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DIRECTOR'S Report
Presented to the GPA Board of Directors May 2009 Table of Contents 1. EL Update Every year at GPA more than three hundred students are tested with the California English Language Development Test (CELDT). For the past four years, Ms. Saucedo has been responsible for coordinating, administering and scoring of this test. This year 334, English Learners (EL) were tested. Out of those students 15, were initials, those eligible were tested with the Idea Proficiency Test (Spanish IPT). Newly enrolled students who are identified as potential English Learners are given the CELDT to determine their proficiency in English. After being identified as an EL, Spanish-speaking students are assessed with the IPT. These procedures are crucial to the proper placement, instruction, and reclassification of ELs. This year we have 49 possible reclassification candidates. We are waiting on the approval of the District’s Biliteracy and English Learner Support Department. The ESL students at GPA continue to work hard second semester. Saturday Academy continues to be a success for the students and approximately half of the students in the ESL department attend the academy weekly. This allows their teachers the opportunity to work with the students on a one to one basis or in small groups. At the beginning of the semester, the ESL students had the opportunity to present their Black History Month biography reports to their parents and staff members. Many students presented their biographies using Power Point. Students also researched and wrote books about Cesar E. Chavez. In addition, the ESL students at GPA just finished writing a paragraph in which they contrast two concepts. Through this lesson, students learned how to create a T-chart to categorize and contrast the two items or subjects they were writing about. Students also learned a variety of transitional words they could utilize, to assist them during the writing process. Although writing has been emphasized greatly this semester, reading has also played an important role in the ESL classrooms. Students have the opportunity to read in class daily. Students read independently, choral read, pair read, and read aloud in class. The ESL students are so eager to practice their reading skills that they often get upset if they are not selected to read at least once during class. After the CST, the ESL students are scheduled to read two novels, Esperanza Rising, by Pam Muñoz Ryan, and Just Juice, by Karen Hesse. They will also continue to work on their writing skills and vocabulary development. A celebration of learning is in the works. 2. Family Support
Center (FSC)
3. Partnerships of FSC Family Support Center continues to strengthen successful partnerships with the following agencies/ programs: SER- Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Labor to provide training for low-income job seekers, age 55 and older. SER partners with local non-profit organizations (host agencies) to provide participants with training opportunities to update their skills. GPA serves as a host agency. We currently have 3 SER workers, who provide assistance in various areas on campus. Some examples are lunch supervision, hallway supervision, locker room assistance, library assistance and clerical assistance. Union of Pan Asian Communities/ Rainbow Support- Contracted by San Diego Health and Human Services to be GPA’ Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment service (EPSDT) provider. EPSDT is Medi- Cal’s comprehensive and preventive child health program for children. EPSDT pays for services for young people who have full scope Medi-Cal and demonstrate medical necessity by having a DSM IV diagnosis for mental illness. UPAC has one full time Therapist out- stationed at GPA. Rainbow currently has a caseload of 38 students. METRO/ United Methodist Urban Ministries- Metro is a faith based organization committed to empowering low income individuals, families and communities to overcome poverty and achieve self sufficiency through employment, education, social services and leadership development. METRO provides a comprehensive group0 individual mentoring program that encourages academic achievement and provides incentives for benchmarks. METRO utilizes various modules of violence prevention as a basis for keeping youth from exploring gang activities. Home Start, Inc./ Systemic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) - The STEP parenting program is an effective, eight-session curriculum that focuses on topics important to parents today. This course provides valuable tools which improve communication among family members and lessens conflict. Home Start provides funding for two classes, one in English, and the other in Spanish, baby sitting and dinner for participants. This in-kind service is valued at $8,800.00 The Tariq Khamisa Foundation (TKF). Hope Works Mentoring Program is a Gang Prevention Pilot Project designed to address reducing gang involvement and community violence. TKF is the lead agency for the innovative school and community intervention. The initiative embraces a classic prevention strategy that gets in front of the problem before expensive and harsh solutions are demanded. TKF has two full time AmeriCorps workers at out-stationed at GPA, to work with our most at- risk students. The have 17 students enrolled in their program and meet with them individually and in group settings. 4. Exercise and
