The Pasadena Unified School District is offering a $1,500 cardiac test to student athletes for only $85 in a clinic Sunday at Marshall Fundamental School.
According to a press release,
Heartfelt Cardiac Projects will offer echocardiograms (ECHO) and electrocardiograms (EKG), which typically cost around $1,500, for a tax-deductible $85 donation at the clinic Sunday, April 7 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. 60 screenings are being provided at no charge for PUSD student athletes.
The tests are descibed as " lifesaving tests that can identify previously undetected cardiac conditions."
Justin Carr, 16, of Altadena, a student at Harvard-Westlake School, collapsed during swim practice and died Feb. 22. The cause was identified as an undiagnosed cardiomyopathy, a weakening of the heart muscle.
The clinic will be held Sunday, April 7, from 9 AM-2 PM at Marshall Fundamental Secondary School Gymnasium, 990 N. Allen Ave., Pasadena
Members of the Altadena Town Council and Pasadena Unified School District board held their annual joint meeting Tuesday night.
by Timothy Rutt
The Altadena Town Council and the board of the Pasadena Unified School District held their annual joint meeting Tuesday, March 19. The agenda was largely devoted to reports from school district officials on the challenges facing schools in Altadena, as well as general budget issues affecting the whole district.
Group homes: One of the discussions dealt with group homes: with unincorporated Altadena holding several group homes and children's service organizations such as Five Acres. Councilmember Richard Moon said that 40 children living at Five Acres go to Eliot Middle School, which puts a strain on that school's services.
Charter schools: Another issue that faces the district is charter schools: due to the district's propensity for closing school buildings in Altadena, many charters have moved in. Charters are a mixed bag for the district, according to PUSD Supt. Jon Gundry, charters due tend to draw high-perfoming children and involved parents out of the district. Even though charter schools are supposed to be open to everybody, they also tend to attract a certain social class: according to PUSD board member Ed Honowitz, only 5 percent of children attending Aveson Charter School qualify for a subsidized lunch, whereas districtwide 70% of children qualify. Children siphoning off to charters also means less money is available for the school district.
School resource officer: Altadena Sheriff Capt. John S. Benedict put in a plea for a school resource officer for Altadena schools. "The bottom line is we don't have one, and we'd like to get one," Benedict said. Such a position can be half-funded by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and half by the school district. Gundry said he supports the idea, but school board members said that school budgets were extremely tight.
African American males:Dr. Mack Hines, a consultant for the district, discussed his African American Male Initiative, which seeks to understand the achievement gap with this population and what can be done to close it.
Eliot Middle School is holding a fundraiser at Pinocchio's Restaurant tomorrow, from 11 AM-10 PM. A percentage of sales will go to the PTA, but you need to have the flyer (click to expand).
Announcing the March Pasadena Unified School District/SELPA Special Education Dept. Community Advisory Committee general meeting at the PUSD Education Center.
Topic: LET’S DISCUSS OUR LOCAL PLAN-PART II.
We continue our discussion of the Special Education Local Plan, as part of this year’s formal review and revision process
The Altadena Town Council will host the board of the Pasadena Unified School District at its regular meeting Tuesday, March 29.
The annual joint meeting will largely look at joint concerns of both bodies, including educating the residents of group homes, funding a school resource officer, the African American male success initiative, and the effect of Prop. 30.
The meeting will be held at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr., starting at 7 PM.
The students of the Peace & Justice Academy deliver hundreds of blankets and jackets to My Friend’s Place teen shelter in Hollywood.
from the Peace & Justice Academy
This story actually began in October, 2012, when the students of the Peace & Justice Academy participated in the United Methodist Church’s Shalom Summit 2012 in downtown Los Angeles. It was the 20th Anniversary of both the Rodney King riots and the foundation of the Shalom Zone. The PAJA middle schoolers attended the conference at the Biltmore Hotel and then took a walking tour of the service providers on Skid Row. Prior to this walk, most of the students had only heard about homelessness. Now they were right in the middle of it.
Alexis McLeod of My Friend’s Place, poses with three of the organizers: Adrian Arcaro, Johnny Jones and Casey Gibson.
Adrian Arcaro, a sixth-grader, was overcome by the number of people sleeping on the sidewalk -- without even a blanket. “It was pretty cold that day,” said Adrian, “At least a blanket would help them be warm.”
Adrian teamed with fellow sixth-grader Madison Gibson, and tenth-graders Casey Gibson and Johnny Jones and their respective mothers to come up with a plan to do something. They brought their idea for a blanket drive to executive director Kimberly Medendorp, who was happy to bless this community service project, the first one conceived totally by the students.
Over the next four months the students created and implemented a plan that attracted almost 500 pieces. They made a presentation at St. James Methodist Church asking for help and were overwhelmed with the donations, not just of blankets, but money, food and clothing, too. They got a big boost from the father of one of their fellow students. He works for Farmer’s Insurance. “One day, he brought in three big boxes full of blankets that were left over from a promotional event. We had barely started and we already had 200 blankets!” said Casey.
Pasadena Unified’s chief of facilities has resigned in the wake of an investigation into alleged misuse of school construction bond funds, officials announced Monday.
David Azcárraga had been on paid leave since Dec. 5 pending the outcome of the probe by an accounting firm that specializes in fraud investigations.
School board members reviewed findings of the investigation during a closed session meeting on Feb. 26 but did not take any action, said school district attorney Nancy Doumanian.
Officials declined to discuss details of the probe and rejected a public records request submitted by the Pasadena Sun for its findings, with Doumanian saying the document falls under attorney-client privilege.
