OUT NOW: HLPUSD's Summer Superintendent's Update

Dear Hacienda La Puente Unified Community,

The summer months were filled with excitement for HLPUSD as our students engaged in various summer enrichment activities, from coding and athletics camps to Speech and Debate and Youth Cinema Project (YCP) programs. We started the summer with our top-rated C-STEM Robotics summer camp, where our students strengthened their critical thinking, communication, and real-world problem-solving skills through transformative math education.

This summer, our leadership team established the 2024-25 theme: "Transformative Learning, Pathways to Student Success." This theme aims to inspire new perspectives through innovative programs and recommit to expanding creative and rewarding learning opportunities, including curriculum, extracurriculars, and pathways for success in a technologically advancing world.

In June, our middle and high school Speech and Debate students showcased their exceptional skills at the 2024 National Speech and Debate tournament. We were thrilled to see 12 middle school students reach the quarter-finals and four advance to the semi-finals. Mesa Robles was also recognized as one of five schools to win the National Speech and Debate School of Excellence Award.

The July 18 Speech and Debate Summer Showcase was a proud moment for students, families, District employees, Board of Education members, and myself, as we previewed the new speeches our award-winning competitors have started practicing.

YCP students from California Elementary School, Sparks Middle School, and La Puente High School showcased their expertise and skills with their 2023-24 films, which premiered at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival. During the event, California Elementary School won the "2024 Best Film for Elementary Schools" award from the Latino Film Institute for their movie "The World is Yours." It was an honor to attend this event and see our students' hard work and beautiful storytelling on the big screen.

Our District also enjoyed watching more films from this year's expanded summer program during a showcase on July 31. YCP is an exceptional opportunity for our youth to immerse themselves in a lucrative industry filled with hundreds of job opportunities and areas of success.

Thank you to our Board of Education for your shared vision and advocacy to ensure programs like these are adapted, nurtured, and continue to thrive throughout our District. Lastly, thank you to our dedicated educators and staff for leading summer school programs and upgrading our school sites for the 2024-25 year.

I also extend my gratitude to our exceptional faculty and administrators for creating inspiring professional development training to support this year's theme and our mission of being partners in our students' future. I was delighted to see numerous first day of school celebrations and activities on social media.

While I was unable to join in on the fun in-person due to being ill, I look forward to visiting our students and stuff on campus next week for additional return-to-school onboarding celebrations and events throughout August. As always, we are #ProudtobeHLPUSD.Sincerely, Dr. Alfonso Jiménez

HLPUSD_SupUpdate_Summer2024_FINAL.pdf