End of the Year School News

Friday, June 19, 2009

Eighth Grade Graduation. It is now time to bid farewell to our eighth grade class as they prepare for graduation on June 6. We are very proud of their many accomplishments. They concluded the year, accompanied by their teacher, Georgina Severin, with a retreat at St. Andrew's Abbey, Valyermo. We wish these students continued success in their high schools and God's blessing in the future. We congratulate all our graduates and especially our Valedictorian, Kathy Amiliategui, and Salutatorian, Divya George on their tremendous academic and personal achievements throughout the year.

Sister Rebeca. We are also saying good bye to Sister Rebeca Zapien, our seventh grade teacher, who has served us so well for the past two years. We are greatly indebted to Sister Rebeca for her dedication and commitment to our students. We wish her every happiness as she takes on her new position as Director of Religious Education at Sagrado Corazon in Cudahy, California.

New Seventh Grade Teacher. We extend a warm welcome to our new 7th grade teacher, Mara Voigin Miss Voign is a highly qualified teacher and is currently teaching a seventh grade class at St. Mary's Catholic School in Lancaster, Ohio. Summer School. Our summer school program begins on Monday, June 15. The morning academic enrichment classes will provide our students with the opportunity to strengthen and build their skills in mathematics and language arts. In the afternoons, the students will enjoy a variety of creative art and craft projects, baking classes, visits to the local library, and other fun activities.

Sports Night. Our many student athletes received well deserved recognition at our Sports Banquet on May 28 for their achievements in sports throughout the year. We commend our coach, Andre Brent, for his commitment and dedication to the sports program. Our students competed in the CYO (Catholic Youth Organizations) tournaments in volleyball, basketball, football and track and field. Thank you to all the parents who helped make the evening banquet a success. Special thanks to Mr. Edgar Littaua for filming all our sporting events and sharing his video with us.

Music Recital. It was wonderful to see so many parents present at our end-of-year Music Recital. It was encouraging to see our very young musicians and vocalists perform before a large audience. The entire student body's repertoire of songs from Broadway was especially entertaining. We are very appreciative of Mr. Antonio Espinal's contribution to our students’ musical instruction and education. Mr. Espinal is currently in Bulgaria, where he has been honored with an invitation to conduct the Burgos Opera Orchestra performance of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro and Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana.

Class Field Trips. Active parent participation made possible a number of rewarding field trips. Thank you to all the generous and willing parents who served as chaperones and provided logistical support for class field trips to the Museum of Tolerance, the San Gabriel Mission, Whale Watching in Long Beach, The California Science Center, and other cultural resources.

Summer Vacation. We hope everyone has a safe, happy and constructive vacation. We would like to remind our students to turn off their television sets, computers and video games and spend more time reading and enjoying the great outdoors during the summer months. PLAN! PLAN! PLAN!