About

Mission

The Van Allen School Community will ensure that all students learn at high levels as well-rounded, lifelong learners.

La Comunidad Escolar de Van Allen se asegurará de que todos los estudiantes aprendan a altos niveles como aprendices completos y de por vida.

Vision

All students will master guaranteed/essential standards. All students will be socially and emotionally equipped to handle academic and life challenges so they will succeed today and be prepared for tomorrow. Our classroom communities will enable all students to feel safe, cared for, and encouraged to perform at their highest level. 

Todos los estudiantes dominarán los estándares garantizados. Todos los estudiantes estarán equipados social y emocionalmente para manejar los desafíos académicos y de la vida para que tengan éxito hoy y estén preparados para el mañana. Nuestras comunidades de aula permitirán que todos los estudiantes se sientan seguros, atendidos y alentados a desempeñarse al más alto nivel.

Collective Commitments

• We commit to teach the agreed on, guaranteed/essential standards, to all students.  
• We commit to use the evidence of student learning from common formative assessments, as well as benchmark assessments, to address the learning needs of each Van Allen student.  
• We commit to use the evidence of student learning from our common formative assessments, as well as benchmark assessments, to inform and improve our professional practice. 
• We commit to creating a positive classroom environment where all students feel safe to reach their learning potential. 

• Nos comprometemos a enseñar los estándares garantizados/esenciales acordados a todos los estudiantes.
• Nos comprometemos a utilizar la evidencia del aprendizaje de los estudiantes de las evaluaciones formativas comunes, así como las evaluaciones comparativas, para abordar las necesidades de aprendizaje de cada estudiante de Van Allen.
• Nos comprometemos a utilizar la evidencia del aprendizaje de los estudiantes de nuestras evaluaciones formativas comunes, así como las evaluaciones comparativas, para informar y mejorar nuestra práctica profesional.
• Nos comprometemos a crear un ambiente positivo en el salón de clases donde todos los estudiantes se sientan seguros para alcanzar su potencial de aprendizaje.

Background (Spanish translation available below)

Van Allen Elementary School was established in 1861. The current school was built in 1952. Portable classrooms have been added as the school population increased. New permanent facilities were completed in the Spring of 2007 including the multi-purpose/cafeteria building and a new classroom building. Van Allen Elementary encompasses kindergarten through fifth grade and is staffed by a Principal, seventeen teachers, seven instructional assistants, a learning specialist, a speech therapist, a school psychologist, a school nurse, four custodians, three food service personnel, and two secretaries. Van Allen is located at the corner of Van Allen Road and Highway 120, four miles west of Escalon. Situated in a rural setting of dairy farms and orchards, the school serves as a focal point for the community.

The student population comes from homes which range from low socioeconomic status to upper middle class.

The Escalon Recreation Commission provides most of the recreational programs for Van Allen. Students of Van Allen are involved in 4-H, football, soccer, baseball and softball leagues, T-ball, and swim teams.

Parents at Van Allen School take enormous pride in their school. Volunteers consistently participate in the school program by working in classrooms, organizing special events and participating in the highly active and supportive Parents Club. The Parents Club makes it possible for the students at Van Allen to participate in a variety of field trips and extra-curricular activities throughout the year.

Many Van Allen students are the third generation in their family to attend Van Allen Elementary School. Having a long and rich history has built a strong bond between the school and the Van Allen community. This positive relationship has created a sense of community and pride at the school and formed a lasting partnership between home, school, and community.

Van Allen Elementary School strives to give all students the opportunity to develop academically, physically, emotionally and creatively, in an atmosphere of acceptance and encouragement for learning. As a school, we assist all students in meeting or exceeding state grade level Common Core State Standards through our school wide Response to Intervention model. We continuously seek to improve our academic program which builds upon a strong foundation in Reading and Math.

Our district has embraced the Professional Learning Community model which will maintain the instructional focus at Van Allen on the following questions:

1. What do we want our students to learn?
2. How will we know they have learned it?
3. What do we do when they don’t?
4. What do we do when they do?

Van Allen School continues to provide and promote recognition and reinforcement programs which will build pride and self-worth in our students. Currently, our school implements a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) which has done a great deal to improve discipline on campus. Van Allen Vikings are Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn.  Our staff helps students to develop problem-solving skills, encourages healthy living, and promotes lifelong learning by using a standards based approach.  In addition, we implement the district’s Wellness Policy, and encourage student literacy through the Accelerated Reader program, reading challenges, summer library hours and activities, and our biannual Book Fair.

Our school follows the Flipped Lunch model where students play recess first and then enter the cafeteria for lunch. This has decreased our discipline statistics significantly, decreased food waste, improved learning after lunch, and has done a great deal to enhance our school culture and climate.  Staff participates in ongoing professional development that focuses on student needs and best practices, integrating technology to enhance instruction, and building relationships and effective communication with parents and families. We support our English learners using designated and integrated English Language Development embedded in our master schedule, and Guided Language Acquisition and Design (GLAD) strategies at all grade levels. Our high functioning team has created a school site environment that is supportive, clean, and safe, for students, staff, parents and the community.

Antecedentes