Heavy-hitting items on the agenda included the district’s Annual Report on Assessment and Accountability, a preliminary roundup of how CUSD students did on testing last year, set against the context of how the district has performed in the last few years. The agenda additionally featured the also-preliminary Unaudited Actuals Reports for the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2012, which indicates how the district is doing financially.
News was good on both fronts.
Jazz music and the chatter of some 55 community members filled the boardroom of the Richard S. Kirkendall Education Center on Thursday during a welcome reception for new Claremont Unified School District Superintendent Jim Elsasser.
“It feels like you’ve been welcoming me for a long time,” joked Mr. Elsasser, who inked his contract in May and took the reins of the CUSD June 1. “I promise this is the last welcome event.”
A welcome reception for new CUSD Superintendent Jim Elsasser will precede the next meeting of the Claremont Unified School District Board of Education. Set for Thursday, September 13 from 5 to 6:30 p.m., the meet-and-greet is open to the public.
The reception will be followed by the school board meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. and will feature another welcoming ceremony when Mr. Elsasser swears in new student board member Maggie Elizalde, a senior at San Antonio High School.
There’s change in the wind for public schools across the nation, including those in the Claremont Unified School District, in the form of a new set of state standards called the Common Core.
Its development is incomplete because assessment methods are still being devised, and its implementation is unfunded, but Common Core is set to start in 46 states, including California, in 2014. Here’s a little background.
Sixth graders at Sumner Elementary School got a taste of the political process on Wednesday when Donna Lowe—a Republican candidate for the newly-redistricted 41st Assembly District—stopped by to share her take on state government, running for office and the challenges facing Californians.
“I know you’re probably very fidgety and want to get out to the playground,” Ms. Lowe said to the 102 kids who trooped into the cafeteria for her mid-morning presentation
Whether wielding a paintbrush or trolling estate sales for vintage collectibles, Anne Seltzer is known for her visual acumen.
What not everyone knows is that Ms. Seltzer—a local artist and the owner of a Brush With the Past: Art Gallery and Vintage Treasures, located in the Claremont Village—also has a way with words.
She was a high school English teacher, instructing teens in the joys of literature, before she gave it all up to be a full-time artist.
On a journey to transform the way care is provided in its skilled nursing setting—based on resident-centered values and practices—Pilgrim Place has discovered that enhancing the communication skills of the limited-English- speaking staff is making a difference.
“The job description of the housekeeping staff has become that of homemaker,” said Sue Fairley, vice president of health services at Pilgrim Place.
Students stopping by Kristin Robinson’s office are greeted by a drawing of Tinker Bell, which hangs behind the new Sumner Elementary School principal’s desk.
Ms. Robinson, who will participate in the Disney sponsored Tinker Bell half-marathon in January—joining a throng running 13 miles in green tutus—has amassed quite a collection of memorabilia commemorating the mischievous character.
Ms. Robinson’s fairy fixation stems from her nickname, “Tinker Bell,” a moniker referring to her penchant for styling her blonde hair in a pixie-like updo and another shared attribute.
Math is a gate-keeper for kids. And for kids from poor neighborhoods, it can be the thing that locks them into a life of poverty.
In 2011, Claremont Graduate University, in partnership with Harvey Mudd College and the Long Beach Unified School District, launched an innovative and ambitious program which gathered up a group of promising 13 year olds from one of the toughest neighborhoods in Long Beach, and gave them intensive math training.
The next meeting of the Claremont Unified School District Board of Education is set for Wednesday, August 22 and will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Richard S. Kirkendall Education Center (170 W. San Jose Ave., Claremont).
A number of items of interest to the community are on the agenda, including approval of the placement of former Sumner Elementary School Principal Frank D’Emilio as a classroom teacher at Vista del Valle Elementary School.
On a return trip to his native country of Ghana in 2005, Claremont commissioner Opoku Acheampong found himself rendered speechless by the vast changes to the country he left behind 30 years ago. Most notable was the number of children, many handicapped, crowding the streets, begging for food and money. Many carried makeshift instruments in an attempt to elicit some spare change.
With that, Mr. Acheampong formed a plan.
Feminine. Edgy. Vivid. These are words that could be used to describe the clothes on offer this year as teen girls and college-bound women prepare to start school.
The summer heat has dampened shoppers’ spirits lately, according to Amy Ogilvie, owner of the clothing shop Maple Boutique, located in the Packing House in Claremont’s Village West area.
With school bells poised, though, business is picking up, particularly during traffic-heavy times like the Friday Nights Live music performances that bring throngs of visitors to the Village.
On Monday, September 3 there will be no school as the district observes Labor Day.
Another holiday of sorts will be celebrated on Thursday, September 20 during Claremont Day at the Fair. The event, which is organized by members of the Claremont Community Committee, will include performances by the CHS and El Roble bands, a small parade and a Claremont Community Hero awards ceremony.
The students and advisor of Claremont High School’s Wolfpacket newspaper are hosting a journalism workshop, set for this Friday, August 17 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Held at Claremont High School (1601 N. Indian Hill Blvd.), the event is open to all CUSD students entering grades 7 through 12 who are interested in journalism, and is aimed at giving youths a chance to learn about the makings of a newspaper.
