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Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, September 2, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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7 EDUCATION & YOUTH Mountain Views-News Saturday, September 2, 2017 SCHOOL DIRECTORY FOUR PASADENA UNIFIED HIGH SCHOOLS PLACED ON TOP HIGH SCHOOLS LIST Washington Post Pasadena, CA -- All four of the Pasadena Unified School District’s comprehensive high schools - Blair School, John Muir High School, Marshall Fundamental, and Pasadena High School - have for the first time been placed on America’s Most Challenging High Schools 2017 list by The Washington Post. The list annually ranks how successfully schools challenge their students to take advanced and college-level classes. Only 12 percent of the nation’s high schools qualify for the honor. “This is a wonderful accomplishment for our high schools and our district, and I congratulate the students, faculty and staff, families, and supportive communities of each of these schools for their great work,” said Superintendent Brian McDonald. “To have all four PUSD comprehensive high schools named to the America’s Most Challenging High Schools list is a validation of the phenomenal programs and high quality education offered to all students in PUSD so that they can succeed in college and careers. Congratulations to everyone!” Schools are ranked by the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests given at a school each year, divided by the number of seniors who graduated that year. Public schools that achieved a ratio of at least 1.00, that had as many tests as they had graduates, were put on the national list. Schools are ranked in the order of that ratio. Marshall Fundamental ranked 318; Pasadena High School ranked 1,350; Blair High School, which offers the International Baccalaureate Programme, ranked 1,404. John Muir, new to the list in 2017, ranked 1,512. Pasadena Unified high schools offer college and career academies that link students’ passion with what they learn throughout their high school career. Themed academies include Engineering and Environmental Science, the App Academy, Creative Industries, and Health Careers. Students in the academies take courses that meet college admission requirements; develop plans for post- secondary career and education; complete work- based learning or capstone research projects; and obtain college credit and/or college credit and/or a nationally-recognized professional certification. For more information on Pasadena Unified’s college and career academies, visit www.pusd.us/ Domain/97 The Washington Post’s Challenge Index is designed to identify schools that have done the best job in persuading average students to take college- level courses and test. ALVERNO HEIGHTS ACADEMY 200 N. Michillinda Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 (626) 355-3463 Head of School: Julia V. Fanara E-mail address: jfanara@alvernoheights.org Arcadia High School 180 Campus Drive Arcadia, CA 91007 Phone: (626) 821-8370, Principal: Brent Forsee bforsee@ausd.net Arroyo Pacific Academy 41 W. Santa Clara St. Arcadia, Ca, (626) 294-0661 Principal: Phil Clarke E-mail address: pclarke@arroyopacific.org Barnhart School 240 W. Colorado Blvd Arcadia, Ca. 91007 (626) 446-5588 Head of School: Ethan Williamson Kindergarten - 8th grade website: www.barnhartschool.org Bethany Christian School 93 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 (626) 355-3527 Preschool-TK-8th Grade Principal: Dr. William Walner website: www. bcslions.org Clairbourn School 8400 Huntington Drive San Gabriel, CA 91775 Phone: 626-286-3108 ext. 172 FAX: 626-286-1528 E-mail: jhawes@clairbourn.org Foothill Oaks Academy 822 Bradbourne Ave., Duarte, CA 91010 (626) 301-9809 Co-Principals Nancy Lopez and Diane Kieffaber info@foothilloaksacademy.org preschool@foothilloaksacademy.org Frostig School 971 N. Altadena Drive Pasadena, CA 91107 (626) 791-1255 Head of School: Jenny Janetzke Email: jenny@frostig.org The Gooden School 192 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 (626) 355-2410 Head of School, Carl Parke website: www.goodenschool.org High Point Academy 1720 Kinneloa Canyon Road Pasadena, Ca. 91107 Head of School: Gary Stern 626-798-8989 website: www.highpointacademy.org La Salle High School 3880 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca. (626) 351-8951 website: www.lasallehs.org Principal Mrs. Courtney Kassakhian Monrovia High School 325 East Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA 91016 (626) 471-2800 Principal Darvin Jackson Email: schools@monrovia.k12.ca.us Odyssey Charter School 725 W. Altadena Dr. Altadena, Ca. 91001 (626) 229-0993 Head of School: Lauren O’Neill website: www.odysseycharterschool.org Pasadena High