Lagunitas Community School by Steve Rebscher
actual process would unfold. Everyone I have spoken to has related that this concern was largely unfounded. When our transition committee sat down and honestly expressed how they perceived the goals
of each existing program and which components of each school day they most val- ued it became increasingly clear that the framework of one inclusive program was within reach. After many meetings, many compromises and many new ideas our combined elementary program was ready to open its doors in August. Clear takeaways from the first five months of our combined program? Most visible is the enthusiasm generated by larger numbers of students on one campus. Instead of six to ten children in a classroom we now have 79 students in four groups. Parents and staff relate a big jump in overall enthusiasm that is apparent both at school and at home. Problematic behaviors that seemed difficult to solve in small group settings last year are more easily averted now as kids have the freedom to move on to another group. Several parents mentioned that their children feel like they know all the kids in the Valley, not just the cohort in their own program. Second, working together with staff, parent representatives brought forward the key features of each program they wanted to maintain in the combined school. Space has been designated for students that feel they need a quieter environment for learning than the Open Classroom architecture and philosophy provided. Much of the freedom for students to define their individual daily routine has been maintained from the Open Classroom mixed with additional scheduled activities more reminiscent of the Montessori program. Bringing all of our students togeth- er has enabled a stronger, nearly full time, art program with the rich support of Kristy Arroyo and Julie Benjamin. Traditional activities from both programs like the Winter Café, Labyrinth Walk and birthday song rounds through the pod have been maintained. To enable greater parent participation an early morning K-1 story time has been added to enable working parents to read a story as they drop off their child – and still make it to work. Each of these examples highlights the primary focus of our transition: flexibility. Thoughtful engagement by all of the stakeholders in this process brought about not only a vibrant student centered program this Fall but has invigorated and strengthened our parent groups. This enthusiasm is spreading as 12-15 new young parents attended our first elementary school tour in January, far more than in recent years. Parents from both programs join staff leading our revamped tours which include visiting our classrooms, new art and “makers” enrichment spaces on the lower campus, meeting with community center staff and spending time with our middle school students to get a broad view of our school district as a complete community school addressing the diverse needs of all of our children and families. Of course, this major transition is in its infancy. However, there are many very encouraging signs. Our elementary classrooms are alive with renewed energy vis- ible from looking at our staff, to our parents, to our administration and, most important, our students. The process of combining our two programs has resulted in significantly expanded enrichment activities for our kids and additional focus on professional development for our teaching staff. From my perspective as a board member the most significant gain has been a renewed sense of energy and purpose in our parents. The level of support from parents throughout this pro- cess has been astounding, reminiscent of the movements that created the Open Classroom and Montessori Programs in the first place. I believe that we are usher- ing in a new era of active community participation in our school and a renewed sense that our school, in partnership with the community center, will continue to evolve to better support both children and families in the San Geronimo Valley. Cody was connected to Ervin through a program offered from the Golden Gate Regional Center called “Living with Options”. The program encourages commu- nity involvement through volunteering. We had volunteering opportunities and it was a perfect fit for Cody. Ervin and Cody spend 4 days a week together volun- teering or doing other activities. Cody lives alone in Corte Madera at a Supportive Living Apartment. Cody enjoys returning to his hometown to volunteer. I asked Cody what he enjoys about volunteering at the Center, he said, “Helping Out” and “I like getting lunch on Mondays and cleaning up the tables and chairs, and then passing out sweets at the Food Bank.” Cody with support from Ervin volunteer at two of our most significant Human Services programs that have a direct impact on the community. Ervin helps Cody with the Senior Lunch clean up and at the Food Bank Cody and Ervin have important roles as greeters. The greeters are the first point of contact at our drive through Food Bank, and often offer Covid tests, masks, and fliers with community updates and announcements. Ervin is bilingual Spanish/English which is valuable in communicating and relaying information with our Spanish only clients. Cody’s mother Laurel Marinelli lives in San Geroni- mo and is able to visit with him when she attends our programs. Over the years Cody and Ervin have become a crucial part of our team of amazing volunteers that have immediate and direct impact on the community. Cody and Ervin have offered so much to a community that neither live in anymore but they no doubt belong here and are valued members of our volunteer team. We are so grateful to you both and thank you for your commitment to the San Geronimo Valley.
Lagunitas Elementary School Programs Combine
Last Spring our district made an abrupt turnabout. With input from parents, teachers, staff and administration the board, in a 4-1 vote, made the difficult deci- sion to end our 50-year experiment of offering multiple educational paths for elementary school families and bring all of our students together in one program. The forces that affected this change included decreased student population with scant recovery after Covid, increased competition from charter schools and home- schooling, retirement of key teachers in both of our elementary programs and a continuing request from a substantial number of families to bring all of our chil- dren together under one inclusive program. From my perspective, two key events triggered this action. Concurrently, the Montessori Program parent organization decided that they preferred to join the Open Classroom Program on the upper campus after learning of the retirement of long time Montessori teacher Pauline Hope and our lead teachers from across both campuses, Anita Collison, Alex Cusick and Janelle Ferhart stated that they felt a single program could be created that would better serve our students, and their families, and embrace the goals of both existing programs. The concept of a single elementary program was also strongly supported by our Middle School staff. The immediate benefits envisioned included: 1) an improved social environ- ment for all students with larger, more diverse classes, 2) greater ability for the district to attract and retain highly qualified teachers and 3) more effective use of district resources to support students including foreign language, visual and per- forming arts, social emotional learning, physical education and specialized facili- ties for hands-on learning in science, technology and the arts. Last spring, no one overlooked the gravity of this decision. Many Valley residents remember the creation of our multi-program elementary school and, in recent years, the district has offered four independent programs at different times. The philo- sophical approach of these programs sought to best address the range of educational needs presented by our students and the desire of parents to best support their children. The question foremost in many minds last Spring was: “Can we fulfill the goals of bringing all of our students together in one program and, at the same time, continue to create an educational environment that genuinely addresses the specific needs of each student?” In essence, this fifty-year commitment to meeting the spe- cific needs of each child and family is the heart of being a Community School. To evaluate the latest stage in our evolution as a school district I spoke with parents, teachers, classified staff and our administration about this change. Very soon after the decision to combine our programs a transition committee was assembled. This working group consisted of our current elementary teach- ers and staff and three parent volunteers selected by each program. Most of our school staff were confident in the success of combining our two programs, in part because they had been working together, at least occasionally, for many years. However, the Montessori and Open Classroom parent groups, and their repre- sentatives in the committee, had not fully recovered from an often contentious series of discussions, parent meetings and board meetings over the past couple of years and more specifically over the two months immediately prior to the final board decision. It is safe to say that everyone held some anxiety about how the Food Bank Banter by Nicole Ramirez, Director of Human Services and Youth Programs
“Helping Out” - The Cody and Ervin Story
There are so many ways to help out at the San Geronimo Valley Community Cen- ter. The possibilities range from volunteering your time, offering a free class, sup- porting one of our ongoing programs, offering ideas and insight, and/or making a donation! At the Food Bank, help from our amazing volunteers is vital to being able to offer hundreds of community members with fresh and nutritious groceries. Our volunteer base is committed! Some live here, some don’t, and some grew up here and return week after week to help out! Cody Rahn grew up in Forest Knolls and attended the Open Classroom in the late nineties and now helps out twice a week at the San Geronimo Valley Community Centers’ programs Senior Lunch and the Food Bank. Cody is accompanied by Ervin Cortez, his one-on-one aid who also always jumps in to support Cody and help out the Center! Cody and Ervin have been helping us for over 5 years at both programs.
SGV Community Center Stone Soup Page 9
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