Christ the King School Newsletter

End of the Year School News

2009-06-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

Eighth Grade Graduation. It is now time to bid farewell to our eighth grade class as they prepare for graduation on June 6. We are very proud of their many accomplishments. They concluded the year, accompanied by their teacher, Georgina Severin, with a retreat at St. Andrew's Abbey, Valyermo. We wish these students continued success in their high schools and God's blessing in the future. We congratulate all our graduates and especially our Valedictorian, Kathy Amiliategui, and Salutatorian, Divya George on their tremendous academic and personal achievements throughout the year.

Sister Rebeca. We are also saying good bye to Sister Rebeca Zapien, our seventh grade teacher, who has served us so well for the past two years. We are greatly indebted to Sister Rebeca for her dedication and commitment to our students. We wish her every happiness as she takes on her new position as Director of Religious Education at Sagrado Corazon in Cudahy, California.

New Seventh Grade Teacher. We extend a warm welcome to our new 7th grade teacher, Mara Voigin Miss Voign is a highly qualified teacher and is currently teaching a seventh grade class at St. Mary's Catholic School in Lancaster, Ohio. Summer School. Our summer school program begins on Monday, June 15. The morning academic enrichment classes will provide our students with the opportunity to strengthen and build their skills in mathematics and language arts. In the afternoons, the students will enjoy a variety of creative art and craft projects, baking classes, visits to the local library, and other fun activities.

Sports Night. Our many student athletes received well deserved recognition at our Sports Banquet on May 28 for their achievements in sports throughout the year. We commend our coach, Andre Brent, for his commitment and dedication to the sports program. Our students competed in the CYO (Catholic Youth Organizations) tournaments in volleyball, basketball, football and track and field. Thank you to all the parents who helped make the evening banquet a success. Special thanks to Mr. Edgar Littaua for filming all our sporting events and sharing his video with us.

Music Recital. It was wonderful to see so many parents present at our end-of-year Music Recital. It was encouraging to see our very young musicians and vocalists perform before a large audience. The entire student body's repertoire of songs from Broadway was especially entertaining. We are very appreciative of Mr. Antonio Espinal's contribution to our students’ musical instruction and education. Mr. Espinal is currently in Bulgaria, where he has been honored with an invitation to conduct the Burgos Opera Orchestra performance of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro and Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana.

Class Field Trips. Active parent participation made possible a number of rewarding field trips. Thank you to all the generous and willing parents who served as chaperones and provided logistical support for class field trips to the Museum of Tolerance, the San Gabriel Mission, Whale Watching in Long Beach, The California Science Center, and other cultural resources.

Summer Vacation. We hope everyone has a safe, happy and constructive vacation. We would like to remind our students to turn off their television sets, computers and video games and spend more time reading and enjoying the great outdoors during the summer months. PLAN! PLAN! PLAN!

May School News

2009-05-18T22:11:00.003-07:00

First Confession and First Holy Communion. We congratulate the second grade students who received the Sacrament of First Holy Communion on Saturday, April 25 - the first big step in their spiritual journey of faith. We thank our choir members who sang so beautifully at this special Mass, which was celebrated by our pastor, Father Antonio. We encourage all students and parents to make both of these sacraments a regular part of their lives.

Disney Earth. The entire student body traveled to the El Capitan Theater to see the educational movie Disney Earth, on its opening day - Earth Day. The outing provided the students with the opportunity to explore the earth's diverse ecosystems and learn more about the wildlife with which we share our planet. As a Disney flagship theater bonus, we were treated to a live stage show of Animals From Around the World, where wildlife experts demonstrated the unique characteristics of a number of exotic animals in their care.

Class Field Trips. Our kindergarten class had a wonderful morning when they traveled to the Ebell Theater to see a live production of the play If you Give a Pig a Pancake. Our eighth graders' trip was a more sobering experience. They were deeply and appropriately moved by the history of the Holocaust when they visited the Museum of Tolerance.

Academics: Throughout the school, our students are demonstrating commitment to their studies and accelerating the pace to complete the year's prescribed curriculum. It is edifying to see the expanse and wide variety of projects, ranging from the hands-on study of metamorphosis (the development of caterpillars to butterflies) by our kindergarten students to the preparation for High School placement tests by our 8th grader students.

Sports. The Track and Field season is coming to a close. We congratulate all the students who won ribbons and awards in recent meets at Mount San Antonio and Bishop Amat High School. It was awesome to see so many of our students participate in this highly competitive sport.

