Page 2 June 1, 2017 Community Briefs LA and SB Astronomical Societies Throw Star Party in Inglewood The Inglewood Public Library will welcome the volunteers of the South Bay Astronomical Society and the Los Angeles Astronomical Society (Griffith Park) as they set up their telescopes at the Main Library, 101 West Manchester Boulevard, and the Crenshaw- Imperial Branch Library, 11141 Crenshaw Boulevard, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. on June 6. These amateur astronomers come from across Southern California to show families Summer Reading Club at a Glance --The first all ages Reading Club, with events and incentives for kids, teens, adults and whole families --The club will last eight weeks, from June 12 to August 12, --There is also a special party for the total eclipse of the sun the morning of August 21. The Inglewood Public Library is sponsoring a number of free programs for the public in connection with our first all-ages Reading Club. Some of our local partners include the Lawndale Health, Safety and Pet Fair The City of Lawndale’s Community Services Department is hosting the Health, Safety and Pet Fair on Saturday, Jun 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Civic Center Plaza (147th Street and Burin Avenue). The festivities will include health information booths, vaccine clinic/dog licenses, petting zoo, activities for kids, food the wonders of the night sky, such as the craters of the Moon, the planet Jupiter, the North Star, the Orion Nebula, and even the Andromeda galaxy! The library is also welcoming members of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society (Griffith Observatory) and the Planetary Society that evening. Attendees may join in for a brief orientation and then head outside to enjoy the night sky, Los Angeles International Airport, SpaceX and the Planetary Society. You can join the Summer Reading Club at the library from June 12 to August 12. For more information about this event or any others, call (310) 412-5380, e-mail publiclibrary@cityofinglewood.org, check out our Facebook page at http://www.facebook. com/inglewoodpubliclibrary or visit http:// library.cityofinglewood.org/ vendors, and giveaway items. Special events on stage will feature fitness demonstrations, live entertainment, and health presentations. Parking is available on the Hawthorne Boulevard median with no time limit. For more information, call 310-973-32170 or visit lawndalecity.org or lawndalelifestyle.com • Visit us online: www.heraldpublications.com touch & take off! Plus, enjoy speeds up to 45Mbps at one all-included price, with no extra monthly fees. Call today and pay less 855-781-6862 Internet plan starts at $40.00/ mo Internet speeds up to 45Mbps Wi-Fi Gateway router to connect your devices AT&T Internet Security Suite—powered by McAfee Bundle with another qualifying AT&T service and get internet for $30/mo. DIRECTV + Internet + Home Phone Bundles Starts at $89.99/ mo Over 145 of your favorite channels Internet speeds up to 45Mbps A Genie® HD DVR receiver and 3 additional TV receivers HD Included Phone - With over 25 convenient calling features ©2017 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo, and all other AT&T marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. Subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. provide products and services under the AT&T brand. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiseburn School Board Recognizes Long-time Employees By Duane Plank An evening of celebration last Thursday evening, the annual Wiseburn Unified School District board meeting honoring long-time employees, also had its bittersweet moments as the School Board members paid homage to two stalwart principals who will be retiring at the end of the school year. Margaret Lynch, Principal at Cabrillo Elementary and a selectee as California State Principal of the Year, and Burnett Elementary’s Laura Sullivan will both be retiring, effective June 30. Board member sentiments were summed up during their comments, noting that they were very happy for the principals pending retirements, but sad for the District. Said Board President Israel Mora: “You are what makes Wiseburn special.” Added District Superintendent Tom Johnstone: “I always say that this is my favorite meeting of the year, because the heart and soul of Wiseburn is the people.” Sullivan noted her love of the District and the students, saying she told her husband that working in education was “something that I have done every day for 40 years, and something that I did take a lot of pride in.” The meeting took place two days after the Trump administration unveiled its initial budget, pages of parchment that will surely be sliced and diced by the folks on Capitol Hill--but it initially cuts funds to education by a staggering $9.2 billion. Trump’s cost-cutting budget proposal was brought forth a little less than two weeks after Governor Jerry Brown’s