FOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT WRAP-UP

-- Angelique Flores

ISSUE: GRANTS

Summary: The Fountain Valley Educational Foundation awarded 22 grants

totaling $13,939 to teachers at the Fountain Valley school board meeting

Thursday night.

The grant money will be used to purchase classroom materials to help

students with reading, science, language arts, fine arts, math, social

studies and home economics. The foundation raises the money through

fund-raisers and donations.

ISSUE: KINDERGARTEN CLASS OVERLAP FOR NEWLAND

Vote: 5-0

Summary: The board approved William T. Newland Elementary School’s

request for a 30-minute overlap between the morning and afternoon

kindergarten classes as a pilot program for one year. The board plans to

evaluate the overlapping times at the end of the year.

District staff said the overlap will allow parents to pick up students

at close to the same time. Without it, the afternoon kindergarten class

would have been dismissed 30 minutes after the third- to fifth-grade

classes. This plan also allows the afternoon kindergarten staff time to

interact with the morning staff.

During the overlap, the two kindergarten groups will not share a

classroom. Classes will be scheduled at that time for music, computer lab

or library.

ISSUE: KINDERGARTEN CLASS OVERLAP FOR TAMURA

Vote: 5-0

Summary: The board approved Hisamatsu Tamura Elementary School’s

request for a 15-minute overlap between its morning and afternoon

kindergarten classes.

The overlap time would occur during a recess for both the classes.

District staff said teachers at Tamura want to share a lunch hour so

they could have more time to plan together for consistency between the

programs. Morning teachers also want to be able to attend the morning

staff meetings.

Teachers also want time for the two classes to interact so they get

better acquainted, which may decrease discipline problems on joint field

trips.