
“There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.” -Nelson Mandela
"There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right." -Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela are shining examples of forbearance, dedication, integrity and humility. Their words and their deeds reflect their understanding of the importance of leadership and character as the foundations of democratic society. Nothing can be more important in this regard than to remember that we are role models for our children. We must be the people we hope them to become. For better or worse, our children learn more from what we actually do than from how we tell them them they should behave.
The ongoing environmental situation at Malibu High School and at Juan Cabrillo Elementary School is an opportunity to teach our children by our actions. It is an opportunity to show them how the missteps of our generation can and should be addressed by theirs.
Nothing could be clearer than the three steps that our community and our school district can and should be taking. First, there needs to be thorough testing of the environment at both schools. Second, the parents, teachers, staff, classified employees, experts, school district leadership, and students all need to discuss, explore, and understand the results of that thorough testing together. Finally, based on that understanding, those same people, our school community, must agree upon and see to completion appropriate remediation - however large or small.
We can all agree that first and foremost comes the safety of the children and adults who frequent school premises. Let us all act in a manner such that this situation becomes an opportunity to demonstrate leadership and responsible stewardship to our children and to the larger community.
We are heartened by the hiring of the environmental engineering firm, Environ, and the selection committee’s enthusiasm for Environ’s competence, experience, professionalism, and integrity. We support and encourage all involved to foster an attitude of stewardship, cooperation and responsibility - to teach our children and all those watching by their example.
Sincerely,
Craig Foster AMPS President
Music is Universal!
 Landfill Harmonic The world sends us garbage... We send back music.
Cateura, Paraguay is a town essentially built on top of a landfill. Garbage collectors browse the trash for sellable goods, and children are often at risk of getting involved with drugs and gangs. When music teacher Fabio set up a music program for the kids of Cateura, they soon have more students than they have instruments.
That changed when Szaran and Fabio were brought something they had never seen before: a violin made out of garbage. Today, there’s an entire orchestra of assembled instruments, now called The Recycled Orchestra.
The film shows how trash and recycled materials can be transformed into beautiful sounding musical instruments, but more importantly, it brings witness to the transformation of precious human beings.
To watch the video click: here
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What Adults Can Learn From Kids... April 2010, by Adora Svitak, Ted Talks
Child prodigy Adora Svitak says the world needs "childish" thinking: bold ideas, wild creativity and especially optimism. Kids' big dreams deserve high expectations, she says, starting with grownups' willingness to learn from children as much as to teach.
A prolific short story writer and blogger since age seven, Adora Svitak (now 12) speaks around the United States to adults and children as an advocate for literacy.
Watch video: here |
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School Board Selects New Firm to Handle Malibu PCB Removal January 17, 2014, By David Mark Simpson, Santa Monica Daily Press
Read more: here
Webster Students Receive Awards January 17, 2014 By Staff Report, Malibu Times
Read more: here
15 School District Employees Average $139K A Year January 8, 2014, by David Mark Simpson, Santa Monica Daily Press
Read more: here
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Education Laws Overdue for Renewal Languish in Congress January 15, 2014, by Alyson Klein, Ed Week
Read more: here
Local Districts on Receiving End of Federal Support, Headaches January 9, 2014, by Michele McNeil, Ed Week
Read more: here
Brown's 2014-15 Budget Increases School Funding for Neediest Students January 9, 2014, by Penny Arevalo, Malibu Patch
Read more: here
The Common Core will cost millions and lower test scores--and the US should implement it anyway January 9, 2014, by Sidharth Kakkar, Quartz
Read more: here |
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