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Rio Hondo College News

MEDIA ALERT
3600 Workman Mill Road / Whittier, CA 90601 / 562-692-0921
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Merle Enriquez   Secretary
Department: Planning and Development
Phone:  (562) 692-0921  Ext. 3412
Rio E-Mail: MEnriquez@riohondo.edu

District reaches out to parents

By Tracy Garcia Staff Writer
Article published: Wednesday, March 1, 2006
Whittier Daily News
 

SOUTH WHITTIER - The South Whittier School District has begun talks with neighboring districts to develop new classes and workshops for local parents, as well as a possible new off-site center for Rio Hondo College.

Both projects are still in the development stages, officials said, but already have sparked excitement among South Whittier school administrators.

"We're excited because it's a wonderful opportunity for us to get support and activities for our parents - and that's an area that's really being looked at now," said South Whittier School District Assistant Superintendent Cecilia Laidemitt.

The parenting classes and workshops would be offered through the adult school at the neighboring Whittier Union High School District.

Whittier Adult School Principal Leonard Rivera said the high school district received a two-year, $62,450 state grant to help pay for the new parent classes, which he's also hoping to implement in the Little Lake City School District.

"There are a lot of things going on with South Whittier, and they have become a magnet for a number of grants," Rivera said. "So we're part of that now."

Ideally, Rivera said the district would offer a variety of parent classes and workshops at both the middle school and the elementary schools. Subjects could range from guiding children through schoolwork to preparing for college to making parents more comfortable with current technology.

"There are some really good things going on out there," Rivera said. "The difficult thing in starting a project like this is getting the right people to provide instruction. And that's the phase we're in right now."

At the same time, the South Whittier district has begun meeting with Rio Hondo officials about increasing the college's presence in the community, including using office space at the middle school and possibly building a new satellite campus in the area.

"Our board has made no decisions, but we have had some very preliminary talks about that possibility," said David Morton, fiscal services director at the South Whittier School District.

"They would like to have a presence in the South Whittier area, and we do have some spots around, and it could be pretty exciting," Morton said.

Rio Hondo College Board President Gary Mendez has said he was "happy with the direction" of the college's efforts in South Whittier, adding that more details should emerge in the next month or two.

"However it turns out, I think it would be a really good thing for everybody who lives down here," Morton said. "And we're enthusiastic about it, certainly."

-RHC-

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