Pride at Pepper Drive
By Principal Summer Locke
There is so much to share about what is happening at Pepper Drive School. Here are some highlights:
Response to Intervention
Our classroom and Intervention teachers have been working closely throughout this year to provide targeted instruction for any struggling students. Our teachers are providing small-group and individual instruction to support our students in achieving their reading and math goals. Every six weeks, the teaching team meets with the administrative team, Special Education teachers, and our school counselor to discuss the progress made by these students. By looking at the whole child, and hearing from all of the adults who work with each student, we are able to create cohesive interventions and have celebrated some incredible academic growth.
STEAM After-School Club
There are anywhere from 20 to 40 students who wait for older siblings between dismissals each day. For those 25 minutes, Mrs. Atkinson has created an opportunity for peer-mentorship and fun. Each day, Mrs. A has 5 Middle School Students who come to lead STEAM activities with the younger students who wait in the lunch area. Some days, they are examining chemical reactions, and others they are coding robots to complete obstacle courses. Whatever the task, you will always find these students smiling and laughing while learning together.
Guitar Elective
Mr. Hobbs has just secured a very generous donation of 15 Taylor guitars for our Middle School Electives. These Guitars have been provided by the San Diego Music Foundation. Mr. Hobbs can’t wait to design and teach a Guitar Elective for our 7th and 8th Graders in the Fall.
School Climate & Culture
Our School Site Council, Instructional Leadership Team, and staff have been re-working our school Mission and Vision to better align to our current practices. We look forward to sharing a revamped version before the end of the school year. Our School Climate Committee and PBIS teams have worked closely with the admin team this year to examine trends and challenges at our school. To do this, they use Panorama student surveys, Electronic Behavior Pass stats, and academic achievement data. Some staff representatives will be attending professional learning for Restorative Practices in the Spring and our ILT is sending a team to the Annual Equity in Education Conference on May 12th.
Tiger Family Fun
We have been able to host TIGER Awards Assemblies for our families throughout this school year. Our families have braved early start times and chilly mornings to attend these outdoor celebrations, but it has been well worth it to see the pride on our students’ faces as they are honored for showing Teamwork, Integrity, Goals, Empathy and Responsibility on campus. The TIGER Awardees love choosing a book from the Book Vending Machine Each Friday. Also, we still hold a drawing for prizes for students who are consistently exemplifying those TIGER Traits.
Our PTA is hosting our first Family Movie Night on Friday at 6pm on campus. We will be watching the movie, “Sing 2” and there will also be a food truck selling dinner and treat options. It is wonderful to see our Tiger Families back on Campus for these community events.
Spring Festival is back! The teachers have started choosing songs and choreographing performances. We will be hosting our traditional Spring Festival on Thursday, June 2nd at 9am.
Thanks for the opportunity to share some of the great things happening and proud moments at Pepper Drive School.