Baldwin Park Unified on Sept. 6 premiered a sleek new website that highlights student achievement and District programs while offering families multiple channels for engaging in their child’s education. Differences are immediate and dramatic, starting with a video of students at the top the page, intuitive navigation to the District’s calendar, Local Control and Accountability Plan, news and announcements, and recently created Facebook and Twitter social media communication channels. A translation button atop the site will allow parents to choose the language they wish to use when using the site.
Follow-up Story: Baldwin Park Unified dedicated Sierra Vista High School’s stadium to retired board member Jack B. White on Sept. 22 during an emotional evening filled with testimonials from community leaders about how White’s decades of service have transformed the city and its schools. The stadium’s new name – Jack B. White Stadium – was unveiled during a halftime presentation along with a bronze plaque recounting the impact of White’s 22 years on the school board, 10 years as city mayor and leadership of community sports leagues.
Baldwin Park Unified is launching an attendance campaign for the 2017-18 school year to drive academic achievement and success for all pupils. The “Attendance Matters – Every School Day Counts!" campaign begins Sept. 1, coinciding with national Attendance Awareness Month, held annually to underscore the critical role attendance plays in ensuring student success. Currently, Baldwin Park Unified averages 96 percent attendance – a robust performance overall. But school leaders want to combat challenges of chronic absenteeism that persist for a small number of students. The District aims to raise attendance rates to 97.5 percent. In addition to the academic benefits, a higher attendance rate would also secure added resources for educational programs. Baldwin Park Unified’s campaign will feature student assemblies, parent workshops, incentives for achievement and resources for families.
For the first time since 1979, a total solar eclipse will be visible in the contiguous U.S. on Monday, Aug. 21 – providing Baldwin Park Unified students with an amazing opportunity to learn about astronomy by experiencing a celestial phenomenon. Officials are encouraging students to take precautions when viewing the event.
Follow-up Story: More than 13,000 students returned to Baldwin Park Unified schools on Aug. 14 for the 2017-18 year, greeted by special programs designed to inspire learning, build camaraderie and strengthen instruction. Elwin Elementary, with 392 students in transitional kindergarten through sixth grade, launched the new year with a “walk and talk” before school to energize students and give them a chance to reconnect with friends. Later, students took a special writing assessment as part of a focus on writing skills for all grades. At Sierra Vista Junior High, smiling staff greeted students as they picked up school schedules and explored the campus to find their classes. More than 760 seventh- and eighth-graders attended a welcome rally to learn school policies and expectations. Baldwin Park High School’s concert band and cheer team kicked off the year with a drumline and pom-pom-filled celebration to welcome more than 1,800 new and returning students.
Baldwin Park Unified’s Holland Middle School, Santa Fe School and Central, Walnut and Elwin elementary schools received silver recognition from the California Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Coalition for implementing strategies that promote safe and positive learning environments. The California PBIS Coalition (CPC) emphasizes methods of teaching behavioral expectations and supports those lessons with positive reinforcement. School staff say student behavior is improving and achievement is climbing.
Baldwin Park Unified Students Return to New Classes, Tech, Fields
Baldwin Park Unified will welcome back more than 13,000 students in transitional kindergarten through high school on Monday, Aug. 14 with new digital tools, expanded engineering and technology, a new career technology offering, a stronger focus on instructional quality, and upgraded high school fields and tracks.
North Park Continuation High School and the Baldwin Park Unified School District have entered into an agreement to offer a tuition-free criminal justice class taught by a Rio Hondo College professor. The class, Introduction to Administration of Justice, provides an analysis of the U.S. criminal justice system for students interested in pursuing careers in criminal law. Enrollment is open to all Baldwin Park Unified high school students. The class will be held at the North Park campus from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Aug. 22 through Dec. 7. The District hopes to enroll at least 25 students, specifically inviting students who take part in North Park’s public service career and technical education (CTE) pathway. Students can earn three college units that are transferable to Cal State University and University of California campuses – reducing their college workloads.
Baldwin Park Unified will host a booth to promote its rigorous academic program, innovative early childhood education offerings and extensive adult education program at the city’s Market Nights in August and September. The District will be at Morgan Park, 4100 Baldwin Park Blvd., Baldwin Park, on Aug. 3 and 10, and on Maine Avenue between Ramona Boulevard and Palm Avenue on Sept. 14. For more information on the District’s programs, go www.bpusd.net.
Baldwin Park Unified will participate in the community’s 34th annual National Night Out anti-crime program at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1. National Night Out promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make neighborhoods safer and more caring places to live. The event begins with a 1.5 mile-march from Baldwin Park City Hall to the Target Center, where the community will hold a celebration with a free barbecue, entertainment and prizes. Local vendors will staff booths.