Incumbents for the Pasadena Unified school board swept through the primary Tuesday night and on the first year of geographic voter districts.
Incumbents Scott Phelps, Elizabeth Pomeroy and Kim Kenne will hold onto their places at the school board dais, but the outcome in the race for a open Northwest Pasadena school board District 3 seat was too close to call.
In District 3, Los Angeles elementary school teacher Ruben Hueso was just a few votes shy of obtaining the 50% plus one vote tally needed to avoid a runoff and win the seat outright, with a number of ballots still left to be counted.
In west Altadena school board District 1, board member Kim Kenne leads retired teacher Dean Cooper 769 votes to 274 (73.7% to 26.2%), with one of nine precincts reporting.
This is the first Pasadena school board election based geographic voter districts.
Voters approved the switch from at-large races last year after officials endorsed voter districts as a way to increase diversity on the school board and better enfranchise minority voters — particularly Latinos, who represent more than 60% of Pasadena public school students
Because of the switch from at large seats to voter districts, Kenne ran for reelection after serving only half of a four-year term.
When newly elected board members take office on May 14, Kenne will give up her at-large seat, prompting school board members to appoint or call for a special election to name a replacement until that seat comes up for a vote in 2015.
The Aveson Charter School is holding two meetings mid-March to introduce residents to their plans for their new campus at Lincoln Avenue and Altadena Drive.
The first meeting will be held on Thursday, March 14 at 6:30 PM at the Jackie Robinson Center, 1020 North Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena. According to Aveson's website, the purpose of this meeting will be to "discuss our small, safe neighborhood school focused on personalized learning and college readiness."
The second meeting, on Tuesday, March 19, will be a meet-and-greet with the neighborhood, to be held at the Loma Alta Park Community Center, 3300 N. Lincoln Avenue in Altadena. At that meeting, "We will unveil the new building and discuss our future partnership with the neighborhood. Parents interested in their children attending AGLA will learn about our mastery and project-based learning model and how the building is designed specifically for our model."
For more information (and to see an artist's rendering of the building) go here.
From left, Rhonda Stone (field representative for Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard), Elizabeth Claire Lambert, and Eliot MIddle School Principal Lorena Martinez cut the ribbon for the school's new Opportunity Room on Feb. 22, 2013. Lambert pulled together a vast array of donors to convert a little-used storage room into an attractive, private location for students and counselors to meet. The project not only meets a need for students, but helps Lambert toward earning a Gold award, the highest rank in GIrl Scouting. The signatures on the wall came from every student at Eliot. An earlier story about Lambert and her project is here.
Parents and interested others are invited to attend the February Pasadena Unified School District/SELPA Special Education Dept. Community Advisory Committee general meeting in Altadena on Monday, Feb. 25.
Join us for a cup of coffee and some conversation with candidates in the 2013 Election for PUSD’s Board of Education.
Muir Ranch, the working farm behind John Muir High School, is hosting a work party Saturday, Feb. 23. They will be transplanting summer vegetables, building rose beds, completing a hoop-house, turning compost, and more!
The work party is from 8 AM-noon; snacks will be served. If you are a member of the Arroyo TimeBank, you will earn time dollars for your work. If you aren't a member of the TimeBank, you will earn a sense of satisfaction and probably make some new friends. So come on out and get your hands dirty and help to build something beautiful!
The parents of PUSD's Mandarin Dual Language Immersion Program are hosting a couple of informal "play dates" where parents and children interested in theprogram can meet and ask questions of parents and children already enrolled.
The first date is Sunday, Feb. 10, at Hamilton Park, 3680 Cartwright St., Pasadena, 1-3 PM. There will be another "playdate" on March 10, at the same time and location.
Aveson Charter Schools will hold an admissions tour this Saturday, February 2, for anyone interested in entering Aveson School of Leaders (grades K-5) and Aveson Global Leadership Academy (grades 6-12). Tours are from 9:00 – 10:30 AM. at each campus. Aveson School of Leaders is located at 1919 E. Pinecrest Drive, Altadena and Aveson Global Leadership Academy is located at 1206 Lincoln Avenue in Pasadena. Applications are due February 17 and the lottery will be held on March 2.
Kate Bean, executive director of Aveson Charter Schools, says there are exciting developments at both schools that she thinks will attract students to Aveson’s campuses.
A new transitional kindergarten program will serve approximately 30 early kindergarten students whose fifth birthday falls between October 1 and December 1, 2013 and therefore do not qualify for kindergarten entry due to a recent state of California law that requires students to be five years old by October 1 this year. Previous to the new law, students were allowed to enter kindergarten as long as they turned five by December 1. Students in the transitional kindergarten program are guaranteed a spot in Aveson’s regular kinder program the following year. The new transitional kindergarten program will be developmentally based and focus on kindergarten readiness.
The second attraction to Aveson is the move of their middle and high school, Aveson Global Leadership Academy, to a new location beginning September 2013. The campus will be located in a new building located at the corner of Lincoln and Altadena Drive in Altadena. Bean says the new campus will allow Aveson to increase enrollment and provide students with a more ideal space to work collaboratively in Aveson’s mastery learning environment. Eighty additional admission spots will be available for middle and high school students.
To join either tour, send an email to admissions@aveson.org indicating which campus tour you will attend. Interested individuals may also find information at www.aveson.org.
