School Accountability Report Card Reported for School Year 2003-2004 Published During 2004-2005
Notes regarding the source and currency of data: Data included in this School Accountability Report Card (SARC) are consistent with State Board of Education guidelines, which are available at the California Department of Education Web site http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/definitions04.asp. Most data presented in this report were collected from the 2003-04 school year or from the two preceding years (2001-02 and 2002-03). Due to the certification timelines for graduation, dropout, and fiscal information, the data for these sections of the report were collected in 2002-03.
School Information
District Information
School Name
Olita Elementary (Lh,Rsp)
District Name
Lowell Joint
Principal
Linda Boznanski
Superintendent
Dr. Joe Gillentine
Street
950 S. Briercliff Dr.
11019 Valley Home Ave.
City, State, Zip
La Habra, CA 90631-6223
Whittier, CA 90603-3042
Phone Number
562-902-4251
562-943-0211
FAX Number
562-690-0273
562-947-3620
Web Site
www.ljsd.k12.ca.us/olita
www.ljsd.k12.ca.us
E-mail Address
lboznans@lws.lacoe.edu
Jlaurich@lws.lacoe.edu
CDS Code
19-64766-6020200
SARC Contact
John Laurich
School Description and Mission Statement
OLITA’S PROFILE
Olita School is located on 950 S. Briefcliff Drive in La Habra, California, and is one of five elementary schools in the Lowell Joint School District. Our school serves students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade with an enrollment of 489 students. There are two Learning Center classes on campus; one class for grades k-3, the other for grades 4-6. Grades one through three have classroom sizes of 20:1, while upper grade classrooms have fewer than 32 students. There are 26 teachers and 19 support staff.
Twelve percent of the parent community have graduate degrees, while 66%, the majority of the parent population, have some college background or college degree.
The ethnic distribution of the enrollment finds 48 % of students white, 43% Hispanic, 7% Asian, and the remainder, made up of black and other, less than 2%. Twelve percent of the student body in grades 4-6 have been identified GATE and 9% are ELL.
The flavor of Olita Elementary School can best be captured in the yearly schoolwide themes that we have had over the years- Olita Ranch- The Brand of Excellence, Camp Olita-The Adventure Begins, Camp Olita-The Adventure Continues, Olita Has Star Power-Watch Us Shine, We Celebrate Learning, We Are Olita’s All-Star Team, We Cultivate Minds and Values- Watch Us Grow, and Olita – a Sea of Knowledge. Each theme sets the tone for high expectations, attainment of excellence, and a lifetime adventure for learning.
The school’s vision is for students to have enthusiasm for learning coupled with strong character traits that will carry them through the years as life-long learners. This vision is the shared responsibility of students, staff, parents and community. Staff stresses personal integrity, social responsibility and our national heritage.
Character building is a strong component of everyday instruction. We have a sequential, spiraled character education program that starts in kindergarten and follows through to sixth grade. Monthly qualities are taught, rewarded, communicated to parents, and displayed on our marquee and monthly office bulletin board.
Teaming and collaborative planning have provided the backbone for a strong academic program that sets a schoolwide vision where every part of the school skeleton is joined. Certificated and classified staff members work in harmony to provide a learning environment that is safe, creative, challenging and appropriate for the various levels of learners. There is a common vision for behavior, student and staff recognition, excellence, and time on task.
Olita parents are actively involved in the education of their children. Parents work in classrooms and participate in fundraising and expanded curricular events. Parents serve on Olita’s School Site council, PTA Executive Board as well as the chaired PTA committees. Attendance at Back to School Night and Open House are extraordinary with classrooms averaging 85-100%.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to encourage each child to develop individual excellence and a desire for lifelong learning so that they can be contributing members of society. To accomplish this we provide a positive, engaging, and challenging learning environment where all students are given equal access to the core curriculum.
We believe that each child is a unique learner and that children thrive with personal recognition for academic progress and effort. With parents as partners, we have established a nurturing and supportive learning community, where staff work collaboratively and cohesively and share in the responsibility of assisting Olita students in demonstrating positive character traits, tolerance, social skills, effective communication, critical and creative thinking, problem solving and decision making.
Olita’s learning environment supports and empowers each child to become a responsible and productive citizen.
Opportunities for Parental Involvement
Contact Person Name
Contact Person Phone Number
Each year PTA fills a 12 seat executive board with an accompanying 19 person support group that runs the committees. Parents work closely with the school to promote school spirit, conduct fundraisers, plan social events, plan assemblies, run the Reflections Program, put together a yearbook, provide identification bracelets, organize reading incentives, organize Red Ribbon Day, and conduct outreach programs. Parents and teachers also support outreach efforts by participating in Project Love (Indian gift program) and project Santa.
