Dr. Thorossian's January Superintendent Update

From Monrovia Unified School District:

February 3, 2020

Dear Monrovia Unified School District community,It has been a very productive start to the new year, and it was a delight to witness our students return to school after the holiday break, eager to get back to learning.

We started the month celebrating Monrovia High School’s academic pathways and campus life during the annual Open House Showcase. Our high school students shared their excitement about their classes and activities while our future Wildcats and parents learned all about what Monrovia High has to offer. During the showcase, club life, elective classes, student leadership, and extracurricular activities were well represented, and our students and faculty did a wonderful job detailing a diverse array of campus aspects. At the middle school level, our Clifton Middle School Hippie Bots robotics team jumped into the spotlight after it was asked to compete in a robotics competition in Vic, Spain. The Hippie Bots will be the sole representative of the U.S. in next month’s contest. It is truly impressive to see the Hippie Bots advance to this level and we wish them luck in the competition, which includes some high school teams. At Santa Fe Computer Science Magnet School, the District’s college-going culture is being emphasized with the opening of a Paxton Patterson Lab, which will offer our students a hands-on instruction connected with career technical education (CTE) pathways. The lab will help students build skills in problem solving, teamwork, creativity, and responsibility. At Bradoaks Elementary School, students are diving into a strong science curriculum. On Jan. 24, the school hosted its first-ever Science Day. Parents were invited to take part in science-related activities with their children and learn more about the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. On Jan. 28, Monrovia Unified celebrated 100 days of school. At Monroe Elementary, students, teachers, and staff dressed up as if they were 100 years old and our students’ grandparents were invited to visit classrooms and participate in a special 100 days of learning activity. Monroe Elementary students enjoyed stashing away mementos into a time capsule that will be placed in the library until it is opened in 2030. Sincerely,Dr. Katherine Thorossian, Superintendent

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Upcoming Events:Feb. 10: Lincoln’s Birthday – sites closedFeb. 17: Presidents Day – sites closedFeb. 20: Black History Month Elementary Art ShowFeb. 20: Wild Rose School of Creative Arts Black History Month Performance

Monrovia High Showcases Academic Pathways, Campus Life during Annual Open House

Monrovia High School French Club students share information on the club during the school’s Open House Showcase on Jan. 15.

Monrovia High School hosted its annual Open House, showcasing scholastic academies, career technical education pathways, visual and performing arts and extracurriculars on Jan. 15. The event served as an opportunity for future Monrovia High students and parents to get a comprehensive overview of what it means to be a Wildcat. A campus tour for all eighth-graders is scheduled for Feb. 4. Fall registration begins July 15 and new freshman orientations will be held Aug. 10.

Clifton Middle School’s Hippie Bots to Compete in Barcelona Competition

Clifton Middle School’s the Hippie Bots are heading to Vic, Spain to compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge Barcelona Championship, Feb. 27-28.

The Hippie Bots from Clifton Middle School are preparing to compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge Barcelona Championship in February as the event’s sole U.S. representative. The Hippie Bots will face high school teams as they take on this year’s challenge with a more sophisticated design than in years past. The Hippie Bots were spotlighted on ABC7’s All Good News segment, emphasizing on the team’s success.

Bradoaks Elementary Focuses on STEM Education during Science Day

Bradoaks Elementary School emphasized on science, technology, engineering and math curriculum on Jan. 24 during the school’s first Science Day. Parents visited classrooms and participated in science projects and activities with students and teachers.

Monroe Elementary Celebrates 100 Days of Learning

Students seal a time capsule put together during Monroe Elementary’s 100 days of school celebration on Jan. 28.

Students from Monroe Elementary school dressed up as if they were 100 years old and took part in a special classroom activity with their grandparents to celebrate 100 days of learning on Jan. 28. Students also stowed items in Monroe’s time capsule, which will be opened in 2030.

This press release was produced by Monrovia Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.