International Festival. Thank you to all the families who supported our annual International Festival. Special thanks to Rosalie Fuerte (school) and Lilia Pedroli (parish) who coordinated the event. It was a wonderful weekend of good food, camaraderie, music and games. We were very proud of our spirited students who danced to the music of the fifties. Our second graders, dressed in a variety of elegant national costumes cheered the hearts of the audience when they sang Children of the World.

Raffle. Congratulations to the winners of the raffle! The first prize, a trip for two to Maui was won by Elord Fajardo (father of Eiara, 2nd grade). The $1,000 second prize was won by Mirta Ogaz (out of parish). The $500 third prize was won by Yoon- Hee Kim (mother of Stephanie, 8th grade). The $100 fourth prize was won by Jose Zeron (father of Jillian, 3rd grade and Damian, 1st grade). The $50 fifth prize was won by Ruby Ibarra (outside of parish). Thank you all for supporting this major fund-raising event!

April News

2009-04-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

WASC Evaluation. We were very happy with the report we received from the WASC team. The school -- which the team referred to as a jewel -- was commended for its strong catholic identity and academic and sports programs, its technology (with particular reference to the integration of the SMART Boards and the electronic microscope into the curriculum), and the inner discipline of the students. The team was very impressed by our students and the children who were interviewed spoke highly of their school, teachers and the education which they value. Thank you to those parents who met with the WASC team and who spoke so positively about our school.

Field Trips. Our 1st and 2nd grades had a stimulating morning when they went to see a live theater production of Beauty and the Beast, performed by the Nine O'Clock players at the Assistance League. Our 3rd and 4th graders enjoyed an interactive day at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. The 8th grade class showed their appreciation for classical music when they went to UCLA to hear the America Youth Symphony perform the great music of Strauss and Mozart. Thank you to the many parent chaperones who made these field trips possible.

Academic Decathlon. We are very proud of the success of our Junior High Academic team who competed against one hundred Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Divya George placed 3rd in Literature, Stephanie Kim placed 4th in English, and Harold Kim placed 5th in Science. That's a major accomplishment!

Talent Show. Our annual talent show was a great success. We all enjoyed a variety of singing, dancing and music. Thank you to all those students who willingly shared their many talents with others.

High Schools. Our eighth graders received letters of acceptance to an array of Catholic high schools. Most were accepted to schools of their first choice: Bishop Conaty-Our Lady of Loretto, Cathedral, Immaculate Heart, Loyola, Notre Dame High School, Notre Dame Academy, Providence, and St. Genevieve. We congratulate all our eighth graders - and especially those who received scholarships and honors at entrance.

Confessions. Our second graders received the Sacrament of First Reconciliation. It was gratifying to see so much parent participation in this very important step in the children's spiritual formation. The class is now preparing for their First Holy Communion on April 25.

Internet Safety. We are very grateful to Detective Carlos Monterosso from the L.A. Internet Crime Prevention Department for his very informative presentation on internet safety. A number of parents expressed their appreciation for raising their awareness of the problem and providing helpful strategies to combat internet abuse.

International Festival. We are looking forward to welcoming alumni and parishioners to our International Festival on May 2 and 3. It promises to be a wonderful weekend of good food, camaraderie, music and games. Don't forget Sunday, May 3, when our students will be performing dances on the outdoor stage in the school yard!

Lent and Easter. The students' commitment to their Lenten duties has been very evident. They have actively participated in weekly Stations of the Cross, led so reverently by our 8th graders. Students also generously donated $650 to give to the impoverished children in Bangladesh. We thank all our families for the love and support they give to our school and wish all of you a joyful and holy Easter season.

March School News

2009-04-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

Lent is the season of sacrifice, the time when we prepare ourselves for the great feast of Easter. We are encouraging our students to use the money saved from their small sacrifices to help the impoverished children of the People's Republic of Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan). Father Ken Deasy, coordinator of the Holy Childhood Association, addressed our students at an assembly and explained the desperate plight of the Bangladeshi people. He reminded them to be grateful for what they have and asked them to count their blessings daily. May we all be inspired by Father Deasy's words.

Presidents' Day. We were honored to have parishioner, Duke Russell, give an inspirational talk to our students on the life of Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Russell, dressed in his stovepipe hat, encouraged our students to follow in the footsteps of this great man by becoming enthusiastic readers.

Spell-A-Thon. Thanks to the many families who supported our annual Spell-A-Thon. This event, not only raised much welcomed money for our school, but also presented our students with many challenging words to strengthen their vocabularies.

Field Trips. Spring is a time for field trips. Our third and fourth grade students enjoyed an educational day at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Our 1st and 2nd graders had a stimulating morning when they went to see a live theater production of Beauty and the Beast, performed by the Nine O'Clock players at the Assistance League in Hollywood.