Last year parent volunteers logged in a documented 5,279 hours (perhaps with an equal number of hours not documented) which is about 14 hours per family. PTA membership increased by almost 100% from the two prior years. We have a student enrollment of 489 and a PTA membership of 424. Parents attend Bingo Night, carnival, Family Night, skate nights, picnics, and field trips. They are kept apprised of school events through the monthly voice mail, weekly mailings and monthly newsette. Parents also wear their Olita spirit shirts on Friday and on field trips.
Parent speakers come to the classrooms and talk to the classes about their heritage, what they do for a living, or an interest or hobby they have. We also have a group of parents who decorate the outside office windows with seasonal themes. Parents cook foods from their culture to celebrate international holidays. They help with Indian Day, Aloha Day, Johnny Appleseed Day, Hoe Downs, colonial day and Thanksgiving.
Parents are further involved in Student Study Team meetings, School Site Council, the District’s Academic Day of Excellence, 2 parent conferences a year, as tutors in the classroom and assistants to the teacher, signing of assignment books, being noon duty aides, plus intramural and physical education helpers.
I. Demographic Information Student Enrollment, by Grade Level Data reported are the number of students in each grade level as reported by the California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS).
Grade Level
Enrollment
Kindergarten
60
Grade 9
0
Grade 1
48
Grade 10
Grade 2
69
Grade 11
Grade 3
70
Grade 12
Grade 4
87
Ungraded Secondary
Grade 5
82
Grade 6
73
Grade 7
Grade 8
Ungraded Elementary
Total Enrollment
489
Student Enrollment, by Ethnic Group Data reported are the number and percent of students in each racial/ethnic category as reported by CBEDS.
Racial/Ethnic Category
Number of Students
Percent of Students
African-American
3
0.01
Hispanic or Latino
150
43.0
American Indian or Alaska Native
1
0.002
Pacific Islander
Asian
24
7.
White (Not Hispanic)
168
48.0
Filipino
2
0.005
Multiple or No Response
II. School Safety and Climate for Learning School Safety Plan
Date of Last Review/Update
Date Last Discussed with Staff
There is a consistent discipline plan with expected consequences. The agreed upon rules were reviewed and posted in each classroom and sent home to parents. Students are aware of inappropriate behaviors. Students understand the ideas behind the Peter, Paul, and Mary Video and CD, "Don’t Laugh at Me". Students follow a district adopted code of dress that is consistently enforced.
Students are accounted for, and when out of the classroom they have restroom or hall passes. Students cannot come to the office without a pass. Only one runner goes to the classrooms to pick up the lunch count/absences. Visitors must check into the office, sign in and wear a visitor pin. There’s a minimum of classroom interruptions. Teachers are not called out of their classrooms or to the phone during instruction time. Announcements are made once a week on Tuesdays by the principal. Teachers make sure that students are in the room during announcement time. Phone messages are given to staff through notes in their mailboxes. Students line up before school and are brought by the teacher to the classroom. Parents and students are assisted at arrival and dismissal time by a student Safety Patrol, which is sanctioned by the Automobile Club of Southern California. Our Safety Patrol program has been adopted by two other schools in the district. Noisy groundskeeping work is done before students arrive and during recess. Students use walkways and do not run around campus. So as not to interfere with classroom activities, lunches and materials that arrive late to school via parents are delivered to classrooms only at recess or lunch time. Parents follow a traffic pattern when delivering and picking up their child. The rules are reviewed often in the monthly newsette.
We have monthly fire dills, lock down drills, and mock earthquake drills. In place is a comprehensive earthquake plan with job descriptions. After each drill we have a debriefing and make any changes that would better our procedures. The absence phone line is used by parents to report absences. If we do not hear from parents, we call that day to verify an absence. We want to make sure that the child is safe and with adult supervision.
School Programs and Practices that Promote a Positive Learning Environment
Award assemblies are held each month to recognize each class’ Citizen of the Month, Student of the Month (based on the month’s character education quality), and "Catch Them Being Good" winners. Monthly awards are also given through Cafeteria Trophies and a Principal’s Award. Students in grades 4-6 work to qualify for their classroom’s Homework Club Award.
Students are given opportunities to be class leaders through either the Student Leadership program we have in grades 5 and 6 or class responsibilities found at each grade level. Upper grade students can become members of the school’s Safety Patrol, Student Leadership, Big Buddies, cafeteria or office helpers.
To encourage a love for reading we have sponsored the Olita Reading Club for grades k-4 and a twice a year Reading Raffle for grades five and six. Students in grades 3-6 can compete to become Multiplication Champions with recognition in our monthly Newsette and a final raffle with many gifts being offered. Students in grades one and two compete to be Fry Word Champions and if they achieve this honor they receive a "Fry Word" tee shirt that they wear on "FRY..day".
