools on their computers seamlessly through voice commands or with an intelligent remote.
Buena Park School District ‘Principal for a Day’ Welcomes Local Leaders
Buena Park School District welcomed more than a dozen city, business and community leaders onto its campuses for its “Principal for a Day” event on Oct. 18 to learn about District operations, explore academic programs and support services, and connect with students on their favorite subjects, the skills they have learned and their future goals. Among the local professionals participating in the event were Buena Park Mayor Sunny Park, Buena Park High School Counselor Maggie Gallego, and Biola University Associate Professor and English Learner Specialist Dr. Jenna Canillas.
When Yubleni Cazares came to the Fontana Unified After School Education and Safety (ASES) program as project director in 2018, she immediately realized the potential of the program to provide crucial academic and socio-emotional support to more than 2,000 students across the District. Under the guidance of Cazares, ASES has developed into a model program that continues to grow. For her success in developing activities and lesson plans that resonate with students, the California Department of Education (CDE) has honored Cazares with its Expanded Learning Innovative Leadership Award. Cazares was recognized during the California Afterschool Network’s annual Lights On Afterschool ceremony, held Oct. 17. Cazares represents CDE Region 10, which includes San Bernardino, Riverside, Inyo and Mono counties.
Covina-Valley Unified School District students and families will benefit from a new Health and Wellness Center, which will provide a full-service location where they can access resources that best fit the needs of each family and situation. Located at what was formerly the Lark Ellen Elementary School campus, the Health and Wellness Center was created to expand the District’s emphasis on serving the whole student and will provide students and families with medical and mental health screenings, counseling services, and more.
Hacienda La Puente Unified Superintendent Dr. Alfonso Jiménez has been named UC Davis Center for Integrated Computing and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (C-STEM) 2022 Superintendent of the Year for the District’s excellence in integrating hands-on coding and robotics into math education. Jiménez was honored during the 12th Annual UC Davis C-STEM Conference on Oct. 21 alongside Orange Grove Middle School Principal Dr. David Nieto, who was named a UC Davis C-STEM 2022 Administrator of the Year.
Chaparral-Vista High School Advanced Culinary students are making a name for themselves, pooling their talents and stretching their imaginations to create award-winning dishes under the guidance of hospitality instructor Ben Pando, who trained at the Le Cordon Bleu satellite campus in Pasadena. Against a crowded field that saw entrants serving up time-honored family recipes, a team of five Chaparral-Vista culinary students shocked judges, contestants and chili lovers alike with a stunning first-place finish at the inaugural Bonita PTA Council Chili Cook-Off in September. About 30 students are enrolled in the continuation high school’s culinary classes – learning proper food handling, plating, and knife skills, preparing baked goods and desserts, creating recipes, planning meals, catering and more.
Baldwin Park High School senior Melanie Flores is a dedicated and passionate learner whose hard work has earned her an elite academic honor that will get her one step closer to realizing her dream of helping people access medical care in underserved areas. Flores, an alumna of Foster Elementary School and Sierra Vista Middle School and enrolled in the District’s Dual Language Program, was awarded the National Hispanic Recognition Award by the College Board National Recognition Programs for her academic achievements.
El Monte Union High School District students and families learned about how to succeed in high school, achieve their personal goals and prepare for college and career during the annual College and Career Family Conference, held Oct. 22 at the Pacific Palms Resort. The event, hosted in partnership with the District, El Monte City School District, El Monte Promise Foundation, Río Hondo College and the University of California, Irvine, welcomed more than 500 El Monte-area middle and high school students and families who participated in several information workshops, enjoyed a complimentary breakfast and received swag bags.
Jacqueline Garcia's third-grade class from Kenmore Elementary School received a first-place blue ribbon for their group poster, depicting a paper mâché tiger surrounded by cutouts of hands to mimic a jungle, at the eighth annual East San Gabriel Valley SELPA Community Advisory Committee Arts Festival on Oct. 24. More than 180 Baldwin Park Unified special education students celebrated a morning of arts education and engagement with activities ranging from decorating superhero masks to face painting, yoga and making beaded jewelry.
Buena Park Elementary School Upgrades During IB Candidacy
Buena Park School District’s Pendleton Elementary School has entered its first year of International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) candidacy, during which administrators and staff members are receiving special training while students are learning how to take ownership of their own learning. The PYP offers an inquiry-based, transdisciplinary curriculum framework that promotes advanced learning opportunities in students ages three to 12. IB challenges students to become open-minded, empathetic leaders, achieved by integrating lessons on social-emotional growth, understanding the environment, enhancing critical thinking skills and more into the curriculum.
