BRIEFLY IN EDUCATION

Schools to get grants from state

Laguna schools will receive $83.04 per K-12 student as part of a recently announced, $500 million statewide grant program for physical education and the visual and performing arts.

As the average Laguna Beach Unified daily attendance in the 2005-06 school year was 2,701.46 students, the district is expected to receive a windfall of $224,351 that must be used for those programs.

The grants, approved in the 2006-07 California State Budget, will provide the grant to each school district, charter school, and county office of education. Funds may be carried over to a future fiscal year.

This is the first time all schools will receive grants specially designated for physical education and the visual and performing arts.

El Morro honors its bus drivers

El Morro Elementary will celebrate Bus Driver Appreciation Day today.

The school will thank drivers Raulie Marquez, Horacio Velasquez, Marcos Zepeda, Sergio Villa, Francisco Popoca, Ruth Chavez, Bertha Arvizu, Cecelia Camarena and Patricia Marquez with a 2 p.m. assembly, and parents were asked to bring signs and home-made cards to their bus stops, celebrating the driver with notes, drawings, flowers or applause.

The school is also putting together a music video featuring the drivers.

Textbooks available for viewingTextbooks for Laguna Beach High School special education courses are available through May 2 for inspection by parents and other interested parties from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the District office, 550 Blumont St.

Girl Scouts make 12 blankets for needy

Laguna Beach Girl Scout Troops 444 and 2324 recently made 12 blankets (“binkies”) for the needy during their annual Bink-a-thon at Heritage Hill Park in Lake Forest.

The scouts then turned in the blankets to the Girl Scout Council of Orange County’s Binky Patrol, which distributes them to people in need.

For more information, call Stephanie Andrews at (949) 454-2913 or e-mail Stephanie.Andrews@cox.net.

Anger management workshop for moms

All mothers of preschool through elementary school-aged children are invited to an “Anger Transforming” workshop today from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Young Mom’s Group of Laguna Presbyterian Church, which meets weekly in the church parlor.

Today, Ceil Sharman will share several ways to recognize and transform anger into energy that will enable participants to move from being controlled by anger to dealing with it in constructive ways.

Sharman is a former elementary school teacher who recently facilitated an eight week class on “The Way of Forgiveness” at Laguna Presbyterian Church. Friday’s workshop grows out of one of the lessons of that class.

Infants may remain with their mothers during the workshop. Preschool child care is available for a nominal donation. Call Lisa Wilhelm at (949) 494-7555 for more information.