Sinai Akiba Academy. We welcomed fifty-four seventh grade students from the Sinai Akiba Academy, in Westwood, to spend a morning with our students. With their teachers, Rabbi Andy Feig, Dino Glorioso, Tony Pennay, Lisa Palmer and Aviva Levin, they joined us for our school Mass. They were very grateful to our pastor, Father Antonio, who was delighted to answer their many excellent questions. After Mass, our visitors enjoyed refreshments with members of our student council, viewed a slide show of our students in action, and took a tour of our school campus. Later, they mingled with our students and played basketball with them. It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to share their faith and educational experience with these young people.

Academic Decathlon. The Archdiocesan Junior High Academic Decathlon is fast approaching, and our team is gearing up for the competition which will take place in the Sports Arena next Saturday, March 14. We wish them luck!

WASC. Our school will be evaluated on March 10, 11, and 12, by an accreditation team of experienced teachers and administrators on behalf of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). It has been six years since our last accreditation. We are confident that the WASC team will be impressed by the academic achievement of our students, their spiritual and moral growth, their participation in a wide variety of sports, and their accomplishment of our Schoolwide Learning Expectations. Please keep us in your prayers during these days.

February School News

2009-02-05T16:06:00.000-08:00

CHRIST THE KING SCHOOL NEWS
Ruth C. Anderson

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Thank you to the many families who attended our Open House. Visitors were impressed by the very high standard of work demonstrated by our students. The creative and imaginative art work was indicative of our students' great talent. The 4th graders' California Mission models were beautifully crafted. The standard of science projects, throughout the school, was remarkably high this year. Thank you to the parents who supported their children with their projects. The Junior High entries were judged again this year by William Schroeder and Christi Chester who are pursuing their doctorate in Chemistry at USC. Mr. Schroeder returned to the school to discuss the students' understanding of their projects and to congratulate them on the high caliber of their work. The following students were awarded special recognition and received medals at our recent assembly:

6th Grade:
1st Place: Marc Castillo
2nd Place: Younsook Jang
3rd Place: Joseph Barruga
Honorable Mention: Melissa Magana and Toni Recinos

7th Grade:
1st Place: Cassie Yearwood
2nd Place: Patricia Vu
3rd Place: Franklin Littaua
Honorable Mention: Kyle Chang

8th Grade:
1st Place: Harold Kim
2nd Place: Krystal Von Seyfried
3rd Place: Agnes Kim
Honorable Mention: Jasmine Barruga

Book Fair: Thank you to all the families and students who supported the Book Fair. Special thanks to Mrs. Kirchen for organizing the event in the absence of Mrs. Moore. Thanks also to Dolores Sanguino and the many parent volunteers who worked so hard to make it a success. Our gross intake amounted to more than four thousand dollars!

High Schools: Our eighth grade students who took the early placement test at Immaculate Heart High School received awesome news last weekend. Stephanie Kim ranked among the top five students in the entrance exam and was awarded a generous four year scholarship. We congratulate Stephanie and the following students who were also accepted: Janellyn Adraneda, Kathy Amiliategui, Jasmine Barruga, Divya George, Jamie Gonzales, Agnes Kim, Lucero Lopez and Krystal Von Seyfried. Five of these students also received honors at entrance. We are so proud of these girls!

Academic Decathlon: This event is fast approaching and our team is working very hard to prepare for the competition which will take place in the Sports Arena on March 14. Our ten competitors are: Kathy Amiliategui, Marc Castillo, Divya George, Giyan Gonzales, Younsook Jang, Agnes Kim, Harold Kim, Mina Kim, Stephanie Kim and Patricia Vu. They will be competing against students from more than one hundred Catholic schools in the Archdiocese. Our team also includes alternates - Samuel Ahn, Lorraine Bautista, Mariah Mercado, Jailene Gaspar and Athena Rodriguez. Please pray for all of them as they persevere with a challenging syllabus.

2009-02-05T14:40:00.001-08:00

December/January School News

2009-01-17T09:48:00.000-08:00

MID-WINTER EDITION

Catholic Schools' Week: Welcome back to the beginning of another new year. We are all looking forward to Sunday, January 25 which marks the opening of Catholic Schools’ Week. The theme this year is Catholic Schools: Inspiring Faith in Education. We will open this special week with the 8:30 a.m. Mass which will be celebrated by our pastor, Father Antonio. After Mass, we welcome everyone to visit our Open House, Science Fair, Art Fair and Book Fair. Our Science Fair will give you the opportunity to view the students amazing Science projects as well as the award winning Junior High entries. They will be judged again this year by William Schroeder and Christi Chester who are pursuing their doctorate in Chemistry at USC. We hope you will enjoy a visit to the Book Fair in our school library where you will be able to purchase a variety of educational books for your children.

