Dear Walgrove Families and Staff,
Happy Labor Day!
I hope you enjoyed a weekend full of splendor and love (and not too much ironic work)!
We are ready to embark upon the week ahead!
Farmer Adam is back, the STEAM Studio is in swing, the library is full of books, and chess and theater are imminent!
A few folks have asked what it means to be a School for Advanced Studies -- what this portends for us this year and beyond. What does this change for us here at Walgrove?
Well, just a few things:
We were chosen by the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Office to be a School for Advanced Studies (SAS) in large part because of the robust programs we already had in swing before this year, but we were lauded as being exemplary this year for several reasons, including the following:
- Sizeable Gifted cluster in EVERY general education class (not just a single track of classes)
- 20+ hours of Gifted training for ALL teachers (not just 16 hours, and not just a single track of General Education teachers. 20+ hours. ALL teachers)
- 10 acres of outdoor space replete with one-acre native garden and half-acre edible garden which students access weekly+ all year long. Our Outdoor Education program is second to none among elementary schools in LAUSD
- Robust STEAM program under the tutelage of Ms. Francesca and Ms. Gela
- Intensive theater program with culminating Spring Musical cast with over 70 students and boasting Broadway-like production values
- Chess program under the guidance of professional chess player Jonney Machtig
- Incredible teachers who don't just teach, they reach, making sure all students get what they need, not just intellectually, but socially and emotionally as well
- A significant population of students in Special Education and students who are Twice Exceptional (students who benefit from both Special Education and Gifted programs) providing for all a rich and diverse landscape where students learn to understand others who are different from them. We aim to provide a loving environment where all folks get what they need to become well-rounded, empathetic leaders of tomorrow.
Walgrove SAS students enjoy the same benefits of SAS students at any other SAS school, which is a priority pathway to the myriad Gifted and SAS programs at Gifted and SAS middle and high sschools. To find out more about what it means to be a Gifted Magnet and/or an SAS school, please attend my GATE Zoom tomorrow at 7pm in my Zoom room.
Here is some of what is coming up this week at Walgrove:
TUES
Grades K-5, please complete iReady and DIBELS assessments
TEACHERS: STEAM and Library enrichments in swing this week. Garden starts later this week (or early next, per Adam). Chess, PE and theater start in a couple of weeks. The schedule is linked in my email signature. Feel free to edit as desired.
Early dismissal 1:32
Staff Meeting and Professional Development meeting 1:45 in Rm 19
Gifted and Talented Education Pathway Info Session 7pm in Dr. K's Zoom Room.
WED
Dr. K at Mark Twain for Instructional Rounds
THU
Well-rounded instruction, high student-engagement, and much opportunity to play and be yourself
FRI
Friday morning assembly. Ms. Chin's class to lead the Pledge. Performer(s) TBD
APEIS Yinka Dallas Flanagan and service providers host a Special Education Meet and Greet following the assembly - 8:30am in the Parent Center
Let's have a great week, Walgrove!
