Whittier Union School Partners with Whittier College for Online Tutoring
Sierra Vista High School has partnered with the Center for Engagement with Communities at Whittier College to provide online tutoring opportunities for students. Through the partnership, students will have access to four Whittier College mentors who will support them during online tutoring sessions in all subject areas. One tutor will focus primarily on assisting Learning Pods, a Quarter 4 intervention program at Sierra Vista designed to help students with good attendance but low credit production, and increasing credit production for the final grading period of the school year.
Baldwin Park Students Connect with Seniors through Outreach Program
Twenty Sierra Vista High School students were recognized with certificates of completion during a virtual ceremony on March 17 for the Intergenerational Pilot Project (IPP), a multi-agency partnership between Kaiser Permanente EOP, La Posada Senior Housing Program, El Centro De Ayuda and Baldwin Park Unified. IPP was designed to provide comfort and open lines of communication with older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Student interns were paired with adults from La Posada, making weekly phone calls of encouragement during Sierra Vista’s Flex Friday intervention class.
Bonita Unified Prepares for April Reopening, Hybrid Instruction
Bonita Unified School District will welcome middle and high school students back to campus for in-person instruction on Monday, April 12. The students will be taught in a hybrid model, designed to meet state and county health and safety protocols. Bonita Unified students will have the option to remain in distance learning for the remainder of the year. The District opened its doors to elementary school students on April 5.
Almond Elementary School showed appreciation to students and families on March 31, presenting them with therapy dolls designed to provide comfort and reestablish much-needed personal connections. Every Almond student received a Mimbleball, a five-inch round polyester doll with button eyes and long acrylic hair, that helps relieve stress and anxiety and can be enjoyed by all age groups. The Mimbleballs were distributed during the school’s weekly meal distribution, with principal Tim McCaffrey greeting students dressed as a giant Mimbleball.
Fontana Unified Student Supports Peers with Gift Card Fundraising Drive
Canyon Crest Elementary School fifth-grader Noah Walker wanted to do more to help families facing hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Initiating a community fundraiser, Walker raised approximately $650 and used it to purchase a variety of gift cards – including McDonald’s, Target, and other food-related cards – for families in need. The gift cards will be distributed to families beginning Monday, March 29 and continue throughout the week. Canyon Crest Elementary is at 11851 Cherry Ave., Fontana.
Monrovia Unified Secondary Students to Return for In-Person Instruction
Monrovia Unified School District secondary students will return to campus for in-person instruction on Monday, April 19, using a Secondary Hybrid Instructional Model approved by the Board of Education in March. The approved schedule will divide students into three separate cohorts, with Cohort A and B attending school Monday and Tuesday, and Thursday and Friday, respectively. Cohort C will continue with 100% distance learning.
Río Hondo College’s Board of Trustees welcomed Anais Medina Diaz as the Area 1 Trustee following a swearing-in ceremony during a March 24 board meeting. Medina Diaz was sworn into office by her husband, El Monte Union High School District Board of Trustee Clerk David Diaz, during a virtual Zoom meeting. In attendance were Congresswoman Grace Napolitano and a representative for Assemblymember Blanca E. Rubio.
Grammy Award-winning composer Eric Whitacre joined Río Hondo College choral students for a virtual music workshop on March 11, providing guidance for those seeking to pursue a career as a professional singer or music composer. Whitacre discussed his influences, his early years as a student at the Julliard School of Music, moving to Los Angeles to work as a film composer, his initial successes in the music industry, the value of chance in the songwriting process, how to turn failure into success and the inspirations that led to the formation of his Virtual Choir project.
Helen Keller and Washington elementary school staff greeted more than 60 total K-2 students at the front entrance on March 22, a day when even face coverings could not mask the excitement of Lynwood Unified School District reopening its doors for in-person instruction. The District welcomed back students on a limited basis, beginning with grades K-2 for just two schools, and will continue with a staggered restart of all elementary grades on April 15 following spring break.
Buena Park Middle School teacher Kristina Walshe positively radiates joy at the idea of getting students excited about math and science, especially when new students are afraid of the daunting subjects. Her unending positivity and exemplary work have earned her recognition as Buena Park School District’s 2021 Teacher of the Year.