High Schools: Our eighth grade students are working very hard in preparation for their high school entrance exams, most of which will be administered during the month of February. Please keep them in your prayers. Fifteen of them benefited greatly from the six week tutoring program offered by Loyola High School students and alumni. We are very grateful to all those at Loyola who assisted our students with the preparation for the High School Placement Tests.

C.S. Lewis’ Prince Caspian: Students enjoyed an interactive and entertaining production of Prince Caspian, performed in our school auditorium by the theatrical group – The Hampstead Stage Company.

Christmas Concert: We congratulate our students for their magnificent performance in this year’s Christmas concert. Their understanding of the true meaning of Christmas as well as their fine repertoire of traditional carols will remain with them throughout their lives.

Hancock Park Convalescent Hospital: Thank you to our sixth grade students, their teacher, Mrs Nancy Chung and parent chaperones, Jae Y Dang and Sang Hee Jung, who walked thirty minutes each way to visit the elderly and entertain them with Christmas carols. Their Christian spirit was admirable.

Christmas Boutique: Thank you to all those who supported our Christmas Boutique. The profit which amounted to approximately $1500 will be used to purchase supplies for the classrooms. The beautiful hand-crafted ornaments and decorations, made by the students were a credit to them. Thank you also to our parent board who arranged for Santa (Jonathan Consolo) to be present at the event. He brought great joy to so many families who had their pictures taken with him. Special thanks to our photographer, Joe Silva, for his patience and hard work. Thank you also to Mr. Lim who set up the canopy outside the church to sell aprons, caps and t-shirts with Christ the King logo. That’s the spirit!

November School News

2009-01-14T08:20:00.000-08:00

Christ the King School is making a serious effort to restore meaning to this holy season. We ask all families to encourage their children to make and keep pious resolutions during these four weeks. Students are already showing their willing spirit by collecting toys to give to needy families. They are also beginning to practice for their Christmas Nativity Concert which will take place in the church on Thursday, December 18 at 7:00 p.m..

Thanksgiving Food Drive: CTK students are to be commended for their generous and enthusiastic response to the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. They contributed enough food to fill about one hundred bags which the parish Men's Club distributed to needy members of our community. Thank you students!

Little Red Riding Hood: Our first and second grade students enjoyed a lively production of The Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood, performed by the Nine O'Clock Players at the Assistant League.

Family Evening: Magician George Rico entertained a packed auditorium with an awesome array of magic tricks. Active student participation contributed to making this a really fabulous and fun evening. This terrific fund-raising event was organized by our eighth grade teacher, Georgina Severin and the eighth grade parents and students. Congratulations on a job well done!

Academic Decathlon: Our Junior High students are meeting regularly and studying hard in order to compete in this big event which will take place in the Sports Arena in March. We wish our students luck!

Loyola Tutoring Program: Fifteen of our eighth grade students are benefitting greatly from the six week tutoring program offered by Loyola High School students and alumni. We are very grateful to all those who assist our students with the preparation for the High School Placement Tests, which will be administered in the upcoming months in all the Catholic High Schools

Respect Life Essay Competition: We congratulate the winner of this year's Respect Life essay competition. Eighth grade student, Agnes Kim, was awarded a prize of fifty dollars (courtesy of the Knights of Columbus) for her essay, Abortion is a Rejection of Hope and Trust in God. Second place was awarded to Divya George, third place to Youn Sook Jang, and the two runners-up were Mina Kim and Athena Rodriguez. Congratulations girls!

Open House: All parishioners, families and friends are invited to our Open House, Science Fair and Art Fair which will take place on Sunday, January 25. The students' science projects and artwork are really worth your time and attention. New student applications will be available that day. We look forward to seeing many of you there!

October School News

2008-11-16T20:45:00.000-08:00

Ruth C Anderson, Vice Principal
October is Respect Life Month, and Christ the King School did its part on raising student awareness on this important topic. Junior High students wrote essays on this year's theme, "Hope and Trust in Life," while grades K-5 designed posters based on other Respect Life subjects. Our 2 nd and 3rd grade students also
collected baby items which will be donated to single mothers.

Standardized Tests: Our students earnestly completed the nationwide ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) tests. The school has enjoyed strong and consistent improvement in standardized test scores over the past several years. We are confident that this year's results will continue that trend.

High School Night: CTK hosted representatives from nine high schools to help our students make informed decisions about prospective high schools. The auditorium was packed with Junior High students and their parents who had the opportunity to hear individual presentations from participating high schools.