Nutritional Sciences Baseball has hit a homerun at GPA/GPA! This spring, 14 freshmen clad in brand new baseball uniforms, stood shoulder to shoulder awaiting approval from the Director to board the bus to participate in their first baseball game. The boys were nervous and full of pride. Coach Lewis has worked extensively with the team during the winter and this was the moment they had all worked so hard for. Many of the boys were unstoppable with their efforts of raising their GPA not only high enough to be allowed to play, but to a much higher GPA than they thought was possible. The preparation for the team was intense starting at 7:00 AM under the tutelage of Coach Lewis. The team focused on academics in the early hours before school and during Saturday Academy, so they could spend their afternoons and early evenings practicing a sport many of them have never played. The Eagles lost their first game, but the show of sportsmanship, character and team pride was praised by the coaches from the other team. “Gompers” has earned a reputation in Athletics, and it is a reputation of exemplary sportsmanship and spirit! 5. Gompers Preparatory Academy Planning The culture committee has conducted two parent meetings to give incoming GPA 9th and 10th grade families information about the plans for AP classes, University Prep class, selected elective classes, teacher selection process and extracurricular activities. Close to 100 families met in groups of up to 10 students and parents with the planning committee leaders for a breakfast or dinner meeting to give input toward the continued planning for the 9-12th grades. Those students who signed up to enroll, whose families were not able to attend the event, met with their school counselor and committee leaders in focus groups to be able to give their input as well. Some parent and student input to date includes offering additional foreign languages such as Latin for high school students, making sure we have enough support classes to help students to be successful in AP offerings and a multitude of extra curricular offering suggestions. Students and Parents left the event extremely excited and made such comments as they were going to be receiving a private education for free and they were impressed with how organized and how well planned the high school is to date. The curriculum committee is working toward implementation of summer school for up to 50 current 9th grade students needing credit make up in Biology or Geometry or wishing to re-take the class to increase their final grade in those classes. Summer school will be led by English Department Chair and Teacher Leader, Barb Robinson. The committee has also developed the 3rd semester concept in Biology, is creating the syllabi for all courses to reflect advanced course work, will order the texts for 10th grade, have developed a full inclusion plan for special education and is researching and writing curriculum. The culture and curriculum committee are collaborating together to design digital portfolios for all students and create rubrics for academic and citizenship grades for all courses. The school will be adopting a program called Naviance that will allow each student to have their individual track to college mapped out including researching colleges, scholarships, a personal learning inventory, their personal a-g plan and career search tools. Parents, students and staff will have access to this tool and it will serve a centerpiece of the University Prep curriculum for 9-12th grades. The committee leaders, Ms. Robinson, Ms. Johnston, Ms. Kerns and Mr. Chodzko are to be applauded for their ability and dedication to continue to teach their middle school classes at the highest levels and lead the 9-10 planning work with such commitment and dedication. 6. Technology The Office of Technology and Innovation has invested significant time in streamlining services to staff and students. This includes developing our own Help Desk system and trouble ticket tracking system. We saved over $5,000 by developing our own Help Desk system and ticket tracking database, instead of buying an “off the shelf” solution. The database allows the three-member team to collaboratively support the staff and track work. The Department has also continued working on the 1:1 laptop initiative for the 9-12 school. In March a student focus group was formed to assist with the selection of the hardware to be used in the program. Six 8th and 9th grade students were given the latest netbook models from Acer, HP, and Lenovo. The vendors each came and spoke with the students and allowed them to take the mini laptops for two weeks. At the end of the demo period the students gathered and provided feedback on the functionality and practicality of using the computers everyday. The next steps in creating the program include a teacher focus group, which will test various tablet notebooks for implementation in the classroom. The department is also working to develop a professional development plan, for the teachers, that includes everything from basic technology integration to content specific tools. 