Norwalk-La Mirada Unified will hold its monthly Superintendent-Parent Forum at 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10 at Los Alisos Middle School, 14800 S. Jersey Ave., Norwalk. The forums run through June 2016 at schools across the District. At the first forum, about 30 parents discussed focus areas with Superintendent Dr. Hasmik Danielian at Gardenhill Elementary School in La Mirada. The event is co-sponsored by the Norwalk-La Mirada PTA Council. Photos are available.
Students at Norwalk-La Mirada Unified’s Escalona Elementary School are taking the “Say No to Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco Pledge” during Red Ribbon Week activities that highlight the importance of taking care of themselves and community members in need. Students kicked off the week with an assembly led by La Mirada public safety officials; the PTA coordinated a variety of opportunities for students and families to make donations to local charities.
Often, being called into the principal’s office means you’re in trouble. However, Norwalk-La Mirada’s Dulles Elementary is turning that stigma around. This month, first-grader Nicolas Diomedes said he enjoyed being called to the principal’s office to be highlighted as the Student of the Month. The reward program, coupled with the Staff of the Month award, is part of Dulles’ Positive Behavior System to employ recognition to foster good student behavior and recognize the work of teachers and staff who have made a “Dulles Difference” by contributing to a supportive learning environment.
Benton Middle School, a Visual and Performing Arts magnet campus in La Mirada, recently set a new standard for excellence after students won 27 ribbons for photography in the Los Angeles County Fair America’s Kids fine arts competition. The Norwalk-La Mirada Unified school, a 2015 recipient of the California Gold Ribbon award from the California Department of Education, earned 13 first-place ribbons, 11 second-place ribbons, two third-place ribbons and one Sweepstakes award, the highest honor accorded to a LACF contest winner.
Waite Middle School Resource Specialist Cindy Gonzalez’s passion for education took her more than 6,500 miles across the globe this summer – to the bustling community of Tongxiang, China, where she and other U.S. educators taught sixth-graders the English language, American culture and the benefits of working together. Gonzalez also took the opportunity to learn from her summer students, mastering new methods of communicating with students that she hopes to apply at Waite and share with other Norwalk-La Mirada instructors.
Norwalk-La Mirada Unified will invest more than $2.5 million in Measure G bond funds to finish wiring all schools for Internet access, add hundreds of Wi-Fi access points and install a modern, digital phone system. Work has already started and will continue as the District adds the necessary wireless capabilities and upgrades to equip all classrooms with 21st century technology. Measure G is a $375 million school facilities construction and improvement bond approved by local voters in 2014.
More than 4,000 students in Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District attended the District’s fourth annual College Expo on Oct. 21 at Glenn High School – nearly doubling last year’s attendance. The Expo was part of an expanding stable of District programs aimed at boosting college- and career-readiness for students. Students and families met with more than 50 college and university representatives, attended workshops and learned about career pathways. Interactive exhibits featured the District’s Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) and Project Lead The Way programs; a VIP reception was catered entirely by Norwalk High’s Culinary Arts students using a mobile kitchen designed and built by Norwalk High’s automotive class.
Eastwood Elementary students who worked over the summer to sharpen math and reading skills were rewarded with the chance to cover their principal with Silly String on Sept. 9 at the school’s first spirit assembly of the year. This summer, 182 students logged 52,140 math and reading minutes during Eastwood’s i-Ready Summer Challenge, now in its third year. The challenge encourages kindergarten through fifth-graders to make use of i-Ready, a web program that provides interactive reading and math-related tasks aligned to the California Standards. The program combats what educators refer to as “the summer slide.”
When school doors opened Wednesday, more than 18,000 Norwalk-La Mirada students were greeted by an array of new and expanded programs and educators ready to deliver high-quality teaching to ensure college and career readiness based on research-based best practices. The District starts the school year with streamlined Board of Education and LCAP goals, priorities and long-standing strategies for success, all outlined in a single document that allows them to focus their efforts as effectively as possible.
Norwalk-La Mirada teachers explored the power of blending technology with their lesson plans during a “Blended Learning Summit” held Aug. 17-18 as part of the district's 2020 Learning Initiative. The conference-style event included a keynote address by education technology luminary Hall Davidson, Senior Director for Global Learning Initiatives at Discovery Education, followed by a series of hands-on workshops offered by teachers for teachers to support meaningful integration of technology into the instructional framework with the goal of increasing student engagement and personalizing instruction.
