New Website for Lakewood Education Foundation / Lakewood Schools Committee

To stay up on all of our activities, please go to www.lakewoodeducation.org.  Thanks for your continued support.

2010 Teacher Grants Set New Record

We are very excited to announce that, thanks to the hard work of our members and generosity of our supporters, we were able to give $32,000 in grants to a record 95 teachers from 21 schools. Our previous high was 81 teachers in 2009.

Since the grant program began in 2003, we have now given $144,080 in grants to 432 Lakewood teachers.

The Lakewood Education Foundation and Lakewood Schools Committee continue to grow every year and we are having a real and direct impact on the quality of education our kids receive in Lakewood.

Save the dates for our fireworks stand fundraiser, July 1-4, 2011, and our annual golf tournament on October 10, 2011 (Columbus Day).

Thank you very much for your continued support!

Legislative Success on Interdistrict Transfers!

EDUCATION: Students won't need to refile each year once enrolled.By Pamela Hale-Burns, Staff WriterPosted: 09/28/2010 07:23:26 PM PDTUpdated: 09/28/2010 07:42:31 PM PDT LAKEWOOD - For years the city of Lakewood has fought the uphill battle of interdistricting, eliminating the need to refile annually to attend out-of-district schools. The city's battle was won on Sept. 23, when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 2444 into law. The bill, authored by Assemblyman Warren T. Furutani (D-South Los Angeles County), will allow a student to continue to attend the school in which they are enrolled once a transfer permit has been approved. In many school districts in California, interdistrict transfers are granted for one year. So, each year parents and students must go through the transfer process, even if the student has already been granted the transfer for previous years. "This issue was first brought to my attention by constituents who reside in Lakewood and sought consistency and stability in the schools their children attend," Furutani said. "I thank Governor Schwarzenegger for signing AB 2444 and streamlining the interdistrict transfer process for California's students." Education in Lakewood is managed by the four school districts within the city's boundaries: ABC, Bellflower, Long Beach and Paramount. "Over the years, many Lakewood families have suffered by not knowing year to year whether school district transfers that had been approved the prior year would be re-approved the next year," said Lakewood Mayor Joseph Esquivel. "That kind of uncertainty was unfair to Lakewood families and not good for their children's education."The bill, which passed out of the California State Senate and the California State Assembly with unanimous support, will be good for the city's families, said Esquivel. "I am very happy that A.B. 2444 has been signed into law. This is good news for education in Lakewood," he said. One of the Lakewood City Council's long-term goals has been to improve the school district transfer process, Esquivel said. "I want to commend Lakewood City Council members Steve Croft and Todd Rogers for their leadership role on this issue and many other education issues in our city," he said. The bill, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2011, does not change the existing process for obtaining an interdistrict transfer, nor does it supersede interdistrict transfer arrangements among local school districts. Furutani represents the 55th Assembly District, which includes the cities of Carson, Harbor City and the Harbor Gateway, Lakewood, parts of Long Beach, and Wilmington.

2010 Teacher Grants - Press Release

The Lakewood Education Foundation in partnership with the Lakewood Schools Committee is once again pleased to announce a limited grant opportunity for teachers at Lakewood schools.

Lakewood teachers interested in receiving mini-grants, not to exceed $500, are asked to submit a one page summary with the following information:

Name
School
Grade Level
Telephone Number
A specific description of the services/supplies needed, how the grant will directly support classroom activities, and the estimated cost of what is being requested

This is the eighth consecutive school year that this grant program has been offered. Over the past seven years, approximately $110,000 in services and supplies has been given to 337 Lakewood teachers. It is expected that there will be approximately $25,000-$30,000 available for grants this year.

Please fax all grant applications to (562) 496-1791 no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 8, 2010. Grant recipients will be announced on or before October 31, 2010.

Questions may be addressed to Todd or Sally Rogers at (562) 496-3559.

Golf Tourney Aids Teachers - October 11, 2010 (Columbus Day)

The Lakewood Education Foundation (LEF) Golf Tournament will be held on Monday, October 11, 2010 at Lakewood Country Club Golf Course with a 7:00 a.m. shotgun start. The LEF tournament will feature a four-member “shamble” format, with an awards luncheon to follow at noon.

By participating, you raise funds to improve schools serving Lakewood students. Since 2003, LEF has given grants to 337 teachers totaling over $110,000 and benefitting thousands of Lakewood students. Last year, LEF was able to make 79 teacher grants totaling over $32,000, which is a major increase from LEF’s first year, when it was able to make only $3,500 in donations.

Grants are only awarded to teachers who can demonstrate that every penny will have a direct educational benefit to their students. Grants are used to purchase classroom supplies and equipment, books for accelerated reading programs, math learning kits, computers and other beneficial items.

Sponsorship opportunities at the October 11 tournament are available from $100 to $5,000. You can choose from many different golf and dining options, signage and program recognition. For details and tournament entry forms for golfers and sponsors, call LEF at 562-496-3559.

LEF is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to improving educational opportunities for Lakewood students.

Fireworks Stand / Golf Tournament *Save the Date*

Our thanks to all of you who supported our fireworks stand. We're well on our way to funding this year's round of Lakewood teacher grants.

Please save the date for our annual Columbus Day (October 11th) golf tournament at Lakewood Country Club. There will be a shotgun start at 7:00 a.m. The price per golfer remains only $100 and we need donated prizes for our opportunity drawing during the luncheon. Please call Todd or Sally at (562) 496-3559 for more information.

Fireworks Time Again!!!!

Once again, the Lakewood Schools Committee fireworks stand will be at 6905 E. Carson Street (corner of Los Coyotes Diagonal and Carson Street). As always, we need volunteers to help us staff the stand. If you are available to help anytime July 1st through July 4th between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., please contact Tania Whiteleather at (562) 866-8755.

p.s. We also need volunteers to help stock the stand on July 1st early in the morning. We won't know the exact time until the fireworks company calls us the week prior. Please let us know if you can come out to help move boxes and stock the shelves.