Dr. Thorossian's February Superintendent Update

Coronavirus Update

Monrovia Unified School District is committed to ensuring the health and well-being of students and staff and providing a safe, secure learning environment for all. We are continuing to work closely with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health in promoting the following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines:

• Hygiene: Make sure everyone washes their hands thoroughly for approximately 20 seconds. If possible, cough or sneeze into a disposable tissue and discard. Use your elbow when necessary. Use a greater than 60 percent alcohol-based hand sanitizer when you can't immediately wash your hands.
• Stay home when sick: Students who demonstrate symptoms of a virus should remain home until cleared to return to school. Students who show symptoms at school will be sent home.
• Limit contact: The CDC urges people to avoid close contact with people who are sick and to avoid touching our eyes, nose and mouth. We urge all students to observe safe distances and replace hugs or handshakes with elbow bumps.
• Clean spaces: Clean and disinfect surfaces and frequently touched objects. Monrovia Unified will conduct additional deep cleanings of schools as needed.
• Facemasks: The CDC does not recommend facemasks for people who are well. People who show symptoms of a respiratory illness may wear masks to prevent the spread of the disease to others. For more information about facemasks, visit the CDC website.

Monrovia Unified School District’s Board of Education and Santa Fe Computer Science Magnet School introduced new tools for teaching students audio communications, computer graphics and animation, flight technology and more during the school’s unveiling of its new Paxton Patterson Lab on Feb. 4. The lab, which contains a series of topically focused stations, will give students an opportunity to develop creative and critical-thinking skills as they collaborate with each other in hands-on learning tasks.

Clifton Middle School robotics adviser Paul Flores and eighth-grade students Guadalupe Hilario and Ty Weiss discuss Clifton’s Hippie Bots robotics team, which competed in an international competition in Barcelona, Spain on Feb. 27-28 as the sole United States representative. Beyond the opportunity to showcase their talents, Hippie Bots team members were excited to meet international peers, pick up pointers from competitors, and learn European history.

Click HERE to listen to the podcast!

Bradoaks Elementary School Principal Jayne Nickles discusses the school’s recent designation as a science academy, the importance of inquiry-based learning, increasing parent involvement, and preparing for the school’s Spring Fair!

A student shows off her winning art piece during the District’s Black History Month Art Festival on Feb. 20.

Monrovia Unified hosted its seventh annual Art Festival for Black History Month, themed to focus on African-American voting. The festival featured art from elementary school students and was hosted with support from the Monrovia-Duarte Black Alumni Association (MDBAA). The annual Black History Month celebration highlighted the impact Black artists have on the world through their contributions and exposed elementary students to their legacies.