BALDWIN PARK – Transitional Kindergartner Sophia from De Anza Elementary lined up outside her classroom with her mom, Juana Orozco, and anxiously glanced from her parent to the teacher at the door on the first day of school for Baldwin Park Unified on Aug. 15.
Orozco, a graduate from De Anza and Sierra Vista High School, said she and her daughter were both nervous for the first day.
“She’s afraid to make new friends and it’s been a little confusing,” Orozco said. “My goal for her this year is to read and write a full sentence.”
Across Baldwin Park Unified’s 20 schools, students were welcomed for the 2019-20 year by energized educators and administrators, as well as expanded learning programs.
The District is building on its mental health supports to provide students, faculty and families with the resources and tools to address mental health care. Care Solace is one such partnership that assists individuals with finding local counseling-related services.
Also being expanded are medical pathways at the high school level that put students to work alongside physicians, nurses and medical professionals to help increase students’ motivation and interest in the industry.
Baldwin Park High School is bolstering its CISCO Networking Academy this year to develop a career technology pathway that will certify students for work after graduation. CISCO academy students will go behind the scenes in September and visit the CISCO-Meraki headquarters in San Francisco to gain real work experience.
BPUSD is strengthening its partnership with Project Lead The Way (PLTW) to ensure students are at the forefront of developments in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Holland Middle School has experienced exceptional success through PLTW, with a robotics team that has advanced to the world championships twice in the last two years.
“I am excited to take on the new school year with our BPUSD family, and I am going to challenge everyone to be part of the District’s mission to ensure high achievement for all learners,” Superintendent Dr. Froilan N. Mendoza said. “Every day, we are working to prepare students for their futures in the workforce, higher education and as global citizens, which is something we achieve by working together.”
An additional area of focus for the new academic year includes increasing student achievement by analyzing data and results to verify that Baldwin Park Unified is on the right track to helping students succeed.
Through bond measures AE and K, sites will see improvements and upgrades to facilities, including new HVAC and security systems. The facility upgrades will support students as they learn and pursue their passions.
PHOTOS
FIRST_DAY_1: Seventh-graders from Jones Junior High School work on a teambuilding and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) challenge that tasked students with stacking cups using only rubber bands on the first day of school on Aug. 15.
FIRST_DAY_2: Transitional Kindergarteners from De Anza Elementary settle into their new classrooms alongside their parents on the first day of school for Baldwin Park Unified on Aug. 15.