Citrus Avenue Elementary

1. Agenda 8-9:15 Math 9:15-10 Science 10-10:25 Recess 10:30-12 History 12-12:45 Lunch 12:50-1:30 Music 1:30-2:15 Reading 2:15 Clean Up Citrus Avenue Elementary Rachel  Liz  Emily 

2. Location • Citrus Avenue Elementary is located on Citrus Avenue and West 4th Avenue • It is surrounded by many apartment complexes

3. Campus • Citrus was originally built in 1936 and contains older, decrepit buildings, which need to be remodeled. • The playground was updated in 1998, but the rest of the school is due for repair. • The multi-purpose is so small that each grade level must have lunch at separate times.

4. School Environment • Citrus is public elementary school currently serving 477* kindergarten through six grade students. • Citrus also offers a special-education program for students with physical and mental disabilities. • The school-wide discipline management approach is Love and Logic. • There are both Boys and Girls Club and CARD after school programs available. *The number of students enrolled at Citrus changes daily because of the highly transient population.

5. School Mission and Philosophy • Is “to provide a safe, positive environment in which individual students have the opportunity to meet their full potential academically, socially, emotionally, and creatively. Students will learn to respect themselves and others, as well as the world in which they live. The responsibility for helping students develop these essential skills will be shared by parents, school staff, community members and the students themselves.”

6. Staff • Citrus Avenue Elementary is run by Principal Michelle Sanchez, has 12 classroom teachers and an additional 16 staff members. • All of the teachers are credentialed, and have taught for an average of 20 years.

7. Students • Whites and Hispanic/Latino students make up a significant amount of the population with 112 and 50 students respectively. • There are 5 different minority ethnic groups at Citrus: 28 students identify as African-America, 14 student identify as American Indian or Alaska Native, 48 students identify as Asian, 2 students identify as Filipino, and 4 students identify as Pacific Islander. • Of 267 students, 222 students are socio-economically disadvantaged and qualify for free or reduced price lunch, 62 are English language learners, and 30 are students with disabilities. • The school spends $7,696 per pupil per year, while the state average is $10,805.

8. School Performance • Citrus Avenue is currently in its sixth year as a “Program Improvement” school classified under the No Child Left Behind. • Citrus did not meet their Accountability Progress Reporting (AYP) proficiency in Math, but the AYP was met in English-Language Arts. • The STAR tests percentages of students scoring proficient or above was 43.3% in mathematics and 40.8% in English.

9. IDEALS I – Inquiry: Handbook states goal of a safe, caring, respectful and nurturing environment, with open lines of communication. D – Discourse: PTA meetings include discussions and debates that help to better student learning E – Equity: The option for low-income families to enroll in the breakfast/lunch program. A – Authenticity: According to the mission statement, “Students will learn to respect themselves and others, as well as the world in which they live.” L – Leadership Citrus' code of ethics. S – Service An example of service would be the opportunity for students to manage some things on their own, such as the student council.

10. Things to think about • What would be helpful for us to be prepared to teach in a school like this, in terms of skills, knowledge, and values? • Some Spanish or Hmong • Cultural Literacy • PATIENCE • Knowledge of SARB • Community understanding • Knowledge of community resources • Our Personal Experiences