Double Peak School K-8 Meeting 9/25/14
#1 Parent Informational Meeting
Steve Baum introduced himself as the new principal of Double Peak K-8 school.
Success is not a random act. It rises out of a predictable and powerful set of circumstances. Malcolm Gladwell
He felt it was important for us to know a little about himself in order to build this relationship together. He is homegrown from San Marcos near Woodland Park. He graduated from San Marcos High School and then from University of San Diego with the desire to be a physical therapist. He then realized he wanted to be a coach and in order to coach at a school you have to be a teacher. Once he was in the classroom as a teacher in Science at San Marcos High School; he realized how much he loved teaching and engaging with the students. At that moment his desires shifted. Coaching sports was no longer a priority. Teaching in the classroom was something he got excited about. He has been pursuing his career in education within the San Marcos School District ever since. He was the Principal at Knob Hill Elementary and Twin Oaks Elementary. Now he is onto his next journey. He will be Principal of the only K-8 school in the district. He views his new position as an honor and is very engaged and excited to open a brand new school. He feels this is an opportunity of a life time.
FACILITY
The school is built for 1200 students and a max of 1500 students based on the community growth. He anticipates the enrollment numbers to reflect the following: Approximately 800 students K-5th Grade and 400 students 6th-8th Grade. He prefers to start the school year with closer to 1000 students. He wants the energy of the kids, parents and teachers.
He has been actively planning from day one. He has developed many focus groups with elementary and middle schools in the district. He wants to learn and acquire as much feedback as possible in order build a school that can be effective, and meets the needs of all individuals at the K-8 School. During this process he will be trying to expect the unexpected. This will be an on going challenge for him. He has met with food services; recognizing the food offered to the students will be different depending on the age of the student. He met with the PE teachers discussing the design of the gym and locker room. He is meeting with other principals, teachers, students and parents. He truly believes collaboration is one of the keys to success.
He wants a community feel at the school. Therefore there will only be one central front entrance into the school. This creates an opportunity to bring the students together.
When designing the buildings and the use of space.. he tried to provide an ocean view to everyone where possible.
The Start and End times for the school has not yet been determined. He would like for all students to start at the same time. He thinks it’s an important way to connect with each other. However the end times may not be the same. Middle school is required to go to school less hours than Elementary School students. Kindergarten will be 1/2 day similar to the other schools in the district.
The campus will have the following:
2 story buildings with interior walls
Library
Innovative Room (inside the Library)
Multipurpose Room (MPR)
Gym and Locker Room
Band Room
K-5 Music Room
Art Room
Science Lab
Flex Lab
Student Collaboration Space (Shared room between 2 classrooms)
The buildings will be color coded so the students can find their classes easier. A color inside will reflect the same color scheme outside.
The Library will be designed to accommodate all ages. There will be a carved out separated area just for K-5th grade. Then a section designed to meet the needs of a middle school student.
The Innovation Room will be a room inside the Library. It will be behind sliding glass window doors. You open the doors and it is designed like a ” Google Think Tank” it will have bright colors on the walls, different types of furniture to sit on. One wall will be one big complete White Board. A projected screen will come down and the students will be able to communicate and connect with for example; San Marcos High school, Cal State San Marcos University. This is a room to create, design and be Innovative!!
The Multipurpose Room will not only hold meetings for parents or school assemblies. It will be designed to optimize the sound of beautiful music. There will be a floating ceiling to optimize the acoustics. The stage will be bigger with a projected screen and a big purple curtain to complete the experience.
The Gym will be designed for all types of sports to be played.
The Middle School students will change classes during the day.
The K-5th Grade will have KOC on campus and he is considering providing after school activities for Middle School students too.
WHO IS GOING TO DOUBLE PEAK SCHOOL?
Discovery Elementary
San Elijo Elementary
San Elijo Middle
Woodland Park Middle
(Please click here to see boundary map)
Many comments were made about the concern for where will the students go to High School? It’s recommended to look at the school boundary list to determine based on where you live how it will affect which high school.
K-8 PHILOSOPHY
Collaboration -It’s about the parents, teachers, students and school.
His philosophies begin with a few key books. This is where he gets his inspiration.
