Grades 6-8
Currently all sixth and seventh grade classes have been working hard on number sense with a particular focus on fractions, percents and decimals. In a report released earlier this year by the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings, flexibility with numbers, especially fractions, is a major predictor of success in Algebra I. With our commitment to have all eighth grade students enrolled in Algebra I, we must focus on preparing students in the lower grades. In addition to the content focus, teachers have been working on implementing good practices in their classrooms. Students in sixth grade have taken ownership of class discussions, seventh graders have just finished their second presentations of learning, and eighth graders are relating concepts such as linear relationships to real-life situations.
Grades 9 and 10
The high school teachers have been given the opportunity to integrate more technology into their daily lessons with the installation of Promethean Boards in all of their classrooms. Students have used these tools to create graphic organizers to support their learning, animations of difficult math topics and interactive displays. All ninth graders are currently enrolled in Geometry while most tenth graders are enrolled in Advanced Algebra II.
Math Center and Other Interventions
After looking critically at the data reflecting the math CST scores for our students over the past three years, the math department has designed interventions that provide support in and out of the classroom. Some classrooms have a co-teacher in the classroom to facilitate small groups to target the needs of students with specific learning needs. Every grade level is offering extra tutoring before school, during encore, and after school for students who need focused tutoring. Beginning November 12, Mr. Colon will reopen the Math Center. The Math Center will be open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-8:00 pm for all students. Tutors from UCSD and teacher volunteers will provide students with extra help on current projects and assignments.
Professional Learning with Katherine Casey
In October, Katherine Casey spent an entire day at GPA touring math classrooms to look for trends in vocabulary instruction. She met with Karly Kerns to develop a plan for future professional development for the Math Department. She later provided a one hour class for math teachers focused on how to front load vocabulary and create interactive word walls.
Special Education Department:
The Special Education Department is fully staffed and has hired additional positions due to student need. We currently have 7 credentialed teachers and 7 support teachers. Co-teaching is off to a great start, and at this time we are supporting roughly 86% of our special education students in the general education classrooms as outlined in our charter. Although this is a brand new program, our staff is determined to meet the needs of every student in the least restrictive environment.
We currently have two Learning Centers in place to support students in reading and other subjects in which they are struggling. The staff in the Learning Centers recently received training on the REWARDS program which is supported by research to improve the reading levels of students who are reading far below grade level. If implemented correctly, we should see great improvement in reading for our students. In addition, Emi Johnson, the Director of the El Dorado SELPA, has visited our programs and given feedback to ensure we are creating a model program. During one of her visits, she trained our staff on the legal issues surrounding discipline of students with special needs.
Exercise and Nutritional Science Department (ENS): Keiller Leadership Academy Observation
On October 28th the entire Exercise and Nutritional Science Department observed Keiller Leadership Academy’s physical education program. This provided the department the opportunity to see quality physical education implemented in a similar socio-economic population. The department took notes while at KLA, and then reflected as a group the following morning. Each member of the ENS Department selected three strategies they’d like to implement at GPA. These items include:
- Locker Room Environment (calm, organized, students on task immediately, and orderly)
- Use of the park for classes
- White boards and visual aides
- Walking club (students begin walking once they exit the locker rooms immediately)
- Department wide structures
UCSD I-Phone & Pedometer Research Study
ENS is excited to incorporate more technology and data driven instruction by participating with UCSD on a study to develop a device which will incorporate pedometers and an I-phone application to help teachers, specifically PE teachers, assess how much of the time students spend in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Teachers would be able to view students' performance real time and compare students with each other as well as within the student him/herself to assess improvements over time. Teachers would also be able to tailor their instruction based on the amount of time students spend in MVPA and assess the effects of different types of activities. At this time UCSD is still in the grant application process.
Fitnessgram Pre-Testing
The ENS Department is committed to increasing our students’ fitness levels. Currently, every student is going through Fitnessgram pre-testing in order for students to develop goals and guide teaching. The Fitnessgram test includes: push-ups, Pacer running test, curl-ups, mile run, sit and reach, shoulder stretch, and body mass index. In order to support the school wide goal of data driven instruction, the ENS Department is committed to assessing every students’ fitness levels prior to the Thanksgiving break.
New Member of Our Team
ENS is grateful to welcome a new member to our team. Mr. Adam Lake joined the ENS teaching staff on October 13th. Mr. Lake brings a strong knowledge of fitness instruction and passion for ENS. With one more ENS instructor joining the team, class sizes reduced dramatically, which makes it more feasible to implement standards-based instruction and ensure a positive learning environment.
