As Lynwood Unified continues making extensive progress on beautifying several school campuses utilizing a $93 million Measure K facilities bond, the District is gearing up to kick off the second phase of essential repairs at 11 schools that will include exterior painting, new roofing and asphalt repairs, the installation of an HVAC system and facility improvements at the Pathway Independent Studies building. The District is also nearing completion of $2 million worth of projects under Phase 1B, part of the first group of construction projects funded under the voter-approved bond that began last June and will continue this summer. Photos are available. Contact: Juliette Funes, (909) 445-1001 (office)
The Lynwood Unified School District is inviting parents, students, staff and community members to participate in an online survey that will help shape District spending priorities and services needed to support student growth and academic achievement. Under the state’s new funding rules, school districts are required to adopt a Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), which will guide the expenditure of state funds based on the particular needs of their students. LUSD has developed the LCAP Stakeholder Input Survey to help establish priorities for the development of the three-year plan. The online survey, available in English and Spanish, must be completed by Friday, April 25. Contact: Juliette Funes, 909-445-1001 (office)
Lynwood Unified is making great strides in completing extensive construction and renovation work at Washington and Lincoln elementary schools, which have seen their outdated portable classrooms transform into permanent, state-of-the-art and energy-efficient classroom buildings. While work on the new buildings is expected to be complete before the end of this school year, site work at each campus – including newly paved parking lots and last finishing touches around the sites – is slated for completion by July and August for Lincoln and Washington, respectively, in time for the fall semester. Photos of the progress at each campus are available. Contact: Juliette Funes, (909) 447-2404 (office)
More than 200 Vista High School students and their families are expected to take part in the second annual Open House and College and Career Fair, which is geared toward helping students prepare for life after graduating high school, from 3 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9. The Open House and College and Career Fair was created to give all students of Vista High School, Lynwood Unified’s continuation school, the opportunity to succeed in college and career after high school. All Vista students will participate in the event as part of their Senior Project to ensure that they have a transition plan after they graduate. Contact: Juliette Funes, (909) 445-1001 (office)
Nearly 300 kindergarten- through sixth-grade students at Mark Twain Elementary are participating in a 10-week series of after-school piano, drumline and art classes after the school community raised $14,000 through a candy sale fundraiser. During a media open house from 2 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 12, students will be available to speak about their experience in the program, and school and district leaders will also be on hand to discuss how state budgets have limited the ability of public schools to offer arts programs to students. Contact: Maritza Fairfield, 909-445-1001 (office) or 909-816-7722 (cell)
As Lynwood Unified prepares to kick off its enrollment period, the District is hosting an informational meeting to provide parents with resources related to LUSD’s kindergarten and transitional kindergarten programs. District officials will present information related to registration requirements, curriculum and ways parents can help prepare their children for the upcoming school year. The meeting takes place at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18 at the District Office, 11321 Bullis Road, Lynwood. Contact: Juliette Funes, 909-447-2404 (office)
Lynwood Unified's African American Parent Advisory Council partnered with the District and the City of Lynwood to offer the first Black Teen Summit, which aimed to motivate students, while providing them with college and career resources to promote their success after high school on Feb. 26. Hundreds of teens from the District’s high schools came together for workshops on requirements for college entry, interviewing and job-seeking tips, and more. Coinciding with Black History Month, the event also celebrated influential figures with displays of beautiful student artwork featuring Maya Angelou, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Louis Armstrong. Photos of the event are available. Contact: Maritza Fairfield, 909-445-1001 (office) or 909-816-7722 (cell)
Each elementary school across Lynwood Unified has selected their top math wizzes to compete on behalf of their campus for the District’s annual ‘Mathathon’ contest. Third- and fourth-graders at all 12 elementary schools this week competed in teams, computing standards-based math problems to best represent their schools, to qualify for the "Mathathon'. Held at Firebaugh High School, hundreds of parents and community members came out to support their children, holding banners, flags and wearing T-shirts to show their school spirit. The media is invited to the fifth- and sixth-grade ‘Mathathon’ at Firebaugh High School from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Photos of both competitions and winners will be available. Contact: Maritza Fairfield, 909-445-1001 (office) or 909-816-7722 (cell)
New solar panel projects at 11 Lynwood Unified campuses are expected to result in $1.5 million in energy savings for the District, while generating 2.9 million kilowatt hours per year, which is equivalent to the annual energy consumed by 284 households in the United States. Construction of the projects, which are privately funded and come at no cost to the District, began in November and are expected to be complete by mid-April. Photos of the projects are available. Contact: Maritza Fairfield, 909-445-1001 (office) or 909-816-7722 (cell)
Lynwood Unified will host its final meeting to inform parents and the community about the implementation of the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 27 at Lynwood High School, 4050 Imperial Highway. In addition to an overview of the standards and what they mean for students, attendees will have the opportunity to hear about how Lynwood Unified is making a successful transition, hear presentations from classroom teachers, view the new standardized testing and receive information about the Local Control Funding Formula, a new formula that transfers the budget decision-making to the local level. Contact: Juliette Funes, 909-445-1001 (office)
