Fontana Unified Students, Teacher Honored for Improving Math Skills
Truman Middle School eighth-graders Iris Tovar and Keila Molina Hernandez have been recognized 2021 Houghton Mifflin Houghton (HMH) 180 Award winners – an honor given to just 30 students across the country – for their perseverance in overcoming past struggles with math and displaying academic progress. Tovar and Molina Hernandez were lauded for exhibiting engagement, consistency, and perseverance in class, where Truman Middle School math intervention teacher Sahar Yahya uses the HMH Math 180 curriculum to help students learn and grow through a digital framework that provides daily goals and instant assessments. Yahya was also recognized as a 2021 HMH 180 Award winner, one of just 20 educators in the U.S. to receive the distinction.
All three Covina-Valley Unified middle schools – Las Palmas Middle School, Traweek Middle School and Sierra Vista Middle School – have been recognized as 2021 California Schools to Watch, celebrating their efforts in closing the achievement gap, establishing positive learning environments and infusing technology into every aspect of learning. The middle schools are among 31 high-performing California middle schools to be honored this year. All three schools were re-evaluated to retain their Schools to Watch status.
Río Hondo College students, staff and administrators gave firsthand accounts of how studying abroad can expand one’s mind, provide language immersion and teach cultural diversity during an experience exchange forum, hosted by the Indo-Pacific Research Center on Nov. 30. The forum, held at the Courtyard by Marriott Los Angeles Monterey Park, featured Río Hondo College Superintendent/President Teresa Dreyfuss, Computer Science Professor Dr. Shin Liu and 10 students to talk about the College’s partnership with the Taiwanese government for its study abroad program.
Fontana Unified to Host COVID-19, Flu Vaccine Clinic
Fontana Unified School District is partnering with San Bernardino County to provide a COVID-19 vaccine and flu vaccine clinic to the community, to be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11 at Jurupa Hills High School, 10700 Oleander Ave., Fontana. COVID-19 vaccines are available for anyone ages five and up, and flu vaccines are available for those ages three and up. Parents or guardians must be present for anyone under the age of 18 years old. Appointments are preferred, but not necessary. To schedule an appointment, visit myturn.ca.gov.
The El Monte Union Board of Trustees will continue discussion on and narrow the number of draft trustee area maps for final consideration during a public hearing at the next Board meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 5. As the District’s process to create by-trustee areas moves forward, the public is urged to participate in-person or virtually to share their feedback on the maps. Visit https://emuhsd-by-area-trustees.com/ to view the maps and submit comments.
Lynwood Unified School District leaders, board members, elected officials and students gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 7 to recognize the upgrades and renovations to Lynwood High School after transitioning to its original Bullis Road campus. Superintendent Dr. Gudiel R. Crosthwaite and Principal Ana Gonzalez welcomed more than 30 dignitaries and community leaders to see the changes to the campus. The modernized site features new portable classrooms and enhanced labs, a new outdoor eating area and quad, and three art murals that celebrate the Lynwood Knights’ spirit.
Baldwin Park Unified to Host the Promising Learners Project Academy
Baldwin Park Unified is hosting a special, one-day event for visual and performing arts and social-emotional learning through the Promising Learners Project (PLP) Academy that will provide participants the opportunity to experience the arts through the lens of a student. The PLP Academy will run from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at the Performing Arts Center, located at 4640 Maine Ave., Baldwin Park. This is the second year of the three-year grant project with PLP Academy, and the project is supported by the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s Center for Distance and Online Learning.
Fontana Unified’s Adult School Opens Enrollment for January Courses
Fontana Adult School will open enrollment for its January courses at 8 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 6, providing adult learners with opportunities to pursue new educational and professional pathways in the new year. Fontana Unified’s adult school provides students the opportunity to expand their education with an array of free and affordable courses aimed at developing new skills, earning high school diplomas and career technical education certificates, and more. Upcoming courses include post-pandemic assistance – such as a computer skills program to help students apply for jobs online and attend virtual interviews – and are accessible via in-person instruction as well as online and hybrid options. To register, visit the Fontana Adult School campus, located at 10755 Oleander Ave., Fontana.
Buena Park School District kindergartners are learning about compassion and togetherness through the District’s Kinder Kindness program, which recently awarded students medals for creating artwork that reflected the theme of being kind to one another. Some 335 kindergarten students received medals and cheers of praise from classmates, teachers and administrators for creating colorful depictions of goodwill during a series of award ceremonies across District elementary schools on Nov. 30.
The California High School music program is receiving accolades throughout California and beyond, with four Cal High choir members being recognized for their exceptional singing talents and being named to prestigious state and regional honor choirs. Cal High senior Calvin Monsivais has been named to the Southern California Vocal Association High School Honor Choir, while seniors Randall Pineda and Deanne Fonseca, along with sophomore Roxie Navarro, have been named to the American Choral Directors Association Western Region Honor Choir.
