Buena Park School District and the Board of Education paid tribute to five of its community partners, celebrating the programs, resources and assistance each has provided to students and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. The District recognized the Buena Park Police Department for campus safety and resources, the Boys & Girls Club of Buena Park for providing support to socio-economically disadvantaged students, St. Jude Medical Center for mental and physical wellness assistance, the Jain Center of Southern California for supplying Chromebooks for at-home learning and Simpson Buick GMC of Buena Park for gifting more than 3,000 backpacks and supplies to students. Photos are available.
Baldwin Park Unified continues to offer vaccination opportunities and resources to students, staff, and the community, in an effort to guard individuals against the effects of COVID-19. As of Sept. 28, two-thirds of Baldwin Park students are fully vaccinated. The District has also made a continuous effort to provide updates for parents and staff on new cases through their dashboard, which is updated weekly.
Río Hondo College motivated 30 area high school students to hone their management skills and creative thinking abilities during Entrepreneur Camp Río, a two-week camp that teaches students the ins and outs of business ownership. The camp, which ran through Aug. 6, challenged students to think beyond their typical curriculum by diving into the world of finance, marketing and free enterprise. It was created through a partnership between Río Hondo College’s Business Division and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) to inspire the next generation of young business tycoons. The camp was funded through a $20,000 California Community College Strong Workforce Grant, allowing all students to participate at no cost.
Whittier Union High Schools Host Homecoming Celebrations
Pioneer High School and Whittier High School staged spirited celebrations honoring students, community, and alumni, hosting Homecoming dances on Sept. 10 and Sept. 18, respectively. Students dressed in formal attire for the dances, where they enjoyed entertainment from local DJs, photo opportunities and dinner meals.
Henry J. Kaiser High School’s softball field will be renamed the John “Spotty” Stevens Memorial Field, honoring the longtime athletic coach, security officer and locker room attendant who mentored Fontana student-athletes, teachers, and administrators for more than 30 years. The Fontana Unified Board of Education approved the renaming of the field during its Sept. 8 meeting.
Baldwin Park Adult School Begins New Healthcare Program
Baldwin Park Unified’s Adult and Community Education (BPACE) is offering free enrollment for a new Home Care Aide career technical education program during its first school quarter. The Home Care Aide program will train students in providing basic at-home care and support to clients. The 40-hour course will focus on safety principles for client mobility and transport, personal hygiene care, home safety management and nutrition. The first session begins Monday, Sept. 27, and the course will run from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
El Monte Union High School District inspired students to use their voice and promoted civic engagement during Early Voter Registration events, held on campuses from Sept. 13 to Sept. 24, as part of the state’s High School Voter Education Week. The event was open to all students ages 16 and 17. Throughout the District, information was shared on how to register and when to vote. At Arroyo High School, the Student Advocates for Voter Empowerment club provided access to computers and information during lunch period. Students can also pre-register to vote online by visiting the El Monte Union Voter Registration Information page.
Bonita Unified School District has been ranked No. 1 out of 287 of the most populous school districts in the state for excellence in reading comprehension according to the California Reading Coalition California Reading Report Card. Among California school districts with 100 or more socio-economically disadvantaged Latinx third-graders, Bonita Unified topped the Reading Report Card with 64% of the subgroup meeting or exceeding California grade-level standards, according to the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress English language arts testing from 2017-18 and 2018-19. The District’s No. 1 ranking is the capstone of a 15-year commitment to boost reading comprehension across all grade levels.
Baldwin Park Unified’s Adult and Community Education (BPACE) is offering free enrollment for the first quarter of a new Home Care Aide Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, which trains students in providing basic at-home care and support to clients. For a limited time, BPACE is waiving both the course fee for the first quarter and the Student Accident Insurance fee – a standard requirement for all students enrolled in CTE courses.
The 40-hour course will focus on safety principles for client mobility and transport, personal hygiene care, home safety management and nutrition.
Hacienda La Puente Unified students, teachers and staff are benefiting from a number of facility improvements during the 2021-22 school year, which include modernized classrooms, new interior paint, roofing restorations and the installation of solar panels. Many of the upgrades were completed over the summer, ensuring students and employees returned to refreshed classrooms on modernized campuses. Such projects include the installation of solar panel parking lot canopies at Los Altos High School, Workman High School, Wilson High School, La Puente High School, Willow Adult School and the District Office; locker upgrades at La Puente High School; new interior paint at Valley High School and Orange Grove Middle School; roofing restorations at Newton Middle School and Workman Elementary School; and the installation of new ceiling tiles and lighting at Sunset Elementary School.