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels: Junior High students, teachers and parent chaperones joined thousands of students from other Catholic schools for a special Thanksgiving Mass, organized by the Holy Childhood Association in celebration of World Mission Sunday. After the Mass, our students enjoyed a stimulating and informative tour of the Cathedral.

Child Safety Art Competition: We congratulate our 4th grade student, Valory Banashek who won 1st place in the Child Safety Art competition, sponsored by Keller William's Realty and in conjunction with Child Photo ID and Fingerprinting service. Valory will receive a gift certificate from Toys 'R Us. Her drawing is on display at Wells Fargo Bank in Larchmont Village.

Family Movie Night: A large and appreciative audience enjoyed watching the movie The Journey of Natty Gann on the big screen in our school auditorium. This event's popularity has prompted us to plan more evening movies to our families in the future.

Sports: We congratulate our Girls' Varsity volleyball team who won the CYO Sunset Division and are now League Champions! Our Junior Varsity placed first in the recently held St. Joseph's Tournament and are currently undefeated in the Sunset League. We wish them luck in their upcoming games!

Larchmont Fair: CTK parents and teachers can be very proud of their contribution to the Larchmont Fair last weekend. We would like to thank our creative and energetic parent board members, our many committed volunteers and teachers who worked so industriously to make the event successful.

Back to School News

2008-10-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

Ruth C Anderson, Vice Principal

Our year is off to a great start. Refreshed and eager students returned after the long summer ready to take on the challenge of another exciting school year. We had a gratifying turn-out of parents at our Back-To-School Night. Our teachers did a great job explaining their goals and expectations for the academic year. Father Paddy Tuffy led us in the opening prayer. His participation was much appreciated.

Welcome Breakfast.
Kindergarten and other new parents were welcomed to the Christ the King community with a hearty breakfast hosted by our Parent Board. While the croissant sandwiches were being prepared, the Kindergarten class entertained with Rise and Shine, one of the songs that they had learned during their first month in our school. The new parents also enjoyed a big-screen slide show of kindergartners on their first days in school.

New Technology.
Last year, our 7th and 8th grade classrooms were fitted out with SMART Boards. This year, this transforming new technology has also been installed in our 5th and 6th grade classrooms. With computers and ceiling-mounted projectors, our students are able to take advantage of the latest interactive teaching methods and materials. Many thanks to the Ahmanson Foundation, whose continued generosity has made all this possible.

San Gennaro Festival.
September 19 was the Feast of San Gennaro (also known as St. Januarius) the
martyred bishop of Naples during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. He is the patron saint of our beloved pastor's home town. A number of families turned out for the 7th annual Los Angeles San Gennaro Festival. They enjoyed good food and great music. We are very grateful to our acolytes, Jessica Bautista, Marc Caraan and Krystal Von Seyfried who helped lead the procession along Hollywood Boulevard and then assisted Bishop Clark and Fr. Antonio at the outdoor Mass.

Hurricane Ike.
We are very proud of our students' response to help the children affected by this disaster. The student council organized an ice cream sale. The profit was sent to Save the Children Relief Fund.

Fiftieth Anniversary.
On Wednesday, September 24, Father Antonio - rejuvenated after his sabbatical leave - offered Mass in celebration of our School's 50th anniversary. Many parents joined the students for the Mass and refreshments which followed. The school is planning a number of activities throughout the coming year to celebrate this great occasion.

End of the year school news 2008

2008-06-15T10:42:00.000-07:00

As the school year draws to a close, we look back at all we have accomplished throughout the year and thank God for the many blessings we have received. We are very grateful to all those who contributed to a successful academic year.

Active parent participation made possible a number of rewarding field trips. Thank you to all the generous and willing parents who served as chaperones and provided logistical support for class field trips to the Museum of Tolerance, the Natural History Museum, the San Gabriel Mission and other cultural resources. Our end of year field trip to the El Capitan Theater proved to be a very successful and appealing outing. Our students thoroughly enjoyed C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, especially those who had already read the book.

A team of our seventh grade students traveled to Notre Dame Academy to compete against a number of other schools in a Spelling Bee competition. We congratulate our seventh grader, Stephanie Kim, who placed first in the event! We were very happy to welcome a number of alumni and parishioners to our International Festival - a weekend of good food, music, games and dance. We thank all those who worked so hard to make it a success. We were very proud of our spirited students who danced so impressively to the music of the seventies and eighties.

We are all looking forward to our annual Sports Night on June 4, when many of our student athletes will receive well-deserved recognition for their achievement in sports throughout the year - volleyball, basketball, football, track and field.

