West Covina Unified’s Signature Programs Shift to Distance Learning

West Covina Unified’s signature academic offerings – including Mandarin and Spanish Dual Language Immersion programs, TK-12 IB continuum and its dual enrollment high school, Mt. SAC Early College Academy – have shifted to distance learning, ensuring students can continue to customize their learning experiences in 2020-21. The District’s robust programs afford students the opportunity to develop bilingualism and biliteracy, receive a globally focused education or gain college credit while they earn their high school diploma. Students interested in Dual Language Immersion or Mt. SAC Early College Academy may still apply for 2020-21 enrollment.

Fontana Unified Selects 2020-21 Board of Education Student Representative

Fontana High School senior Fatima Kamara will serve as Fontana Unified’s 2020-21 Board of Education student representative. Since arriving from Sierra Leone three years ago, Kamara has embraced Fontana Unified’s learning opportunities and extracurriculars, maintaining a strong GPA and earning multiple Jerry Dison Awards, Student of the Month and Most Outstanding AVID Student. She has served as the student representative to Fontana High’s School Site Council, highlighting the academic and social needs of her peers; worked to establish a wellness center and meditation garden as part of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) team; and served as a peer mentor in Link Crew, helping incoming freshmen transition smoothly into high school. Kamara is also a member of the California Scholarship Federation, a 2019 junior honor attendant, and a regular volunteer at the Lewis Library and Technology Center.

El Monte Union to Continue Distance Learning for Remainder of Fall Semester

El Monte Union High School District will continue its distance learning program for the remainder of the fall 2020 semester, but is exploring the possibility of developing learning groups (pods) on campus for students most in need, including those in special education programs and English learners. Under the learning pod program – which could begin as early as October – El Monte Union plans to establish small cohorts of no more than 12 students with two supervising adults per group. The District is also working on providing day care and academic support via its After School and Safety Program (ASES) program, LEARN.

Monrovia Unified Closes School Sites in Response to Bobcat Fire

Monrovia Unified School District closed its schools and dismissed students from online-learning on Sept. 17 and Sept. 18 due to growing concerns regarding the Bobcat fire and air quality. The dismissal of students is meant to give families some relief, as the dense smoke has caused disruption even inside homes. During this time, Monrovia Unified had to cancel its food distribution, but its local Flame Broiler stepped up to provide grab-and-go meals to students on Friday. Distance learning is set to resume Monday, Sept. 21.

Buena Park School District to Provide Meal Distribution Program

Buena Park School District will continue to provide daily drive-thru meals to parents and students of the community. Meals will be distributed from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at Emery, Whitaker, Corey, Gilbert and Pendleton schools. The District will be strictly adhering to social distancing rules and all guests must wear masks when picking up their food.

Fontana Unified Student Honored by Learning Company for Overcoming Adversity, Learning to Read

Jowah Scott enrolled in Kathy Binks Elementary School as a third grader with a big goal: to learn how to read, despite not having attended school consistently and not knowing his letters and sounds. Scott, now a fourth grader, has grown from not knowing how to read to confidently reading at his grade level. For his perseverance and dedication to learning, Scott has been selected as one of 15 students in the country to receive 2020 180 Student Awards from learning company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The 180 Student Awards celebrate students who have overcome challenges to achieve remarkable reading and math gains.

Río Hondo College Receives $2.68 Million in TRIO Funding to Assist Low-income, 1st-generation College Students Overcome Barriers to Success

Río Hondo College has received $2.68 million in federal grants to expand coaching services that encourage persistence and retention of low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities who face significant barriers to higher-education success. The grants are provided by the Department of Education’s TRIO programs, a collection of eight programs that serve student groups with high needs. Río Hondo received two grants: A TRIO-Regular grant that will provide $1.42 million over five years to serve 165 students and a TRIO-STEM grant that will provide $1.26 million over five years for 124 students.

Baldwin Park Unified Expands Meal Services During Distance Learning

Baldwin Park Unified served 16,500 breakfasts, lunches and dinners during the start of the 2020-21 school year, with the District’s Nutrition Services expanding its capabilities to ensure all Baldwin Park children under the age of 18 are fed. Meals are served from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesdays at designated schools where families can pick up meals for all students in the household at one site. Meal service is “Grab & Go” drive-through style, ensuring parents can remain in their cars and limit contact with others. Families receive five days’ worth of breakfasts, lunches and dinners, including a half-gallon of milk and juice.