A Semester In Review
Walnut Acres Elementary Aug-Dec 2022
A Wonderful Start at Walnut Acres for Principal Ashton!
In his 1926 classic, “Winnie the Pooh,” A. A. Milne wrote, “Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude.” Our little pink friend was grateful for the abundance he had in his life; great friends, a warm place to sleep and a few tasty “haycorns” to eat. As we conclude 2022, and break for the winter holiday, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to all who welcomed me to Walnut Acres and who help make Walnut Acres Elementary School an amazing place to be.
We are a community with many gifts and talents, which I witness you all share daily with one another and most importantly, our students. From the classroom, to our playground and all points in-between, the collective efforts of our teachers/staff to educate the whole child are filled with passion, commitment and a willingness to make decisions that may be hard in the present, but will have a positive and lasting influence in the future for all. Parents, of course, are such a critical part of all we hope to accomplish on behalf of our WAES students. I am grateful to you for masterfully doing what I know is the hardest, most rewarding and joyous jobs of all. Thank you for entrusting us with your most precious gift.
I am grateful to our wonderful, talented, creative, inquisitive, optimistic, resourceful and resilient students. Often, they make us laugh, sometimes they make us cry, but always they make us think. Most of all, they make us better. In the spirit of this holiday season, I want to extend my thanks to all of you for everything that you do for Walnut Acres. As we enjoy the upcoming holidays, that I am reminded of my own good fortune to serve as the proud Principal of Walnut Acres. You've continued to welcome me here and I've enjoyed the richly rewarding opportunities to learn from you and become a better leader for you and our students . Of course, I believe the faces of our children best express the true meaning of this holiday season. They radiate a sense of unbridled enthusiasm, untainted hope and unabashed joy for life and the opportunities that await them.
Looking forward to what 2023 brings!
Warmly,
Principal Ashton
The Strategic Spending Committee - A Partnership Between PFC & MDUSD
In late September, the Parent Faculty Club (PFC) sent out a survey to both teachers and parents gathering feedback on how best to utilize our strategic funds this year. THANK YOU to all that took valuable time to complete this survey!!
In reviewing the survey results, we found consistent themes - Facilities/Beautification, Teaching Support, Academic Support, Enrichment, STEM, Art/Music, Counseling/SEL Support, and Safety.
For items that are outside of MDUSD responsibility, the Strategic Spending Committee which is made up of PFC Exec members, parents, teachers and our principal, have discussed ideas on how we can execute on strategic spending over the next 2 years.
Working closely with Principal Ashton, we then divided these items into MDUSD responsibilities and Walnut Acres/PFC support. Principal Ashton has worked closely with Maintenance and Operations (M&O) over the past 3 months and has made huge improvements to our facilities in a short time.
Below are the areas of focus, based on survey results, and status:
Facilities/Beautification
MDUSD
Redone baseball diamonds (working with Jag Dads on maintenance and upkeep). In process
Track to be repaired with additional gravel to fix the divots. In Process
Outer grass field irrigation repaired. Done
The grass behind the MU & near the daycare will be redone. Planned for Spring
The ramp by the d-wing & daycare will be redone for safety reasons. Planned for December 22 (over holiday break)
The Peace Paths on the playground were just repainted. Done
Principal Ashton added additional trash cans around campus to improve the cleanliness of the campus. Done
Updating our clock and 'all-call' system since it's outdated. In process.
MDUSD is also installing new lights throughout the district. In Process
Walnut Acres is looking to add an additional custodian support after MDUSD contract negotiations are completed for this area. In Process.
WAE is planned to be repainted in Summer 2023. Planned Summer 2023
Strategic Spending Cmte.
Murals. In process
On 12/5, PFC approved to allocate $1500 for Murals. Mia Carella (1st grade teacher), is working with the teachers on lower grade and upper grade mural, student design, etc.
Fixing MUR projector wiring and microphones. In Process
Picnic Tables and Shade. Under review with MDUSD partnership
Teaching Support
Strategic Spending Cmte.