Social Studies Department:
It has been a very exciting year for the Social Studies Department at GPA. The department has worked hard this year to make sure we are planning thoughtful and purposeful lessons that tie into GPA’s goals of academic vocabulary and teaching reading in all content areas. GPA history teachers have access to their students’ test scores for as long as they have been enrolled in SDUSD, which allows them to pin point their students’ strengths and areas of need. The department will be using meeting times to learn effective ways for teachers to incorporate the test information into their lessons to create engaging lessons that will help GPA close the achievement gap. History students have spent the last nine weeks exploring everything from the beginnings of early man to the growth of democratic thought throughout Europe and the Americas.
6th Grade
6th grade students, studying ancient civilizations, have just finished up a unit on early man and humans transition from a society of hunter-gatherers to an agricultural society. The 6th grade students will be moving on to study ancient Egypt. The culminating project at the end of the unit will be a living museum. Students will be taking on the role of various people key to daily life in Egypt.
7th Grade
7th grade students in World History have covered the lasting legacies of the Roman Empire, the fall of the Roman Empire, and Medieval Europe—the rise of feudalism and the prominence of the Roman Catholic Church. Students demonstrated their knowledge and understanding of the content by creating murals depicting the various lasting legacies (art; architecture and engineering; language and writing; philosophy, law and citizenship) of the Roman Empire. For the fall of Rome, students mapped the invasion routes of various groups that attacked Rome and compared and contrasted the social, political, economic, military, and religious aspects that contributed to Rome’s decline. For the unit on Medieval Europe, students created feudal and modern day hierarchal charts to depict social, economic, and political stratification. Students learned about the influence of the Roman Catholic Church in society by examining the increasing power of the church (economically and politically), analyzing Gothic art and architecture, and understanding the role of education in medieval society. The unit will culminate with a presentation of learning, in which students will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of this era by creating a puppet show.
8th Grade
GPA 8th graders in U.S. History have been exploring the United States’ journey to independence. They began the year by looking at the Native Americans that were present before the European settlers arrived. They studied the physical characteristics that made up the eight cultural regions of North America and how Native Americans were able to adapt to their environments. Students studied the eight regions and which groups of Native Americans lived in each region, they identified the environmental factors that promoted cultural diversity among the different groups, and described the cultural adaptations made by Native Americans living in each region. 8th graders then learned how European nations explored and established settlements in the Americas. They identified the motives behind the European exploration of the Americas, described the differences between the Spanish, French, English, and Dutch settlements, and explained how European exploration and settlement of the Americas affected the indigenous peoples and West Africans. 8th graders continued their studies by comparing and contrasting the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies and examined daily life in colonial America. Students studied the emergence of major regional differences in the colonies and analyzed key ideas about different aspects of colonial life. The next unit will be examining the tensions between the colonies and Great Britain from 1763 – 1775, the Declaration of Independence, and the key historic events that led to it. Students will be closing this unit with a debate where students will assume the roles of either a Patriot or a Loyalist and defend their positions by discussing the key arguments on colonial independence and the need to go to war with Great Britain.
9th & 10th Grade
9th and 10th grade students in Modern World History have just finished a unit on the growth of western political thought. In this unit they studied the influence that ancient Greece and Rome, the early cultures of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and the Renaissance had on the development of modern democracy. High school students continue to study the Enlightenment era and its influence on the fight for independence and rights around the world. Students just completed their Presentations of Learning (POL) on a variety of revolutions and fights for independence. Students presented information on the English Civil War, the American Revolution, the French Revolution, Latin American Independence, Brazil’s Independence, Mexican Independence, the Unification of Germany, the Unification of Italy, the Haitian Revolution, and the Russian Revolution of 1905. The next unit will focus on the Industrial Revolution and the affects of imperialism on the globe. Students will be creating an advertising campaign for a public service announcement.
English Language Arts Department: Units of Study and Presentations of Learning (POL):
The Language Arts classes just recently completed their Narrative Units. Each grade level planned from a unit map, created by CORE content leaders last school year that was designed to facilitate rigorous, engaging, standards-based lessons. Once the narrative compositions were completed, each grade level produced amazing POLs that demonstrated students’ ability to synthesize the learning that occurred over the first six weeks of instruction.