From left: moderator Marge Nichols and PUSD board candidates Kim Kenne and Hermond Dean Cooper answer questions from the audience at the Jan. 30 ACONA/League of Women Voters forum at the Altadena Senior Center.
by Timothy Rutt
The Altadena Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (ACONA) departed from its usual meeting format Wednesday night to co-host a forum for the two Pasadena Unifeid School District candidates for the new District 1.
ACONA and the Pasadena League of Women Voters co-sponsored the forum, held at the Altadena Senior Center. Incumbent Kim Kenne and challenger Hermond Dean Cooper are vying to represent the new district, which largely comprises west Altadena.
Forum moderator Marge NIchols relayed questions submitted by audience members. Nothing earthshaking or surprising came out of the event, althought both candidates said that they would not just represent the interests of their elected district. As Cooper said, “I am for every student.”
The January meeting of the Pasadena Unified School District/SELPA Special Education Dept. Community Advisory Committee will meet Monday, January 28, at Burbank Early Education Center (formerly Burbank Elementary), 2045 N. Allen Avenue, Altadena from 6:15-8:30 PM.
Topic is School Transitions: a converstion with PUSD Special Education Department, for students entering pre-K, moving to elementary, middle or high school or graduating.
The application period for 2013-2014 Open Enrollment begins January 23, 2012. Open Enrollment is PUSD’s school of choice program. Applications will be accepted for admission to popular specialized programs such as:
Dual Language Immersion
Spanish (now offered on two campuses)
Dual Language Immersion
Mandarin Chinese
Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) middle school magnet
International Baccalaureate schools
·
College & Career Pathways in themed academies such as the App Academy, Engineering & Environmental Science, Culinary and Hospitality and Business & Entrepreneurship
From left: Ed Jasnow of the Altadena Rotary Club; Elizabeth Claire Lambert; Dr. Jane Lambert, and Eliot Principal Lorena Martinez. The Rotary Club gave a $300 grant toward Elizabeth's project, creating a dedicated counseling room.
by TImothy Rutt
Elizabeth Claire Lambert may be one her way to being one of those movers and shakers.
Elizabeth Lambert chooses paint colors for her counseling room rehab project.
The 17-year-old Ambassador Scout was looking for project for her Gold Award, to reach the highest level in Girl Scouting. Her mother, Eliot Middle School math teacher Dr. Jane Lambert, steered her in the right direction: a large number of Eliot students live in group homes, or come from families struggling with poverty or abuse, or have other issues, and counseling is a constant need. Unfortunately, counseling sessions had to take place in a quiet corner of the library, without any sense of privacy for the child. What the school really needed was a designated private room for counseling.
Elizabeth met with Principal Lorena Martinez, who approved the project and pointed her to a vacant, unused room on campus.
"It was completely empty," Elizabeth said. "No furniture, and it hadn't been painted in 30 years."
Elizabeth estimated that it would take somewhere between $2,500-$4,000 to rehab it into a counseling room. She said she felt the project was "ambitious enough, but not overly so."
And then she started making phone calls and knocking on doors.
Her father Hank Lambert said that he told her that the hardest part would be getting people and businesses to donate money and materials. But, he said, she's proven him wrong.
The project is now expected to be completed by her Feb. 28, 2013 deadline and -- at least as of last week -- she hadn't yet spent a dime on it. Everything to date has been donated.
Elizabeth and her Partnership Painting crew (with owner Scott Penn in the jacket) at Eliot Middle School.
Among the donations: Vista Paint, which donated $125 of paint for the room; Partnership Painting, which donated a three-man crew to paint the room; Altadena Hardware, which donated blinds; and labor and materials donated by volunteers, parents, Girl Scouts, the Eliot PTA, Ikea, Scholastic Books, Crest Furniture of Burbank, and many others. About $700 of books and games have been donated to the room.
"I'm accumulating funds, and will use them for a lot of things -- I can do more now than I anticipated," she said.
UPDATE: Elizabeth's father Hank Lambert emails that there were two other significant donations: First United Methodist Church's men's group gave $200; and Learning Works donated $500.
Altadena Sheriff Capt. John S. Benedict told the town council Tuesday night that he was going to meet with school district officials Friday to discuss stationing a school resource officer in Altadena.
Motivated in part by the recent wave of gang-related shootings in Altadena and Pasadena, and the shootings of school children in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, Benedict told the council that he was looking for the community's help to encourage the district to station a school resource deputy at Eliot Middle School, who would be available to the elementary schools as well.
Benedict plans to meet with Pasadena Unified School District Director of Child Welfare, Attendence, and Safety Eric Sahakian on Friday to make the case. Benedict said that some schools in Pasadena already had resource officers in place.
Benedict told the council that a school resource officer has special skills and training, and his or her major job would be "building relationships and trust with students," and providing programs on safety, leadership, ethics, and building a better community.
Benedict told Altadenablog that a school resource officer would cost $158,000 a year, with the cost of salary, benefits, training and a vehicle. It would be a "contract item" with the Pasadena Unified School District, Benedict said, where the district would contract with the sheriff's department for the deputy. Benedict said that sometimes such officers were funded by grants or other outside source funding.
"Eliot is our primary middle school, and a feeder to the Pasadena high schools," Benedict told Altadenablog. "That would be home base, but he or she would be responsible for covering the base, and the elementaries, and Focus Point Academy."
Benedict said that Eliot Principal Lorena Martinez said that the school could provide the required office space for the officer.
High schools in Pasadena will host five Cash for College workshops in January and February to help Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) students and their families complete applications for college grants and scholarships.