release of what is termed the “May revise” of the Golden State’s 2017-18 budget. The usually fiscally prudent Brown (unless you are talking about his beloved bullet train project), who will be termed out of office in 2018, has proposed a $1.4 billion hike in state school spending. During the 90-minute meeting, the members paid their respects to seven employees who have served the District for terms ranging from 25 to 40 years. Honorees included Cabrillo Elementary School’s Peggy Kremer, who is completing her 40th year of service and works in Food Service; 35-year District employee Emerita (Mary) Penna, also from Cabrillo, who works as an English Language Department aide; 35-year employee Richard Mark Walker, who toils in the District maintenance shop; Terry Johnstone, who currently teaches first grade at Anza Elementary and is wrapping up her 30th year of service; Kristine Sullivan, a second grade teacher at Anza who is finishing up a quarter-century of service; Burnett teacher Carrie Schatt, also wrapping up 25 years; and Burnett’s third grade teacher Katherine Milias, also completing year 25 of service. Johnstone introduced the site principals, saying that he is blessed to lead a district with so many long-term employees who have given their all to Wiseburn students. “I have the best job in world, “Johnstone said. “Our teachers are a treasure.” Site principals introduced the honorees, with the lone exception being Walker, whose experienced fine-tuning of District maintenance challenges was noted by maintenance and operations manager Bill Denney. Denney gave props to Walker, who has streamlined maintenance operations in the District, noting that the latter has helped refine the old school master key program in the District, and helped Denney deal with his limited computer experience. Lynch extolled the service of both Kremer and Penna, who both had suffered personal losses recently but continued serving their students. “Both beautiful women have become widowed this past year and have honored their losses by spreading their love and appreciation for life amongst us, “Lynch said. Added Lynch about Kremer’s diligent work at Cabrillo: “One person can make difference, and she does.” Anza Principal Alberto Paredes recognized Terry Johnstone’s contributions to the District, citing her work on the positive behavior support team, as well as becoming a CGI fellow. Paredes then recognized Anza teacher Sullivan for playing huge roles in the arts and community events at the school. After a brief reception to pose for family and friends photos, grab a cup of coffee and a sugary snack, most of the presenters and honored guests vacated the performing arts center at Cabrillo, the location of Thursday evening’s meeting. The members, administrators and Superintendent Johnstone then got down to handling their remaining business issues on the agenda. Each of the Board members, as well as Johnstone, Deputy Superintendent Chris Jones and Chief Business Official David Wilson commented on recent events impacting the District. Then it was on to the action item portion of the meeting, which featured the Board taking action on the approval of contracts for legal services with Procopio, LLC; renewal of a one-year agreement with School Mint to host an online system for student registration for District families that will not exceed $7,500; an agreement with PowerSchool to continue hosting the District’s student information system; and approval of purchase orders, warrants and miscellaneous receipts, including 141,668.63 for furniture that will find a home on the first floor of the new Wiseburn High School building on Douglas Street. Johnstone has stated that he and the Wiseburn’s administration hope to move into their new home at the High School on or around August 1. The grand opening of the new facility is slated for August 12, with the students settling in for the first day of school on August 22. Phase II of the High School project, which includes the gym, soccer field and pool, is slated to be completed at the end of March 2018. “It is going to be a busy summer,” Johnstone said. Consent agenda items then followed, including the ratification of a stipend for the Dana Middle School spring basketball coach; as well as other small stipends/payments for activities that keep the District humming. Personnel items quickly tackled at the tailend of the meeting included the acceptance of the resignations from the outgoing principals, as well as resignations of 10 classified District employees. Upcoming dates on the District calendar as the 2016-17 school year races to a close include a joint meeting that will be held with the Da Vinci and Wiseburn boards on June 3, and regular School Board meetings scheduled for June 8 and 22, with the June 22 meeting necessitating an asterisk because of possible scheduling conflicts. •
Hawthorne_060117_FNL_lorez
To see the actual publication please follow the link above