Cleveland School Focus Project Update

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CLEVELAND SCHOOL FOCUS PROJECT

In 2014 Cleveland Elementary School was chosen to be the Outreach Focus Project.  One-third of our Outreach budget and many volunteers have focused on this vibrant energetic school for three and a half years.  We have watched the school change and grown while we have established friendships with the staff, the teachers and especially the students.

We have ten weekly and three seasonal volunteers who will are committed to their work at Cleveland, as one volunteer exclaimed, “My time at Cleveland has become the best part of my week.”   They are involved in the classroom, the library, and the office and the homework center.  Our volunteer presence will continue, as we welcome new volunteers for the current school year.

Our financial relationship with Cleveland is complete as we investigate other organizations where we might focus our attention.

Gabe Sandoval, principal at Cleveland School, offered this short review of the ways he was able to use the funds they received from All Saints.

Excerpt from Mr. Sandoval’s letter:  In our first year, we focused on developing teacher capacity in instruction and practices. We trained all teachers in Strategies Guided Language Acquisition and Design (G.L.A.D.).  We also purchased books for classrooms so teachers could update their libraries.  The teachers have been using what they learned in their training well and we have had follow-up training to support their implementation.  Also, the district recognized the success of this training and has decided to train every school in G.L.A.D.

In our second year, we focused on updating our technology in every classroom.  We now have every class equipped with appropriate updated laptop devices.

This year we focused on reading materials and have purchased a D-3 leveled library to be used in classrooms.  Teachers are using these leveled books to strategically focus on more intentional reading skills in small reading groups.  Also, we are purchasing materials to re-invent our library by creating a “Makers-Space” where students will be able to be innovators and creators through the use of independent centers using Lego engineering, movie making, writing corners and more.