It is now time to say good bye to our eighth grade class as they prepare for graduation on June 7. We are very proud of their many accomplishments. They concluded the year with a Retreat at St. Andrew's Abbey, Valyermo. We wish these students continued success in their high schools and God's blessing in the future.

We hope everyone has a safe, happy and constructive vacation. Our summer school classes begin on June 16. We would like to remind all our students to turn off their television sets, computers and video games and spend more time reading and enjoying the great outdoors. We thank our pastor, Father Antonio, who is currently on sabbatical leave in Italy for the continued love and commitment he has given to our school. We welcome Father Patrick Tuffy, who is here from Ireland to take Father Antonio's place. We thank our parent board, under the leadership of Captain Beatrice Girmala, all our families and parishioners for their generosity and support throughout the year.

May God bless you all.

Yours sincerely,
Ruth C. Anderson

March School News

2008-04-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

Spring. Eastertide. Life is renewed. Our students responded well to the call to serve others. During Lent, they collected more than five hundred dollars to help feed starving children in Ethiopia. Our eighth graders also visited and entertained the elderly at Hancock Park Convalescent Home for Easter.

Meanwhile, the normal rhythms of the school year continue to provide our students with the foundation of their maturing into responsible Catholic young people. Our second grade students made their First Confession on March 11. It was gratifying to see so much family participation in that important step in the children's spiritual formation. The class is now preparing for their First Holy Communion on April 19.

Our eighth grade students have much to celebrate. They received letters of acceptance to an impressive array of Catholic High Schools. Most were accepted to schools of their first choice: Bellarmine Jefferson, Bishop Alemany, Bishop Conaty-Our Lady of Loretto, Cathedral, Crespi Carmelite, Holy Family, Immaculate Heart, Loyola, Marymount, Notre Dame Academy, Notre Dame High School, Providence and St. Genevieve's. We congratulate all our eighth grade students on their success and especially those who received honors at entrance.

We are also very proud that a team of our eighth graders competed in this year's Junior High Academic Decathlon at the Sports Arena on March 18. We congratulate William Louie who placed 5th in Science and Janette Lee who placed 6th in Social Studies. That's a major accomplishment against a field of the best students from 105 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese.

March was also a month for field trips. Our first and second graders enjoyed a live production of Aladdin, presented by the Nine O'Clock players at the Assistance League. Our sixth grade students explored the California Science Center. They participated in the "Big Lab" where they learned, first-hand, about different kinds of energy, gravity and force by building and operating roller coasters. They also visited the IMAX theater to see Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs, which solidified their unit on Egypt which they were studying as part of our Social Studies curriculum.

Our fifth graders are enjoying reading an abundance of well chosen literature books, thanks to the Riordan Foundation which provided the class with $1,000 worth of books. Thank you very much Richard Riordan.

Our Track and Field season is in full swing. Our students have been practicing regularly for the Mount San Antonio meet which is taking place this weekend. We wish our students luck!

February School News

2008-02-26T21:05:00.001-08:00

As we continue our Lenten journey in preparation for the great feast of Easter, it is encouraging to see our students responding to Jesus' call to serve others and to give of themselves. This year, they are donating money to the Holy Childhood Association which will help feed starving children in Ethiopia. They are also participating in weekly Stations of the Cross, prepared by our eighth graders.

Our second grade students will receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation on March 11 in preparation for their First Holy Communion in April.

Two representatives from the John C. Fremont Library, Lisa Schloss and Grace Santos visited all the classrooms. They encouraged our young people to read and to become members of their local library. They also explained the electronic resources that are available and how students can access sites which are specially designed for research and homework assistance. Our eighth grade students, dressed in semi-formal clothes enjoyed a wonderful etiquette breakfast on St. Valentines' day, prepared by their teacher, Ms. Georgina Severin and their parents. It was edifying to see these young ladies and gentlemen interact so graciously with one another.

Our Junior High students are working very hard in preparation for the Academic Decathlon which will be held in the Sports' Arena on March 15. We wish them luck!

Our student athletes are hoping to wrap up the basketball season by competing in makeup games that were hampered by the recent torrential rainfall. Students who wish to try out for the Track and Field team are looking forward to beginning their season and to competing in meets and other sporting events.

January School News

2008-01-23T12:08:00.000-08:00

Sunday, January 27 marks the opening of Catholic Schools' Week. The theme this year is Catholic Schools Light the Way. We open this special week with the 8:30 a.m. Mass, celebrated by our pastor Father Antonio. After Mass, we welcome everyone to visit our Open House, Science Fair, Art Fair and Book Fair.

