Tag Archives: Denair Charter Academy

DHS and DCA to Use Block Grants to Beef up Programs; DMS Teachers Given More Time to Collaborate

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Additional academic assistance, enhanced college preparation and tangible ways to improve study skills among high school and middle school students were approved Thursday night by the Denair Unified School District board.

Trustees voted 5-0 to accept two $75,000 College Readiness Block Grants from the state – one each for Denair High School and Denair Charter Academy.

Board members also unanimously adopted a proposal to immediately add nine additional staff collaboration opportunities at Denair Middle School. The impact will mean shorter days for students every Friday beginning March 3.

The block grants at DHS and DCA are part of $200 million in state funding directed at high schools to better prepare students for college. The goal is to increase the number of students who enroll in traditional or vocational colleges and complete their undergraduate degrees within four years.

At Denair High, Principal Kara Backman told board members that the majority of the money will be used to implement AVID, or Advancement Via Individual Determination. AVID is a research-based system used nationwide to provide teachers “with training and methodologies that develop students’ critical thinking, literacy and math skills across all content areas,” according to its website.

All teachers will undergo five days of training before the next school year, Backman said. Most importantly, AVID will be the basis for a new requirement for next year’s freshman class to teach study skills to all students. The goal is to enable them to better prepare for Advanced Placement and other college-prep courses, Backman said. Next year’s sophomores also will be able to enroll voluntarily to sharpen their skills, she said.

A piece of the state grant also will pay for a computerized testing program intended to better identify students’ weaknesses and allow educators to provide targeted intervention more quickly, Backman explained. Continue reading “DHS and DCA to Use Block Grants to Beef up Programs; DMS Teachers Given More Time to Collaborate” »

DCA Wood Shop Students Building More Than Projects

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Submitted by Denair Charter Academy

It doesn’t matter that most of Barry Cole’s wood shop students came to his class this fall not knowing the difference between a band saw and a table saw or had never operated a router or drill press before. Cole’s patient instruction and infectious enthusiasm soon removed any doubt.

The brand new cutting boards, footstools and even a dog house made of pine and oak and poplar are testament to the curiosity and ingenuity of Cole’s Denair Charter Academy students. They bring him a picture of a potential project and he shows them how to make it. Along the way, the teens build more than a simple pencil holder. They gain confidence.

“This is about envisioning a project and developing the skills to complete it. It’s a feeling of accomplishment,” explained Cole. “It’s always a different kid, several times a day.”

Cole is a longtime teacher in the Denair district who moved to DCA’s independent study program last year. He coordinates the science curriculum across many grade levels, and also teaches a landscaping class in addition to his woodworking elective.

Cole’s grandfather was a carpenter, specializing in garage doors. As a young boy, Cole followed his grandfather around, learning the proper use of tools and enjoying the satisfaction of completing a project.

“I love the smell of the wood and I love making things, especially from repurposed wood,” he said.

It didn’t take much for Cole to convince first-year DCA Principal Brian LaFountain that a wood shop class would be a fun addition to campus.

“We started with 10 kids in one class on Monday and now we have 20 or so. We had to add another class on Thursdays,” LaFountain said.

Cole made calls, sent letters and beat the bushes for scrap lumber. Denair Lumber has been a generous donor as have local farmers and others in the Denair community. Some of the tools came from Denair Middle School, where Cole had used them as part of his science instruction. Others were purchased using a $5,000 budget. Continue reading “DCA Wood Shop Students Building More Than Projects” »

Denair Charter Academy Hourly Teachers Receive Pay Increases

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Another piece of the salary restoration puzzle was put into place by Denair Unified School District on Thursday night when they unanimously approved 2.2% pay increases for 13 teachers at Denair Charter Academy.

The instructors at the campus serve home-school students and parents in grades kindergarten through eighth as well as teens enrolled in the independent study high school program.

Unlike teachers at the district’s other campuses, they are paid hourly and are not covered by a union contract. When the district faced financial crisis in 2013, their pay was reduced 3.5%. Thursday’s board action restores their wage in the same proportion as already has occurred this year for union-covered teachers, as well as non-teaching classified staff and administrators.

