The Partnerships in Education Program (PIE), is
a district-sponsored program established in 1982,
which forms collaborative arrangements between
schools and organizations including businesses,
government agencies and military commands, as
well as service, educational and cultural community
organizations. Partnerships focus on human resources
rather than the donation of funds. The PTA has
a volunteer who acts as a liaison between business
partners and the school to promote and expand
our relationships. For more information see:
www.sandi.net/depts/comm_relations/pie.html
Our business partner is La Jolla Wells Fargo Bank.
Washington Mutual provides the students with the
opportunity to have a savings account on campus.
They have donated a brand new computer to manage
these accounts. They also donate money to the
school based on the number of checking accounts
opened at their Pacific Beach Branch. This money
specifically funds teacher development and supplies.
Lastly, The Bird Rock Community Council is considered
a “friend of Bird Rock.” They donated
funds collected at the "Taste of Bird Rock".
The San Diego City Schools Choice program provides
students with the opportunity to attend a school
other than their neighborhood school. The school
choice program allows students to apply to any
school within the San Diego Unified School District,
with the exception of Magnet Schools.
For more information see: http://enrollmentoptions.sandi.net/catalog.html.
Every Classroom, grades K through 3 has 20 or
fewer students in it.
All students, grades K-5, participate in the district-wide
literacy program. Three hours of the day are dedicated
to literacy development through a balanced approach
of reading, writing, and word study instruction.
Gift and Talented Education (GATE) is a California
Program which provides challenging curriculum
and instruction to identified students. Students
are identified by district psychologists who administer
tests to all 2nd graders and students who are
new to our school in grades 3, 4 and 5. The results
determine placement in the GATE program for the
following year and through grade 12. GATE cluster
classes contain groupings of gifted and high-achieving
students in a classroom with a GATE certified
teacher. GATE funds are used to design and deliver
supplemental differentiated programs. All third
through fifth grade classes at Bird Rock Elementary
are GATE classes. Watch for GATE Committee meetings
or GATE reports on the Governance Team agenda
or in the Bird's Eye View. Click here to see the dates for the GATE: District Advisory Committee events. To see a schedule for the GATE Distinguished Lecture Series click here.
A district-sponsored program brings an instrumental
music instructor to the school twice a week to
give lessons to interested 4th and 5th grade students.
We are proud to have a school library containing
a wonderful collection of fiction, non-fiction
and reference materials. The library provides
resources to teachers and parents, and teaches
students library and research skills.
Off Campus Integrated Learning Experience (OCILE).
Each year our 4th grade classes spend a week in
Old Town, and our 5th graders visit Balboa Park.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is a federally-enacted
law governing elementary and secondary education.
It affects states and school districts in four
basic ways: Greater accountability for results,
increased district flexibility for spending federal
money, expanded options for parents and increased
emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven
to work.
These changes support the district’s current
focus on delivering a strong standards-based educational
program designed to improve student achievement
in the gateway skills of reading, writing, and
mathematics. For more information see: http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml?src=pb.
Every classroom participates 60 minutes per week
in our outstanding physical education program.
While actively participating in age appropriate
physical activities, students are taught sportsmanship
skills. Additionally, SPARK, a new P.E. program
adds 200 minutes of P.E. every ten days for our
students.
Our SDPD officer will visit all classrooms to
deliver a program regarding child safety. At the
lower grades the program addresses proper emergency
procedures, stranger danger and bullying. At grade
5, topics also include the harmful effects of
alcohol, tobacco and drugs.
Voluntary Ethnic Enrollment Program. (VEEP) Families
voluntarily choose to have their children attend
Bird Rock Elementary instead of their local, neighborhood
school. Our partner school communities are: Brooklyn,
Carver, Darnall, Euclid, Jackson, Kimbrough and
King.
Parents may request that a district psychologist
and resource specialist evaluate their child for
learning disabilities. Requests are to be made
to the principal. The IST (Instructional Study
Team) will meet with the parent(s)/guardian(s)
to determine the appropriateness of the request
The Learning disabilities resource teacher serves
as a member of the Instructional Study Team to
assess the academic needs of students. If students
qualify, a program is designed to meet their needs.
The school psychologist serves as a member of
the Instructional Study Team to assess the academic
and emotional/behavioral needs of students recommended
by their classroom teacher.
The district counselor assesses emotional and
behavioral issues of children and how they impact
their attainment of educational goals. He/she
may see students in a small group setting or individually
on a short-term basis.
The speech and language specialist assesses children
who require additional support in developing communication
skills appropriate to their ability/age level.
If the student qualifies, the speech and language
pathologist creates an individualized program
for the student and provides the needed support.
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