EL SEGUNDO HERALD May 11, 2017 Page 3 School Spotlight Herald in Thailand Wiseburn School Board Hears Dana ELA Presentation, Fetes Retirees WHEELS ARE ALL YOU NEED. May is Bike Month. 17-2571ps_sby-ie-17-010 ©2017 lacmta Bike Month 2017 Join Metro in celebrating one of humanity's greatest inventions: the bicycle. The festivities take place throughout May, and there’s a lot to get excited about. Learn how to repair your bike at informative workshops, participate in Bike to Work Day on May 18th, and check out Bike Night at Union Station on May 26th for food and fun. Learn more at metro.net/bikemonth. Metro Seeks Input on 2018 Fiscal Year Budget Metro’s annual budget sets transportation priorities across LA County for the coming year. Metro will gather comments on the 2018 >scal year proposed budget at a public hearing on May 17th, before formal adoption by the Board of Directors. For hearing information or to provide your comments, go to metro.net/budgetcomments. Crenshaw/LAX Transit Project Updates The Crenshaw/LAX Transit Project is making exciting progress as we build a new 8.5-mile light rail line connecting Metro’s Expo and Green Lines. Recently, Harriet, the tunnel boring machine, >nished tunneling an underground segment from the Expo Line to the new Leimert Park Station. Learn more at metro.net/crenshaw. Metro Protects Our Operators At Metro, safety is our number one priority. We strive to keep our passengers safe, as well as our operators. Our bus operators pride themselves on getting riders to their destinations smoothly. An assault against an operator will not be tolerated. Please, if you see something, say something and call 888.950.SAFE. metro.net @metrolosangeles losangelesmetro All Price Ranges STARTING AT $500 The Jewelry Source 337 Main St. El Segundo. 310-322-7110 www.jewelrysourceUSA.com ©2007 ONE DAY ONLY! ESTATE JEWELRY SALE Saturday, May 13, 2017 10am - 5pm Featuring Jewelry and Watches from Cartier, Tiffany & Co., special Celebrity pieces and much more! Gems set in gold and platinum from small collections and grand estates, here and abroad. Appreciation of Tree Musketeers and Gail Church After 30 productive years, the Tree Musketeers is sadly winding down operations. Thousands of trees have been planted in our hometown and throughout the South Bay, maintained locally by this youth-led organization. Millions of trees have been planted worldwide, inspired by what kids started here in El Segundo many years ago in Tara Church’s girl scout troop. In addition to our improved landscape, its greatest legacy may be the leadership qualities developed in the kids that participated. This was not an accident. One of the core missions of Tree Musketeers was to develop these leadership skills and by all measures it has been tremendously successful. My family has participated in many ways over the years including serving on the Board of Directors, one of the most satisfying things I`ve ever done. Over these past 30 years, the kids, directors, and volunteers have come and gone, but the one constant presence has been Gail Church, Executive Director of the organization. Gail is a force of nature who has been the backbone of the organization and kept it moving forward. There was never a challenge Gail wouldn`t accept. No words can express our gratitude for her vision and dedication to Tree Musketeers. Many of the current youth leaders and their families have decided to keep the dream alive. As this effort continues to take shape, I urge the community to support them in any way they can. – George and Robin Funk Letters By Duane Plank Schoolchildren of a certain age once had their lesson plans guided by the tenets of what were termed the “three R’s” (reading, riting, and rithmetic)--a phrase coined more than 200 years ago. With the onslaught of technology now confronting both teachers and 21st Century learners, the main presentation at the May 4 Wiseburn Unified School District School Board meeting could be considered a bit retro. It focused on the seemingly quaint idea of actually reading books and fostering student writing skills. In her 25-minute presentation to the Board, Dana Middle School English teacher Lisa Wilberg highlighted the strides being made at the school in the English Language Arts department. Her presentation was entitled “A Path to Writer’s Workshop.” Writer’s Workshop is an interdisciplinary writing technique that is gaining traction in many elementary schools. It is a program that seeks to build students’ fluency in writing, featuring continuous, repeated exposure to literacy through the process of writing. Wilberg, discussed what she termed “big ideas “in increasing the student’s breadth of understanding and achievement in the basic disciplines. “We want to create and maintain a culture of joyful literacy at our school, “she said. “We believe that all students are capable of reading, writing, and achieving at high levels.” She noted that while 2017 career fields such as math, science and engineering are “booming,” her belief is that literacy is at the core of the success that will be achieved in any of the STEM fields. Wilberg highlighted the advancements being made at Dana from the 2011-12 school year forward as the ELA department started researching and implementing the mandated Common Core requirements, shifting the way English was taught in schools away from certain areas that may have had little real world relevance and applications. It means much more of an emphasis on critical thinking and much less focus on terminology. “I tell students all the time that you can’t get better at reading without reading, Wilberg said, adding that the 2014-15 school year was the first time the new way of teaching English was implemented in Dana classrooms. The 2016-17 school year has also seen the continued refining and mapping of ELA units. Wilberg said a Writer’s Workshop program, initially developed at Columbia University, drew her interest. In the spring of 2016, Wilberg and other teachers and administrators were able to travel to Pacific Elementary School in Manhattan Beach and see how a neighboring school was implementing the workshop program. She came away very impressed with how engaged the Pacific students were in their writing, and is hoping to implement the workshop program at Dana. Wilberg concluded her program with data on the strides made by Dana students, with 75 percent meeting or exceeding mandated standards. The California state average is 49 percent. She also detailed events like “Literacy Week” that took place just prior to the spring break. Wilberg is also continuing to visit other schools that are successfully implementing the See Wiseburn, page 17 Valerie and Don Baggett have traveled around a bunch as of late and always make sure to bring along their trusty Herald copy. This time, they are in Phuket, Thailand at the Marina after a seven-day Flotilla.
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