#Education
Target:
Avondale School Board
Region:
United States of America
Website:
www.theleaderinme.org

Due to Avondale School District's financial crisis a Building Utilization Study was conducted in the fall of 2009. This study was charged with the analysis of current and projected student enrollment, anticipated per pupil funding, residence trends, demographics, school building utilization, and school configuration.

The recommendation proposed was to close one of the five elementary schools in the district. The result of which will maximize opportunities for student achievement to deliver the best instructional program possible within the Avondale School District.

Why Meadows is awesome for Avondale.

Meadows Unique 5-6 Configuration

• Brings together children of diverse backgrounds with a variety of ethnicities, academic abilities and socio-economic levels from the four K-4 elementary schools in the district.
• Provides opportunities to form friendship and bonds with children they will attend middle and high school with.
• Exposes children to their first rotational-class academic setting providing a great stepping stone/bridge from elementary to middle school
• Preadolescences provides a unique opportunity for programming that teaches leadership skills and character education and shapes the academic culture for the years that follow.

Meadows Enriched Learning Environment and Activities

• Offers a homeroom teacher within a small group of team teachers
• Offers band, choir, explorative music classes, computers, art, physical education, and advanced math classes in addition to the core curriculum.
• Science rooms have science labs.
• Before and after school clubs (18 this year ) including Future Problem Solvers, Tech Team, Band Clubs, and Theatre Club to name a few.
• Combined monthly activity nights for 5th and 6th graders.

Meadows is a Leader in the State

• Meadows became an official Leadership School this year
• Only 4 other schools in the state are Leadership Schools
• Finalist for the MASB "Excellence in Education Leadership Award"
• Sprint Character Education Award (Pending)
• Stephen R. Covey, international leadership expert and consultant has invited Meadows staff to present with him at the Oakland ISD conference at the end of this month.
• Sean Covey approached Meadows about making a film about their implementation process
• Neighboring schools have called and visited Meadows to observe their Leadership Program
• NCA accreditation audit last year recommended Meadows grow the Leadership Program throughout the district.
• Local area businesses have expressed interest in exploring partnership possibilities with Meadows

What is a Leadership School

• Students are trained in the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and devote time to relationship building, strength recognition and leadership skills.
• Children identify their own strengths and are empowered to be leaders in the school and district
• Teacher training that includes the study of The Leader in Me, by Stephen Covey, Classroom Instruction that works, by Robert Marzano, and Ron Clark's The Essential 55
• Teachers meet collaboratively in Professional Learning Communities, learn leadership habits and emerge as leaders themselves.
• Teachers facilitate learning of standardized curriculum, personal leadership skills and positive socialization

**Please click on and view THE LEADER IN ME videos at the above website location!

Benefits of Becoming a Leadership School

• 100% of Meadows students and staff participate in leadership activities
• Renewed, energized, enthusiastic teaching staff
• Teachers working in a collaborative, cohesive, proactive manner meeting students needs
• Character education/leadership themes embedded in the curriculum creates a strong foundation for school culture
• Students are empowered to take ownership of the learning process, set goals and chart their own progress
• Students are given the building tools and motivation for a lifetime of learning and are taught universal life skills.

Results of Becoming a Leadership School
• Reduced discipline problems
• Greater parent satisfaction
• Soaring student self-confidence
• Improved school culture
• Increased teacher pride
• Refined focus on 21st Century skills
• Creates a culture and curriculum based on principles of effectiveness.
• Increase academic performance.

GoPetition respects your privacy.

The Save Meadows Upper Elementary School petition to Avondale School Board was written by Proactive Parents of Avondale and is in the category Education at GoPetition.