Following a presentation, volunteers and computers will be available to help students and their parents complete the online Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Cash for College workshops are geared toward current high school seniors but are open to all students who will enter college in fall 2013 or anytime during the 2013 – 2014 school year.
In addition, at least one 12th-grade student who attends a workshop, completes an online evaluation form and submits their FAFSA and Cal-grant Grade Point Average (GPA) verification form by the March 2, 2013 deadline will be eligible to win a $1,000 scholarship. More information (including a list of what to bring to the workshop) is available on the Cash for College website www.calgrants.org
Spanish-speaking volunteers will be available. Workshop dates and locations are listed below:
If you want to know what’s going on in local politics, who’s running for City Council or Pasadena Board of Education, ACT – the oldest and largest progressive political organization in the San Gabriel Valley – is hosting a candidate forum at PCC, in cooperation with Andrew Bott, Vice-President for Business Affairs of the Associated Students of PCC.
The forum is free and open to the public. All candidates for Pasadena City Council and the Pasadena Unified School District Board have been invited.
President Mark Rocha of Pasadena City College will welcome guests, and the forum will be moderated by John Buchanan, former Mayor of Sierra Madre. The Pasadena Community Network will be filming the forum for rebroadcast over the following weeks.
When: Thursday, January 17 at 7:00 p.m. Where: Pasadena City College, Creveling Lounge, Bldg CC 1570 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena
Hear from school board candidates in the newly re-drawn districts:
District 1 Kimberly Kenne, PUSD School Board Member Dean Cooper Information Technology Consultant
District 3 Guillermo Arce, Human Services Administrator Tyron Hampton, Project Manager Ruben Hueso,Public School Educator Deirdra Duncan, Foster Parent
District 5 Elizabeth Pomeroy, PUSD School Board Member Stella Murga Director, Youth Center
District 7 Scott Phelps, PUSD Board of Education Luis Carlos Ayala, Attorney/Educator
The Aveson charter school plans to move into the long-under-construction building on Altadena Drive and Lincoln Avenue.
by Timothy Rutt
The Aveson Charter School plans to lease the long-under-construction building on Altadena Drive and Lincoln Avenue, ending three years of frustration with the property.
Executive Director Kate Bean said that the school hopes to move its Aveson Global Leadership Academy middle- and high-school classes into the building in September, numbering under 300 students -- 200 grades 6-8, about 100 for grades 9-12. Plans for the facility not only include classrooms, but, Bean said, "a small café open to the public, where the students will learn how to run a business -- we'll tie into into culinary arts, healthy living, and entrepreneurship."
Bean said that "traffic will be our number one issue that we'll have to stay on top of" for the site. Bean said that they plan to stagger their opening and closing times with the nearby Odyssey Charter School to avoid traffic gridlock, and are already starting conversations with the California Highway Patrol and Altadena Sheriff's Station about traffic control in the area.
"We're excited -- we're hoping it's a good addition, it's a lovely area," Bean said.
Moving into the facility ends three years of plans and speculation for the school. Aveson, which also consists of the Aveson School For Leaders (grades K-5), started in the old Noyes school building in East Altadena, and was looking at various options as it wanted to expand into grades 6-12. The commercial building was a "go" as of early 2010, with the school holding a neighborhood "meet and greet' in May at Loma Alta Park. However, the planned construction to the facility never occurred under the previous owner, and the plans remained in abeyance as the property was put on the market.
In the meantime, the grade 6-12 Global Leadership Academy moved to the Boys and Girls Club, and then to Lincoln Avenue Baptist Church in Pasadena, here it meets today.
Los Angeles developer Steve Torkian closed on the property in November, Kate said, and "we kept talking to him and telling him the ideas we had for it," Bean said. The new owner will complete tenant improvements, landscape the area, and put up new and more attractive fencing, Bean said. Bean said that, as it was already a commercial area, they did not need to get a conditional use permit for the facility.
A series of meetings are being held in January for interested stakeholders to help focus strategies being developed by the City of Pasadena and the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) as part of the 2013-15 School/City Work Plan. The first successful meeting was held today, with several more planned throughout the month.
Feedback is needed to ensure the work of partnering agencies and educators is captured in the Plan’s strategies. The Work Plan will be presented at the Annual Joint Meeting of the PUSD Board of Education and City Council at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 19, in the Council Chambers at Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave.
The Draft 2013-15 School/City Work Plan was developed to align PUSD, the City and available community resources around specific results to bring greater accountability in student achievement and quality of life outcomes while also addressing service gaps and avoiding duplication of services. The Work Plan builds on existing commonalities and shared values. Although no new PUSD or City funds are identified, the Work Plan’s success is seen in the positioning of resources towards key results and the partnerships created.
The Pasadena Waldorf School is pleased to announce the return of Kim John Payne, author of Simplicity Parenting and The Games Children Play, for a two-day event on January 14 and 15, 2013. A celebrated lecturer, Kim John Payne, M.ED, is also a consultant and trainer to over 110 schools in the United States. For 27 years, he has worked as a school counselor, researcher, educator and a private family counselor and now runs workshops and training seminars around the world.
Mr. Payne will present his program, “Soul of Discipline: In the First Nine Years,” addressing how parenting and discipline changes and evolves as our children mature. The lecture is on January 14, from 7 to 9 PM at Franson Hall at the Pasadena Waldorf High School, located on the William Carey International University Campus, 1539 East Howard St., Pasadena, CA 91104. The following morning, from 9 AM to 1 PM, he will conduct an interactive workshop at China Lounge at the Pasadena Waldorf High School, also located on the William Carey International University Campus.