School 2925 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca. (626) 396-5880 Principal: Roberto Hernandez website: http://phs.pusd.us St. Rita Catholic School 322 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Principal Joan Harabedian (626) 355-9028 website: www.st-rita.org Sierra Madre Elementary School 141 W. Highland Ave, Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 (626) 355-1428 Principal: Esther Salinas E-mail address: salinas.esther@pusd.us Sierra Madre Middle School 160 N. Canon Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 (626) 836-2947 Principal: Garrett Newsom E-mail address: newsom.garrett@pusd.us Walden School 74 S San Gabriel Blvd Pasadena, CA 91107 (626) 792-6166 www.waldenschool.net Weizmann Day School 1434 N. Altadena Dr. Pasadena, Ca. 91107 (626) 797-0204 Lisa Feldman: Head of School Wilson Middle School 300 S. Madre St. Pasadena, Ca. 91107 (626) 449-7390 Principal: Ruth Esseln E-mail address: resseln@pusd.us Pasadena Unified School District 351 S. Hudson Ave., Pasadena, Ca. 91109 (626) 396-3600 Website: www.pusd@pusd.us rcadia Unified School District 234 Campus Dr., Arcadia, Ca. 91007 (626) 821-8300 Website: www.ausd.net Monrovia Unified School District 325 E. Huntington Dr., Monrovia, Ca. 91016 (626) 471-2000 Website: www.monroviaschools. net Duarte Unified School District 1620 Huntington Dr., Duarte, Ca. 91010 (626)599-5000 Website: www.duarte.k12.ca.us AN EVENING WITH BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY & CO-AUTHOR GREGORY MONE Presentation/Booksigning for Jack and the Geniuses Book 2: In the Deep Blue Sea La Cañada Flintridge, CA – On Thursday, September 14 at 7 PM, Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse is thrilled to welcome BILL NYE the Science Guy and co-author GREGORY MONE for a presentation and signing of In the Deep Blue Sea, Book 2 in their New York Times bestselling Jack and the Geniuses series (for readers grades 3-7). THIS IS A TICKETED EVENT. Your pre- ordered book purchase provides an entry ticket for one person. If you buy a book, $5 entry tickets are available to you for up to 4 additional people. Orders can be placed over the phone, but you must pick up your ticket by 3 PM on September 14th. The Jack and the Geniuses series combines real- world science along with a mysterious adventure that will leave kids guessing until the end, making the books ideal for STEM education. In the second installment, In the Deep Blue Sea, Jack, his genius siblings Ava and Matt, and inventor Dr. Hank Witherspoon travel to the Hawaiian island home of Ashley Hawking, a technology billionaire. Hawking and engineer Rosa Morris have built a revolutionary electricity plant that harvests energy from the deep ocean, but someone has been sabotaging the project. In their search for the culprit, Jack and crew navigate an unusual world of characters and suspects, including Hawking and her obnoxiously intelligent son, Steven; a family of surfers who accuse the billionaire of trespassing on sacred land; an ex–Navy SEAL with a fondness for cat photos; and a cigar-chomping man who calls himself the Air-Conditioning King of Hawaii. Readers will learn about the mysteries of the deep ocean, the scientific process, and the potential of green energy as Jack and his brilliant siblings use all their brainpower to survive. Integrating real science facts with humor and suspense and featuring a multiethnic cast of boy and girl characters, this engaging series is an irresistible combination for middle-grade readers. With easy-to-read language presented in a fun and accessible way, these books are great for both inquisitive kids and reluctant readers. In the Deep Blue Sea: Jack and the Geniuses Book 2 includes information about the science discussed and used to solve the mystery, as well as a cool project that kids can do at home or in the classroom. Bill Nye is a scientist and media personality best known for his television show Bill Nye the Science Guy. He has appeared on numerous television programs, including Larry King Live and Real Time with Bill Maher. Nye’s new talk show series for Netflix, Bill Nye Saves the World, premiered on April 21, 2017. He splits his time between New York and Los Angeles. Gregory Mone is a novelist and science journalist who has written several books for children. He lives in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. For more information, contact Gail Mishkin at (818) 790-0717. Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse is located at 1010 Foothill Blvd., La Canada, CA 91011, at the intersection of Foothill Blvd. and the Angeles Crest Hwy. Take the Angeles Crest exit off the 210, turn south, make a right onto Foothill Blvd., and turn left onto Chevy Chase. Parking is in the rear of the store. NEW BOOK PROVIDES HELP FOR TODAY’S PARENTS & STUDENTS Fall brings the familiar sounds of children playing on the playground. The sounds of bells ringing as students head back to the place that they left a few short months ago. While parents hustle to take advantage of back-to-school sales. It Is rite of passage that goes back as far as anyone came remember—it’s the opening of school. As the students traverse through the halls of the various types of school schools, one question is abound, does this school place my child in the best position to be successful? Moreover, what went into making the decision on deciding on a school is as varied as the different types of flowers that came be found on a Rose Parade float. “I have never met a parent that does not want to help their child,” said Kenneth Banks, author of the new book, Ask the Counselor: A Parent’s and Student’s Toolkit for Successfully Navigating through the K-12 Schools and Beyond. “Unfortunately,” he continued, “Most parents don’t know how to help their children when it comes to helping them achieve a quality education.” According to Banks, a retired guidance counselor, just about every parent is in search of a “good” school for their child. Exactly what constitutes a “good” is not easy to define. “Choosing a good preschool, primary or elementary school is not a science. Selecting a good secondary school, be it, middle school, intermediate school or junior high school, is equally important as finding a good high school. The term “good school” is a loaded one. There is good in every school. You just need to know where and for what to look. “Banks said. Helping parents at that question and many others was the motivation for Banks to write, Ask the Counselor: A Parent’s and Student’s Toolkit for Successfully Navigating through the K-12 Schools and Beyond. In the book, that will be available in early October, Banks points out that public education is an enormous bureaucracy. “In California, where I reside, Californians have chosen to spend, by law, a minimum of 39% of the state’s budget on education. Public school funding is the largest program in the state budget, receiving more than 40 percent of the state’s general fund resources. “According to Banks, The 2012–13 state budget included $38 billion for kindergarten through grade twelve (K–12) education. Overall spending for California public schools was about $68 billion in 2013 when federal funds and other funding sources were added. The amount of money spent on public education in California is more than the gross national product of many of the world’s industrialized countries. Transforming a gargantuan bureaucracy such as the public school system in the United States is not very practical Banks said he believes. He points out if a parent knows how to successfully navigate the school system, or work the system; it can be extremely advantageous for their children. “I am convinced that the educational system in the United States is too large to reform, although many have tried.” Banks writes. Some of the many ideas that have been tried by various educational reformers in the early 21st century include: Increasing the school day or school year: increased after-school tutoring: reduce class sizes; improved training for teachers: creation of publically funded charter schools; On- Line Schools; and allow for school choice. In a parent’s quest to identify a “good” school for their child, Banks said, “In the parental quest to identify a “good” school, research has shown that parental expectations for children’s academic achievement predict educational outcomes more than do other measures of parental involvement, such as attending school events. It really isn’t the school that is the biggest factor in predicting student academic achievement. Parents’ expectations influence child outcomes through multiple pathways. He points out that parental expectation are more likely to affect their children when parent-child relationships are characterized by closeness and warmth. Parental expectations directly affect student outcomes. In addition, families with high educational aspirations for their children provide more out-of- school learning opportunities for them. Students who reported that their parents expected them to attend college had better attendance and more positive attitudes toward school, according to one study. Parental expectations also affect the child’s own aspirations and expectations; for instance, studies suggest that parent expectations for their children’s academic attainment have a moderate to strong influence on students’ own goals for postsecondary education. Further, both sets of expectations are moderated by characteristics of the parent, child, and community. Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com | ||||||||||||||||||||