The seventh graders engaged in POLs where all students read their realistic-fiction narratives to one another in small groups. Each class was decorated with book covers that students created for their own narratives. Teachers gave out bags of school supplies to each student as they entered the room to celebrate the enormous accomplishment of writing their first papers in middle school.
The eighth graders at GPA also completed their first compositions and POLs. Students had a choice to either write biographies or narratives. The compositions had to have incidents or events with the use of well-chosen details. Students were expected to reveal their attitudes towards the subject and employ relevant dialogue, background description, and compare or contrast characters. The POLs for eighth graders was more rigorous: students had to read their papers in front of the class where they displayed great poise, their voices were projected, and they made eye contact with the audience as they read their papers.
Our ninth and tenth graders culminated their first unit with the “Author’s Launch” in the library. Students read to each other and to visitors and answered questions about their papers. The high school students also had a choice to write biographies or narratives, but they had to locate scenes and incidents in specific places, use concrete sensory details and interior monologue where the protagonist’s feelings were depicted. High school students displayed great maturity as they read their papers. It was incredible to hear our students in high school use high-level vocabulary in their compositions; they are great examples to our middle school students.
All grade levels have recently launched the Response to Literature unit. In this unit, students will analyze and interpret literature at a deeper level. Each grade level will deliver the vertically aligned, standards-based curriculum to our students.
Four School-Wide Learning Objectives
In addition to expanding on the units of study created by CORE last year, the Language Arts department is actively implementing the professional development around the school-wide objectives. To date, our teachers have received professional development and Academic Team Leadership support around: engagement, academic vocabulary, and just recently - using data to inform instruction. Language Arts teachers are enthusiastically applying this learning to better meet the needs of our students.
The Language Arts department continues to do work around reading instruction. Every student at GPA has an independent reading book. Currently, Language Arts teachers are conferring with students to ensure their book is suited for them and are providing ample time in class to both read and purposefully interact with others about their reading.
Outside Consultants
Katherine Casey and Anne Robinson have both been brought in to provide professional development. Ms. Casey will concentrate on vocabulary and reading, and Ms. Robinson on writing - specifically timed writing for our 7th and 10th graders, as they both will have a timed writing portion with the STAR testing.
Again, the Language Arts teachers relish the opportunity to learn and eagerly apply the new learning to their planning and instruction. The Language Arts teachers know they are fortunate to come into this year with incredible units of study already prepared. That level of support has set an expectation that teachers will move our students up the bands of proficiency. It is going to be a stellar year.
Science Department:
This is a very exciting year for GPA’s Science Department. With a common planning time this year, science teachers are working together to plan and document engaging, rigorous lessons, while emphasizing unit mapping, scope and sequence of grade level curriculum and school wide learning objectives.
Science teachers are using backwards planning while writing lessons. By doing so, grade level collaboration reinforces the consistency of objectives, activities, and the use of high-level vocabulary. Unit maps and lesson plans are submitted to the department chair regularly. Students are given opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of content through purposeful labs and Presentations of Learning (POL) in addition to completing pre and post unit assessments.
Sixth Grade: The students have been working hard to concentrate on investigation and experimentation through labs, demonstrations, and hands on activities reinforcing the scientific method. During the first quarter the students visited the Beckman Learning Center and presented their learning experience in a POL.
Seventh Grade: These students spent the first nine weeks of school focusing on investigation and becoming experts at articulating their findings. They have discussed the work of Charles Darwin in regards to evolution and the theory of natural selection, while conducting a simulation of the Peppered Moth Study.
Eighth Grade: Students have focused on the foundational ideas of physical science, which includes: structure of matter and atoms; reviewing measurements, volume, and mass; and comparing physical and chemical properties. Students have demonstrated understanding through lab activities, demonstrations and POLs.
Ninth Grade: The freshmen have been working very hard. They started with a two-week unit called Biophilia (love of life) that covered GPA culture as well as what biology is and methods of studying life, including a measurement lab. The first major content unit was Chemistry of Life: covering atoms, elements, subatomic particles, compounds and molecules, mixtures, and the four major biological macromolecules – carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids and proteins. The culmination of this unit was a POL just in time for Open House, in which the students created a PowerPoint presentation or a tri-fold display board with many different types of information about one of the four macromolecules they studied, and then gave a presentation on the macromolecule. The next unit, still ongoing, is called Cell Biology / Cell Processes, which includes cell structures (organelles) and their functions, as well as the different types of cell transport. They have recently begun photosynthesis. Students will also cover cellular respiration and mitosis before the unit is over. The culminating assessment for this unit will be a comprehensive exam.