Mr. Payne is a regular interview subject in television, radio and print. He has been featured on the CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox networks, the BBC, CBC and NPR radio networks, and in print by the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine, Whole Living, Redbook and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, among others.
Tickets are $12 for the lecture and $28 for the workshop. This event is for adults only. To purchase tickets for both events and to get more information, visit www.pasadenawaldorf.org or call 626-794-9564.
On Saturday, January 12, Pasadena Waldorf School (PWS) and Pasadena Waldorf High School (PWHS) will hold open houses for the 2013-2014 admissions season.
The lower school open house is to begin at 9 AM and go until noon. There will be ongoing presentations about Waldorf education between 9-11 AM, with classrooms open for visiting until noon. Faculty from the Parent-Child program, preschool, kindergarten, and grades one through eight will be on hand to answer questions. The lower school campus is located at 209 East Mariposa Street, Altadena, CA 91001. For information on the lower school open house, please call 626-794-9564.
The high school open house for prospective 9th and 10th graders will begin at 1 PM and go until 4 PM. It will include an introduction to Waldorf high school education explaining what makes the Waldorf curriculum relevant and vital for today’s teenager. This will be highlighted through sample lessons, work displays and classroom visits. The open house also offers an opportunity to meet our teachers. Refreshments and informal discussion will follow the demonstrations. The high school is located on the William Carey International University campus on the 3rd floor of the McGavran Building at 1539 East Howard Street, Pasadena, CA 91104. For information on the high school open house, please call 626-204-0786. Additional information can also be found at www.pasadenawaldorf.org.
Pasadena Waldorf School, founded in 1979, is one of over 1,000 Waldorf schools worldwide with over 90 years of experience offering inspired education. Pasadena Waldorf High School, which opened this year, joins 40 other Waldorf high schools now operating in North America. Waldorf education is the fastest growing independent school movement in the world.
In the wake of Friday's tragic shootings in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, both the Pasadena Unified School District and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department have issued statements directed to parents.
In a press release, PUSD's Chief Academic Officer and Administrator in Charge Dr. Brian McDonald (who is filling in for Supt. Jon Gundry, now on medical leave) issued the following statement:
“All of us in the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) are horrified by the tragedy that occurred today in Newtown, Connecticut. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Sandy Hook Elementary School.”
“The safety of our students is the top priority at PUSD. The district takes many precautions to ensure that students remain safe while at school. All schools have school safety plans that detail the proper response to a variety of emergency scenarios. Students participate in shelter in place and other emergency drills several times a year. PUSD campuses are closed campuses and any visitors to a school are required by state law to register when walking onto campus. The district has a zero tolerance policy regarding weapons on campus. PUSD can also activate its emergency operations center at a moment’s notice to coordinate emergency response efforts. Finally, we maintain a very close relationship with the Pasadena Police Department, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and the Sierra Madre Police Department to provide immediate assistance should any problems arise.”
Charles W. Eliot Middle School PTA invites the community to join students and their families on Wednesday, Dec. 12, for an evening of music, art, and pre-holiday cheer.
Our LEARNS after school program will kick off the festivities with a Showcase for parents at 4:10 pm. At 5:30 pm we’ll open our doors to the entire community. Get a bite to eat from the food truck in the Quad, and some fresh-pressed cider to wash it down. Visit the Holiday Book Fair in the Parent Resource Room – great deals on gifts for the readers in your life! Check out student art work, visit the Healthy Start table, learn about parent groups and volunteer opportunities – even get an Altadena Library card for yourself or your child. Then join us in the auditorium at 7 pm for the winter concert featuring our Concert & Jazz Bands, Drum Line, Orchestra, and Spirit Team.
This event is open to the community. No ticket purchase or RSVP is required. Features of the festival include:
Cold & warm beverages
Student art exhibit
PTA bake sale and crafts from local artisans
Information for parents and community members
Raffle (spa package, Trader Joe goody-bag, and more)
Holiday Book Fair in the Parent Resource Room
Winter concert
Eliot Middle School’s PTA is excited about what our students are learning and the way our school community is coming together to support them. We welcome ideas for partnering with local businesses, individuals, and organizations for the benefit of our kids and the Altadena community, and hope you’ll join us on this festive occasion.
With the high demand for graduates with an expertise in science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) in California, the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) is introducing a new STEAM magnet middle school that is set to open for the 2013-2014 school year. Prospective students and families can preview the new academic curriculum at the STEAM Family Night on Thursday, December 13 from 3:30 – 5:30 PM at Washington Middle School in Pasadena.
Washington Middle School will transform into an application-only magnet in 2013-2014, with admission granted to entering sixth-eighth grade students who have demonstrated an interest or aptitude in STEAM, meet academic requirements and whose parents/guardians commit to staying involved and completing campus service hours. Additional consideration will be provided for students who reside within the school’s attendance zone. Applications for the Washington Middle School STEAM Magnet Academy will be accepted during the district’s annual 2013-2014 Open Enrollment process which runs from January 23-February 12, 2013.
“The end goal of the Washington Middle School STEAM Magnet is to prepare students with the knowledge and skills to be successful in college and the 21st century workplace,” said Superintendent Jon R. Gundry, who has made STEAM instruction a district priority. “Students in STEAM education learn to work collaboratively through projects that fuse reading, writing and math with critical thinking, problem solving, communication, creativity and innovation. This school will create a strong foundation for students to succeed in high school and beyond.”
