Paradise Canyon

La Canada, Paradise Canyon and Palm Crest elementary schools have started a two-week fundraiser for victims of the tsunami in Asia. School officials have asked parents to donate one dollar for each of their children that is enrolled in the schools. Principals from each of the schools met last week to discuss the plan. "We wanted to do this on a unified front," La Canada Elementary Principal Ivette Ellis said. The "Dollars for Children" fundraiser will conclude Jan. 21. The goal is to raise $2,000, Ellis said.

Robert Chacon Students in La Canada Flintridge got an unexpected chance to enjoy the great outdoors Monday. Before beginning school bells sounded across the city, the failure of an underground electricity cable turned out the lights at Paradise Canyon and La Canada elementary schools. Shortly after that, the smell of gas filled some classrooms at La Canada High School. Hundreds of students temporarily attended class outside Monday morning, with most heading back inside by 10 a.m. "It was business as usual for us," said Kathy apRoberts, La Canada Elementary's acting vice principal.

It's impolite and rather risky to guess someone's weight -- unless that someone is Big Mac, the school pumpkin at Paradise Canyon Elementary School in La Canada Flintridge. Students and their families took turns guessing the pumpkin's weight all day Friday at the school's annual Pumpkin Patch, and the winner got to take Big Mac home. Students also got to pick out pumpkins at the school's very own pumpkin patch, while listening to a live DJ and getting their faces painted.

The state sets a goal for each school to eventually reach 800 out of 1,000 as a base score. Once a school exceeds 800, its target score for the following year remains 800. The decile rank is how well a school performs, on a scale of one to 10, based on its target API score for the school year. The similar rank is how the school compares to others of similar demographics, also on a one to 10 scale. -- Decile Ranks Similar Ranks 2003 Base 2004 Target 2002 2003 2002 2003 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS La Canada 944 800 10 10 7 8 Palm Crest 928 800 10 10 8 7 Paradise Canyon 933 800 10 10 4 6 HIGH SCHOOLS La Canada 885 800 10 10 10 10 --

Marshall Allen The second phase of modernization continues with some glitches at two La Canada Unified elementary schools and projects scheduled to be completed at all three schools by the end of the summer. The district is spending more than $1.9 million on Phase II construction, which is ongoing at Paradise Canyon and La Canada elementary schools. Work will begin at Palm Crest Elementary after summer school ends on the campus. The work has been monitored closely by the district and schools sites after Phase I construction was so over budget it used much of the money that had been allocated for all three modernization phases.

Marshall Allen LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- Lee Gregg doesn't think Paradise Canyon Elementary got its money's worth when more than $1 million was spent on the first phase of modernization of the school. Phase I has been a "horrendous mess" Gregg said. Gregg is chairman of the school's site council and in-house legal council for Gregg's Artistic Homes in Glendale. "Very little got done for a horrendously large amount of money," Gregg said. "And a lot of what was done was done wrong."

Marshall Allen LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- Soft costs -- preconstruction expenses like asbestos removal and architect's fees -- are a fact of life in the building world, but whether they were too high in the first phase of modernization at two La Canada Elementary schools is debatable. Phase I of modernization has been a mess at Paradise Canyon and Palm Crest elementary schools, as the projects have been overspent and some haven't been well done. About $1.85 million was spent on construction at the schools, plus an additional $690,847 in soft costs.

Janine Marnien As if the effect of the state's budget woes wasn't enough for La Canada Unified School District officials to have to worry about, enrollment for the 2003-04 school year is significantly below projected numbers. In a report given to the school board Tuesday, Supt. Sue Leabo said about 130 fewer students than expected were enrolled in district schools for the upcoming year, with the most significant drops being at the kindergarten level.

Pamela Jane Skenderian. Pam passed away on August 20, 2012 in Ventura, CA. She was born in Glendale, CA on October 5, 1964 to Sue and Joe Skenderian. Pam grew up in La Canada and attended Paradise Canyon, St. Bede the Venerable elementary schools and Mayfield Sr. High School in Pasadena, CA. Pam completed her education at Santa Clara University. Her passion for caring for others led to a career as a special education teacher and administrator. Pam leaves behind her loving family including sisters, Leslie (Bill)

Janine Marnien With a few tweaks to the current layout of the campus, the former Foothill Intermediate School site could be home to a new joint-use gymnasium. It might require the demolition of the boys' and girls' locker room, or the leveling of the Lanterman Auditorium floor, but the possibility is one worth looking into, Councilman Anthony Portantino said. Portantino is a member of a joint-use subcommittee of council and school board members, appointed to address potential uses for the FIS site.

