ALTA VISTA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
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Mission Statement
The mission of Alta Vista Elementary School is to help all students become productive, responsible citizens who will adapt and grow intellectually, socially, emotionally, and physically in a changing world. This will be accomplished by providing learning opportunities in an environment that reflects community, culture, values, and needs.
About This Cause
Alta Vista Elementary School…A Great Place to Be! While Sarasota, Florida is known for its white sandy beaches, thriving arts community, and multi-million dollar homes, Alta Vista Elementary School is a Title I school with a diverse, low-income population where students have historically struggled to meet proficiency levels in reading and math state standards. At Alta Vista, our demographics include 23% African American, 44% Hispanic, 24% Caucasian, 8% Multi-Racial, and 1% Asian. Of our 456 students, 81% come from minority families, 30% live in homes where a language other than English is the primary language, and 94% are enrolled in the free and reduced price lunch program. This free and reduced lunch ratio has increased from 78% to 94% in the past ten years. Within our population, 49% of the students live in single-parent households. We also have the highest number of homeless children in any Sarasota county school. Leadership at Alta Vista has focused on guiding the school’s effort in supporting the improvement of teaching and learning aligned to high expectations for student achievement. Instructional programs, data analysis and data chats, professional development, collaborative planning, and shared distributive leadership are five critical components in leading and monitoring instructional practices. This comprehensive instructional focus has required organizational system changes needed to accomplish our achievement goals. During the past two years, school leadership has embraced Shared Distributive Leadership practices. By expanding and engaging new stakeholders in leading the instructional and programmatic changes, teachers are empowered to become more actively engaged in assuming personal ownership in the instructional practices needed to increase student achievement. While this organizational structure required a shift in thinking, teacher leader roles have inspired a culture of collaboration by creating teacher “experts” who provide professional development training throughout the school. Teachers meet in Professional Learning Communities (PLC) at least once per week during common planning times. Collaborative discussions are led by a team leader, while various team members lead training activities as their team’s identified expert. These varied leadership roles enhance the dynamics of a team ensuring teacher engagement and collaborative decision making throughout the school. By sharing leadership roles, teams have the capacity to sustain their focus on improving instruction and increasing student achievement. All teachers are knowledgeable and engaged in discussions that are an in-depth examination of formative and summative student data, item analysis of progress monitoring assessments, and differentiated instruction. Teachers identify and address specific learning needs of individual students by analyzing data and discussing instructional strategies that sustain and increase learning gains. They strategically differentiate instruction using high yield and impact strategies that intensify learning and increase student achievement. The implementation of Common Core guides discussions related to text complexity, text evidence, critical thinking skills, aligning existing curriculum and comprehensive mastery of standards. Intervention teachers provide small group and individualized intensive instruction for students performing in the lowest 25% on progress monitoring assessments and our ESE and ESOL staff provide instruction based on IEP and LEP goals. These daily 30 minute specialized intervention sessions are monitored to ensure rigor in targeting identified learning needs in reading, math, and writing. Intervention groups are fluid with movement as students make progress on specific skills and additional students are identified needing support. Our students need specialized programs that provide a strong academic focus and enrichment activities that will level the playing field and give them equal opportunities to be the next generation of successful young adults. Our focus has been on initiating programs that concentrate on intensive instruction that is prescriptive and differentiated for each of our at-risk students. Our afterschool 21st Century Tutorial and Soar2Success Academy provide identified students with additional instruction in reading and math in order increase skills in targeted deficit academic areas. The Eagle Academy is currently a comprehensive six-week summer program for entering kindergarten through grade five students. The program goals are to increase school readiness skills and decrease summer learning loss. This free program piloted eight years ago on the Alta Vista campus includes bus transportation, breakfast, lunch, and extended day STEAM arts-integrated enrichment activities with field trips. Social Workers and a Mental Health Counselor are the liaison between the home and school to provide support and resources for families. A weekly Parent University offers adult education classes provided by community agencies and non-profit organizations on strengthening parenting skills; enhancing knowledge of academic, social and emotional development in children and promoting successful student achievement through parent involvement. Summer adult education courses include English, finance, technology, and wellness which have been extended throughout the school year. During the Parent University, we provide dinners, socialization activities, and open our food pantry. A final component of the Eagle Academy involves a collaborative effort with the Sarasota Community Foundation and Sarasota County Technical College. In this partnership, a “two-generational approach” to poverty offers a free Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training program for single parents seeking to improve their families’ financial stability. Over 120 parents have successfully earned their CNA certificate from our program, which are awarded during a graduation ceremony and job fair at Alta Vista, with many of the graduates being offered employment on that day. Our two generational approach to breaking the cycle of poverty continues to grow as fully funded classes and certifications are available at Alta Vista for parents interested in Child Development Specialist, English as a Second Language (ESOL), Microsoft Technology, General Education Development (GED), Private Security Officer, and Cosmetology throughout the school year. Surveys validate that our parents are becoming more involved in the school and their children’s education. Based on pre and post formative and summative assessments, our Eagle Academy students are no longer experiencing summer learning loss and are increasingly acquiring and maintaining skills needed to become proficient readers. Our Eagles’ Nest Volunteer Center provides a specialized program for 250 at-risk students. Community and parent volunteers provide individualized, intensive instruction in reading and math for our students performing in the lowest 25% on progress monitoring assessments. We have over 100 volunteers who are parents, corporate employees, business owners, church and YMCA members, community nonprofit organizations, and retired teachers, principals, and superintendents who reside year round or part time in Sarasota. The Eagles’ Nest Volunteer Center is located in a specially designed room in the Media Center, where there are nine individual “executive” tables set up with school supplies and a colorful privacy divider board enhanced with reading, math, and writing instructional resources. While the Eagles’ Nest is managed by a Volunteer Coordinator, classroom teachers provide the instructional focus and curriculum materials used by volunteers during their 30 minutes of daily or weekly individualized instruction with students. Teachers use progress monitoring data to guide the work of the volunteers and monitor student progress each week. At the end of each session, the volunteer completes a feedback form for the teacher updating the student’s progress. At varying times, the teacher meets with their students’ volunteers to collaborate and share information and strategies to support student learning. In an effort to provide our volunteers with the most current instructional tools and best practices, our teachers lead training workshops in reading and math strategies and present curriculum materials. The Eagles’ Nest has become a multi-generational partnership where relationships between families and the larger community benefit our at-risk students’ learning needs. When responsibility for children's learning is shared by the school, home, and community, children have more opportunities for life long success. As a Community of Caring School, we have high expectations for our entire school community. Alta Vista earned the Florida Model Positive Behavior Support School Award for our focus on programs involving student learning and behavior. “Eagle Pride” is seen in our Renaissance and Super Citizen Celebrations and throughout the school as students participate in the Caught You Being Good, Kindness Counts, and Alta Vista Cares “Sew” Much programs, Eagle Eye News Crew, Safety Patrol, Chorus, Recycling Club, Garden Club, Cheerleading, STEAM, and Fit Kids. Parent involvement activities include adult vocational and parenting training programs, curriculum and instructional workshops in reading, math, and writing, book fairs, family cookouts and movie nights, art exhibits and musical performances, and ESOL family programs. These school initiatives and programs have transformed the culture of our school community. They have instilled a sense of pride and high expectations where our teachers, staff, parents, and community have become integral stakeholders in the education of students. Through a shared vision, our students are developing a passion for learning, a love of school, and a hope for a future where their dreams will become a reality.