The Pasadena Unified School District has placed its top facilities manager on leave and suspended or terminated five consultant contracts in the wake of an apparent inquiry into the handling of the district’s $350-million Measure TT school construction bond.
School District Chief Facilities Officer David Azcárraga was placed on leave Wednesday, said school district spokesman Adam Wolfson.
The district also suspended its contract with bond manager Robin Brown, a consultant who oversees all Measure TT contracts and projects, Wolfson said. Brown was being paid up to $312,000 per year at a rate of $150 per hour, according to district documents.
Officials additionally terminated contracts with two other individuals and two companies also overseeing bond funds, said Wolfson.
The PUSD/SELPA Special Education Dept. Community Advosry Committee will have its monthly meeting Monday, Dec. 10, at a new Altadena location: the Burbank Early Education Center (formerly Burbank Elementary), 2046 N. Allen Ave., Altadena.
This month's topic will be "
Mental Health Services - School and Community Resources For Prevention, Intervention and Care." Speakers are Dr. Michael Jason and Mr. Eric Sahakian of PUSD and representative(s) of the National Alliance on Mental Illness
The Pasadena Unified School District has announced that the official filing period for candidates for Seats 1, 3, 5 and 7 on the PUSD Board of Education is now open (District 1 includes west Altadena and a small section east of Lake Avenue).
With the new redistricting in place since the passage of Measure A in June, interested candidates can only run for the seat that is in the geographic subdistrict where they reside. Board members will be elected to a four year term for subdistricts 1, 3, 5 and 7 next year and subdistricts 2, 4 and 6 will be on the ballot in 2015.
The filing period to run for the PUSD Board of Education will close December 7, 2012. Voters in Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre will go to the polls March 5, 2013 for the primary nominating election and April 16, 2013 for the general election (if necessary).
The map of the new geographic subdistricts is available at www.measurea.pasadenausd.org or www.cityofpasadena.net/cityclerk. Information for candidates is available online at the City Clerk’s website or by calling the Pasadena City Clerk’s Office at (626) 744-4124.
Pasadena Unified School District's SELPA Community Advisory Committee will have its month meeting on Mon., Nov. 19, starting at 6:30 PM at the Edison Professional Development Center, 119 W. Palm St.
This month's topic is "Let's Discuss the Local Plan," which directs local policies procedures and programs for special education.
Artists from the Eliot Middle School and John Muir High School Room 13 programs will showcase their artwork at Opus Bank, 2 N. Lake Ave. in Pasadena, in a reception on Tues., Nov. 13.
The reception, from 5:30-7:30 PM, features poetry, caricature artists, and the Pix-by-Tweens photobooth.
Room 13 is an international program of student-driven creative studios, teaching both creative expresion and entrepreneurship, which now includes over 90 studios worldwide. Locally, Room 13 is a program of the Lightbringer Project.
Do you have a musical instrument languishing in the closet?
The Verdugo Young Musicians Association is looking for a chance to help a student make the instrument sing again.
VYMA is looking for unused orchestral instruments as it expands its free music program for at-risk children to Washington Elementary School.
The VYMA Music Project, currently at Longfellow Elementary, is inspired by El Sistema, the famed program that produced Gustavo Dudamel, now music director of the L.A. Philharmonic. The VYMA Music Project, a partnership with PasadenaLEARNs, seeks to transform young lives by providing at-risk children with a comprehensive, high quality classical music education that is entirely free to the participants – including the loan of a string instrument.
Following Artistic Director Sam Chilingarian and retired Chair Louise Ghandhi’s two-week journey to Venezuela in 2008 to study El Sistema and meet with its founder and teachers, VYMA selected Title I PUSD school Longfellow Elementary to launch the project in fall 2009. Now in its third year, the program thrives with a more comprehensive curriculum, an expansion of its high caliber faculty and graduate mentors, an on-site parent council and the addition of a skilled coordinator. The unique curriculum is a comprehensive journey of musical development: Kinder musicianship, Musicianship Levels I & II, Strings Fundamentals, Beginning and Advanced Orchestra, Chamber Ensemble and Choir.
VYMA Music Project is part of a larger effort to provide underserved youth with after-school music immersion. VYMA is a stakeholder in YOLA – the LA Philharmonic initiative to develop such programs in L.A. County – and is an active participant of the El Sistema USA National Network. VYMA Music Project at Longfellow puts the City of Pasadena on the musical landscape map, joining a growing number of cities in the US in globally in emulating a music program with profound social impact. VYMA is one of only three youth orchestras in the country to offer such a program.
Now, following the success of the program at Longfellow, VYMA wants to launch a program at Washington. For that, they are looking for donations of unneeded instruments that can be available for loan to the students.
If you'd like to donate your unusued musical instruments, please contact France Meindl at 626-794-5314.
The PUSD/SELPA Community Advisory Committee will have its monthly meeting on Mon., Oct. 15 at the Edison Professional Development Complex, 119 W. Palm Ave., starting at 6:15 PM.
This month's topic is "IEP 101 - A Refresher Course" with Timothy Poe, Disability Rights California (Serving Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center)
For the second year in a row, Caltech has been ranked the best university in the world by the British magazine Times Higher Education.
Harvard dominated the top spot on the magazine's World University Rankings from 2004 to 2010. But Caltech raised to the top in 2011 and held onto its title again this year.
The magazine ranks universities based on a number of factors, including research, teaching, citations and international outlook. The Pasadena institute also received high marks in subjects such as engineering, technology and physical sciences.
