patching...
Welcome back, Patch Blogger!

Fairmont Elementary School

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Award for New Fairmont School Design

The design for the planned new Fairmont Elementary School in El Cerrito, by Hibser Yamauchi Architects in Oakland, has been honored with an "Award of Merit" in an architecture competition for school design.

Calling it a "crown jewel of our program," a school district official Tuesday night announced that the design for El Cerrito's planned new Fairmont Elementary School has received an "Award of Merit" in an architectural competition for school design in California. Magdy Abdalla, engineering officer for the West Contra Costa Unified School District, included the award during his presentation on school construction plans at a joint meeting of the school board and the El Cerrito City Council at El Cerrito City Hall.  The design, by Hibser Yamauchi Architects of Oakland, would create a "colorful, secure, and environmentally responsive place," in the words of the five-member panel of judges. The competition was sponsored jointly by the American …

Monday, April 2, 2012

Schools Parcel Tax, Police in Schools: Topics at Council - School Board Joint Meeting

The El Cerrito City Council and West Contra Costa school board will hold a joint meeting at City Hall Tuesday for an overview of the ballot measure to boost parcel taxes for education, police officers in schools and other issues of mutual interest.

The proposed parcel tax for school funding, Measure K, will be reviewed at a joint meeting Tuesday night of the El Cerrito City Council and the school board of the West Contra Costa Unified School District. Police officers in the schools The special meeting, at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito City Hall, will also include discussion about the three El Cerrito police officers assigned to schools in the city — two at El Cerrito High and one at Portola Middle. The school district has paid for these School Resource Officers in the past but gave notice last year that it may not continue funding them past June 30 this year. El Cerrito has been keeping three vacant positions in the police department in order to be able to absorb the cost of paying for these …

In this Article:

Parcel Tax Increase for Schools on Ballot for West County, El Cerrito High School, and Portola Middle School

Carolyn

10:37 am on Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Regarding Michael O'Connor's statement above: "An overwhelming number of the students at ECHS are not residents of El Cerrito, so there hasn't been much support for paying officers from the city coffers. The same goes for Portola" In the spirit of adding some facts to this discussion.... according to the Go Portola site, in the 2010-11 school year (most recent year data is available), 59% of …   more ›

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

El Cerrito, Kensington Schools Show Gains on API Scores

Local elementary schools are close to or at the state target; Portola Middle and El Cerrito High move closer.

Five of six El Cerrito and Kensington schools made gains on their Academic Performance Index scores this year with the only drop being a marginal three-point loss at Harding Elementary School. El Cerrito High School’s score went from 645 to 658 on the scale, which goes from 200 to 1000. Portola went from 689 to 706. Two of the area’s elementary schools, Madera and Kensington, remain well above the state’s target of at least 800. Madera went from 942 last year to 949 this year and Kensington from 930 last year to 949 this year. El Cerrito’s other two elementary schools are close to the 800 target, with Fairmont climbing from 768 last year to 799 this year. Harding dropped from 801 to 798. The state Department of Education released the state…

In this Article:

El Cerrito, Kensington Schools' Test Scores Mirror State Trend of Gradual Improvement

Comment_arrow

Valerie Snider

10:21 am on Sunday, September 4, 2011

I clicked on the above link (to the district website), hoping to learn something. Unfortunately, it's written in "educratese." I don't have a clue what any of it means. How can we expect our students to learn basis skills when the district administrators can't describe the "curriculum and instruction plan" in plain English?   more ›

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Changes Await Students As Classes Resume Tuesday

New principals will welcome students at three El Cerrito schools, another school will add a grade level, and all are at risk because of the state's financial uncertainty.

El Cerrito campuses will see a few changes as the school year begins Tuesday. El Cerrito High, Portola Middle, and Harding Elementary schools all have new principals. Madera Elementary School sports two new portable classrooms to accommodate its expansion to include sixth grade, leaving Portola with only seventh and eighth grades. And finances are even shakier than usual as schools watch to see the outcome of a state budget many believe is built on wishful thinking. Taking over at El Cerrito High is David Luongo who is joined by two new assistant principals, Nancy Ivey and Sharon Baltazar.  At Portola, Matthew Burnham moves from vice principal to principal. Linda Takimoto is the new principal of Harding Elementary. At Fairmont, the …

In this Article:

Making Room for Sixth Graders at Madera, West County Schools Budget Protects Primary Class Size, Police, Adult Ed, New El Cerrito High Principal Pledges Academic Push, and 2 more ›

Comment_arrow

Lady Gogo

3:06 pm on Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Betty - are you a school teacher or a traffic engineer?   more ›

Saturday, August 6, 2011

"Go Portola!" Group Created To Bolster City's Middle School

A new group that is seeking to increase attendance at El Cerrito's Portola Middle School through information and improvements has quickly drawn interest.

As El Cerrito and Kensington public school students approach the upper elementary school years, Portola Middle School becomes a popular topic of discussion. Ultimately, each family will decide whether to send its children to Portola or a private school, or try to get into a middle school in a neighboring district. The numbers can vary greatly from year to year. Nerissa Wu, a Madera Elementary School parent, said many parents like her are committed to the public schools. But, she said, when families start choosing other options for middle school, it can have a snowball effect. As more families decide to transfer out, that seems to prompt more to follow. Conversely, as more of a child’s peer group commit to Portola, the more appealing that …

In this Article:

Portola Middle School, Harding Elementary School, Fairmont Elementary School, and 5 more ›

Comment_arrow

Betty Buginas

9:52 am on Saturday, August 6, 2011

Thank you for the update. You guys are moving so fast! El Cerrito and Kensington have an awesome cadre of parents that can make this happen. Please list the meetings on Patch, too, at http://elcerrito.patch.com/events/new , so new people continue to have the opportunity to get involved.   more ›

Got a Hot Tip?
 

Videos

 
 

Most Popular Articles

  1. New Wing for Natural Grocery with Cafe, Prepared Food
  2. Workers Gearing Up for Tearing Down Portola Middle School
  3. Alleged Knife-wielding Mom with Infant Arrested in Plaza Theft
  4. Foley & Bonny Closing – After 66 Years
  5. [Poll Now Attached] A Vote on Guitar Center Question

PSST! Want to Contribute?

  • Got a hot tip on news you think everyone should know? Tell us.
  • Just married? New baby? Make honor roll? Add an Announcement
  • Organizing that big block party or poetry reading? Put it on the calendar!
  • Have a great photo of your community?
    Add it to Your Neighborhood Gallery.