Pamela Jane Skenderian. Pam passed away on August 20, 2012 in Ventura, CA. She was born in Glendale, CA on October 5, 1964 to Sue and Joe Skenderian. Pam grew up in La Canada and attended Paradise Canyon, St. Bede the Venerable elementary schools and Mayfield Sr. High School in Pasadena, CA. Pam completed her education at Santa Clara University. Her passion for caring for others led to a career as a special education teacher and administrator. Pam leaves behind her loving family including sisters, Leslie (Bill)

Sixth graders at Paradise Canyon Elementary celebrated the end of the first quarter and the completion of their core lit book, "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle," with a party. In the spirit of the story, which is set in the 1800s, PCY parents converted the lunch area to mimic life aboard the clipper ship Seahawk. The students dressed up as crew members and enjoyed several activities, including a clipper ship puzzle game and a knot-tying contest. The hungry "ship hands" also feasted on homemade chocolate chip scones, trail mix and special "grog."

La Canada, Paradise Canyon and Palm Crest elementary schools have started a two-week fundraiser for victims of the tsunami in Asia. School officials have asked parents to donate one dollar for each of their children that is enrolled in the schools. Principals from each of the schools met last week to discuss the plan. "We wanted to do this on a unified front," La Canada Elementary Principal Ivette Ellis said. The "Dollars for Children" fundraiser will conclude Jan. 21. The goal is to raise $2,000, Ellis said.

Robert Chacon The La Canada Unified School District on Tuesday announced a major restructuring of its administrative offices beginning this summer. Spurred by the impending retirement of Supt. Sue Leabo, the district announced that Deputy Supt. Jim Stratton will be her successor. La Canada High School Principal Mike Leininger will become the deputy superintendent for facilities and operations, and Bill Loose was named the deputy superintendent of human and fiscal resources.

Robert Chacon Underneath all the ceremonial hoopla surrounding the naming of the 87th Rose Queen for the upcoming Tournament of Roses, there is a touching and simple reason why this year's winner decided to try out: It was a promise she made to a grade-school teacher. Ashley Moreno, 17, was named this year's Rose Queen. The La Canada High School senior lives, works and has attended school in La Canada Flintridge her entire life. Ron Gordon, Moreno's sixth-grade math teacher at Paradise Canyon Elementary School, inspired her to run, Ashley said.

Robert Chacon Like many residents in La Canada Flintridge, Kim Barron and her family moved to the city because of the education they felt their children could receive in the public schools. They have not been disappointed. Paradise Canyon Elementary School -- where Barron's two children are first- and third-graders -- was chosen this week as a California Distinguished School by the state's Department of Education. The award recognizes a school's total education program, including high expectations of student work, implementation of state-adopted standards, community collaboration and leadership.

Robert Chacon Students in La Canada Flintridge got an unexpected chance to enjoy the great outdoors Monday. Before beginning school bells sounded across the city, the failure of an underground electricity cable turned out the lights at Paradise Canyon and La Canada elementary schools. Shortly after that, the smell of gas filled some classrooms at La Canada High School. Hundreds of students temporarily attended class outside Monday morning, with most heading back inside by 10 a.m. "It was business as usual for us," said Kathy apRoberts, La Canada Elementary's acting vice principal.

The state sets a goal for each school to eventually reach 800 out of 1,000 as a base score. Once a school exceeds 800, its target score for the following year remains 800. The decile rank is how well a school performs, on a scale of one to 10, based on its target API score for the school year. The similar rank is how the school compares to others of similar demographics, also on a one to 10 scale. -- Decile Ranks Similar Ranks 2003 Base 2004 Target 2002 2003 2002 2003 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS La Canada 944 800 10 10 7 8 Palm Crest 928 800 10 10 8 7 Paradise Canyon 933 800 10 10 4 6 HIGH SCHOOLS La Canada 885 800 10 10 10 10 --

Robert Chacon With one presentation to go, the La Canada Unified School District's Measure B & P campaign has been endorsed by four of the five parent-teacher associations in the district. Parent groups at Palm Crest, La Canada and Paradise Canyon elementary schools and La Canada High School have voted to endorse the March 2 ballot measures, which would raise $32 million for school maintenance and programs. The measure's campaign committee will make its last presentation to the seventh- and eighth-grade PTAs at La Canada High School next week.

Janine Marnien As if the effect of the state's budget woes wasn't enough for La Canada Unified School District officials to have to worry about, enrollment for the 2003-04 school year is significantly below projected numbers. In a report given to the school board Tuesday, Supt. Sue Leabo said about 130 fewer students than expected were enrolled in district schools for the upcoming year, with the most significant drops being at the kindergarten level.