Whittier Union to Welcome 2,778 Freshmen to High School on Aug. 14
Whittier Union schools will welcome approximately 2,778 freshmen on Tuesday, Aug. 14 for its Freshman First Day orientation program, which allows students to meet new classmates and take part in fun team-building activities. Students will get a preview tour of their classes and meet their teachers and administrators, as well as Link Crew members, who will serve as mentors during their first year of high school. The program takes place annually at each Whittier Union High School District campus to help smooth students' transition to high school. The first official day is Wednesday, Aug. 15.
Bassett High to Hold Orientation for Incoming Freshmen
Bassett High School’s Link Crew will hold an orientation for freshmen from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Aug. 6, two days before school begins. Link Crew is a team of juniors and seniors who are trained to mentor freshmen, helping to smooth their transition to high school. Bassett High is expecting about 260 freshmen this year. The high school is at 755 N. Ardilla Ave., La Puente.
Bonita Unified School District will begin major renovations to the Bonita High School stadium on Aug. 8, as a part of the final project funded under the $97.1 million Measure AB bond. The $7.2 million renovation, expected to be completed by June 2019, received a generous contribution of $437,000 from the City of La Verne during Bonita Unified’s Board of Education meeting on Aug. 1.
Fontana Unified School District has appointed four new elementary school principals, who will welcome students, faculty and staff for the 2018-19 year on Monday, Aug. 6. Sandra Loudermilk will lead Date Elementary, Amanda Colon will lead Locust Elementary, Lauri Martin will helm Palmetto Elementary and Dr. Amanda Beasley will oversee Randall Pepper Elementary.
Baldwin Park Unified is set to participate in the city’s 35th annual National Night Out, a community-building event that promotes police and community partnerships with a 1.5-mile march from Baldwin Park City Hall to the Target Center. The event will kick off at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7 at Baldwin Park City Hall, 14403 Pacific Ave., Baldwin Park.
Gabrielino High School to Expand Mandarin Instruction in 2018-19
San Gabriel Unified’s Gabrielino High School will expand its Mandarin course offerings with new instruction for both beginners and native speakers in 2018-19, furthering a districtwide effort to promote multilingualism and multiculturalism. “Mandarin for Heritage Learners,” which will be offered as part of the Mandarin 4 class, aims to enhance the overall education of Chinese heritage students who are native speakers by boosting Chinese literacy, intercultural knowledge and social development. The school is also considering an introductory Mandarin course, which will help students learn about Chinese culture, acquire Chinese conversational skills and have the opportunity to interact with people in Chinese-speaking communities.
Nearly 200 Fontana Unified administrators brainstorm creative solutions to educational challenges, celebrated innovation among their peers and strengthened their management skills during the District’s inaugural Leadership Institute on July 16 and 17. The two-day, team-building seminar kicked off with a keynote address from Dr. Adam Steltzner, the chief engineer on NASA’s Mars 2020 project. Steltzner discussed his unconventional path to becoming a NASA engineer and discussed the importance of embracing curiosity-based decision making.
About 45 members of the Boys & Girls Club of Whittier created electronic escape room games, created relief-prints and composed electronic music during a four-day, project-based summer camp at Rio Hondo College. Camp Rio was sponsored by the Whittier-based BCM Foundation and Pacific Western Bank as a way to offer project-based learning opportunities to area children ages 11 to 13 and inspire interest in college opportunities. Participants not only explored their topics, but enjoyed afternoon sports clinics and, on the last day, a celebration at the Rio Hondo College pool. Rio Hondo College faculty experts taught all classes, with assistance from Rio Hondo students. Children received T-shirts, ball caps and backpacks with material on the benefits of college.
More than 100 middle school students from five school districts built small engines, crystal radios and bridges and learned to do CPR as part of Rio Hondo College’s eighth annual CTE Career Exploration Summer Academy. The academy focuses on health science, engineering and automobile technology – all Rio Hondo College fields of study. The program has grown from 30 middle school students in its first year. Each day includes hands-on activities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). For example, in the small-engine project, students broke down and assembled a car engine. Along the way, they learned electrical theory, calculations and application. In a structural design class, they constructed and tested the strength of bridges.
Rio Hondo College Hosts CTE Boot Camp for 110 Area Middle Schoolers
About 110 middle school students from five Whittier-area school districts explored career and technical education (CTE) fields in July as part of Rio Hondo College’s eighth annual CTE Boot Camp, a weeklong summer program that also seeks to inspire students to consider their college options. Students designed and tested bridges, built small engines and crystal radios, and learned the basics of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. Photos and video are available.
