Two Head Start teachers from the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District are being recognized for excellence with Golden Apple awards by the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE). LACOE Superintendent Arturo Delgado bestowed the honor on Regina Roberts and Maria Valenzuela in a special ceremony on Jan. 12. Roberts and Valenzuela were cited for their overall excellence in bringing innovative practices into their classrooms as well as their passion for working with children at risk. Along with the Golden Apple, each teacher received $500 in classroom supplies. The award is a recent creation of LACOE, which recognized Norwalk-La Mirada’s Hilda Bracamontes-Colon during the award’s first presentation in November 2014.
La Mirada High seniors Kelsey Garcia and Courtney Johnson will perform on Saturday, Feb. 13 with the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) All-State Honor Choir, a prestigious ensemble that offers student musicians the opportunity to work with peers across the state to create and perform a concert of challenging music in less than three days. The performance will take place at the California All-State Music Education Conference in San Jose.
Norwalk-La Mirada Unified spotlighted rigorous academic programs ranging from forensic science and robotics to performing arts at its six middle school academies during an annual Magnet School Fair on Jan. 20. The magnet schools emphasize hands-on, project-based instruction. They are open to students residing in and outside of the District. The fair targeted fifth-grade students and their families, who must decide on 2016-17 middle school attendance before open enrollment ends Friday, Jan. 29. The fair was held at NLMUSD Excelsior Adult School.
Norwalk-La Mirada Unified families will have the opportunity to explore the District's award-winning programs and high-quality curriculum during Open Enrollment, which runs through Friday, Jan. 29. Open Enrollment allows parents who live within District boundaries to choose the school that best fits the needs and interests of their child. Each school offers an array of unique academic, enrichment and extra-curricular programs. NLMUSD has four middle school magnet academies that focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and the visual and performing arts.
The holidays came early for more than 200 students at Norwalk-La Mirada Unified’s Sanchez Elementary School who received new pairs of shoes this week through a giveaway called “On the Path to College One Step at a Time” organized by Youth Hope Summit. The recipients, many from needy families, constituted more than half of the Sanchez student body and were chosen at random. Youth Hope Summit was founded by Troy High School sophomore Amy Jang when she was in the eighth grade in 2013. The group provides assistance to low-income families. Photos are available
Schools throughout Norwalk-La Mirada School District are holding concerts and events through next week to celebrate the holiday season. They include: Monday, Dec. 14, Morrison Elementary School third-grade performance at 5 and 6 p.m., and Norwalk High School Winter Band Concert at 6 p.m.; Tuesday, Dec. 15, Morrison Elementary School kindergarteners at 5 and 6:15 p.m. and Johnston Elementary Winter Concert at 5 p.m.; Wednesday, Dec. 16, La Mirada High School Band and Wind Ensembles at 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 17, La Mirada High School Choir Concert at 6:30 p.m., Eastwood Elementary Winter Concert at 6:30 p.m., John Glenn High School Winter Holiday Concert at 7 p.m. and La Pluma Elementary Winter Concert at 6:30 p.m. (at Benton Middle School).
Seven high school students from the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District have been selected from among 600 Southern California musicians to perform in the 2016 Tournament of Roses Parade Honor Band. The students will join more than 200 instrumentalists, flag pageantry and Pasadena City College’s Lancer Marching Band. They will march six miles down the Colorado Avenue parade route on New Year’s Day, a tradition since 1930.
Recognizing that it is never too early to start helping students plan their post-secondary paths, Corvallis Middle School will open a College & Career Center during a special ceremony at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1. The event will include an address by Superintendent Dr. Hasmik Danielian. Student leaders will also speak and staff members will outline the center’s programming. The idea for the center came from students and is being embraced by the administration. Corvallis Middle School is at 11032 Leffingwell Road, Norwalk.
Norwalk-La Mirada Unified Holds 20th Annual Wellness Fair
Nearly 500 Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District employees met with health professionals, receive health screenings and learn about active lifestyle changes at the District’s 20th annual Wellness Fair. Students from Norwalk High’s culinary arts program provided healthy treats and students from the school’s biotech program assisted event organizer Tony Nahale, the District’s Director of Risk Management, and his staff. Walgreens provided flu shots and therapists from Massage Envy gave soothing treatment to neck and back pain. They were among the 40 vendors that provided medical services, instruction on wellness and health insurance enrollment information. The Wellness Fair was held Nov. 18 at the NLMUSD Professional Development Center. Photos are available.
All Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District elementary school students will have the opportunity to develop their inner Beethoven or Adele thanks to the District’s ambitious 2015-16 expansion of the Visual and Performing Arts music program. Norwalk-La Mirada Unified has hired four certified elementary music teachers – bringing total full-time instructors to five and allowing students at all 17 elementary schools to take weekly music classes with the goal of preparing them for advanced courses in middle and high school. The District also hired a teacher to build a choir program at John Glenn High School. Photos are available.
