Adult ESL classes start

The Laguna Beach Unified School District Adult Education Program and La Playa Center are now offering free adult English-as-a-Second Language classes.

The classes are held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday at Laguna Beach High. The classroom is located on the second floor building behind the swimming pool on Park Ave., which can be accessed from the path to the right of the pool.

Classes are also held from 9 to 11 a.m. weekdays at the Boys and Girls Club, 1085 Laguna Canyon Road.

Students may attend any or all of the classes. Enroll with the instructor in the classroom.

Multi-lingual book author signing

Patricia Paigerac, author of Chimmy “5in1,” a children’s book that provides useful knowledge for family traveling and diversity in communicating with others, through the story of a cartoon monkey who teaches five languages in an entertaining and colorful manner, will sign copies of her book at 1 p.m. Saturday at Latitude 33 Book Shop, 311 Ocean Ave. in Laguna Beach.

“My quest is to reach out to children and prepare them with an advantage in language fluency at a young age, in order to initiate a desire to keep learning cultural importance,” Paigerac said.

A licensed medical esthetician and a mother of a 28-year-old son, Paigerac speaks French, Italian and English fluently and is learning Spanish. Her son could speak French and Italian fluently at a young age, and by the time he was 17, was also fluent in Spanish and English.

Paigerac said she believes that her son’s knowledge of these different languages has played a major role in his personal and professional success, and she wants to share that same opportunity for all children.

For more information, call (949) 494-5403.

College round up this week

Laguna Beach High School’s annual College Round Up event, which draws representatives from more than 80 colleges and universities nationwide, will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the North Gym.

Organized by the school’s Guidance and Counseling team, the event aims to help students and their families learn about dorm life, college majors and other pertinent college information as students are considering their postsecondary educational choices.

Students and families will have the opportunity to speak with representatives who will answer questions about admission requirements, availability of on-campus housing, areas of study, athletics, scholarships, financial aid and any other questions regarding the college experience.

“I encourage the parents and students to attend this invaluable event,” Supt. Sherine Smith said. “They will receive extensive information that will assist them as they plan for college and postsecondary educational choices.”

Pampering with a purpose

The Boys and Girls Club of Laguna Beach calls all women to a night of pampering, shopping and socializing Oct. 7 at the Wilson home, 100 Rockledge in Laguna Beach.

The fundraising event, which will feature fine food and cocktails, and a silent auction filled with gift certificates, spa treatments, accessories, jewelry, and even an opportunity to bid on an amazing vacation in Puerto Vallarta, will benefit BGC’s After-school programs.

Tickets for “Girls Night Out” are $100 and can be purchased on-line at https://www.bgclagunabeach.org or by calling Michelle Ray at (949) 494-2535 ext. 103. Tickets are limited and will go fast.

Oktoberfest is a success

The Laguna Beach Parents Club sold 161 tickets for its Octoberfest Family Carnival, which took place Sunday at the Boys and Girls Club.

Parents and kids enjoyed carnival games, a bounce house, face painting, Bavarian bratwurst, drinks and festive music.

The Club collected many monetary donations, school supplies and kids’ snacks.

PTA kicks off Coffee Break

The Laguna Beach PTA recently hosted a “kick-off” Coffee Break for parents and the Laguna Beach Unified School District administrators.

As is the custom for the first PTA Coffee Break of the season, this was an opportunity for parents and administrators to interact and discuss developments in the district.

Supt. Sherine Smith introduced the new chairperson of the Coffee Break committee, Cindy Newman-Jacobs, who along with a newly dedicated committee said she intends to expand the relevance of Coffee Break by using social media to tap into the most pressing issues parents and caregivers want to learn about.

SAT and ACT prep under way

College admission often depends upon successful performance on the SAT or ACT, according to Lisa Muehle, director of Cambridge Tutoring and Test Prep in Laguna Beach. With school in session, it’s test prep season for the SAT I and the ACT. Muehle, a Laguna resident, is the author of two SAT prep guides.

“Because many students want to be prepared for both the SAT and ACT, we recently added new ACT curriculum as an option within our existing course notes,” she said. “Students want to be prepared to take either test, and then focus on one or the other once they know which format they prefer.”

The new “Cambridge SAT & ACT Colloquium” is a seventh- to 11th-grade test prep course founded and still directed by Muehle, which has been featured on PBS and CBS. The course helps students learn grade-level appropriate concepts in math, critical reading, grammar, writing and vocabulary, as well as important test-taking techniques and approaches.

“There are definitely tricks to the trade,” Muehle said. “We teach both content and test-taking secrets and strategies with which most students are unfamiliar.”

Cambridge Tutoring & Test Prep provides professional, one-on-one (private or semi-private) tutoring for all subjects and levels, as well as test preparation for AP, GED, TOEFL, CBEST, HSPT, COOP, GMAT, LSAT, and a variety of private school entrance exams. For more information, call (949) 443-2700 or visit https://www.e-cambridgetutors.com.