Principals meet to discuss goals for year

The 2005-06 Coffee Break series was off to a strong start with a

meeting of Laguna’s school leaders at the Surf & Sand hotel on Sept.

21.

The program focused on goals for the academic year, and each of

Laguna’s school principals gave an overview of ways that these goals

are being implemented in the kindergarten through 12th grade

curricula.

Special attention was given to the “Quest for Excellence,” an

effort to go beyond academic learning and support the whole child.

The whole child is encouraged to:

* have caring and meaningful relationships;

* have individualized and meaningful learning;

* pursue health and fitness; and

* optimize academic achievement with high expectations.

This quest came from the recognition that students graduating from

school do not always graduate successfully into life after the

classroom. Each of Laguna’s school principals emphasized that

“learning doesn’t stop at the end of the day” and highlighted

attempts to bring the classroom beyond the four walls -- especially

with the hiring of a new technology director, Victor Guthrie, who

will implement online classrooms.

Elementary school principals Chris Duddy and Ron LaMotte spoke

about the role of neuroscience investigation and its effects on

approaches to teaching kids to read.

Other topics included:

* the new “Tango Espanol” program, sponsored by SchoolPower, that

is teaching Spanish in kindergarten several times weekly;

* the new counselor, Jamie Parsons, who is spending two and a half

days weekly with elementary school children and coordinating

Operation Respect, a program aimed at facilitating kids’ social and

emotional well-being;

* an additional music teacher, Rich Hartford who is teaching the

recorder to our 3rd-graders and instrumental music to 4th- and

5th-graders;

* the 5th-grade students’ involvement with a project-based

watershed course through the Ocean Institute; and

* a new after-school math intervention program aimed at those

children needing extra support.

Joanne Culverhouse spoke about a range of innovative programs at

Thurston Middle School, such as linking science and math classes; the

new 6th-grade organizational wheel, which is aimed at working with

the young brain and enhancing skills; the mini-microscopes that were

donated to the science labs through SchoolPower; the Pyramid of

Intervention, aimed at catching kids early who are falling through

the academic cracks; and a complete selection of string instruments

now being offered at Thurston.

According to Principal Nancy Blade, “Laguna Beach High School has

never been better.” She described 10 new teachers and 38 support

staff who have joined 35 seasoned professional teachers at the high

school.

* Karen Redding is a clinical social worker and psychoanalyst with

a private practice in Laguna Beach. Coffee Break talks are supported

by the Laguna Beach PTA Council, the Foundation for the Contemporary

Family, SchoolPower, and the Surf & Sand Hotel.