Our Science Fair will give you the opportunity to view the students' amazing Science projects as well as the award winning Junior High entries. They were judged again this year by William Schroeder and Christi Chester who are pursuing their doctorates in Chemistry at the University of Southern California.

We hope you will enjoy a visit to the Book Fair in our school library where you will be able to purchase a variety of educational books for children.

Our eighth grade students are working very hard to prepare for their High School entrance exams, most of which will be administered during the month of February. Please keep them in your prayers. Nineteen of our eighth graders attended a six week intensive tutoring program at Loyola High School, funded by the Riordan Foundation. We are very grateful to Loyola High School, Loyola Marymount University and Santa Clara University staff, alumni, parents and students for assisting our eighth graders in this cooperative community service project.

Our Junior High Academic Decathlon team is meeting regularly to gear up for the competition which will take place in the Sports' Arena on March 15. Basketball season is in full swing. The boys' and girls' teams are competing against other Catholic schools. It's a bit early to say, but we may be on our way to another championship season and to the CYO playoffs!

November School News

2007-12-07T15:33:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season of giving and Christ the King students have given much. They are to be congratulated for their enthusiastic response to the Men's Club Thanksgiving Food Drive. School families contributed enough food to fill more than one hundred bags, which twelve of our eighth grade students helped organize and distribute to needy members of our community.

Active parent participation enabled our teachers to take their students on a number of rewarding field trips. Our first and second graders enjoyed a wonderful production of Alice, presented by the Nine O'Clock players at the Assistance League. Our third and fourth graders explored the Natural History Museum and then visited the Imax theater to see the acclaimed National Geographic 3D movie Sea Monsters. The Cabrillo Beach Aquarium was a popular destination for our 7th grade students who enjoyed a hands-on experience there. Our eighth grade students visited the Museum of Tolerance and were deeply moved by the graphic evidence of the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. We thank our generous parents who served as chaperones and provided logistical support for these class trips.

Our students prepared an assembly in honor of Maria Weir, who taught music at the school for seventeen years. They sang a variety of old favorites, read cards which they made, and presented Maria with gifts. We thank Mrs. Weir for instilling a love of music in our students and wish her happiness and good health in her retirement.

Our new music teacher, Antonio Espinal conducted his Harmonies Girls' Choir in a concert, held in the church to celebrate the feast of Christ the King. It was a magnificent performance by energetic young singers whose varied repertoire resounded through the church for an appreciative audience. The program included sacred music (Ave Maria and Panis Angelicus), as well as American favorites (Battle Hymn of the Republic) and traditional Latin American favorites. Antonio Espinal's 5-year old daughter, Elizabeth, led the choir as soloist for a beautifully performed Dona Nobis Pacem.

We congratulate our girls' varsity volleyball team – this year's CYO league champions! Now, the basketball season is just beginning, and our boys' and girls' teams are practicing regularly and eagerly awaiting their games.

Christ the King School is making a serious effort to restore meaning to the approaching Advent season. We ask all our families to encourage the children to make and keep pious resolutions for these four weeks. It is a tradition which will make their Christmas much more satisfying. Students are already showing their willing spirit by collecting toys to give to needy families at Christmas. They are also beginning to practice for their Christmas Nativity program which will take place in the Church on Wednesday, December 19, at 7:00 p.m.

Ruth C. Anderson
Vice Principal

October School News

2007-11-06T07:12:00.000-08:00

October was Respect Life Month and Christ the King School did its part on raising student awareness on this important topic. Junior High students wrote essays on this year's theme "The babe in my womb leaped for joy" (Luke 1:40), while grades K-5 designed posters based on other Respect Life subjects.

October is also test- taking time and our students earnestly completed the nationwide ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) tests. The school has enjoyed strong and consistent improvement in standardized test scores over the last several years. We are confident that this year's results will continue that trend.

Our High School Night was a huge success. We hosted representatives from eight neighboring high schools to help our students make informed decisions about prospective high schools. Our auditorium was filled to capacity with Junior High students and their parents who had the opportunity to hear individual presentations from schools of their choice.

We were very proud of our contribution to the Larchmont Fair last weekend. I would like to thank our parent board president, LAPD Capt. Beatrice Girmala, and our energetic board members, volunteers and students for making the event so successful. The festively decorated Halloween themed booth and creative art activities were a credit to the school.

We wrapped up the month of October with our annual Halloween costume parade organized by our student council. Students competed for the most original, funniest and scariest costume in each class. On all Saints Day, the students joined together for the celebration of Mass, recognizing the true meaning of Halloween.