Recognition is given per quarter for students who are judged to be the best scribe by displaying exceptional printing or cursive writing. Students can qualify for the school’s academic honor roll. We participate with the Kiwanis Club of La Habra to recognize those students who have brought up their grades through the " BUG" award.
Fifth and sixth graders may participate in the district’s Day of Excellence and compete for academic medals. The nation’s Presidential Academic Awards are also given to sixth graders who have attained a high academic grade point average through elementary school. Jog-a-thons, Book Swaps, spirit days, and cards given for acts of kindness are other methods to promote a positive learning environment where students are given recognition both in the classroom and schoolwide.
Suspensions and Expulsions Data reported are the number of suspensions and expulsions (i.e., the total number of incidents that result in a suspension or expulsion). The rate of suspensions and expulsions is the total number of incidents divided by the school's total enrollment as reported by CBEDS for the given year. In unified school districts, a comparison between a particular type of school (elementary, middle, high) and the district average may be misleading. Schools have the option of comparing their data with the district-wide average for the same type of school.
School
District
2002
2003
2004
Number of Suspensions
9
249
254
255
Rate of Suspensions
Number of Expulsions
5
Rate of Expulsions
School Facilities
Olita School consists of seven major buildings with five bungalows. There are two wings for the primary classrooms and an additional two wings for the upper grade classrooms. Kindergarten is separated from the rest of the campus by an enclosed play yard. In addition to the classrooms there is a library, computer lab, reading center, speech room and a school psychologist’s room. The central office houses the office manager’s station, attendance clerk’s office, nurse’s office, principal’s office, lounge, workroom, EL teacher’s room plus the multi-use and kitchen.
In year 2002, two major additions were made to the primary and upper grade playgrounds, with an expenditure of $43,000.
III. Academic Data Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Through the California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program, students in grades 2-11 are tested annually in various subject areas. Currently, the STAR program includes California Standards Tests (CST) and a norm-referenced test (NRT). The CST tests English-language arts and mathematics in grades 2-11, science in grades 5, 9, 10, and 11, and history/social science in grades 8, 10, and 11. The NRT tests reading, language, and mathematics in grades 2-11, spelling in grades 2-8, and science in grades 9-11. California Standards Tests (CST) The California Standards Tests (CST) show how well students are doing in relation to the state content standards. Student scores are reported as performance levels. The five performance levels are Advanced (exceeds state standards), Proficient (meets state standards), Basic (approaching state standards), Below Basic (below state standards), and Far Below Basic (well below state standards). Students scoring at the Proficient or Advanced level meet state standards in that content area. Students scoring at the Proficient or Advanced level meet state standards in that content area. Students with significant cognitive disabilities who are unable to take the CST are tested using the California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA). Detailed information regarding CST and CAPA results for each grade and proficiency level can be found at the California Department of Education Web site at http://star.cde.ca.gov or by speaking with the school principal. Note: To protect student privacy, scores are not shown when the number of students tested is 10 or less. CST - All Students Data reported are the percent of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standards).
Subject
State
English-Language Arts
66
64
57
59
32
35
36
Mathematics
68
67
54
56
31
34
Science
40
29
30
27
25
History/Social Science
37
33
28
CST - Racial/Ethnic Groups Data reported are the percent of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standards).
African- American
White (not Hispanic)
80
96
45
CST - Subgroups Data reported are the percent of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standards).
Male
Female
English Learners
Economically Disadvantaged
Students With Disabilities
Migrant Education Services
Yes
No
63
23
71
41
19
Norm-Referenced Test (NRT) Reading and mathematics results from the California Schievement Test, Sixth Edition (CAT-6), the current NRT adopted by the State Board of Education, are reported for each grade level as the percent of tested students scoring at or above the 50th percentile (the national average). School results are compared to results at the district and state levels. The CAT-6 was adopted in 2003; therefore, no data are reported for 2002. Detailed information regarding results for each grade level can be found at the California Department of Education Web site at http://star.cde.ca.gov/ or by speaking with the school principal. Note: To protect student privacy, scores are not shown when the number of students tested is 10 or less. NRT - All Students Data reported are the percent of students scoring at or above the 50th percentile.
Reading
---
61
43
76
78
50
51
NRT - Racial/Ethnic Groups Data reported are the percent of students scoring at or above the 50th percentile.
72
NRT - Subgroups Data reported are the percent of students scoring at or above the 50th percentile.
58
47
75
81
Local Assessment Data reported are the percent of students meeting or exceeding the district standard.
Writing
K
97
100
--
98
99
90
94
88
95
91
92
85
89
4
84
83