The James Logan Courier

By Rick La Plante, Public Information Officer, New Haven Unified School District

The Board of Education on Tuesday night reviewed preliminary plans to provide more collaboration time for teachers during the 2006-07 school year, in accordance with our newly adopted Strategic Plan.

A new schedule being considered at the K-5 level provides for both collaboration time and increased efficiency in staff and administrative supervision and also minimizes travel time for prep teachers from site to site. At the 6-8 level, principals have been asked to build into their master schedules a collaboration period at the start of each day and common prep times for teachers in like subject areas. And at James Logan High School, the new bell schedule designed to increase instructional minutes also will allow for more time for collaboration.

The Board on Tuesday night also reviewed plans for summer school. In accordance with the Strategic Plan's call to reach 85 percent student proficiency by 2010, summer school will focus on students scoring below basic and far below basic on California standards tests. The District is actively pursuing summer options outside the system for students interested in taking enrichment classes.

Elementary summer school will be at Searles and Alvarado, while middle school students will attend Barnard-White, both in two three-week sessions, four days each week. High school summer school will be at Logan, four days each week for six weeks.

Also on Tuesday night, the Board heard an update on the first year of the home schooling program being offered at the K-8 level, where 21 students are enrolled. Plans are to expand the program to K-10 for 2006-07 and to K-12 for 2007-08. Information also was presented about the Independent Study program, which serves 120 students at Conley-Caraballo High School and two K-8 students.

The Board also recognized and thanked Richard Valle for his service to the children of New Haven, as the driving force behind the Union City Science, Earth and Health Festival for the past 10 years. Mr. Valle, whose company, Troi-CED Community Recycling, has been the primary sponsor of the Festival, is turning his attention to building an Education Center for the community.

Agendas of all Board of Education meetings and minutes of past meetings are available on the District website: www.nhusd.k12.ca.us