The Leadership in Me. Stephen Covey
7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Stephen Covey
The Outliers. Malcolm Gladwell
The Mindset. Carol Dweck
There are many valuable gems of information from these books to explore; however here is a sneak peak. The idea that success is linked to opportunity. Right place at the right time. Access to resources. Success requires effort, hard work and the experience to celebrate the success. Success is a student being responsible for themselves.
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES
There will be 3 areas of focus/unique opportunities:
Articulated K-8 Instrumental Music Program
Articulated K-8 Art Program
Articulated Innovation Program
All students will have access to these unique opportunities starting in Kindergarten. These skills will build upon each other creating a K-8 articulated experience.
Articulated Instrumental Program
Charlie McGee will be the Music Director and he came from San Elijo Middle School. They will hire a K-8 Music teacher. There will be music appreciation, band, and grade level music performances. At this point the music program is focused on instrumental. The school’s focus will not be a performing arts school.
Articulated Art Program
They will have a visual and comprehensive art curriculum; a pathway from K-8th grade.
Articulated Innovation Program
They will have curriculum focusing on Engineering, Coding, and Robotics.
TIMELINE
Sept. – Dec. 2014 * Parent Meeting and *Portrait of a Graduate
Nov. – Dec. 2014 * Decide on Colors and Mascot and *Get student input
Nov. 3rd and Dec. 1st * #2 Parent Informational Meeting
Jan. – March 2015 * Intra-District Transfer Forms submitted
He will also schedule: Principal Coffee Chats, and Student Meetings on Campuses
PTO
Jan. 5th-Mar. 27th 2015 * Create the PTO Board *Develop the By laws *Create a 501(c)(3)
STAFFING THE SCHOOL
Assistant Principal (not yet hired)
Counselor (Mar./Apr.)
Remaining Staff (Apr.)
Their was a teacher informational meeting and 107 teachers expressed interest in learning more about the school and the possibility of working as a teacher.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Will the younger and older children interact on campus? YES
The interactions will be in a structured organized manner. A Buddy Program and Leadership Program will be established. Unstructured ways would be passing each other on campus. They are planning for separate bathrooms for Elementary students and Middle School students. There is a designed division on campus to delineate the kindergarten, elementary, and middle school students.
What about the course offerings?
Middle Schoolers will receive the same electives as the other middle schools in the district. The variety of electives may be modified based on the school’s focus. The level of the elective can shift due to the student’s knowledge base.
Grandfathering?
There is a detailed chart identifying if your child is in x grade now, then what school will your child go to next year.
If your child is in: Your child will go to x school next year:
1st – 3rd Grade Double Peak School
4th Grade Discovery, SEES, Double Peak
5th Grade. Double Peak school
6th Grade Woodland Park Middle, SEMS, Double Peak
7th Grade Woodland Park Middle, SEMS, Double Peak
If grandfathered into a school; you must complete the form even if your child wants to stay in their current school. Please be sure to confirm this information with the school district. This chart will be in the powerpoint presentation from this meeting.
When should people who live in the new school boundary start to enroll?
This process is still not clearly defined and they are working out the details and timeline.
Will busing be an option at this school?
Busing is being considered, but funding is a limitation.
Will there be shade for the students on the play ground or on campus?
He is currently thinking and discussing the possibility of shade for the students.
Parking/Traffic?
There will be multiple lanes to pull into the school. It will have a drive up option and two parking lots. One for every day use and an overflow lot. A well defined design is laid out and the district is optimistic. However there is no perfect parking/traffic experience for drop off and pick up at any school. There will be a stretch of road on Twin Oaks where it will be widened so parents can turn into the school. The speed limits will decrease on Twin Oaks at certain areas due to the school.
Safety
A defined safety plan will be put in place. He will meet with fire and sheriff to ensure it is effective and supported by the first responders in the event of an emergency. This is the same for any other school in the district.
Next Steps and Questions
The next Parent Informational Meeting is Monday, September 29th at 6pm at North County Regional Education Center (SMUSD’s District Office) at 255 Pico Ave.
The PowerPoint Presentation from the 9/25 meeting will be posted on Tuesday September 30th on the Double Peak School website for your review.
Further questions and/or if wanting to provide feedback to Mr. Baum; please email him at [email protected] or call at 760-290-2344.
In addition, the Double Peak School website has a section for frequently asked questions and on that page you can submit any questions you have.
If you go to your child’s school website of the four schools that are affected; you will see an icon for “Double Peak School” on the front page. It will have updated information about the new K-8 school.
