South Whittier School District held their monthly board meeting on Tuesday, May 17, in the district board room.
The board meeting was held both in-person and via Zoom. The Board and attendees heard multiple presentations including a CAPP award recognition for Carmela Elementary, a Capturing Kids Hearts award for Los Altos and Loma Vista Elementary, a Graves Middle School 3D Art Design Project, and the 2020-2021 Bond Audit report.
Carmela Elementary California Pivotal Practice (CAPP) Program Recognition
Carmela Elementary Principal, Karina Hartl, shared with the Board about the California Pivotal Practice Program Recognition (CAPP) that Carmela Elementary has been awarded.
Carmela was awarded the CAPP award for their Carmela Cares Program that supported student’s social emotional well-being during the Pandemic.
The 2022 Pivotal Practice award program recognizes and celebrates schools that implemented an innovative practice during Distance Learning due to the Pandemic.
Hartl shared that the Carmela Cares Program was a pivotal practice designed to address chronic absenteeism and to close the achievement gap for students. During distance learning Carmela teachers saw the challenges and barriers that kept students from being fully engaged. Knowing that students who feel a sense of connectedness tend to have better academic achievement and improved school attendance, the Carmela staff agreed that there was a need to focus on helping students feel connected to their teachers and peers. This became the drive behind the Carmela Cares Program.
Principal Hartl gave much recognition to the teachers and staff who were the driving forces of the program.
Congratulations, Carmela Elementary!
Capturing Kids Hearts National Showcase School Award - Los Altos & Loma Vista Elementary
Los Altos principal, Genevieve Silebi, and Loma Vista principal, Kristine Carreon, shared with the Board about the Capturing Kids Hearts National Showcase School award that both elementary schools received.
This award recognizes schools who go above and beyond in building a safe and welcoming environment where students are relationally connected and eager to learn. Los Altos and Loma Vista students were in attendance and demonstrated some Capturing Kids Hearts elements that the schools have implemented into their school culture. This included “Good Things”, character traits of the month, social contracts, and “Meaningful Endings”.
Principals Şilebi and Carreon shared about the elements implemented into the schools and how they have seen students thrive with these implementations.
Congratulations, Los Altos & Loma Vista Elementary!
Grave Middle School 3D Art Design Project
Graves Middle School student, Andrew Avalos, along with GMS coding teacher, Amanda Riisager, shared a 3D art design project that Andrew created with a 3D printer.
Graves Middle School offers a coding class taught by Ms. Riisager. Andrew, a student in that class, sketched a design of a spilled over milk carton. He took that sketch and created a model and then printed that model with a 3D printer. Andrew shared his original and updated sketch with the Board. He told his story on how his original sketch developed into the model, and eventually the 3D design.
Andrew was presented with a Certificate of Achievement for his academic achievements and accomplishments for his 3D design.
2020-2021 Bond Audit Report
The Board was given an independent audit report regarding the Measure QS Bond building fund.
The report was given by a representative from CWDL, who performed the audit. The report contained the statement of revenues, expenditures, and changes in the fund balance. Based on the findings of the independent audit, the audit came back clean with all financials to be relied upon.
After the audit report Aubrey Craig, South Whittier’s Associate Superintendent of Business Services, shared updated projects that are being done with the Measure QS building fund. Projects included bathroom remodels at Los Altos Elementary and portable classrooms being installed.
Other building projects on other school campuses are in the works.
The District will hold their next board meeting on Tuesday, June 14, in the district board room and via Zoom.