Pasadea Unified School District Board of Education president Renatta Cooper, left, talks with Pasadena Education Foundation president George Brumder after she gave the State of the Schools Address at Blair Middle School in Pasadena. (Photo: Raul Roa, Pasadena Sun)
By Joe Piasecki Pasadena Sun
Public school officials said they will protect academic advances even as they warned of a looming financial crisis at the annual State of the Schools address on Friday at Blair Middle School.
Pasadena Board of Education President Renatta Cooper and Supt. Jon Gundry told a crowd of more than 50 parents and educators that cash-strapped public schools will be dealt a heavy blow if voters fail to pass a state tax increase in November.
The school district would face a $5-million cut this school year and would lose $12.8 million next year if both Gov.Jerry Brown’s Proposition 30 and Pasadena attorney Molly Munger’s Proposition 38 fail, officials said.
“There’s no way [to make cuts] without causing a great deal of pain in the district,” said Cooper, who predicted larger class sizes and a shortened school year if voters reject both proposed tax increases.
Proposition 38 author Molly Munger will be the keynote speaker at a town hall meeting at Eliot Middle School on Thurs., Sept. 27, from 7-8:30 PM.
Munger will be joined by TIna Repetti-Rezullo, PUSD and LA County Teacher of the Year 2010-2011.
The town hall, titled "Proposition 38, Our Children, Our Future," is sponsored by Eliot Middle School PTA, Eliot Middle School English Language Advisory Committee, Eliot Middle School African American Parent Council, the Pasadena PTA Council and the Altadena NAACP.
Go Public, the documentary of a day in the life of the Pasadena Unified School District, will have a showing of some of its mini-docs for the next two Fridays, Sept. 21 and 28, at Projections on Lake, an outdoor projected art space across from the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at 415 South Lake Ave.
Go Public Project co-producer Dawn O'Keeffe tells us that they've also launched a Kickstarter funding campaign, hoping to raise $25,000 by Oct. 18 to complete the full two hour feature version. Minimum pledge is $1, and every little bit helps. An angel donor has agreed that every time someone donates to the Go Public Project thru Kickstarter, they will contribute an item to a local PUSD school. Less than $700 has been pledged as of this writing, so there's only a month to go.
Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Board of Education President Renatta Cooper will deliver the annual PUSD State of the Schools Address Friday, September 28 at 8 a.m. at Blair Middle School. Board President Cooper will discuss the efforts of the district to provide an education focused on 21st century skills while continually threatened with drastic budget cuts hinging on the outcome of the November election. PUSD Superintendent Jon R. Gundry will also be delivering remarks at the event.
President Cooper’s remarks will be preceded by a breakfast prepared and served by the Blair High School Culinary Arts and Hospitality Academy and sponsored by the Pasadena Educational Foundation and California Credit Union. The address and breakfast are free and open to the public with an RSVP by September 25. Attendees can RSVP by email to communications@pusd.us or call 626-396-3606.
“The PUSD State of Schools address will provide the public with a taste of PUSD and a glimpse of some of the impressive work being done by our students on a daily basis,” said Board President Cooper. “I invite both the PUSD family as well as members of the community interested in learning more about PUSD to attend the event.”
Dr. Michael Jason, executive director of special education for PUSD, will speak in Altadena on the state of special education in the district.
Jason will speak at a meeting of the PUSD's Community Advisory Committee on special education on Mon., Sept. 17, at the Edison Professional Development Complex, 119 W. Palm Street (on the old Edison School campus).
The meeting starts at 6:15 PM. Free childcare and translation is available. For more details: http://cac.pasadenausd.org
Altadena resident Jack Scott, chancellor of the California Community Colleges from 2009 to 2012, will join Claremont Graduate University (CGU's) School of Educational Studies as a Scholar in Residence for the upcoming academic year.
As Scholar in Residence, Scott will lead classroom discussions with CGU masters and doctoral students, help launch a certificate program for community college professionals, and deliver three public lectures on pressing education issues. The first lecture, scheduled for Oct. 2, will examine California's disinvestment in higher education.
Scott, who holds a PhD in history from CGU, retires as chancellor of the California Community Colleges effective Sept. 1.
As the chancellor of the nation’s largest system of higher education, he led the 112 colleges through sweeping reforms that made them more responsive to the needs of students and the economy.
Prior to assuming the chancellor's position, Scott served in the California Senate from 2000 to 2008. He was named Legislator of the Year by the California Federation of Teachers, Association of California Community College Administrators, and California State University.
He worked as president of Pasadena City College from 1987-95 and Cypress College from 1978-87.
He begins at CGU on Sept. 17.
"Jack is among CGU's most distinguished alumni," said Scott Thomas, dean of CGU's School of Educational Studies. "For decades, he has worked tirelessly on the state’s most vital social and educational issues, and now he's bringing his experience and wisdom back to CGU. He will be an invaluable resource for the CGU community, and we're honored to have him with us here in Claremont."
As children in Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre prepare to go back to school, officials of the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) remind families that students will start school on August 22. By the time school starts, immunizations should be up to date, summer reading finished, and school meal applications completed.
Academic options in PUSD have been expanded to prepare students with the skills to succeed in the 21st century. PUSD began phasing in an early start calendar last year to mirror college schedules. Classes begin August 22, 2012 and end June 6, 2013. In 2013-2014, classes will begin August 14 and end May 29, 2014 allowing all students to complete fall classes before the winter break and gain three weeks of instruction prior to taking standardized state tests. This year, academic initiatives are aimed at preparing students with the skills to compete in the 21st century.