Increased two Reading Intervention Specialists time from .4 to .8 - In Process
PFC approved on 12/5. Principal Ashton is working with MDUSD HR to get this completed. ETA of January 2023
Increased Math Intervention Specialist time from .4 to .6 - In Process
PFC approved on 12/5. Principal Ashton is working with MDUSD HR to get this completed. ETA of January 2023
All budgeted Instructional Aides for K/1 and 2/3.have been hired to help support our teachers! Only the Science Aide for 1st-3rd is to be hired.
Academic Support
Strategic Spending Cmte.
Reviewing proposal for a School Transformation Day. Each class would have a budget to change their classroom into a country and students will learn about that country with music, art, language, etc. Hoping to have this to align with the International Fair! Under Review
Enrichment
Strategic Spending Cmte.
Planning assemblies in 2023 that will focus on music, art and align with specific history months as well. Principal Ashton will coordinate a Teacher-Parent Assembly Committee. Be on the lookout for this information in 2023. In process.
STEAM
Strategic Spending Cmte.
Reviewing a proposal for additional robots, materials to support STEM learning. Under Review
Art/Music
Strategic Spending Cmte.
Reviewing proposal for part time Art teacher to support Art Awareness. Depending on timing, this may be reflective in the 23-23 School Year. Under Review
Counseling / SEL
Walnut Acres
Outside of this committee, Principal Ashton is bringing in SEL (Social/Emotional Learning) curriculum at the beginning of 2023! Check out the Second Step sample lessons here!
Safety
MDUSD
Updated locks on doors & adjusting doors that don't close properly. Done
MDUSD is partnering with Rockeye Consulting Services (Rockeye) to provide additional support for our Disaster and Emergency Preparedness program. This support includes the following:
Review and vetting of the districts Comprehensive School Safety Plans (CSSP)
Conduct physical site walks to validate infrastructure and obtain main utility photos to create evaluation maps for each site
Provide Incident Command System (ICS-100) Training for site administration and ICS assigned Team
Conduct Video Surveillance Assessments (VSA) at all campuses
Conduct safety drills at each site. Format TBD.
Provide Active Shooter training (not an actual drill) to designated staff.
The map site walks have already begun, as Rockeye Consultant, Rich Rebenstorff, started visiting schools this semester. The remaining site walks for maps and utilities are scheduled to be conducted between the Thanksgiving Holiday and mid-December.
Strategic Spending Cmte
Purchased additional air purifiers for library and resource classrooms, along with new filters to replace the old ones.
City of Walnut Creek
Crossing Guards (not PFC or MDUSD) but City of Walnut Creek is leading this effort to identify areas that need improvement. Members of the PFC, WAE staff and parents are included to provide guidance and feedback.
City of Walnut Creek & Safe Routes to School; Safe Routes to School walking audits of Walnut Acres happened before Thanksgiving break. The walking audit occurred on “typical” day where there were no special school events (field trips, spirit week, minimum days, etc.). The audit was conducted by City staff, consultants, and any interested parent volunteers who observed and took notes on the morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up periods. The City of Walnut Creek is looking at adding/changing/improving crossing guards, bike lanes, red zones, etc that make it safer for students to get to school. As they are working with all the schools in the City of Walnut Creek it will take some time to get their follow up information.
If you have any questions or additional feedback, please feel free to contact Amy Thompson, lead of the Strategic Spending Committee at treasurer@walnutacrespfc.net or Principal Ashton ashtonl@mdusd.org
Thank you and have a wonderful Winter Break!! Happy 2023!!
Principal Ashton, The Strategic Spending Committee, & Walnut Acres Parent Faculty Club Exec Team
3rd Graders Reading!
5th Grade Instrumental Music!
2nd Grade Math!
Professional Development & Curriculm
Going through professional development gives our teachers and staff the skills they can use immediately in the classroom. The professional development that our teachers attend has a direct impact on each and every student at Walnut Acres Elementary School! Here are some professional development opportunities out staff has participated in this year:
1. Math Acceleration: Our Walnut Acres teachers are partnering with The New Teacher Project (TNTP) to look at math content standards in order to accelerate student learning in math. The teachers are working hard to make sure they are providing grade level content standards as well as developmentally appropriate scaffolds to ensure student learning! The California Department of Education’s (CDE) has been hosting conversations about the statewide Learning Acceleration! Dr. Clark was a panelist on the Learning Acceleration Webinar about Mathematics and he shared his thoughts and information regarding what is occurring within Mount Diablo Unified School District and how best to support our educators and youth. The recording will be posted on the CDE Learning Acceleration and Recovery Resources Web page once it becomes available. In addition, the first two webinars of the series are already posted.
