NLMAS n.o.t.e.s.

Dear NLMAS Families,

Welcome back to a new school year! It's been wonderful to see students returning from the summer break and the amount of engagement with learning going on in classes. Many classes are full including ESL, High School Diploma, and several career training classes such as the Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant classes. We will continue to survey our students' needs and provide the classes and support needed to meet the needs of our community.

We have a busy 2023-2024 school year ahead. This year officially marks the kick off of our WASC self-study. This is part of the school accreditation process that we embark on every six years. We can proudly say that we have earned the highest accreditation possibly two cycles in a row. All staff will be engaging in a year and a half of reflection and discussions leading to continued improvement and progress in our school. We look forward to not just our staff but our community and student involvement as well in this learning process.

On behalf of the entire administrative team, we thank you for being part of the NLMAS family. I hope you enjoy a productive fall semester.

Mindy Chung

Director, Adult Education

September 4 - Labor Day Holiday

September 15 - All Staff WASC Kick Off Meeting 1-3 pm

September 18 to 22 - Adult Education & Family Literacy Week

October 9 - Staff PD/Student Free Day

October 13 - End of 1st Quarter

October 16 - Beginning of 2nd Quarter

NLMAS offers high quality training leading to certification in multiple short-term careers. These include careers in the health field such as Nurse Assistant Pre-certification (CNA), Medical Assisting, Pharmacy Technician, Dental Assisting, Medical Billing and Coding. We also offer training leading to certification in Welding. Other careers include Real Estate, Child Development, and various Office Career Pathways. Check out our brochure above for more information. We continue to offer free ESL, High School Diploma and Equivalency and Adult Basic Skills classes at our two locations for all adults.

Brian Randall, Assistant Director

(CTE & Career Training)

Intermediate ESL Class in Action at La Mirada!

The Adult School’s fall semester began on August 17th and has had an amazing start to the school year. Our Office’s have been busy enrolling new and returning students. The ESL program currently has 626 student enrolled and has hired two new instructors to help support our community needs. All ESL classes have full rosters including our citizenship preparation classes.

Our High School Diploma and High School Equivalency programs currently have 310 enrollments as students are taking advantage of our direct instructed classes and our online classes providing the flexibility needed for our Adult students in the community to accomplish their educational and career goals. NLMAS has added three new high school equivalency preparation classes. We are offering two sections in the morning, and one section in the evening. We are seeing an increase in students enrolling into our new high school equivalency preparation classes.

Travis Crow, Assistant Director

(ESL & ASE)

Language Arts Class at the Norwalk Site.

Hello, I am excited to kick-off this new school year supporting students and community members. My schedule has changed recently to help accommodate morning and evening students. I will now be available Mon & Tue (1:00 pm - 9:30 pm) and Wed-Fri (8:00 am - 12:30 pm). I will also be available by appointment.

Don't know what professions is right for you? No problem! Check out this resource that will help narrow it down for you. This interest profiler tool will help you find careers based on what you already like to do. Check out the link below. Like always, stop by my office if you should you have any questions.

https://www.cacareerzone.org/

Chris Chavarria, Counselor

• Jorge Contreras - HSE Instructor
• Bryan Raber - ESL Instructor
• Edward Tu - ESL Instructor
• Christian Williams - Morning Security

It has been a pleasure to be part of the NLMAS team over the past year. I greatly appreciate the warm welcome I received when I came on board, as well as the supportive and encouraging environment everyone works so diligently to create.

I returned to teaching after several years outside the field and rediscovered it as my true vocation. In Romania, where I’m from, I trained to be an elementary school teacher, but after my family immigrated to the U.S., I took a detour away from education and worked in the medical field as an EEG technologist. It was a very rewarding career, but the pandemic cut it short. After a serendipitous conversation with one of my patients, I began helping out in ESL classes at a refugee resettlement organization and also served as an intern there, helping caseworkers as they guided refugee families through the long, complex process of building a new life in the U.S. Eventually, I taught my own vocational ESL class and also embarked on earning a master’s degree, a goal I had for a long time but didn’t feel confident enough to pursue until the pandemic reminded me how short and precious life is.

This is a lesson I strive not to lose sight of in day-to-day life. I try to make time to do a little of all the things I enjoy–not just to work hard in order to be the best teacher I can be, but also read good books, stay in touch with nature (above is a photo of my sister and me hiking in the Pacific Northwest), and spend time with friends and family.

NLMAS teachers started off the year strong at the Teacher Prep Meeting held on August 16th. At this meeting, teachers--both new and returning--had an opportunity to revisit the district and the school's goals and vision for the year. It was a time for teachers to reconnect with one another after the summer recess and also a time to energize each other to work towards the common purpose we share--supporting our student's success.

The theme for the year, inspired by the Olympics to come, is "Go for the Gold."

Kick off The Year With Wellness

Contributed by Dr. Hodo

What Is Wellness?

Wellness is the practice of healthy habits daily for better physical and mental health. Our physical and mental health is important because one area can impact other areas significantly.

Wellness requires consistently taking care of ourselves and people we care about and those who care about us. It is an active daily process and state of well-being. Wellness is our personal responsibility, and it must be a priority to make healthy lifestyle choices to enjoy health and wellness.

Tips for Wellness

1. Drink 6 oz of water every day, add flavor by infusing fruit. Set a weekly water goal until you reach the desired goal of 60+ ounces a day.

2. Get ample sleep. Ample sleep is about 7-9 hours of good sleep each night.

3. 10,000 Steps. Yes, we need to walk and reach a goal of 10,000 steps each day for exercise.

4. Stretching improves the condition of our overall health and quality of life.

5. Breakfast Time. Eating a healthy breakfast filled with fiber and protein will boost the metabolism, improve focus and enhance our energy levels.

6. Meditation clears the mind and calms the heart and body.

7. Spend time with friends and family. When we spend time with friends and family, it creates joyful moments that produce those happy endorphins. Research shows that human interaction increases mood and decreases anxiety and depression.

8. Smile. The simple act of smiling enhances our mood instantly.

9. Go outdoors. Fresh air and sunlight lower stress levels, promotes creativity and improves your immune system.

10. Drink Green Tea. Green tea has many health benefits. It fights cancer, lowers cholesterol, detoxes your body, improves dental health and controls blood glucose and so much more.

11. Yoga. Yoga helps add flexibility to stiff muscles, improves breathing, calms the mind and body, improves sleep and helps with body aches.

Norwalk-La Mirada Adult School equips adults to thrive in an ever changing economic and social environment.

Email: NLMASinfo@nlmusd.k12.ca.us
Website: nlmas.org
Location: 15711 Pioneer Blvd., Norwalk, CA 90650
Phone: (562) 210-3990
Twitter: @NLMAdultSchool