Las Virgenes campuses open

NEW CAMPUS-The new Yerba Buena Elementary School campus, under construction on Lindero Canyon Road on the border between Agoura and Westlake, is scheduled to open in February. Las Virgenes Unified School District fall classes opened yesterday with slightly fewer students overall, but more kindergartners at some campuses and increases at the Agoura Hills and Calabasas high schools.

"We're still in a slight decline," Deputy Superintendent Donald Zimring said. "We were just above 12,000 last year and we anticipate being just below 12,000 this year."

Enrollment numbers at Calabasas and Agoura high schools, however, are up. Calabasas High Principal Dave Jackson said about 100 more students will be attending compared to last year. Agoura High School enrollment is also up slightly with 2,250 students, according to Principal Larry Misel.

Long-term enrollment trends are based on the number of new students entering e l e m e n t a r y schools, and elementary enrollment in the area is dropping, Zimring said.

Opening enrollment to students who live outside district boundaries is an alternative that many school districts with shrinking student populations are embracing.

Last year, Zimring estimated that 800 students attended Las Virgenes' schools on permit, district's boundaries attended other schools on permit.

Zimring said construction of two-story classroom buildings has begun at Agoura High and Calabasas High. The buildings will replace portable classrooms. He said a major air conditioning project is also being completed at Calabasas.

The district has expanded foreign language options for students in high school. This year, beginning Chinese will be offered for credit through the Las Virgenes Educational Association. The class will be conducted after school at Indian Hills High School.

Zimring said the Chinese class could potentially open to eighth grade students as well.

Agoura High School

Brittany Kronfeld, 15, transferred from Oak Park High School to Agoura High because she wanted to expand her friendships.

"Oak Park High School is too small," the sophomore said. She said that with just one middle school feeding into the high school there really wasn't much opportunity to meet new people in Oak Park. She said Agoura High also offered a wider variety of electives to choose from, including a broader theater arts program. Brittany also joined the school's dance team.

As is typical each school year, teachers and administrative staff shifted positions. Janine Jellander, Agoura High's assistant principal, accepted a job with the Fullerton Unified School District. Chris Regan, formerly a dean at the school, has been appointed to the position.

Assistant Principal Jeanette Ober accepted the principal post at Indian Hills High School in Calabasas. Sherry Bronow will now serve as assistant principal of curriculum and instruction.

Several new teachers have been hired at Agoura-three each in the social sciences and English departments. There is a new art, math and science teacher as well.

The new secretary for attendance and discipline is Karel Long, Misel said.

Calabasas High School

Staff and faculty changes have also occurred at Calabasas. Erin Powell is the new assistant principal of curriculum and instruction, and Joe Skaff moved into the position of assistant principal of activities.

Eleven new teachers joined the school. They were hired to fill positions in English, integrated physical science and chemistry, biology, physical education, special education and dance. The girls' soccer team has a new head coach, as does the cheerleading squad.

Jim Nielsen, former director of secondary education at the district office, will serve as a social science teacher and as the boys' head basketball coach.

Calabasas High is introducing new programs, including digital imaging and web design, and Regional Occupational Program classes in sports medicine. Jackson said the classes will expose participants to working with students' minor athletic injuries

The Parent Faculty Club is

The CHS Parent Faculty Club is paying for the construction of a lunch area shade shelter.

"We are blessed to have such good people in our PFC as they provide Calabasas High School with so much each year to make the school a better place for students to attend," Jackson said.

Indian Hills High School

Indian Hills Principal Jeanette Ober said district officials are in the midst of obtaining approval for the new "virtual" school that will be overseen at the existing alternative school. The "school" will offer flexibility and combine home schooling, independent study and online classes to fit the individual needs of students, Ober said.

As for programs, Ober will continue a "foods class," and hopes to offer physical education.

"Any donations of equipment or professional time would be appreciated," Ober said.

In the middle

The biggest changes at the middle school level are occurring at Lindero Canyon.The campus is set to undergo major reconstruction and remodeling, but actual work has yet to begin. The planning committee has been meeting throughout the summer, and has set a goal of having the final design of the project approved by the board of education by summer's end.

At A.E. Wright Middle School, Principal Steve Rosensweig said only one new teacher has been hired, Dina Zaklama, who will teach math.

The Parent Faculty Club, he said, worked to beautify the school last year and will continue with such projects this year.

At the elementary level

At Round Meadow Elementary School in Calabasas, one of eight district elementary campuses, numbers stabilized this year due to open enrollment and the new extended-day kindergarten program.

A longer kindergarten day allows working parents, who may have opted in the past for the extended hours of private schools, the ability to enroll their children in local public schools.

"This, combined with our permit friendly environment, caused a large increase in our kindergarten numbers," Round Meadow Principal Rose Dunn said. "We went from 60 to 96 students." Kindergarten classes will run from 8:10 a.m. to 1:10 p.m.

S e v eral new teachers have joined Round M e a d o w . Brian Borg will teach fourth grade, and Crystal Kalish will teach first grade. Cindy Jensen will teach physical education at the school, and a new special education aide has been hired-Jamie Hurley. Dunn said that a new kindergarten teacher will also be hired.

The new Yerba Buena Elementary School is scheduled to open in mid-February, Zimring said.

A new three-classroom building is expected to be completed at Willow Elementary School by September.

White Oak Elementary School in Westlake Village hired four new teachers in kindergarten, and first and second grade. A new special education teacher also joined the school.

Heidi Serbick, a former kindergarten teacher at the school, is now teaching fourth grade.

A big change at the school is focused around the arts. Rather

than offer an art program to students twice a month, the school's Parent Faculty Club and the city of Westlake Village are jointly paying for a weekly program for all students.

"It's phenomenal," said Susan Wachtel, a first-grade teacher at the school who is also serving as the "teacher in charge," or the principal's right-hand person.

"We are so excited," Wachtel said. "We are so lucky to have (the art program) dually supported by the PFC and the city of Westlake Village."

White Oak introduced an escorted drop-off and pick-up program for kindergartners. Wachtel said trained aides will help children in and out of their cars in a separate parking area.

The PFC is also beautifying the school with flower-filled planters and landscaping the perimeter of the campus. New murals were painted in the lunch area and playground area over the summer and new playground equipment has been installed.