Along with the early start calendar, PUSD offers transitional kindergarten, expanded dual language immersion and added two themed academies to its collection of College and Career Pathways programs in PUSD high schools.
"As a learning community, our focus is on fusing academic rigor with the critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration and creative skills that students will need to compete and thrive in a global economy," said Superintendent Jon R. Gundry.
Transitional kindergarten will be offered at four sites (Washington Elementary, McKinley School, Jefferson Elementary and Willard Elementary) this fall for students who turn five years old between October 2 and December 1, 2012. Transitional kindergarten is the first of a two-year state mandated program that uses a modified kindergarten curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate.
Here's some back-to-school week information from the Pasadena Unified School District, where school starts Wednesday, Aug. 22:
Students entering or advancing into seventh grade will need proof of an adolescent whooping cough booster immunization (called Tdap) in order to attend school this fall. For immunization requirements for K-12 students, go to www.health-programs.pasadenausd.orgor call (626) 396-3600 extension 88180. The PUSD clinic will offer free immunizations for students only on August 20 (that's today) from 8:30 a.m. until 12 p.m. at 351 S. Hudson Ave., Pasadena. Immunizations will also be available for students every Monday starting August 27 from 3p.m. to 4 p.m. at the PUSD clinic.
Families who think that they may qualify are encouraged to apply for the federal free and reduced price school meal program. Applications have been mailed to student's homes and are available at PUSD schools. For more information, contact PUSD's Food Services at (626) 396-5850.
"Go Public," the project to record a day in the life of the Pasadena Unified School District, went live Wednesday night when 50 short films became available to watch online at the website.
On May 8 of this year, 50 film crews -- everyone from experienced filmmakers to students -- spread out to all the schools in PUSD to record a day in the life of their subjects. The subjects of the minidocumentaries included students, teachers, administrators, school psychologists, and many more examples of the people who make public education tick.
The brainchild of producers James W. and Dawn O'Keeffe, they say in their mission statement:
This project is important now because too much focus has been placed on what is broken in public school education. There is room for improvement, but we also want to capture the good things that go on every day in our public schools, the teamwork it takes and the textured richness for those involved. By telling the stories of individuals that work and participate in the schools, we will encourage viewers to become informed and compassionate advocates for their community public schools.
Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) announced the appointment of Jeffrey C. Bauer, Ed.D., as principal of Daniel Webster Elementary School. Bauer replaces long time principal Sharon Lefler, who retired at the end of the 2011-2012 school year.
"I am pleased to welcome Dr. Bauer to Webster Elementary and to PUSD," said PUSD Superintendent Jon R. Gundry. "He brings a collaborative leadership style, solid academic credentials and more than 20 years of experience as an educator of students from diverse backgrounds."
Born and raised in Akron, Ohio, Bauer joins PUSD from Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, Florida where he most recently served as principal of Castle Creek Elementary School. He was assistant principal of William Frangus Elementary from 2002-2006 and promoted to principal in January 2007. He began his teaching career in Central Florida at Deerwood Elementary as a fourth grade teacher of English learners.
"I am truly honored to be the new principal of Webster Elementary and will work to build upon the school's long tradition of academic excellence for all students," said Bauer. "My goal is to ensure that all Webster students are learning and successful in school."
Bauer earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Akron, OH and earned a master's and doctorate in education specializing in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Inspired to become a teacher by his parents, family and teachers, Bauer enjoys traveling and spending time with his family and friends in his spare time. He will assume his duties at Webster on August 16, 2012.
The Pasadena Waldorf School at 209 E. Mariposa St. in Altadena has announced that Daniel Hindes began his duties as the school’s administrator this summer.
Daniel comes to PWS from Highland Hall Waldorf School in Northridge, where he worked with board, staff, faculty, and parents to strengthen the school’s decision-making structure and communications. Prior to Highland Hall, Daniel taught high school history and humanities at the Waldorf School of Garden City (NY) and the Austin Waldorf School (TX). He has experience in information systems administration and customer support, and served in the U.S. Army.
An alumnus of the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City, Hindes also studied at Waldorf-related institutions in Germany. He possesses a Master of Science in Education and anticipates receiving a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies in 2013.
Hindes succeeds Carolyn Leach, who stepped down in June after serving as Administrator for five years. Working in a collaborative leadership arrangement, the Administrator oversees the day-to-day operations of the school, reporting to the Board of Trustees, while the College of Teachers oversees the Waldorf curriculum and faculty.
Pasadena Waldorf School, founded in 1979, is one of nearly 1,000 Waldorf schools worldwide with over 90 years of experience offering inspired arts and science education. Pasadena Waldorf High School, which opened this year, joins 40 other Waldorf high schools now operating in North America.
Celerity Exa School principal Sara Garcia, left, talks to parents about the new school that will open on W. Peoria St. at the now-vacant Hodges Children's Center in Pasadena. (Raul Roa / Pasadena Sun Staff Photographer / July 18, 2012)
By Joe Piasecki Pasadena Sun
A charter school operator new to the city will open its doors in Northwest Pasadena next month, hoping to draw students from low-income families and those who are learning English.
Celerity Exa Charter School began recruiting kindergarten and elementary school students on Monday after reaching a verbal agreement to lease the Hodges Children's Center from the Pasadena Unified School District for one year, district spokesman Adam Wolfson said.
A formal lease awaits approval by the Pasadena Board of Education, which ratified Celerity Exa's charter petition in June.
The Pasadena Unified School District is offering a $1,500 cardiac test to student athletes for only $85 in a clinic Sunday at Marshall Fundamental School.
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