School Information
Mission Statement
Laurelwood School is a caring community of learners
whose STUDENTS:
- Respect and trust themselves.
- Appreciate diversity and treat others with respect.
- Meet or exceed district and California academic performance standards.
- Mature physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually.
- Become self-directed, responsible, life-long learners.
whose STAFF and TEACHERS:
- Value the diverse backgrounds and strengths each child brings to school and to learning.
- Collaborate to incorporate best practices based on current research into their teaching to develop the whole child.
- Reflect attitudes of professionalism, caring, and dedication.
- Work with students and the community in an environment of mutual trust and respect.
whose PARENTS and COMMUNITY:
- Support and trust the vision and mission of the school.
- Appreciate diversity and treat others with respect.
- Seek to understand the American public school system.
- Participate actively in the education of our children.
Philosophy
Believing all children must be challenged to maximize their potential, Laurelwood's staff offers its students a strong academic program with an emphasis on the basic subjects of language arts, mathematics, social studies and science. Equally important to the staff are the social development of each child, the attainment of a strong self-concept and a basic human respect and tolerance for others.
Academic goals and objectives based on California State Standards and Santa Clara Unified School District Standards are planned yearly and are reflected in Laurelwood's school plan.
Characteristics
Laurelwood School enjoys the strong support of our Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and School Site Council (SSC). The SSC, comprised of teachers, parents, and the principal, is involved in the planning and evaluation of the state-mandated School Improvement Program. Laurelwood's PTA lends financial assistance by sponsoring the school's Fine Arts program. The PTA's volunteer program provides opportunities for parent and community volunteers to help in the classroom, with special events, with field trips, on the playground, and in the library, computer lab, office, or copy center on a regular basis.
In addition to scheduled parent-teacher goal setting conferences, parents are encouraged to attend Back-to-School night, Open House, grade level concerts, and other school activities. A school newsletter ("The Laurelwood Letter") goes home monthly and the PTA also sends out a bi-monthly newsletter ("Tiger Tales").
The Student Study Team is the coordinating group between the regular school program and Laurelwood's various special programs. The team meets to provide advice and assistance for classroom teachers and to recommend special education placement or counseling for students.
The school practices the "inclusion" or collaboration model in which special education teachers work with learning handicapped and at-risk students in the regular classroom. Those teachers collaborate constantly with the regular education teachers. This ultimately results in better learning for all students.
Laurelwood also has a strong support staff of counselors, a speech and language specialist, and health specialists.
Laurelwood is further characterized by a strong academic focus and a positive school-wide atmosphere in which students are friendly and respect one another. It is obvious that the vast majority of students "like" their school and have a positive attitude toward their teachers. An equally impressive number appear to like one another, care for school property and follow school rules.
Life-long Learning Skills
Our District has identified six Lifelong Learning Skills that every child needs to succeed in life.
These skills apply to students in all our schools – kindergarten through high school.
Communicate Effectively
Throughout every person’s life, communicating effectively is essential. Effective communication is both oral and written; it is clear and clearly understood by all the parties involved. It is engaging, articulate, and appropriate for its audience. Effective communication involves ideas, facts, opinions, and feelings. Teachers model and students practice this skill in all areas of our curriculum.
Take responsibility for learning
Developing self-directed learners is a goal in every Laurelwood classroom. In school, it means following directions, completing assignments correctly and on time, asking questions when unsure, and managing time wisely. We see this transition happening through the grades with homework; kindergarteners require parental support with their homework; as students progress through the grades, completing homework should require less and less from parents (mostly just a time and place) and more from the student. If homework is disrupting your family’s life, talk with your child’s teacher. He/she can help you with strategies to help your child take responsibility for learning in this area.
Contribute to society
We take this seriously at Laurelwood. Students have many opportunities to contribute to the school community and to society around us. Student Council, Safety Patrol, and Conflict Managers are all avenues of service. Students help in the cafeteria, in campus clean-up, and in the library. All students participate in fundraisers to support the school; all are involved in Buddy Reading to help one another become stronger readers. The Giving Tree, Second Harvest Food Bank, and Pennies for Patients are additional opportunities for students to help the larger community. Most of our children lead lives of great privilege when compared to the world at large; giving back helps us and the world become better people.
Become informed, be productive, think
This includes learning about the world and using what you have learned to move forward and succeed. Knowledge alone is not enough; it is a tool to solve problems and think critically about what has been learned. Being productive is producing work – completing assignments, projects, and homework. Thinking is using logic, reflection, and meta-cognition to increase our learning in all areas. Teachers model and students practice this skill in all areas of our curriculum.
Work collaboratively
This involves working cooperatively with a group, respecting the rights and contributions of each participant, and recognizing the power of many minds focused on a single task. Working collaboratively is a learned skill; it starts in kindergarten and is reinforced and refined throughout the grades.
Process information
As we all know, media in all its forms bombards us daily with more and more information. The amount of information at our fingertips on the Internet alone is almost beyond comprehension. Processing all of this information – evaluating its relevance, considering its source, recognizing its biases, determining its importance – is an essential skill that every educated person must acquire. Processing information begins with strong literacy skills; it also includes knowledge of fundamental principles in math, science, history, geography, economics, and the arts. Ultimately, processing information involves making judgments about what information is valid and is useful. We work with students discussing facts vs. opinions; we read a variety of genres in fiction and non-fiction to process information from different sources. We ask students to show what they have processed in a variety of assessments – writing, speaking, demonstrating, etc. Processing information is essential for success in school and in life.
Address:
955 Teal Drive
Santa Clara, CA 95051
Phone: (408) 423-1600
Principal: Mr. Paul Fuller
OFFICE HOURS:
Laurelwood office hours are
on school days as follows-
- 8:30am-11:30pm
- 1:00pm-3:00pm
School Records Requests
For school-to-school records requests, contact Julie Prough at jprough@scusd.net
(408)423-1611
For everyone's safety, in order to enter campus (i.e. go through any gates), ALL visitors and volunteers* must check in and out through through the office and obtain a Volunteer Badge or Visitor's identification sticker EVERY TIME they enter campus, even if it is to just "quickly drop off" a lunch, backpack, homework, book, or other item.
Adults with infants, babies, toddlers, &/or preschoolers may NOT volunteer/work ,OR be present in classrooms WITH their non-enrolled Laurelwood child, NOR may any child be in the WORK room, as there are SHARP objects, machinery, and cutters there, which are a hazard for children.
In addition, BABIES, TODDLERS and INFANTS do NOT have TB clearance, and so it is against both SCHOOL POLICY and BOARD POLICY to allow them into any classroom.
*For more information on the required process for becoming a volunteer, GO TO our Volunteer page.
Please be sure to check the LW Lost and Found cart, which is parked outside, against the wall of the LW Cafeteria/Multipurpose Room, for any of your child's lost items.
The Lost and Found will be cleared out about every 3 months, with unclaimed items being donated to charitable organizations.
For questions, please contact the school office.
The LW Green Team collects recycling on the first full week of every month. We only collect aluminum cans and plastic (usually bottles) labeled "CA-CRV" on it. Please do not bring anything else.
You can bring your bag of recycling to a Green team member any morning before school starts, during our Recycle week.
The money generated from this recycling goes toward Green team related items, and our new garden.
School Accountability Report Card
GO TO SCUSD's School Locator to find your assigned “School of Residence”.
GO TO a map to find our location.
Karen Spinks, M.Ed.
kspinks@scusd.net
