So much to say, my fingers can't type that fast! I'm going to start with the Teacher Meeting Recap, but let me just say both meetings we're very exciting.
The agenda for the Teachers' Meeting was to establish an admissions policy that works within the framework of our new situation, as well as delineate the curriculum objectives in an easy to digest single page document that we can use to promote this school and further define it.
If you're child was already in Harborside, they are automatically admitted (if you choose) in this program. For all others, here is the Admission Process per the Teachers' Committee. This is what they are putting forth to the District:
* Parents must agree in advance to volunteer at the school 30 hours per school year.
* Students must agree to volunteer in the community throughout the school year.
* Parents and Students must take a tour of the school and be interviewed by an admission committee before filling out the admissions application.
* Students must have a letter of recommendation from a previous teacher in a format (created by staff and administration) including the following domains— Social / Emotional; Academic; Behavioral.
* In sticking to our original mission, students must score an average to above-average grade on the assessment instrument. There will be another meeting today that determines what this test will be.
* Preschool students must be potty trained prior to admission.
* Preschool students must come in for a behavioral assessment prior to admission, as before.
* Class size is maximum 18. Preschool ration is 10:1.
The question they would like to pose to the District is this: If students are admitted into the program and fail to meet our criteria, are we able to remove the student from the program? We hope to have an answer for you soon.
In the meeting that will happen today they will also determine a Discipline Policy.
In attendance at yesterday's meeting were Antionette Crivello, Erin Pennell, Diana De La Pena, Russell Jufiar, Erika Witham, Colleen Marble, Cara Hetrick, Steve Edele and our parent representatives, the Christy and Terry Rockwell.
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7 comments:
Thank you to all the teachers for this Leap Of Faith. We know that your heart is with the children. Please be rest assured that we all speak highly of you and hope that you will be patient. The parents are doing everything they can (as you saw yesterday) WITH OVER 25 PARENTS coming on-board. Marianna
My child was to begin at Harborside in September 2007. Does the suggested admission policy place us in the "New" or "Existing" student criteria?
Does the school district consider us "Harborside Students"?
Thank you "Anonymous" for your question. You would be in the EXISTING student criteria if you were already accepted, absolutely. District considers you Harborside students.
Have you filled out your District form? If not, please do so, we parents who have been here had to do this as well. Thank so much, great questions!
I am very pro computer studies, one part of the cirriculum which was not well presented at Harborside. I want my kids to be very computer savvy (then they can help me). I would be happy to supply my third grader with a lap top to be used at school, to access web, email, power point, and to learn this from a computer savvy teacher. Are other parents able to do this. I have heard of a programme in a Coronada school which started years ago in which classes were established (math, science, english) that required computers to be used in all lessons and the student had to have a computer if he wished to attend these classes. Has anyone else heard of this. Perhaps it could be an added suggestion to the application requirements.
To address that last comment, I wholly agree that computer instruction should be more integrated into the program. I don't think it's really reasonable to expect that supplying your child with a lap top be part of admission though-- that certainly takes a certain level of income and we don't want to discriminate on that basis BUT I will say this: first, Washington already has laptops, enough for an entire class and they are kept in the library. When each class goes in for computer class (yep, they have it) they each have a computer to use at school. Second thing I wanted to bring up on this topic is that La Jolla Elementary's Foundation (that's the group that is raising money through parent donations and business contributions) used some of their moneys last year to purchase something like an additional two dozen laptops. Certainly, as we move ahead with our own Foundation, that is something that we can put on the agenda. And I do think that it is important to discuss computer instruction in our curriculum, definitely. But unlike our own current curriculum, it IS a part of San Diego Unified's. I believe the fourth graders do presentations in Power Point among other things. I also personally think that various computer classes (for particular programs for instance) could be introduced as after-school programs. There is an organization out of San Francisco (with branches in other cities) called 826 Valencia: The Writer's Workshop and despite the name, they do a lot more instruction beyond writing -- they cover various computer programs as well and they hire (or rather, solicit volunteer) graphic designers and artists and writers to teach these after-school workshops -- and they are amazing because they make them so applicable to a kid's interests and life. They give the kids real-life role models who are making their living via these mediums. I think this is all stuff to really dig our teeth into once we get through this initial structural set-up and enrollment. Thanks so much for bringing this up -- we can all chomp on it for awhile.
Thanks Harborside at Washington for your view on the laptop situation. I realise that some students may not have the income for laptops, however we, as parents from harborside were willing to part with the fees to keep our children in harborside. A laptop is a very small amount when compared to fees. Yes, washington does have a wonderful library equiped with computers, which the entire school and our students would have access too. How much access when factoring in the numbers? Perhaps we could start a programme where a number of students are provided with a laptop for the year. I would be happy to pay a certain percentage of what fees we would have been paying to Harborside, into a fund which provides for equipment at the new harborside. Does anyone else have a response. I think we really need to get on board with i.t. programmes or our kids are going to be disadvantaged. KAREN.
Yes, yes! That is what La Jolla Elementary does-- they basically collect money (voluntarily, it's not mandatory at all) from whomever wants to contribute to the Foundation (they call it a once a year "Cash Drive.") They also collect money from businesses. This organization is different from the PTO. Last year, LJE's Foundation spent a large chunk of their revenue on laptops. I think this is a much more viable approach and think it could really work wonderfully at our schools. We simply cannot require any financial support because this will now be a public institution.
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