Schools
School Board Roundup - Jazz Bands Going to Reno, Rossmoor Elementary Heroes of the Heart, and Internet Safety
A Roundup of Important votes and accommodations from the Los Alamitos Unified School District's recent board meeting.
- Students from Rossmoor Elementary presented information about their community activities, such as hosting a monthly recycling day that raises $300. This money is then donated to Red Bucket Equine Rescue in Huntington Beach, CA. During the holidays, students also sent letters to soldiers who spent the holidays away from home.
- Miriam Bettencourt was honored as the employee of the year. Eamonn O’Donovan, assistant superintendent of human resources and director of classified personnel, described Bettencourt as “conscientious and professional” and an employee who is “uncompromising in her quest for work excellence.”
- Rossmoor Elementary honored Maria Schwenk and Anita Rinella, two school volunteers, by awarding them the school’s “Heroes of the Heart” award. Schwenk has been volunteering for over 8 years and Rinella has been volunteering for over 6 years.
- .The school board recognized Dr. Andrew Pulver and Dr. Mark Johnson for their completion of doctoral degrees at USC. Johnson told the board that pursuing his graduate degree was the “single most important thing I’ve done for my own personal growth.”
- Representatives from Rachlin Architects provided updates on the modernization projects at Mcauliffe Elementary and Los Alamitos Elementary schools. Both projects are reported as being on-time and on-budget.
- The Bullying Prevention Task Force has developed an Internet component to its curriculum. The Internet sub-committee, which includes Michael Conlon, Toni Brown and Amy Terrell, created a 4-day curriculum about Internet safety that will be delivered to students district-wide in May. A parent education night will be held Apr 4.
- The board unanimously decided to approve the Los Alamitos High School, Mcauliffe Middle School and Oak Middle School Jazz Bands to compete at the 2011 Reno International Jazz Festival on Apr 7.
- The district accepted forward funding donations to help ease next year’s budget woes. Among the donors are various PTA groups and local businesses such as Toyota Motor Sales and Edison International. The total monetary donations collected Tuesday night was $63, 294.42. The year-to-date total for donations to the district is $527,669.56.
- The board unanimously voted to name February as “Career and Technical Education Month” in support of the North Orange County Regional Occupational Program.
- The board unanimously decided to approval a new advanced placement course in environmental science. Board member Jeffrey Barke said he approved the course only after the district could ensure that the course is taught fairly due to its controversial issues. He stated that the course is “unique in its needs for a slightly different policy to ensure this course is presented in a balanced way.”
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