Schools
ABC School Board Honors District's Four Distinguished School Recipients
Four ABC School Board schools were honored for receiving the title of Distinguished Schools by the California Department of Education.
On May 1, the ABC School Board honored . These schools were selected for their efforts and results in trying to narrow the achievement gap.
Principal Deborah Berlyn of , Principal Patrick Walker of , Principal Melissa Valentine of Kennedy Elementary and Principal Tom Tracy of were all present at the ABC School Board meeting.
Berlyn said Carver focuses on helping all its students, rather than just the gifted and talented ones.
“It's the best time ever that the kids have,” Berlyn said. "They truly love it. We want to make sure that all our kids are successful.”
Valentine said Kennedy concentrates on healthy minds and healthy bodies, focusing on nutrition and physical fitness. On a strategic level, Valentine said the school has interventions for students performing just below grade level.
“Our students were given the support they needed,” Valentine said.
Tracy said that Stowers has community partners that come in on a monthly basis to talk to the parents and children.
“It's not just the teachers,” Tracy said. “It's not just the parents. It's the combination. We took learning to a different level where the focus is not necessarily on the learning, but on the grasping of learning. With practice comes perfection. Our API scores went through the roof.”
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Finally, Walker commended the collaborative effort of everyone involved in the program at Wittman, which has received the Distinguished School honors in the past.
“It truly was a very collaborative effort - from writing the document and application, to editing committees,” Walker said.
In other news, the school board approved the second reading of the revision to Board Policy regarding physical education.
The next school board meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 16.