Tenth Grade: The sophomores in the past 7 weeks have completed daily work, notes, mini-experiments in measuring, a pre and post assessment, and a culminating project on how to make measurements in Chemistry. The concepts covered included such topics as length, scientific notation, the metric system, mass, volume, density, and combination problems that require critical thinking in order to solve.
Parent Engagement: Parent Center
There is a new spot on campus for parents: their very own Parent Center! Room 63, which will be used for parent meetings and workspace, features a bilingual parent educational resource center, a technology center, and a “Kid’s Corner.” In November, parents will be invited to attend technology classes to set up an email account, learn how to navigate the internet, help their child with assignments, and utilize our website to check updates and news. Parents will be able to use the Parent Center while on campus for their technology needs.
Fall Spaghetti Dinner
The Parent-Teacher-Student Connection (PTSC) hosted a delicious spaghetti dinner during Open House on October 9th in the Dining Hall. The dinner was prepared by our own parents and was free to current PTSC members. Guests entered the dining hall to find an elegant buffet and tables decorated with lovely fall flower arrangements. Thanks to the hard work of our parents, our first PTSC dinner of the year was a great success.
Parent Volunteering
Our parents are off to an amazing start with their parent volunteer hours! Just two months into the school year, we already have an incredible 487 parent hours logged! At each PTSC meeting, the top three volunteer parents are recognized for their hard work, and the parent with the most hours receives a gift certificate to a local restaurant. Our Parent/Community Liaison, Leticia Lopez, continues to make contact with parents every single day to invite them to campus to volunteer.
Parent Breakfast 11/9
On November 9, GPA parents hosted a parent breakfast. The guest speaker was Dr. Edward Olivos, who is renowned for his research and writing in the area of parent involvement in urban settings. Dr. Olivos spoke to our parents about the importance of the parent in their child’s education, and suggested new and creative ways to stay involved on campus.
Parent Meeting 11/18
Our next PTSC and School Site Council meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 18, 2009. Topics will include planning for our Holiday Reception, parent fundraising, and an informational session on how to effectively use our website as a parent.
Human Resources (HR):
The HR Department is working to help close the achievement gap by hiring teachers and staff to lower class sizes. A new math teacher will be hired to reduce the teacher to student ratio in 8th grade Algebra I. A new ENS teacher was recently hired to reduce numbers and raise achievement in physical education, and a locker room attendant has been hired in order to even further increase the level of supervision and safety of our students.
In an effort to further increase consistency in the academic program, GPA is hiring a pool of teachers who will be available to substitute when the regular classroom teacher is absent or attending training. These “On-Call Teachers on Staff” will be thoroughly trained in GPA school culture as well as in GPA best practices in teaching.
GPA recently said “Good bye” to an accomplished member of the Executive Leadership Team, Technology Director Tom Haakma. The technology needs of the school are now under the direction of four highly capable part-time assistants.
Facilities:
The Gompers facilities continue to improve by the week, thanks largely to the new custodial staff. The Board’s decision to hire GPA-employed custodians has proven to be a move in the right direction for kids. From classroom clean-up and H1N1 prevention to repairs and even supervision, the custodial team has become engrained in GPA’s 70 as 1 staff culture by doing what is best for kids. Thank you, once again, to the Board of Directors for allowing this important move.
FSC Update:
Student Enrollment
We are steadily moving towards our enrollment cap of 853 students. We have gained 34 students since the September report to the board.
Grade
Enrolled
Cap
6
55
55
7
242
250
8
273
288
9
151
160
10
93
100
TOTAL
814
853
Attendance
Research shows that there is a very strong connection between Average Daily Attendance (ADA) and student performance in school. Higher attendance equals higher achievement for all students. Our school wide ADA goal is 95%. The following chart demonstrates how Gompers has met the overall goal for grades 6-8, and approaching our goal in grades 9 and 10.
6th Grade
96.64
7th Grade
96.38
8th Grade
95.30
Overall
95.78
9th Grade
95.59
10th Grade
92.44
Overall
94.39
The Family Support Center strives to sustain and continuously improve attendance, by studying trends of years past and establishing an action plan that includes interventions as well as incentives Each week, the 1st period class with the best attendance is announced in college class and they receive a “floating trophy” to display in their classroom for the entire week. Each month, students with perfect attendance have an exclusive celebration to honor their hard work of being to school every day, on time.
