Cedarlane Academy, Fairgrove Academy, Mesa Robles School, and Valinda School of Academics have been named 2024 Schools to Watch by the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California League of Educators, recognizing their continued success in keeping students engaged through a critical stage in their K-12 educational journey, demonstrating social equity and helping them achieve academic excellence. The four campuses are among 16 schools to be newly designated as Schools to Watch and will be honored alongside 36 re-designated model schools at the annual California League of Schools Conference held March 8-9 in Monterey.
Hacienda La Puente Unified Middle Schools Cited as Schools to Watch
Cedarlane Academy, Fairgrove Academy, Mesa Robles School, and Valinda School of Academics have been named 2024 Schools to Watch by the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California League of Educators, recognizing their continued success in keeping students engaged through a critical stage in their K-12 educational journey, demonstrating social equity, and helping them achieve academic excellence. The four campuses are among 16 schools to be newly designated as Schools to Watch and will be honored alongside 36 re-designated model schools at the annual California League of Schools Conference held March 8-9 in Monterey.
Hacienda La Puente Unified Students Connect Via Engineering Pathway
For 35 years, Hacienda La Puente Unified's award-winning Los Altos Academy of Engineering (LAAE) pathway has provided Los Altos High School students with hands-on learning experiences, vocational training, and a student-led curriculum centralized around math and science. With more than 1,000 program graduates, the LAAE continues to grow in popularity each year. Thanks to the long-standing success of LAAE, the District expanded the pathway to Orange Grove and Newton middle schools during the 2022-23 school year, introducing seventh- and eighth-grade students to computer, science, engineering, technology, and mathematics (C-STEM) through various courses, electives, and clubs.
Fifth-grade students at Baldwin Academy are benefiting from Microsoft Education’s public preview of its latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) learning tool, Reading Coach. The free immersive experience harnesses generative AI to help learners produce their own stories and independently practice reading-aloud content that gets them excited about reading. In addition to generating engaging stories from characters and settings selected by students in real-time, Reading Coach also tracks each student’s progress to help educators gauge their growth, find areas of opportunity and earn badges to track their amount of time, proficiency and reading level.
William Workman High School’s girls wrestling program is celebrating a historic 2023-24 season, as the Hacienda La Puente Unified team secured its first-ever Montview League championship and qualified all eight team members for the upcoming California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section (CIF-SS) individual championships, to be held Feb. 9-10. The Lobos put together dominant performances both individually and as a team, culminating in the Montview League Meet on Jan. 23 where they produced five individual champions, with three more wrestlers placing in their respective weight classes.
Hacienda La Puente Unified School District’s high school students are gaining insight into different cultures, histories and perspectives through the District’s Intersectional Ethnic Studies classes, which provides them with a deeper understanding of the nuances and complexities that have helped shape society. The District currently offers 11 sections of Ethnic Studies courses across its five high schools. These University of California A-G approved courses include curriculum and pedagogy that focus on the struggles and oppression of minority and marginalized groups and center on the importance of movement toward educational and social justice.
HLPUSD Middle School Girls Unlock Potential During STEM Celebration
An impressive group of Hacienda La Puente Unified eighth-grade girls journeyed to Whittier College to hear inspiring words and success stories from innovative female leaders and young women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), at the 29th Annual American Association of University Women Math and Science Conference, held on Jan. 11. The cutting-edge and highly anticipated conference, titled "Unlimited Potential," aimed to ignite passion and motivate females to dream big, work hard, and pursue careers that have historically been underrepresented.
Hacienda La Puente Unified showcased a year of growth and success during its ninth annual State of the District on Jan. 18. With a theme of “Engage, Experience, Connect: Deep Learning Every Day,” Superintendent Dr. Alfonso Jiménez led the event with a comprehensive presentation packed with animations and lively photos highlighting the past year’s accomplishments in front of a crowd of distinguished guests, administrators, staff, community and HLPUSD Board of Education members. At the conclusion, the District premiered its showcase video, which recognized the dedicated staff that make Hacienda La Puente Unified the ideal educational choice for families.
Hacienda La Puente Highlights Community During State of the District
Hacienda La Puente Unified will showcase a year of growth, success, and the importance of community during its 9th Annual State of the District at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 18 at the Hacienda Heights Community Center. Hosted by HLPUSD Superintendent Dr. Alfonso Jiménez, the State of the District will highlight the past year’s accomplishments with a comprehensive presentation and high-spirited showcase video. The Hacienda Heights Community Center is located at 1234 Valencia Ave., Hacienda Heights.
Hacienda La Puente Unified Robotics Teams Advance to Championships
Robotics teams across Hacienda La Puente Unified are celebrating a successful season that has enhanced their confidence, expanded their knowledge and led to excellence in various FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Challenge and Explorer events. The Challenge division, which started with nearly 1,000 Southern California teams at the FLL Qualifying Tournament, will hold its 2024 Championships on Sunday, Jan. 14, welcoming 50 teams from across the region, including three HLPUSD teams. Additionally, The Robolts is the only District Explore team to advance to the Championships.
