Summer School

Rita Pardue Fallman is stepping down, and Fran Tunno is taking over writing the Hoover cluster PTA column. The parents and children of the Hoover Cluster schools would like to thank Fallman for her diligent work and years of loyal service to the Hoover cluster of schools. Tunno has two children, one attending Hoover High School and one attending Toll Middle School.   HOOVER HIGH Christine Walters, Hoover High School PTSA president, and Susan Yee, former Hoover High School PTSA president, send their thanks to the hardworking individuals on committees and organizations that make school events possible.

BURBANK — With more families staying close to home this summer due to climbing gas and food prices, it is as important as ever to keep kids academically engaged, said Jack O’Connell, state superintendent of public instruction. O’Connell provided parents with suggestions on Thursday morning at Buena Vista Library on how to make learning a year-round quest rather than just confined to the school year. The tips included having children play mind-bending games such as Scrabble, write in a journal or diary, set aside time for reading and volunteer at a community organization.

GLENDALE — When the school year ends in June, hundreds of students in the Glendale Unified School District will keep showing up for class, whether to catch up in subjects they’re behind in or to get ahead for the coming year. What specific courses will be available for those students will be up for discussion today when the board of education looks at the school district’s plans for summer school at the elementary and secondary levels. “This will give the board an opportunity to review all our existing summer school programs, and we will be able to weigh in on it,” board President Greg Krikorian said.

Hoover High School is getting ready for major construction to begin in the fall, said Kathy Van Houten, PTSA president. Most administrative offices have been moved to the bungalows in the parking lot. Kim Kong and Ipolani Lot will serve as co-chairwomen for the 50th Hoover Tour of Homes scheduled for Dec. 8. If you would like to be involved, please contact the PTSA through the Hoover High School website at Hooverhs.org. Parent volunteers are still needed to assist with program distribution from Aug. 27 to 29. Volunteers hand out student schedules and books.

GLENDALE ? High school could become a six-year experience for students who do not pass the California High School Exit Exam. State Supt. of Public Education Jack O?Connell announced Thursday that a settlement was reached in a lawsuit that challenged the fairness of the California High School Exit Exam ? which high school seniors are required to pass in order to graduate. The settlement hinges on the passage of Assembly Bill 347 ? written by Assemblyman Pedro Nava of Santa Barbara ?

GLENDALE — Shea Pesz, 31, an emergency medical technician student at Glendale Community College, approached a brand new classroom Monday evening in the Bhupesh Parikh Health Science and Technology Building. Carrying some writing utensils, paper and his cellphone, Pesz was ready to start his first emergency medical technician class in the $17-million facility. "It looks good," he said of the brand new classroom. "We'll see how the instruction is." About 30 students showed up to the first day of the introductory class Monday in the newly furnished Bhupesh Parikh building.