EYE ON EDUCATION A Publication of the Paramount Unified School District
15110 CALIFORNIA AVE., PARAMOUNT, CA 90723 • TEL: 562-602-6000 • FAX: 562-634-6029
SEPTEMBER 2010
California Distinguished School Recognition Wesley Gaines School was officially recognized as a California Distinguished School at a special award presentation and banquet on June 4th.
Mrs. Stevens, the School Principal, Mrs. Stella Toibin, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services and a delegation of teachers from Gaines attended this gala affair at the Disneyland Resort Hotel with State Superintendent Jack O’Connell presiding over the event. 484 outstanding elementary schools from counties throughout the State of California were recognized individually at an awards ceremony and then joined the whole delegation for a wondrous banquet in their honor. This ceremony attested to the hard work and accomplishments of the principal, teachers, staff members, students, parents, and other
enthusiastic members of the education community who have been integral to the school’s success. The criterion for being identified as an eligible school was most stringent. An elementary school had to excel at meeting the standards of both the state and federal accountability systems and at closing the achievement gap between its subgroup of students to be eligible to apply to become a Distinguished School. Additionally, Gaines School was asked to share two signature practices that contributed to making those tremendous gains and closing the achievement gap.
Pictured are top row from left to right, Rene Juarez-Teacher, Elizabeth Araiza-Parent, Fanny Varela-Coach, Tracy Espina-Teacher, bottom row; Linda Harju-Stevens-Principal, Sonya Cuellar-Board Member and Stella Toibin-Assistant Superintendent
A validation visit from a State Review team confirmed the vibrancy of these practices firmly embedded and ongoing at the school site.
Gaines staff proudly eagerly await the new school displays its Distinguished year and their pursuit of acaSchool mural and flies its demic excellence. distinguished flag with digLinda Harju-Stevens nity and honor. Principal - Gaines School The students and teachers
Hollydale School is Abuzz! Hollydale School - “Home of the Hornets” - is abuzz with excitement about the 2010 – 2011 school year! An important focus for our school this year will be the implementation of the Pyramid Response to Intervention. PRTI is a system designed to meet the academic needs of students who are in need of support. PRTI ensures that the District mission, to ensure learning and success for each student by providing a quality education, is met. The middle school teach-
ing team has been working hard to develop grade level/content area grading policies to support the recently adopted Board policy. Teachers will share this information with parents at the September “Back to School Night”. The arts are alive and well at Hollydale School! This year the kindergarten students will enjoy learning about two artists, Picasso and Monet, through lessons facilitated by an outside art consultant. We are very excited about this opportunity
for our youngest students. In closing, the partnership between home and school is critical to the success of our students at Hollydale. We look forward this year to having our parents and community become active participants in the life of the school by attending events such as Back to School Night, Open House, Parent/Teacher Conferences, and Parent Nights. Parents are also invited to become involved in our various school councils and com-
mittees including School team to make our school Site Council, English Learn- the very best it can be. Go er Advisory Committee, and Hornets! GATE Parent Committee. Join us! I am proud to represent a Susan Marilley community of stakeholders Principal which works together as a Hollydale School
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DATES September 15, 2010 – September 29, 2010 Board of Education meetings are held at 6:00 p.m. in the Boardroom at the District Office, 15110 California Avenue, Paramount, and are open to the public