2. Multi-Tier System of Support (MTSS): Walnut Acres teacher representatives, Principal Ashton, and School Counselor Mrs. Finn have been attending MDUSD MTSS training this year. This has given us an opportunity to look at our tiered system of support, both academically and social-emotionally, and work together to ensure equitable access and opportunity for all students to achieve the Common Core State Standards.
3. The Science of Reading: Many of our WAES teachers attend professional development this summer to learn more about best practices in reading and phonics. Our 1st grade team has just signed up for a 5 day MDUSD 'Science of Reading' professional development that will help them to connect our adopted curriculum to The Science of Reading and improve their teaching in reading to our students. The Science of Reading is a comprehensive body of research that encompasses years of scientific knowledge, spans across many languages, and shares the contributions of experts from relevant disciplines such as education, special education, literacy, psychology, neurology, and more. This conclusive, empirically supported research provides us with the information we need to gain a deeper understanding of how we learn to read, what skills are involved, how they work together, and which parts of the brain are responsible for reading development. From this research, we can identify an evidence-based best practice approach for teaching foundational literacy skills called Structured Literacy.
4. Carolina Science - Teachers have the opportunity to learn more about our newly adopted Science curriculum. For each science module, the teachers can attend a professional development session to support their learning and better teach the students.
Introducing New Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum to Walnut Acres
The Walnut Acres teachers and staff are excited to welcome TWO new Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum to the students in 2023.
1) Second Step. All students TK-5 will be introduced to the Second Step SEL curriculum. View the sample lessons here. We are excited to bring Second Step to Walnut Acres schoolwide! Research shows that when students have opportunities for SEL, they have greater academic success, fewer behavior problems, and higher levels of positive social behaviors!
2) Zones of Regulation. Our Special Education Team is brining in Zones of Regulation framework. The Zones of Regulation creates a systematic approach to teach regulation by categorizing all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete colored zones. Integrating in cognitive behavior therapy, students build skills in emotional and sensory regulation, executive functioning, and social cognition. The framework is designed to help move students toward more independent regulation while also honoring and respecting each student and their unique self.
A Peek At Each Grade!
TK/K - The eagerness from parent volunteers has brought TK/K to life this year! It's been so wonderful to see the art projects, PE rotations, and small group centers that TK/K can participate in with the wonderful coordination of teachers and parents alike.
1st - The students have been so lucky to receive science-based phonics and reading small group instruction in the classroom this year! The 1st grade team participated in professional development over the summer and has brought their new skills to their reading lessons!
2nd - The teachers are diving deeper in the BRIDGES math curriculum this year. Since they have worked with the curriculum for a few years now they are able to differentiate and extend learning for each students need. This hands-on math curriculum has made learning math more engaging!
3rd - The students in 3rd grade are participating in a new phonic rotation! This groups students based on phonics and spelling need. They get to work with new teachers and students to develop their reading skills.
4th - The fourth grade teachers have partner with Mrs. Finn, our School Consoler, to bring in more social-emotional development lessons to their students. By working with Mrs. Finn they are able to make their lessons relevant to their students needs. The 4th grade teachers are also working on a teacher-created Physical Education scope-and-sequence to make PE more engaging for their students!
5th - The fifth grade students have dived deep into the new Carolina Science curriculum! These hands-on science labs are making learning relevant and exciting! From learning about space to matter they are loving their new science curriculum!
Be In Touch!
Email: ashtonl@mdusd.org
Website: https://waes-mdusd-ca.schoolloop.com/pf4/cms2_site/view_deployment?d=x&theme_id=i4g1ywghi6ej&group_id=1500178974629
Location: 180 Cerezo Dr, Walnut Creek, CA 94598, USA
Phone: 925-939-1333
Twitter: @Laurenn_Ashton