Thursday, May 17, 2012
The city council recognizes the team and its supporters.
There was a very full and enthusiastic gathering for Wednesday’s City Council meeting. The Aliso Niguel Wolverines girls’ soccer team was recognized for their historic season, which ranked them #1 in the nation. The City Hall crowd of players, parents and residents cheered and laughed as a video showcasing some of the team’s winning games was played. The team will be honored by ESPN at the Aliso Viejo Aquatic Center on May 31. The public is welcome to attend and share in the celebration. Coach Randy Dodge thanked the players, parents and community for their support. “This is a dream come true for these kids right now,” he said.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Five Capistrano Unified School District high schools also made the list.
Aliso Niguel High School was named among the top 5 percent high schools in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report annual rankings. Five Capistrano Unified School District high schools made the top 5 percent, including Tesoro, San Clemente, Capistrano Valley, Dana Hills and Aliso Niguel. Each school received silver medals for being ranked in the top 1,000 schools nationwide. Nearly 22,000 schools were evaluated by U.S. News. Each of the top ranked schools exceeded the state’s academic goals as well as the college readiness index. “Having all five of our eligible high schools ranked in the top 5 percent of this nation’s schools says a lot about the quality instruction that takes place in our classrooms every day to prepare our …
Monday, May 14, 2012
If voters shoot down a November initiative to temporarily raise taxes, school districts statewide would face $5.5 billion in cuts, about $700 million worse than what the governor estimated in January.
Gov. Jerry Brown continues to lay his hopes for state fiscal soundness on a November tax initiative, but if it doesn’t pass, schools will face additional cuts that could chop three weeks off the next school year. On Monday, Brown revised the 2012-13 budget he first released in January. Called the May revise, his new figures reflect tax revenues that have fallen far short of earlier predictions. “It’s a difficult budget,” Brown acknowledged in a press conference. If voters approve his temporary tax hike measure, Brown’s revised budget would actually increase funding for schools by $15 billion in four years, or $2,500 per student. Brown called the tax initiative reasonable. “I think it’s fair, and I think it provides a reliable source of …
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Kiddieland Pre-School provides daily lessons in Spanish, sign language, phonics and president recognition.
“OK, I’ll let everyone do this one. Who’s this?” Simmons said, holding up a photo. “James Madison!” shouted the room of 2- to 5-year-olds. “And he was the…” “Shortest president!” “And he’s on the …” “$5,000 bill!” Kiddieland preschool owner and teacher Kristin Simmons began teaching preschool in 1994 from her home in Aliso Viejo. As a home preschool, the maximum amount of children she could teach and care for peaked at 14. Today, Simmons can welcome more than double that number from her business park location in Aliso Viejo’s Pacific Park Plaza. Most of the children currently enrolled in Simmons’ preschool followed her from her home to the office space. “I just love teaching preschool. I am addicted,” Simmons said. “This is my dream.” Show…
Friday, May 11, 2012
Find out who the big winners were.
The local Elks recently gave out $4,000 in scholarships to Mission Viejo's outstanding students, as well as savings bonds and certificates. Some of the students are heading to such top schools as UCLA, Stanford and Harvard. Mission Viejo Mayor Pro Tempore Rhonda Reardon was there to honor the outstanding students, too. Here are the top scholarship winners: John Dellos also recognized a sixth student, Karli M. Thompson, Rancho Santa Margarita, Trabuco Hills High School, who was awarded an $800 scholarship at the state level competition. "I was astonished by the tremendous academic and community service accomplishments of the foregoing student scholars," Dellos said. "It is not surprising that have been accepted at such prestigious …
33.59871
-117.65729
Mission Viejo Elks Lodge 2444
25092 Marguerite Pky, Mission Viejo, CA
/articles/outstanding-students-win-elks-scholarships
2053792
/locations/6984737
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The Annual ROP Distinguished Student Awards ceremony awards scholarships in five career majors as well as a select number of special scholarships funded by the ROP staff and community partners.
When students earn awards through the Capistrano-Laguna Regional Occupational Program, a whole audience gets to hear their praises from the teachers who shepherded them along. The nominating teachers used words like "passion," "vision," "intensity," "achievement," "outstanding," "driven," "talented," "remarkable" and "inspirational." The audience hearing these adjectives were with well-dressed students, supporting family members, sponsoring business partners and many representatives from the Capistrano Unified and Laguna Beach Unified school districts, who filled the theater at San Juan Hills High to the brim Wednesday. The ROP honored outstanding students who enrolled in specialty classes which focus on career-oriented instruction, …
33.499263
-117.621446
San Juan Hills High School
29211 Vista Montana, San Juan Capistrano, CA
/articles/rop-awards-ceremony-recognizes-outstanding-students-who-are-nominated-by-their-instructors
1755430
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Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Canyon Vista Students hold JoyDrive for the Jessie Rees Foundation.
Canyon Vista Elementary School's student council and Peer Assisted Leaders collected more than four boxes of toys for JoyJars and raised $1071.75 for the Jessie Rees Foundation selling Dippin' Dots during last week's JoyDrive. JoyJars is a program started by 12-year-old Jessica Joy Rees, a Rancho Santa Margarita resident who died after a 10-month struggle with two brain tumors. Canyon Vista hopes to spread Jessie's message to NEGU (Never Give Up!). Rees wanted to spread hope, joy and love to other kids fighting cancer. After her JoyJars are filled with new toys they are given to children in hospitals.
Wood Canyon second grade teacher enjoys the journey of progress.
Biljana Hoffmann is a second grade teacher at Wood Canyon Elementary School. Hoffmann has been a teacher at Wood Canyon Elementary for five years and a teacher within the Capistrano Unified School District for 16 years. Favorite memory from teaching career? "My favorite memory of teaching is always at the end of each year. I love to compare where each child started and where they are in June," Hoffmann said. "The progress that each child makes is amazing. We work hard in second grade and to see the growth in front of your eyes makes teaching rewarding and memorable." What are some teaching hardships you face? Hoffmann said the growing budget cuts and increased class sizes have been hard on all teachers. "Long are the days of the 20-1 …
Monday, May 7, 2012
May 8 in National Teacher Appreciation Day. Tell Patch readers which teachers you think are making the grade.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson urged all Californians to find ways to appreciate teachers this week, designated as National Teacher Appreciation Week. “Teaching is the most important job there is,” Torlakson said. “Ask just about anyone about the person who made the biggest difference in their life, chances are that person is a teacher. Let’s all take a moment this week to say `thank you’ to California’s teachers.” Here’s Torlakson’s top 10 list. For students: For parents: May 8 is National Teacher Appreciation Day, an annual tradition continued by the National Teaches Association. May 9 is California Day of the Teacher, a day established under California Education Code Section 37222, to encourage schools to …
Canyon Vista Elementary School students honored for community contributions.
During the morning flag ceremony on Friday, Canyon Vista Elementary Peer Assisted Leaders were honored for their recent Crocs Against Hunger drive, which raised $610.84 for South County Outreach. Deirdre Hill and Kyla Groeneveld from the Orange County Department of Education presented the award for the best PAL elementary program in Orange County to the fourth and fifth grade CVES PAL students. The school received a plaque and each student will receive a certificate signed by Superintendent, William Habermehl. — Thanks to Joanie Triestman for providing this information.
AV Mom
6:27 am on Thursday, May 17, 2012
Nice job Lady Wolverines!!! more ›