Executive Summary. Kin Dah Lichi'i' Olta

Transcription

1 AZ Navajo South - Ft. Defiance Mrs. Ora James, Principal P.O.Box 800 Ganado, AZ Document Generated On November 6, 2013

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 4 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 5 Additional Information 6

3 Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1

4 Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? Kin Dah Lichi'i Olta' is a small Grant and Charter school nestled at the base of the Navajo Nation Forest. Kin Dah Lichi'i Olta' was a Bureau of Indian Affairs operated school up to June 30, The school converted to Grant/Charter School on July 1, It is located five miles northeast of Ganado and 2 miles north of Highway 264 enroute to Window Rock. The nearest town is Gallup, New Mexico, sixty miles away. The school was founded in According to several Navajo sources, Kinlichee was named after an old Navajo Indian scout, "Kinlichee", it's a Navajo term which means "red house," Pre-historic Anasazi ruins called "red house" (Kin Dah Lichi i) have been preserved in a Navajo tribal park about a mile northeast from the school. The name of the school converted from Kinlichee School to Kin Dah Lichi'i Olta' when the new school opened. Kin Dah Lichi'i Olta' currently serves FACE Program, Kindergarten through eighth grade from the surrounding neighboring communities of Kinlichee, Woodsprings, Klagetoh, Cross Canyon, Cornfields, Burnside, Window Rock, and Ganado. The school served Kindergarten through sixth grade up to May 1999, then the Governing Board chose to bring in the seventh and eighth grade under State Charter program in the summer of Since then, the enrollment has been a consistent of 125 students. Our students are predominately Navajo. Infact, our student population follow the majority of their traditional values. The students come from a radius of forty miles. The school is a in a very isolated area on the Navajo reservation with extremely poor road conditions. Most students are bused in daily. The school became a day school October 1998 when the new school was built. There are no dormitory facilities to accommodate the students. The goal of Kin Dah Lichi'i Olta' is to provide total quality learning experiences. The school's academic program is outlined in a locally developed curriculum that incorporates the Navajo, State, and National standards. The basic academic program is organized into an elementary (K-8). All grades use traditional self-contained classroom model. The school curriculum, setting high standards and student learning are driven by multiple assessment data to identify students' strengths and needs. The curriculum is also integrated with Navajo language, history, government, family values, such as clan system, life style, arts and crafts and social singing and dancing. Many students attend Kin Dah Lichi'i Olta' for the variety of learning opportunities that our school offers. For example, we have implemented new curriculums for Reading and Math (Reading Streets, envision Math, this includes the intervention program My side-walk intervention, Prentice Hall Literature). We have implemented a scientifically-based learning strategies to accommodate our students with every opportunity for success. Our teaching staff devote much of their teaching time to our students for the purpose of academic success. Our school staff believes that each student is unique and special individual who has a right to acceptance, self-development, self-fulfillment and self-direction. We all desire that our students be very successful in their educational endeavors. Kin Dah Lichi'i Olta' is a Title I schoolwide program which supplements the regular program to improve reading, math, and writing. Every child has an opportunity to be involved in all programs offered. The Special Education Department has both pull out and inclusion based on IEPs. All students are tested on the same assessment unless stated by IEPs. Student services provide programs in the area of food service and recreation. The food service program prepares meals for students that Page 2

5 meet the requirements of the USDA School Breakfast and Lunch Program. Well-founded planned recreation activities are offered in the areas of interscholastic sports and other activities. We are a Teaching Team of approximately 50 staff who enjoy working and making sure that our students come to an exemplary educational school atmosphere. School begins promptly at 8:15 a.m. and ends at 3:00 pm. Tutoring was provided before school for the students who are in need of remedial reinforcement in reading, language arts and mathematics skills. The Principal, Business Manager, and the office staff are very helpful in making sure that all staff are reaching academic success. Many training and future training opportunities are being planned for our teaching staff. Some good examples are the Common Core State Standards (Reading and Math), Six Traits of Writing, Differentiated Instruction using the 3 Tiers, Technology Usage, Working with Special Education Students. The majority of our teachers have earned a Reading endorsement to enhance the reading program here at Kin Dah Lichi'i Olta'. Kin Dah Lichi'i Olta' has a FACE program which was designed as a family literacy program; an integrated model for an early childhood/parental involvement program for American Indian families in BIE-funded schools. The goals of the FACE program are: to support parents/primary caregivers in their role as their child's first and most influential teacher; to increase family literacy; to strengthen familyschool-community connections; to promote the early identification and services to children with special needs; to increase parent participation in their child's learning; to support and celebrate the unique cultural and linguistic diversity of each American Indian community served by the program; and to promote lifelong learning. Program services integrate language and culture in two settings: home and school. Kin Dah Lichi'i Olta' just recently received two trailers to accommodate our increasing enrollment. Kin Dah Lichi'i Olta' is making every effort to improve the learning environment by involving students, parents, staff, administration, school board, tribal government, chapter representatives, universities, and businesses. Page 3

6 School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. The mission of Kin Dah Lichi'i Olta (KDLO) is to provide a child centered learning environment that promotes student achievement embedded in cultural diversity toward meeting the demands of a global society. Creating the statement was a collaborative effort of KDLO personnel. Parents and community members did not take part in the development of the mission statement. However, they are aware of it through posted mission statements throughout the school, school letterhead, school website, and through interactions with students. The school's vision is that all students have the opportunity to reach his/her unique potential in a safe and caring atmosphere enveloped by a spiritual, cultural and emotionally enriching educational environment. Our goals of increasing math and reading achievement are based on state scores and NWEA from previous years. We are in the process of reviewing and revising intervention programs in those areas to increase achievement levels. We use classroom assessments to modify instruction. The student support programs and services we provide include special education services, counseling, sustained silent reading and the option of study hall within the classroom. To ensure parent/community involvement in our school, we hold an open house, parent-teacher conferences, extra-curricular activities, school website, and monthly newsletter. Also, we provide Connect 5 telephone calls to parents to update or inform parents of school related events and schedule changes. Page 4

7 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. The school has a 3rd-8th grade Student Council where it gives students an opportunity to organize meaningful and effective government and practice the democratic process. The school offers a variety of extracurricular activities We have technology available to enhance learning Volleyball Championship - trip to Phoenix, Arizona; 2013 Cross Country Championship 2010 FACE Program started Special Education Department maintaining Level I status st Century Program Kin Dah Lichi'i Olta' participates in Science Fair, Spelling Bee, educational fieldtrip Staff Retention Consistent enrollment / continuing students through each grade level Academic achievements have been obtained with certain grades In the next three years, we will continue to align the assessments to the Common Core Standards and focus more on student performance. We want our school to place emphasis on being critical thinkers and problem solvers, communicate and collaborate, and creative and innovative. These skills are keys to unlocking a lifetime of learning and creative work. We want our students to have what it takes to become a self-reliant lifelong learner. Page 5

8 Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. The school has low teacher turnover which indicates a strong commitment to our students and community. Page 6