School Board Report: A "Walk Through" History, Kindergarten Prep and Hopes for a Tax Extension

Thursday night's school board meeting began with a bang, as a packed audience watched fourth and fifth graders from speak to the board about their experiences with an interactive history program they recently completed.

The program, which is facilitated by a representative from California Weekly Explorer, encompasses vocabulary-building exercises, character reenactment, game-playing and presentations to teach students about important aspects of history.

The organization helps put on more than 2,800 half-day "walk through" programs in schools each year.

Several fourth graders presented what they learned about California history, including the state's Native Americans, Spanish origins and Father Junipero Serra, who founded the missions.

Fifth graders learned about the American Revolutionary War, and a few students presented to the board as characters they had been assigned for the project — King George, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson — dressed up in their home-made costumes.

Proctor Principal Lisa Garcia said it was the first time the school had done the program after hearing experiences with it last year.

She said she found it to be a fun interactive experience that allowed for a "true performance-based assessment" of students' knowledge of the subject matter.

After a photo montage of the event was played for the audience, the board praised the presentations and the program.

"You took a risk and tried something new," Trustee Jo Loss said. "I bet if we had a chance to talk to these students in 15 years, they would all remember this experience."

Later on, the board heard another presentation about school curriculum when Dr. Maggie MacIsaac, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, discussed the district's Transitional Kindergarten pilot program.

Currently in its first semester, the class offers developmentally appropriate programming for children who were not 5 years old by September, when kindergarten usually begins.

The pilot is being offered at  to 19 children and began Jan. 31, when most of the students with fall and winter birthdays had by that time turned 5.

Many of the students have not had previous preschool experience, according to teacher Paula Merrigan.

Aside from doing many hands-on activities, Merrigan said she also tries to teach the little things that make a big difference when kids start school, like knowing basic arithmetic and how to write their names.

"I feel they will be more successful than they would without this opportunity," she said.

Board members said the class looked like a promising way to equip students with the skills they need to succeed inside the classroom, as well as provide an option for parents who don't think their children are ready yet for kindergarten.

But the future of the program is uncertain. MacIsaac said she hopes in the coming years the program will be offered in the fall and that the board will approve its expansion to other elementary schools within the district. But it is currently being funded through a loophole under existing kindergarten law, not by the state.

Also at the Feb. 24 meeting, several members of the community were recognized for their hard work and achievements.

Student Board Member Samuel Ison recognized Proctor Elementary student Malia Thornton, and parents Anton and Crystal Korbes were recognized for their years of dedicated volunteer work at Proctor, where they have had children attend since 2002.

Castro Valley Adult and Career Education staff Rebecca D'Harlingue, Gael Treible and Judy Wilson were also recognized as recipients of the California Council for Adult Education (CVACE) Award.

D'Harlingue is a teacher who works with advanced English as a Second Language (ESL) students, and she is also the school’s technology mentor. Treible is director of career services, and Wilson is the adult school's account technician who has worked there for more than 26 years.

The three were given their awards earlier in the year at a ceremony Jan. 20.

After presentations, the board approved several action items, including a resolution expressing support for a tax increase extension measure to appear on the June 2011 ballot.

Governor Jerry Brown has been lobbying hard for the measure as a way to ensure the state doesn't have to make even deeper cuts to education funding.

Trustees also passed a resolution to lay off six elementary school teachers for the 2011-12 school year. Because K-3 class sizes went up this school year, the district thinks it could have too many teachers next year should those on a leave of absence now want to come back. 

No programs will be affected by their elimination.

In addition they approved several budget adjustments, the creation of a parent/community liaison job position, established March as Women's History and Arts Education Month and voted for trustee George Granger as a delegate to the 2011 California School Boards Association.