Baldwin Park Unified Community Learns from Dual Language Author
Baldwin Park Unified students and parents in the District’s Dual Language program learned about the additional benefits and resources for cultivating bilingual, biliterate and bicultural homes through a special guest lecture from award-winning author and speaker Maritere Rodriguez Bellas on Jan. 25. Bellas, a bilingual parent mentor and writer, visited multiple Baldwin Park Unified schools to speak with Dual Language students and teachers, including Foster, Geddes, Margaret Heath, Tracy and Walnut elementary schools. She concluded her trip at Olive Middle School, where she led a special parent discussion for more than 60 parents.
Baldwin Park Unified Schools Support Students with Wellness Rooms
Baldwin Park Unified students are benefiting from an additional level of support through the creation and implementation of wellness rooms on nine campuses across the District. Sierra Vista High School launched its Wellness Center this month, with the guidance and oversight from Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Outreach Program and Sierra Vista’s social worker, to create a space that allows students to disconnect and unwind from the stressors of life. De Anza and Walnut elementary schools have also recently formed wellness rooms that will enable students and teachers to benefit from a calming atmosphere, complete with sensory activities and emotional decompressing stations.
6 Baldwin Park Unified Robotics Teams Qualify for State Finals
BP STEM Academy qualified three additional robotics teams for the VEX Robotics State Championship, to be held in March, including two elementary-level teams that advanced in their first year of competition. A third secondary-level team qualified after being named robotic skills champions on Jan. 21 at the Rio Hondo League finals. This year, six of the eight robotics teams at BP STEM Academy qualified for the State Championship.
Sierra Vista High School junior Jinhui Liu was recognized as a first-place winner in the high school division of the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) student essay contest. Liu delivered a passionate essay about how being a bilingual student has helped him connect with others and be a source of good while he serves those around him. Liu received a $500 scholarship, trophy and certificate. Liu will present his essay in English and Mandarin at the annual NABE conference in Portland on Feb. 24, joined by his mother and Sierra Vista High teacher Charlene Fried. This is the third year in a row that Fried has taught and mentored a NABE essay winner.
Baldwin Park Unified Welcomes New Assistant Principals
Baldwin Park Unified announced its selection of a new assistant director for Baldwin Park Adult and Community Education (BPACE) and introduced eight newly appointed elementary school assistant principals during its Jan. 17 Board of Education meeting. The Board welcomed Gale R. Lee as BPACE’s new assistant director, as well as assistant principals Lupe Anaya at Walnut Elementary; Yvette Erickson at Geddes Elementary; Sam-Ana Fenwick at Tracy Elementary; Rocio Gamino at Foster Elementary; Emma Rodarte at Bursch and Margaret Heath elementary schools; Adriana Urbina at Kenmore Elementary; Yesenia E. Valerio at Central and Pleasant View elementary schools; and Michelle Zamarripa at De Anza Elementary.
Baldwin Park Unified Middle School Hosts Inspirational Speaker
Baldwin Park Unified’s Olive Middle School hosted inspirational speaker Dee Hankins to share his message on resiliency and coping skills with students during a special assembly on Jan. 11. The event was designed to help families meet challenging experiences with a positive attitude. Hankins has traveled across the country to share his story with middle and high school students and their families.
Baldwin Park Unified Elementary Students Receive New Shoes
Forty De Anza Elementary School students in kindergarten through fifth grade returned from the winter break on Jan. 10 to a special surprise of new pairs of shoes, socks and other goodies, thanks to Southern California Edison and the nonprofit program Shoes that Fit. After the distribution, students tried on their new shoes and then watched as Southern California Edison workers demonstrated how to operate the crane on their utility truck.
Baldwin Park Unified Robotics Teams Qualify for Championships
The middle school-level robotics program at Baldwin Park Unified’s BP STEM Academy qualified for the VEX Robotics State Championships, to be held in March. Two of the three qualifying teams, comprised of seventh-graders, earned spots in the State Championships as a result of their performance at a tournament in Orange County where they were awarded the Tournament Finalist Award.
Baldwin Park Unified School Shares Holiday Cheer with Winter Fair
Baldwin Park High School’s quad was aglow from strings of Christmas lights, students and families laughing over hot pozole and music from the Braves orchestra during the school’s Multicultural Winter Festival on Dec. 8. Open to the public, the BPHS quad was filled with community members enjoying the evening festivities, including photos with Santa Claus and special student and club performances.
Baldwin Park Unified held its annual Board reorganization meeting and Oath of Office ceremony on Dec. 13, recognizing returning Board of Education member Deanna Coronado Robles and newly elected member John Bernard de Leon. Before the reorganization, outgoing Board President Betsabel Lara was celebrated for her four years of service and for helping lead the District over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the organizational meeting, the Board selected member Diana E. Miranda-Dzib to serve as Board president and Christina Lucero to serve as clerk/vice president.
