As we launch the 2013-14 school year, we are excited to continue our efforts to work closely with our parents and community at large to create a dynamic learning environment for students, staff and community members. Soquel School District is comprised of five schools and has a current student enrollment of 2,010 students. Our district has maintained a long-standing tradition of providing our students with exceptional learning opportunities through the joint partnerships of our parent volunteers and community involvement.
Opal Cliffs School
Opal Cliffs School is our newest school and was completed in August of 2012. Our two-year-old transitional kindergarten program has already doubled its student enrollment size within one school year (46 students). This program gives our children the perfect environment in which creative and active learning occurs with a focus in preparing these students for a traditional academic kindergarten program in one year’s time. Transitional kindergarten is a developmentally appropriate activity-based class that serves to build a foundation for early learners. The systematic scaffolding of every subject, always planned with an eye towards what’s expected next year and a deep understanding of child development, allows every child to be confident in their abilities and to be challenged. Our transitional kindergarten students are constantly dancing, playing and engaging in exciting curriculum. Music plays a big part of this program. The huge success of our transitional kindergarten is directly aligned with the special educators of this program and the incredible parent volunteers who actively participate on a daily basis to bring rich curricula to these students.
Main Street School
Main Street School with an enrollment of 474 students has created a dynamic Life Lab Program that is parallel to the philosophy of the Life Lab program at UCSC. A significant number of parent volunteers work endlessly throughout the school year to provide all students, K-5, with opportunities in the area of science, nutrition, math, art and music. Giving students the chance to engage in real life learning experiences is a perfect blend for academic rigor and relevance in our curriculum. Stud
ents learn lifelong skills and are important members of a collaborative project that prepares them for their future. The Life Lab at Main Street School provides a great learning adventure where students literally participate in planting vegetables from seed, harvesting their crops and then celebrating their hard work at a monthly salad party. This wonderful program has 100% participation among the students and galvanizes a community focus that creates special opportunities for both adults and children. The marvelous volunteerism that supports the blend for rich academia, as well as embraces collaborative learning, is a hallmark for Main Street School.
New Brighton Middle School
New Brighton Middle School has an enrollment of 695 students. Our middle school students are truly enjoying an amazing learning environment. With the terrific support from our parents, we have created a school atmosphere that embraces diversity and honors and respects each and every student. This environment is truly a reflection of the incredible staff and parent volunteers that support a school culture second to none. Adolescence is a challenging age where students must be given support and guidance, but at the same time, the chance to be creative and independent. New Brighton Middle School has many great programs that afford students the chance to engage in fun and personal areas of interest. Here are a just a few of these exceptional programs at New Brighton Middle School: Underwater Robotics Club, Journalism Comes Alive, Ukulele Club, After School Band Club, Choir and Surf Team. Another dynamic program that we are launching this year is AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination). This program will create career pathway opportunities for the first generation of students in their family to go to college. The AVID teaching team is dynamic and this new program educationally will benefit all students within the next two years. Providing students with early prospects of envisioning a college education is exciting.
Santa Cruz Gardens School
Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary School has an enrollment of 342 students. As with our other schools, the remarkable parent involvement and exceptional teaching staff has created unique opportunities for our students. One of these programs is the O’Neil Sea Odyssey (OSO). This wonderful platform provides students with the chance to engage in hands-on lessons about marine habitat and the importance of the relationship between our living sea and our environment. The OSO program blends academic rigor and hands-on exploration in a mini lab approach. Our children go out to sea to learn about marine biology, ecology and navigation. As our students explore ocean waters, they receive biology lesson of life cycles and their role in the food web. The OSO program is exactly the educational program that will prepare our students for their future. Students must learn to engage in academic rigor that requires teamwork and collaboration in order to achieve a required goal. This program provides both staff and community members the chance to work jointly in community projects and implementing lifelong skills in the area of ecology. Our fantastic parent support in the area of community service for this program is extraordinary.
Soquel Elementary School
Soquel Elementary School has a student enrollment of 453. As we prepare our students for their future, it is critical that we embrace the arts at all of our schools and at the same time provides opportunities for an outstanding music program. The incredible parent support of our music program at Soquel Elementary embraces a comprehensive approach to provide our students with a lifetime gift of music appreciation. 100% of the students participate in music and at each and every grade level students are highly engaged in building their skills to expand their knowledge of music. An added bonus to the long traditional of wonderful music at Soquel Elementary is the parent volunteers who actively support music and participate in the music program. We are extremely fortunate to have talented musicians who volunteer to enrich the music program for our students. Another special program at Soquel Elementary is the creation of a wonderful chorus program that is offered before school on Friday mornings. The chorus program is so exciting that over 80 students attend this weekly activity. One of the highlights of the chorus participants is to perform throughout our county at different venues showcasing their musical talents. We are very fortunate to have such an outstanding program at Soquel Elementary.
Having the chance to work side by side with great parent support groups and our community at large is fantastic. We are providing our children with unique and special learning prospects that can only exist by strong parent and community involvement that embrace our children’s education. Our future is extremely bright!! We will continue to march forward with an eye for innovative prospects that galvanize the talent that exists in our county to embrace 21st Century learning opportunities based on academic rigor and relevance. We thank you for the wonderful support and we are excited to discover new opportunities to enrich our wonderful school district.