Hawthorne Press Tribune
The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 61, No. 44 - October 31, 2019
Urth Caffe Opens in Hawthorne
A grand opening ceremony held Oct. 27 at 4940 W 147th, the site of Urth Caffe’s Hawthorne organic coffee shop stand and eatery, brought company founders and investors together with community leaders. The 1.5-acre Hawthorne complex was formerly home to Microcosm
Inc., Scorpius Space Launch Co., Holochip Corp. and other providers of aerospace industry systems. Photo: City of Hawthorne
Wiseburn School Board
Views Cali Dashboard
Special Presentation
By Duane Plank
Last Thursday evening’s Wiseburn School
Board meeting featured special presentations
updating compliance with the state-mandated
California Dashboard analytics educational
tally, and implementation of the Ni Hao
Mandarin after-school program at Juan de
Anza Elementary.
The Ni Hao Mandarin presentation, helmed
by Wiseburn Unified School District parents
Zalina Visentin and Jenna Boller, included
information regarding the current after-school
program, videos that portrayed the joy of
students who attend the program, parental
testimonials, plus next steps as they try to
grow the nascent offering.
There are currently 12 students enrolled
in the program. Nine were listed as “fulltime.”
Two well-credentialed teachers,
Zoe Lao shi and Joy Lao shi, are working
with the students, whose after-school
activities begin at 12:30 p.m. and can
conclude for some at 6 p.m. Their daily
activities include “Circle-time,” where the
focus is on music and movement with
Mandarin songs; group learning that
includes a theme book in Mandarin; and
an enrichment timeframe featuring arts and
crafts, with the emphasis on Chinese characters.
Then there is a block for “story-time
in Mandarin.” Also on the daily agenda:
Outside playtime and the probably necessary
“bathroom break.”
Anza Principal Alberto Paredes gives high
marks to the program. “Ni Hao gives our
students an opportunity to learn a language
in a fun, collaborative way,” he said. “We
are happy to be able to partner with them.”
Parental testimonials rounded out the
presentation, with a couple of the young
program participants being coaxed to sing
a Mandarin tune to the appreciative Board.
Da Vinci Charter School administrator
Gloria White, who appeared on the boardroom
big screen from Sacramento, spearheaded the
next presentation remotely. Wiseburn Assistant
Superintendent, Educational Services
Dr. Aileen Harbeck was deeply involved
in the gathering and reporting of the staterequired
data.
The Dashboard is a fairly recent mandate
asking educators to help identify strides made
by school districts trying to button-down analytic
data that does not just reflect the results
of a single test score -- but also focuses on
perceived disparities among student groups,
with more information culled to support the
local school strategic planning process.
Harbeck said that the Dashboard allows
educators to provide “self -reflection.” White
noted that while implementing the Dashboard
metrics is “a little scary, with a lot
of hard work,” she added that the process is
“super-fun and super-exciting.” The goal of
the Dashboard implementers is to improve
Census Workers With Local
Knowledge Needed for Jobs
That Really Count
By Rob McCarthy
The U.S. Census Bureau is looking for a
few good men and women – hundreds locally
to help conduct the 2020 Census that is critical
to South Bay cities and Los Angeles County
securing funding for federal programs and
protecting seats in Congress. Recent high
school graduates, veterans, retirees, military
spouses, seasonal workers and applicants
who are bilingual are highly encouraged to
apply. People 50 and older are considered
excellent job candidates. They tend to be
reliable, dependable and they know their
communities firsthand. “They bring with them
years of experience and get the job done,”
said Dana Marie Kennedy, the Arizona state
director for AARP. Historically, 50 percent
of census takers are over the age of 50 and
many are retirees.
“This census, the emphasis will be on
an online response,” Andrew Soto, partner
specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau of
the Los Angeles Regional Office told the
Hawthorne City Council earlier this year.
“There will still be paper forms if requested.”
The importance of an accurate Census count
can’t be overemphasized, federal and local
officials stress. Federal funding for Community
Development and Building Grants,
homelessness and schools is doled out using
a formula that is population-based. The onceevery
decade census also determines which
areas gain or lose seats in the Congress.
Hawthorne officials estimate that every
resident in their city who returns a census
form or speaks with a field representative
brings in $2,000 per year for community
programs.
The positions are temporary and could
last between one and three months, starting
next year. Job inquiries can be directed to
the Census Bureau’s Los Angeles Regional
Office at 1-800-992-3529 or at Los.Angeles.
Jobs@census.govplace.
“We need people to apply now so they
can be considered for part-time census-taker
positions next spring,” said Timothy Olson,
the Census Bureau’s associate director for
Field Operations. “It’s important we hire
people in every community in order to have
a complete and accurate census.”
Census Bureau officials have recruited national
and regional partners, including AARP and the
Boys & Girls Clubs of America to reach as many
people living in the South Bay as possible
when the counting begins next June. “As
a trusted voice in communities around the
country, Boys & Girls Clubs can help reach
hard-to-count communities, ensuring an
accurate census and snapshot of our population.”
said Julie Teer, the chief development
and public affairs officer for Boys & Girls
Clubs of America.
Census-takers will be hired to work in
their communities and go door-to-door to
See Census Workers, page 11 See Wiseburn, page 6