PSAT
On October 14, 2009, 93 % (226) of the 9th and 10th grade students took the PSAT. This was an opportunity afforded to our college bound students to practice taking this kind of test and the result will lend an opportunity to identify areas that need attention before their junior year.
Four Year Plan
The Four-Year College Prep plan allows students to carefully plan their high school curriculum based on their career and post-secondary interests. The four-year plan is conducted in the 8th grade and includes:
- Career area(s) that interest the student
- Possible occupation(s)
- Post-secondary education plans
- Colleges of interest
- Courses the students will take each semester (related to the student's interests and educational goals)
- Grades
- Semester & cumulative credits
The four-year plan is flexible in nature and will be reviewed each year at GPA to accommodate students’ interests and any changes in their plans for the future. The four-year planning will be concluded with an 8th grade parent meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, November 18, 2009.
The Following Prevention/ Intervention Groups are Being Provided at GPA
Violence Intervention - Intervention group that helps students address predictors of aggression and the connections between being a victim and a perpetrator of harmful behavior.
Anger Management - Prevention group that offers practical tools and strategies to help students control their anger and avoid poor decisions and actions.
Insight - An intervention group that offers help to students who are in some kind of trouble because of their alcohol, marijuana, or other drug use. Through a nine-part series of classes and interactive group meetings, students learn about mood-altering substances (with a special emphasis on marijuana use), how the substances affect their problem-solving abilities, and the social consequences of their drug use.
METRO/ United Methodist Urban Ministries Mentoring Program - A group mentoring program for struggling students, which encourages academic achievement and provides incentives for benchmarks.
Perspectives - A prevention group focused on girls with an incarcerated parent. Perspectives addresses relationship (connection) and relevance (meaning) in education. Perspectives does not teach values explicitly, but exposes students to a process through which values are formed.
Teen - LEAP, Leadership, Empowerment, and Awareness Program: brought to us in-kind by STAR/Pal this fall. This ten lesson curriculum, which culminates with a community project, is designed for middle school students to develop as effective leaders within the school and community.
Why Try - A prevention/ intervention group which helps students overcome their challenges and improve outcomes in the areas of truancy, behavior, and academics. Why Try teaches critical social and emotional principles to students using a series of ten pictures (visual analogies) which each teach a principal, such as resisting peer-pressure, or that decisions have consequences. The visual components are then reinforced by music and physical activities. The major learning styles—visual, auditory, and body-kinesthetic—are all addressed.
Gompers/Millennial Tech Middle Facilities Master Plan (Operation Save Our Campus):
GCMS/GPA staff members have worked closely with District Staff to schedule and promote a series of community meetings, where students, parents, and community members have shared their ideas and opinions regarding the future development of the Gompers/MTM campuses. Throughout these meetings, the Gompers community has continued to express a strong desire for a multi-story academic building, gymnasium for indoor basketball and volleyball, and CIF-standard athletic fields for baseball/softball, soccer, football, and track & field. The Gompers community has expressed strong opposition to the construction of a bus turnaround on the Gompers campus.
In addition, GCMS/GPA leaders and Board Chairman Steppe have been collaborating with District Staff to develop a follow-up Memorandum of Understanding that reflects the intent of the July 21 and 28 SDUSD Board decisions. We have not yet received a completed Memorandum of Understanding, but were assured by the District’s Director of Planning that a draft would be delivered in the upcoming weeks.
GCMS/GPA Merger:
GCMS/GPA staff submitted material modifications to the GPA Charter document to the SDUSD Charter Office on October 23. District Staff are currently reviewing the document and will make approval recommendations to the Board of Education. We have been informed by District Staff that our material modifications will be presented to the Board in December. If the Board does not approve the material modifications of the GPA Charter document, then GCMS will need to immediately pursue a charter renewal, in order to renew before the current GCMS Charter expires on June 30, 2010.
Facilities Use Agreement with SDUSD - 2010 and Beyond:
The SDUSD Board of Education adopted a proposal on October 6 to allow all charter schools currently occupying district facilities to be eligible for a multiyear facilities agreement. GCMS and GPA have been given the opportunity to review a draft generic multi-year agreement and have responded to affirm interest in pursuing multi-year use agreements for our schools. Specific draft agreements for each charter school will be sent to individual schools in the upcoming months, to be negotiated before the end of the 2009-10 school year. In the meantime, facilities request applications were submitted to the District by the 2010-11 Proposition 39 deadline (Nov. 2, 2009), to ensure that GCMS and GPA retain existing Prop 39 rights.
