Briefly In Education

Preschool graduation at club

The Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach celebrated its Even Start Club Preschool graduation June 17 with 24 local families.

The children performed three plays, acting out scenes from favorite books.

Afterward, they were awarded with their first “diplomas.� Julie Olsen, Laguna Beach school readiness coordinator, also handed out backpacks full of back-to-school necessities.

Parents and children enjoyed a potluck lunch after the festivities.

Even Start Club Preschool is a free program for qualifying low-income families with 3- and 4-year-old children.

The majority of the children are from Spanish-speaking households. They leave the school knowing how to count, say the alphabet and enjoy books, the club said in a news release.

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Yoga school offers kids’ camps

Cho’s Academy in Laguna Beach is offering kids’ summer camps with themes, such as “Harry Potter,� “Sports,� “Superhero� and “Western.�

Artist Sandra Jones Campbell will host a Seeing Outside camp where she will lead hikes, walks through the parks and along the beaches, and end up at her studio where the kids will make plein air paintings.

Harry Potter camp runs July 19 to 23 and includes wand making, spells, cape making, and of course, Quidditch.

If cowboys and cookouts are more their style, the Western camp runs from Aug. 19 to 21, offering horseback riding, balloon rides, bouldering and tooling, among other handy Western trades.

For the full list of camps and registration information, visit the Cho Academy website or call (949) 281-7517.

The Cho Academy also plans a Free Youth Yoga Party at 4 p.m. July 15 with a special appearance by Harry Potter.

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Coffee Break website and new leaders

Cindy Newman-Jacobs and Debbie Naude are the new leaders of PTA Coffee Break, a part of the PTA Council’s Parent Education Program.

For about $5, parents get to enjoy a cup of coffee and a pastry, and hear presentations on parenting from authors, media personalities and other experts.

The PTA is looking for funding alternatives because of budget cuts, which make it difficult to cover speakers’ costs. They ask that parents and community members consider making donations.

They also launched gotocoffeebreak.com, which offers archives of presentations and wrap-ups of the latest meetings.

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Nine students given scholarships

Nine Thurston Middle School students recently received scholarships to go to American Assn. of University Women’s Tech Trek summer science camps at different college campuses.

The camp allows eighth-grade students to get the university experience by living on campus for a week and taking science and math classes.

A grant from the Rotary Club of Laguna Beach allowed two girls to go. Sponsors included UC Irvine’s Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, Beach Cities LeTip, the Lebanese Ladies Cultural Society, and AAUW-LB members Patricia Griggs, Barbara Hamkalo, Elaine Lawson and Bana Hilal.

Malia Helms, Lilly Tabrizi and Lauren Thunen will attend camp at UC San Diego. Kaitlan Armstrong, Iman Berri, Skye Hendricks, Hailey McCullough, Molly McMillen and Hannah Neill will go to the camp at UC Irvine.

— Joanna Clay