7. SDUSD Accountability Visit (Audit) On April 28, 2009, the San Diego Unified School District’s Charter Accountability Team visited GPA to conduct their annual oversight visit, to examine the Education Program, Financial Operations, and Governance Functions of the school. They visited classrooms, reviewed school documents and interviewed teachers, Executive Leadership Team members, Business Manager, and several members of the GPA Board of Directors. The initial feedback received from the accountability team was positive overall, with specific mention of how “sophisticated” our Board of Directors is, and how our school is “run very well operationally and financially.” We will receive a draft of their report within 60 days of their visit, with the opportunity to provide input before the report is finalized. 8. English Department The English Department continues to deliver CORE created genre-based units of study. Because the implementation of best practices is a focal point for the department, weekly grade level collaboration continues to be a primary focus and priority. Collaboration meetings are an opportunity for teachers to discuss the needs of specific populations and learning styles and use that data as a platform for lesson planning. Consequently, grade level teams collectively create lesson plans that purposefully address multiple learning modalities and the specific scaffolds that our student population needs. These modalities and supports run the gamut of challenging gate students to meeting the needs of students with learning disabilities. Weekly collaboration also facilitates the strategic use of checking for understanding. This informal data serves as a means to explore effective pedagogy for transforming a lesson. Strategies such as questioning, think-pair-share, and gallery walks provide essential, on-the- spot information on the effectiveness of a lesson. Teachers collaborate on how to both interpret this informal data and use it to modify a lesson. 9. Saturday Academy Last years’ CST data revealed that reading comprehension is a major area of need for GPA students. Additionally, the reading assessments that English teachers conduct further show the need for reading remediation. Saturday Academy leaders synthesized this data with the school-wide objective to prepare our students to be effective test takers, and created a testing as a genre curriculum. This has created a synergized effort amongst Saturday Academy staff to become better teachers of reading and cultivate an environment of test-taking stamina and strategies. Consequently, students have received the extra support they need to improve their reading ability and the much needed and deserved confidence that will make them effective test takers. With the CST right around the corner and Saturday Academy leaders very confident about the tools our students have received, Saturday Academy will implement a new instructional goal. As a concentrated focus for the few remaining Saturday Academies, students will work diligently to make up any missing work. Due to the 8th grade retention law, there will be a significant emphasis placed on eighth grade. 10. Discipline Update We believe that GPA students must be held to the same standards as their counterparts in college prep schools elsewhere. With the bar raised and net gains in school culture, GPA students continue to rise to our high expectations. These expectations are clearly set at every possible moment. At our Morning Huddle, the line-up before students enter the Gates of Wisdom each morning, students listen silently while the Director delivers a message about the expectations of the day. These expectations are reinforced throughout the day by all of the adults on campus. Expectations for the week are even more explicitly outlined through College Class. In recent weeks, a low amount of red cards (referrals), have been issued by teachers indicating a higher accountability within individual classroom. School culture is the foundation for academic achievement and the overall school culture is strong and focused on teaching and learning. 11. College Classes with the Director College Classes continue to evolve to meet the ever-changing academic and culture needs of GPA students. While the classes continue to address issues that are typical areas of need for middle and high school students (e.g. bullying, respect, pride, and conduct), the academic component of College Classes delve further into what it means to be a college prep student, academically speaking. Thanks to the school-wide, individual academic goal setting that was rolled out in college class, a record 111 students are on the third quarter Honor Roll. To make the GPA Honor Roll, students must have 3.5 or higher in both academics and citizenship. If the requirement were 3.0 in academics and citizenship, 282 students would be on this quarter’s Honor Roll. Also worth mentioning is the 376 students who made the Dean’s List this quarter, which requires a 3.0 or above in citizenship. In Fourth Quarter, we expect even more students to earn high honors as a result of the goal setting from College Classes and the growing culture of hard work being promoted in every classroom. In true college prep form, GPA students are becoming increasingly focused on earning the distinction of making the Honor Roll or the Dean’s List. 12. Science Department Our Science teachers continue to engage students at high levels through exciting first-hand science experiences. The March report highlighted field trips, such as the UCSD seismology experiments and the Body Worlds exhibit, that opened our students’ eyes to the world of Science at large. This month, students are engaging in even more hands-on Science. From building models of plate tectonics to “making” DNA and projectile devices, Science students can be seen around campus, not just listening to information about Science, but truly experiencing it first-hand –learning by doing. 