Pacifica Announces Grants That Impact the 2005/2006 School Year

New Arts Program:

Pacifica is one of 10 schools in Southern California chosen by the Los Angeles Music Center to develop an arts program that is integrated across multiple subject areas. This grant includes extensive teacher training for all of our teachers, free performances for our children and student workshops given by the Music Center's renowned teaching artists. The Music Center will work with our teachers over the summer to determine which arts discipline (dance, music, theater arts, etc.) will be the best fit for Pacifica.

 

Robotics Program:

Pacifica has won a highly-competitive grant for $10,000 worth of solar cells and robot-building supplies from BP/Aamco (formerly British Petroleum) to launch our solar robotics program!

 

Books:

Pacifica has won a grant of 2,000 - 3,000 new, mostly hardcover books from the Access Books Foundation to fully stock our classroom libraries.  

 

Playground Improvement:

The City of Los Angeles Neighborhood Matching Fund, the KOR Group (developers of the property on the corner of Dunn Dr. and Venice Blvd.) and Tree People have granted us $19,000 worth of campus improvements.  The improvements, planned for the summer and fall, include plants to cover the chain link fence around the ball court and back play yard, a new fountain, and street trees.

 

The CIWMB, a division of the state's Environmental Protection Agency has granted us $18,000 worth of rubber playground surfacing, which is much cooler in temperature than asphalt, and a lot more fun and safe for the kids.

 

The Palms Neighborhood Council has pledged $700 to help pay for a shade sail to cool our playground.

 

New Writing/ Literacy Programs:

The Young Storytellers Foundation and the 826LA Foundation have granted us their programs for next year. They send professional writers, journalists and in the case of Young Storytellers, screenwriters, to our school to mentor 3rd-8th grade children weekly on writing projects driven by the children. Our children will have practice writing their own newspapers and 'zines, autobiographies and short films, to name a few.

 

New Sports Programs:

We have been granted some unique sports programs by several organizations. The Beverly Hills Fencing Club is planning to offer fencing instruction (possibly after-school), and LA Scores will offer soccer during school hours. LA Scores' coaches are also poets and writers who engage the children in poetry slams and journaling as well as community service projects they and the children design together.