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Yerba Buena Elementary School Setting |
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Yerba Buena Elementary School, located in Agoura Hills, is one of sixteen schools in the Las Virgenes Unified School District. The district, located in the western end of Los Angeles County, serves approximately 11,000 students. Las Virgenes Unified School District is comprised of one pre-school, nine elementary schools, three middle schools, two high schools, and one continuation high school.
The 2009-10 school year begins with much anticipation and excitement. Our school features an administration building, state of the art library and computer lab, multi-purpose room, and technology enriched classrooms. The average socio-economic level of the families at the school tends to be average to relatively high. Our school serves a definitive area of Agoura Hills and is truly considered a community school. The site serves as a meeting place for community functions, sports activities and student organization groups.
At Yerba Buena, we provide students opportunities to develop their potential intellectually, socially and emotionally. We believe that our public school exist to provide an effective educational program and to offer all students opportunities to develop their capabilities to the maximum of their potential so that they may act constructively as contributing citizens in our changing society. Yerba Buena Elementary School has a strong academic foundation, a parent community that is interested and is actively involved, a faculty professionally skilled and personally committed to meeting the needs of students and a student body motivated to perform well.
Yerba Buena Elementary School is comprised of three kindergarten classes, three first grade classes, three second grade classes, three third grade classes, two fourth grade classes, one four-five combination class, and two fifth grade classes. There are two special education classrooms. Yerba Buena also has a special reading/EL class with a 50% certificated teacher.
 Our kindergarten students attend school for 200 minutes per instructional day. Primary students attend school for 285 minutes and upper elementary students attend for 310 minutes per instructional day. (These figures are based upon total instructional minutes per year with allocations for minimum days and banking time). Students attend school 180 days with 8 minimum days throughout the year (5 conference days in the fall, 2 conference days in the spring, and one minimum day for the last day of school). PFA sponsored enrichment classes are offered throughout the week for a nominal fee. A special G.A.T.E. program is offered to our identified G.A.T.E. students for the 2009-10 school year.
At Yerba Buena, we pride ourself on the high achievement of our students. During the 2008-09 school year, our API score was 937, the highest in our school district. Yerba Buena Elementary School was also selected as a California “Distinguished” school by the California Department of Education in 1995. School representatives received a special plaque and flag from the California State Department of Education. The students, staff, and parents take great pride in this recognition.
In the spirit of cooperation, parents and staff pledge to join in partnership to prepare students to become concerned and caring citizens of today working together for a better tomorrow. The parents of Yerba Buena Elementary School students are very involved and interested in the education of their children. Yerba Buena has an active Parent Faculty Association (PFA) which meets monthly. The purpose of the PFA is to provide supplemental enrichment programs to Yerba Buena students. Yearly funds are provided for classroom materials, part time support staff in physical education, computer instruction, music, and the library. PFA also provides funds to sponsor school-wide assemblies. Parents actively volunteer in the classrooms, in the library, and help with a variety of projects throughout the year. The School Site Council (SSC), composed of parent and staff representatives, plans, monitors and evaluates the School Improvement Program. Council members are elected/selected for a term of two years. The Council approves the School Improvement budget and is responsible for overseeing the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the program. To effectively achieve the Yerba Buena School goals, School Improvement funds are expended in a school-based program where the services of GATE, EL, and Special Education are coordinated.
The State of California has implemented a standards-based system that requires that each child meet rigorous academic standards. Curriculum - content, teaching strategies, and instructional materials and resources, including technology - "drives" what instruction teachers teach. Additionally, it is important to ensure that teachers develop sound strategies to actively engage students in learning. The achievement of standards is based, in large measure, on how teachers organize and implement the curriculum. Curriculum design is a circular process: grade-level academic standards are identified, curriculum is designed to enable students to achieve the standards, instructional materials are aligned to standards; student achievement - the success of the curriculum - is assessed, curriculum is revised, additional curriculum is designed based on the results of the assessment, the resulting achievement is assessed, more curriculum is designed, and so on in a continuous cycle. Accordingly, standards, assessment, and curriculum organization must be in close alignment.
All stakeholders at Yerba Buena work together to ensure the success of all students. There are strong collaborative efforts between the staff, families, and the community. Yerba Buena depends on our  families to see that children come to school every day ready to learn; families and the community depend on Yerba Buena to take the primary role in ensuring that students achieve high educational standards and provide a safe and healthy school environment; families and schools depend on community partners to provide opportunities and accessible supports and services to meet students' basic needs and to foster their growth and development. Our overriding philosophy is that educational success, physical health, emotional support, and family and community strength are inseparable.
Staff development is recognized as an important part of professional growth. Activities are planned based on district, school, and individual teacher goals. Some previous examples of staff development activities have included differentiated instruction, improving skills in reading, math and writing and special education training. Staff members independently participate in additional workshops such as CPR/First Aid, technology, and personal growth opportunities. During the 2009-10 school year, the Yerba Buena teachers will participate in staff development for a total of 14 hours, from October - May. Staff development will include in-services on curricular areas such as Response to Intervention (RtI), Step Up to Writing, goal planning, differentiation, Great Works of Art, and more.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 17 March 2010 )
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