We are now looking forward to the upcoming Dinner Dance and Auction which will be held in the Wilshire Country Club on Saturday, November 10th. Many thanks to all the parents and parishioners for donating items which will be auctioned that evening. We are honored to have Mario Martinolli, an alumnus of our school to serve as auctioneer and emcee the event. I look forward to seeing many of you there!

Ruth C. Anderson
Vice Principal

September School News

2007-10-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

Our school year is off to a great start! Our students returned happy and refreshed after their long summer vacation. We had a wonderful turn out of parents at Back-to-School Night and welcomed many new families. Father Antonio celebrated Mass on Sept. 7 to mark the beginning of our school year.

Thanks to the generosity of our parents and parishioners for the many fund raisers to which they contributed. As a result, faculty and students are benefiting from the new dry-erase boards in the classrooms. Our 7th and 8th graders are thrilled to have SMART boards in their classrooms as well as ceiling-mounted projectors and computers. The installation of this interactive technology was made possible by the generosity of the Ahmanson Foundation. The SMART boards are greatly enhancing the teaching of the curriculum and further increasing student motivation.

We extend a warm welcome to our new music teacher, Antonio Espinal. Mr. Espinal is well known for his work as an organist at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. We are very fortunate to have such a talented and dedicated man to teach singing to our students and accompany them on the piano and organ. Our students musical experience is being further enriched by the individual classes in voice, recorder and piano which Mr. Espinal is making available to them.

We are very proud to be offering Spanish classes, with an emphasis on Spanish music and culture to our students this year. Our students are enthusiastic to be part of this new program.

We were honored to be invited to participate in a special Mass, celebrated by the Most Reverend Edward Ozorowski, Archbishop of Bialystok, Poland. The Archbishop was very impressed by the children's singing.

Many of our families and students visited the San Gennaro Festival and enjoyed good food, games and music. We thank our acolytes, Fidel Alonso,
Jessica Bautista, Mark Caraan, Melissa Magana, Toni Recinos, Thomas Roe, Ryan Toledo and Cassie Yearwood, who helped lead the procession along Hollywood Boulevard and then assisted at the Mass.

Our sports program got off to a great start! The girls' varsity volleyball team has already participated in the American Martyrs' tournament. In recent games, they defeated St. Brendan's, Cathedral Chapel, Our Mother of Good Counsel and St. Francis. Congratulations girls! Meanwhile, our football team is practicing hard and eagerly awaiting its games.

Thank you so much to the many families who so generously contributed to the success of the car raffle. Our school sold ninety tickets and as a result raised $9000. What an accomplishment! Congratulations to all the lucky winners!
The first prize of a car was won by parishioner, J.R. Lopez. Parents who won cash prizes were Young Ju Kim ($500), Ok Hyun Lee ($500), and Ray Solomon ($250).

Christ the King families are now preparing for the fifth annual Autumn Eve dinner dance which will be held in the Wilshire Country Club on Saturday, November 10. We are looking forward to a wonderful evening of families, alumni, parishioners and community coming together.

Ruth C. Anderson
Vice Principal

End of the Year School News

2007-08-26T23:10:00.001-07:00

June 2007 - Ruth Anderson

As the school year draws to a close, we rejoice at all we have accomplished and thank God for the many blessings we have received. We thank all those who contributed to making it such a successful academic year.

We were delighted to welcome two professional actors from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. They gave an inspirational, interactive and educational presentation to our students on the Environment and the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling.

Active parent participation made possible a number of rewarding field trips for our students. Generous and willing parents served as chaperones and provided logistical support for class trips to the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Natural History Museum, the Mission San Fernando, and other cultural resources.

We were very happy to welcome so many of our alumni and parishioners for the International Festival – a weekend of music, good food, games and dance. We thank all those who worked so hard to make it a success. We were very proud of our spirited students who danced so impressively to the music of the fifties.

We are all looking forward to our annual Sports Night on June 6, when many of our student athletes will receive well-deserved recognition for their achievements in sports throughout the year – volleyball, basketball, football, track and field.

It is now time to bid farewell to our eighth grade class as they prepare for graduation on June 9.   We are very proud of their many accomplishments. They concluded the year with a Retreat at the Sacred Heart Retreat House in Big Bear. We wish these students continued success in their high schools and God’s blessing in the future.

           We wish all our students a safe, happy and constructive vacation. Our summer school classes begin on June 18. We hope that those who stay at home will turn off their televisions, computers and video games to spend more time reading and enjoying the great outdoors.

We thank Father Antonio for the continued love and commitment he has given to our school.   We also thank our parent board, under the leadership of Captain Beatrice Girmala, and all the parishioners for their generosity and support throughout the year. May God bless you all.