13. Math Department Leading up to the CST tests, the math department has taught a series of lessons focused on testing as a genre study. The purpose of these lessons is to familiarize students with the wording and format of standardized, multiple choice tests while refreshing their understanding of academic and mathematical language. Math teachers have also been hard at work creating projects to expose students to the real-life applications of mathematics. Some highlights include Ms. Kim’s Algebra class who wrote stories featuring the quadratic equation. These stories were published in books that the students then had to sell to teachers and visitors through presentations of learning. Soon, the Pre-Algebra and Geometry teachers will be working with their students to create model rooms and homes. Students will need to plan, build, present and write about the model homes over the course of two weeks. 14. Math Center Support Under the leadership of Algebra teacher Aly Kim, the math center continues to service an average of 60 students per week. Ms. Kim has done a fantastic job of coordinating with UCSD to ensure that there are always tutors o of the students are able to work one-on-one with an adult or mentor student. Students in seventh grade have been the most present in the math center over the past two months. These students received a graphic organizer that listed all of the learning that would be taking place in April and May as well as all previously covered concepts. The purpose of this organizer was to encourage students to be proactive with their learning. In class, students were able to go through the concepts and identify the areas in which they did not feel proficient and then create a plan to either meet with their teacher for tutoring or go to the math center to brush up on their skills. The math center will be closed during the CST testing window, but will reopen during the first week of June, when teachers and tutors will get students prepared for their final exams. 15. Freshman PM Since opening in March, Freshman PM has served over 55% of ninth graders at GPA. The purpose of Freshman PM is to give students an opportunity to study, compute and socialize in a “college study café” environment. Students have stated that they really enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and appreciate the extra help they get from their peers and teachers. Of the students who have attended since opening, 21% are at risk and have earned less than a 2.0 GPA during the third quarter. These students spend most of their time in the computer lab or working with one of their teachers during the two and a half hours to get extra help or make up missing work. Although there are still many students in need of help after the third quarter, 32% of the students had their GPAs increase from the first semester to the third quarter. Freshman PM will be closed during the two weeks of CST testing but will reopen in June. 16. Freshman Academy The first progress report for the second semester brought some changes to Freshman Academy (FA). At the beginning of the semester there were 27 students attending FA. We had 7 students "graduate" from FA for improving their grades above a 2.0 GPA. We are currently serving 26 students. This is still lower than the 39 students we were serving when FA first started during the first semester. Freshmen Academy continues to take place every Friday from 12:30-2:30 PM. Students are currently receiving help in English, Math, and Spanish. Three of our ENS teachers, our Art teacher and Computer teacher also assist FA students. In addition to FA helping students on Fridays, our director is also assisting the FA students by having an advisory class with the whole group Monday through Thursday. 17. Gompers Athletic Field Update (Proposition S and Expansion of Millennial Tech Middle) GPA staff were recently informed of specific District plans for expanding neighboring school Millennial Tech Middle (MTM). These plans involve an encroachment onto the current GPA Exercise and Nutrition Science (ENS) field, including the installation of portable classrooms on the north end of the field. GPA leadership team members have responded to District staff with their concerns, including (1) the negative impact of the encroachment on GPA/GPA student learning and athletic activities and (2) the conflict of these plans with the Proposition S plans for a joint-use athletic complex on the GPA campus. GPA leadership team members are scheduled to meet with the District’s Chief Logistics Officer and Executive Director of the Capital Improvement Bond Program (Prop S) on Friday, May 22, to negotiate the terms of the MTM expansion and Prop S work to be completed on the Gompers West (GPA/GPA) and Gompers East (MTM) campuses. In addition, the District plans to hold a public meeting in the upcoming weeks, to gain input from parents and community members on projects being funded by Prop S. GPA leadership team requested further communication opportunities before this meeting is held, including GPA/GPA parent input on the plans to be presented. |
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