Also on Thursday, the board:

  • Elected Trustee Kathi Dunham-Filson as board president for 2017 and Trustee Ray Prock Jr. as clerk.
  • Approved the addition of two new courses at DCA: the history of Mexico and introduction to culinary arts. Matthew Groom will teach the first course; Barry Cole will lead the second.
  • Heard a report from Lucy Zamora, principal at Denair Elementary Charter Academy, and four of her instructors who recently attended a conference on dual immersion language programs in New Mexico.
  • Cheered as Denair High School Principal Kara Backman reported that more than $30,000 was raised for the campus’ FFA programs and students from the first-ever tractor pull in November. More than 1,100 people attended the event at Jack Lytton Stadium.
  • Heard a presentation from Mike Curry of Johnson Farms, asking the district to join other public agencies and residents in opposing the State Water Resources Control Board’s plan to increase flows in the Tuolumne, Stanislaus and Merced rivers.

Class Act! 10 Questions for Carlos Mendoza

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Carlos Mendoza

Submitted by Denair Charter Academy

Name: Carlos Mendoza

Family: I come from a family of six and I’m the youngest of four siblings.

School: Denair Charter Academy

Subject taught: All subjects with a focus on math.

Experience and education: I have worked in Denair Unified School District for about five years. I have a bachelor of arts degree in psychology.

What most inspires you about working in Denair Charter Academy? What inspires me most is seeing how much a student can grow with their teacher and the comradery between all the staff members.

What are your biggest challenges as a classified staff member? As a classified staff member, I have the ability to help any who are in need of assistance. Even though I want to help everyone, sadly I am not able to be in more than one place.

What is your favorite support tool or activity? My favorite support tool/activity to do with students are giving the students positive reinforcement and reassurance in their capabilities. Those are a few of the tools I’ve learned from the Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) program, which is why I am looking forward to continue use of PBIS in the years to come.

What do you want your students to remember? I want my students to remember that they are capable of achieving anything their heart desires — all they have to do is try. Life may not always go as one plans, but we have to learn how to roll with the punches. And if the path they are walking on is too difficult, then they have two options. One is to keep pushing forward and the path will eventually get better; or select a new path to walk on from the millions of paths that are out there. I want nothing but the best for my students and I don’t their failures to hold them back. I want their failures to give them the wisdom to grow into their full potential and push them forward; like Victor Kiam once said, “Even if you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward.”

How can parents support what you do? Parents can support what I do by supporting their own children, since most of the learning will happen at home. Being an advocate for their child is one of the greatest examples of support a parent can provide. Continue reading “Class Act! 10 Questions for Carlos Mendoza” »

Class Act! 10 questions for Lori Quillen

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lori-quillen-pic

Submitted by Denair Charter Academy

Name: Lori Quillen

Family: Married with two little boys

School: Denair Charter Academy

Subject taught: Sixth- and seventh-grade home-school independent studies

Experience and education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Azusa Pacific University. I have taught kindergarten in Southern California, second grade in the Turlock Unified School District and have home-schooled middle school for a local charter family. I also have been a youth ministry leader for 10 years.

What most inspires you about teaching? I’m inspired when students realize that they’re capable of more than they realized.  This might be academically, but could also be socially or emotionally.

What are your biggest challenges as a teacher? My biggest challenge is convincing students that their education is a priority when they have personal or family challenges outside of the classroom that are, understandably, distracting them from learning.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? My favorite teaching strategy is called Power Teaching.  It’s a method of instruction that engages students with visual, auditory and kinesthetic interaction to maximize their learning potential.  Not only is it a fun way of learning, it’s a fun way to teach!

How has Common Core affected your classroom strategy? The biggest switch has been moving from teaching to the test, where student would regurgitate memorized answers, to teaching students to justify their thinking.  Students are now being challenged to provide evidence for their answers.  For example, this last week in math I asked students to become math lawyers and defend their answers by providing each other with a visual to demonstrate their thinking. Continue reading “Class Act! 10 questions for Lori Quillen” »