Message from the Superintendent
Dear AUSD Parents and Guardians,
For 13 days in January, all of us have been working to carry our children — and ourselves— through the compounded anxieties, fears, and sorrows of too many unthinkable events. How do we balance our shock, our need to remember and grieve with our desire to find a way to move forward?
As parents, we find this balance by staying in conversation with our children, creating family activities like walks or cooking a special dish together, and unplugging from radio, television, and social media. We slow down, and we calmly listen.
As a school district, we create a path forward by focusing on healing. Our specially-trained teams provide multiple avenues of support services for children at every school. At the same time, our schools provide your child with normalcy, structure, and a sense of safety in the daily routines of the classroom.
As a community, we can make space for seeds of tranquility to grow again. The visual poetics of coming together in collective grief at the Monterey Park vigil, one of many memorials to honor those we loved and lost and the survivors of the tragedy, helped us remember beloved grandparents, friends, aunts and uncles, and neighbors.
Alhambra’s Lunar New Year celebration honored hero Brandon Tsay with a medal of courage for his selfless act of disarming a madman. Mr. Tsay’s remarks at the ceremony give us a guide to making our way with a sense of hope: “We as a community should spend our time reaching out to one another. The start of the new year has been extremely difficult, but we have the rest of the year to spread compassion and build back our community.”
That is the message I want us to hold in our hearts: When we spread compassion, reach out to others, and ask for the help we need, we become more than we knew we could be. We allow our community -- and ourselves -- to mend our spirits and grow stronger in the wounded places.
In community, and with deep gratitude,
Denise R. Jaramillo, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Thank you to the the City of Monterey Park for giving our community an opportunity to collectively grieve for the lives lost at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio. The January 24th vigil was a touching and heartwarming evening to gather with our friends, family, and neighbors and to stand in solidarity to ensure Monterey Park will not be defined by this terrible tragedy.
On January 20th, AUSD joined with Park School and Options to officially open their new inclusion classroom and playground. We had a wonderful time with some of our littlest students for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a celebration of the long-standing partnership between AUSD and Options.
Monterey Highlands MATH NIGHT is back. On January 18th, Highlands PTA hosted Mathnasium for a fun family night of math games and puzzles. Huge shoutout to the MKHS CSF and Math Club students, as well as Highlands 7th and 8th graders who volunteered and staffed the math games for our younger Husky students.
In 2020, Dr. Lily Jarvis, Director of Educational Equity and Accountability, was appointed to the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC), which serves as an advisory body to the State Board of Education. At last Thursday's California Department of Education's IQC meeting, Dr. Jarvis was elected as chair of the IQC. Congratulations, Dr. Jarvis!
SGHS hosted a very successful Coffee with the Counselors on January 27th! There were over 50 parents in attendance to learn about Study Skills and Graduation Requirements. Mark your calendar for the next session on April 7th!
AHS is currently hosting 22 Korean Exchange Students. They arrived from South Korea yesterday and were enthusiastically welcomed by their hosts. We will share highlights of their nine-day visit in our next issue of AUSD Connection.
On January 26th, Alhambra Council PTA held their Reflections Award Ceremony to recognize students' art/talent at the Alhambra district level.Congratulations to Elizabeth Mejia from Monterey Highlands, who will advance to the State PTA competition. For a list of our Alhambra Council PTA winners, including those recognized by First District PTA, please click HERE.
Do you know a local business owner? Please help us spread the word about how our Learning Independence for Transition (LIFT) students can help with their staffing shortages at NO COST to them through our trained (and supervised) student workers! Please download an informational flyer HERE. Lift student workers are good for businesses, our students, and the community.
On January 26th, Northrup School's middle schoolers participated in their annual Egg Drop event, but this year the event was more exciting than ever, thanks to the Alhambra Farmers Department, who enabled the event to reach new heights!
Elementary schools across AUSD, including Repetto, (pictured here) celebrated the 100th Day of School and becoming 100 days smarter! From photo backdrops,100-bead necklaces, dressing as a centenarian, and sharing their 100-item collections brought from home. schools came up with fun and interesting ways to celebrate this milestone.
Alhambra Educational Foundation
Save the date: AEF Service to Education Dinner and Gala will be held on Saturday, May 20th. WEBSITE
Alhambra Latino Association
Plan on celebrating Cinco de Mayo with the Alhambra Latino Association. More information will be coming soon. Other important news from ALA appears below. WEBSITE.
Asian American Association
Thank you to everyone who is supporting AAA's Lunar New Year banquet through donations and/or attendance. We are looking forward to celebrating with you tonight, and will share photos after the event. WEBSITE.
Want to reward an extra-special AUSD employee? Nominate a deserving AUSD employee HERE before February 10th!
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