Linwood E. Howe unveils new college, career program

Photo Courtesy of Culver Currents WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS: Lauren McElroy, a talented artist and proprietor of L Star Murals answered the call and with a little tweaking, she captured this vision. The unveiling of the dream took place Jan. 21 in the Linwoo

Following the eventful launch of the Linwood E. Howe “Sailing to Success College and Career Program” last week, plans were in the making for unveiling a dream. The unveiling of the dream took place Jan. 21 in the Linwood E. Howe cafetorium.

How do we get our students to see themselves in the future? How do we remind them on a daily basis to explore their options and dream big dreams? How do we establish a college -going career ready culture where these conversations take place in our K-5 families? We need to tell a story. We need a painting, a picture; a mural that speaks. Let’s put our young Vikings on a boat that sails across the ocean toward “College and Career Island.”

Let them dream of a future that is fulfilling and have it reflected back to them. We, (Dr. Indelicato, Ms. Rebecca Williams and Mrs. LaShon Rayford) conceptualized this idea for weeks. We envisioned this mural repeatedly in our heads and diligently sought someone who could paint the dream.

Lauren McElroy, a talented artist and proprietor of L Star Murals answered the call. With a little tweaking, she captured the vision, literally. Her bold use of color and playful design set the tone for the atmosphere. “You guys made it easy for me, the art designs were in your hearts, and I just brought it out in the open. I don’t know who is more excited: me or you. This was a really fun project! I felt your enthusiasm and fed off of the great energy from the students,” McElroy shared.

McElroy talked to students about the process. Judging by the warm reception from the students, staff and community, the connection was felt.

“What do you see in this painting?” Dr. Indelicato asked the students. “Our parents!” a student chuckled. “Us!” another student shouted. “Us going to college!” a few students squealed. When asked, “How many of you are going to college?” an overwhelming sea of hands waved in the air. It was a good day. Some dreams really do come true.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to our Linwood E. Howe PTA for sponsoring the mural, CCUSD employees, Mike Korgan, Director of Maintenance Operations and Transportation, Jeff Mendoza, Painter and Humberto Mederos, Carpenter for their tireless effort in prepping the canvas for the mural.

El Rincon to Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week

This year, for the second time, El Rincon Elementary School will participate in Random Acts of Kindness Week from Feb. 9-13 with school-wide activities to celebrate the week.

All students will be encouraged to conduct Random Acts of Kindness at home, in the community and at school. Additionally, the students will be creating Valenkind Cards, which will be delivered to senior citizens in the community (including residents at Meridian Assisted Living).

Research demonstrates the great number of benefits that result from teaching kindness in schools. Benefits include less bullying, an increase in children’s happiness, caring and peer acceptance, a greater sense of belonging and improved self-esteem. Children who learn and practice kindness also enjoy improved health, less stress, increased feelings of gratitude, better concentration, an improvement in academic performance and reduced depression.

The school needs the community’s help to make this important event happen. El Rincon is looking for community sponsors to cover costs associated with the week. There are sponsorship opportunities starting at $25 (apple sponsor), $50 (branch sponsor) and $100 (trunk sponsor) to have either a family name or business name recognized on the Kindness Tree in the school auditorium.

For more information, persons interested can email: Kathy@kjm-marcomm.com or to donate, checks can be mailed (MUST be made payable to El Rincon Booster Club) directly to Ali McCann, RAK Week at El Rincon Elementary School, 11177 Overland Ave. Culver City, CA 90230.

Eco Wash Car Wash to Benefit El Rincon Booster Club

El Rincon Elementary School will host an Eco Wash waterless car wash on Feb. 21 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

California is going on three years of suffering from a severe drought, and the El Rincon Booster Club cares very much about our environment. So, the club has decided to help our planet by offering the community a waterless and eco-friendly base car wash. Eco-Car Wash products use less than five ounces of water compared to the 70-100 gallons of water a regular car wash uses to wash one car. Not to mention, the products are Eco-Friendly. So, join for a day of fun, music and food at our Eco-Car Wash event!

The Early Bird Special runs from 8 to 9 a.m. For compact, economy and full-size cars it will be $8; small SUVs, mini vans, small trucks are $10; and full-size SUVs, Large Trucks for $13.

Regular prices are in effect from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For compact, economy and full-size cars it will be $10; small SUVs, mini vans, small trucks are $12; and full-size SUVs, Large Trucks for $15.

Persons interested can pre-pay a car wash on the El Rincon Booster Club at: http://www.erboosterclub.com.

Nominate A Teacher or Classified Employee of the Year

In collaboration with the Culver City Education Foundation, CCUSD has revised the annual teacher/classified employee of the year process with the goal of celebrating and recognizing more members of our incredible CCUSD team. Each school site will have their own Teacher and Classified Employee of the year, and those selected at the site will make up the pool to be considered for the Sony Pictures Entertainment Teacher of the Year and the Rotary Club of Culver City Classified Employee of the Year.

Site recipients (and their guests) will be provided two tickets to attend CCEF’s incredible Tribute to the Stars celebration on Saturday May 2, where all site recipients will be recognized and the district-wide recipients will be announced.

To nominate a teacher or classified employee, persons interested can visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19FUVPkd6NZ9Bnrmd2Yl-wRNMSfFndhR-wVsm_tuVnQc/viewform?c=0&w=1 to download the nomination form.

CCEF Thanks YOU!

The American stock market did well last year, but the smartest (and most generous) investors we know are the many people and businesses in our community who used their money to invest in our Culver City students. More than $30,000 was contributed to the Culver City Education Foundation (CCEF) during CCEF’s #GivingTuesday/end of the year campaign, and CCEF is deeply grateful for this notable response.

This investment in CCEF means that we have more funds available to upgrade technology and provide engaging arts education in our schools. These investments will payoff by helping more students be college and career ready when they graduate from our high school. Thanks to these investments, our community will be stronger and our future workforce smarter. And perhaps most important of all, the generosity of CCEF investors tells all of our students that “Success for All Takes US All” isn’t just a slogan – their community really believes in them and their future. We are committed to their success and their well-being.

For those of you who want to start 2015 off with an investment of their own can visit www.ccef90230.org or send a check to: CCEF, P.O. Box 4178, Culver City, CA 90230-4178.

CCUSD Launches New App

The Culver City Unified School District has launched a new mobile app for Apple and Android products designed to keep users connected with all that is happening in Culver City schools.

The app, now available on iTunes or Google Play, enables users to receive push notifications about the latest news and updates from the District as well as access to school phone numbers, lunch menus, sports calendars and much more. Users can customize their notifications and calendars to receive all District news or just news from a single school.

To find out more or to download the app, by clicking https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/culver-city-unified-school/id951149691?mt=8.