UNCONDITIONAL EDUCATION
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Our Model
    • Our Leadership Team
    • Press
    • Contact Us
  • News + Resources
    • News You Can Use
    • Resources
  • Unconditional Education Book

Welcome

​Please scroll down to read our Unconditional Education blog posts.

​You can click the button below to learn more about our Unconditional Education and School Based Services!

OUR UE MODEL AND SERVICES

SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT: Lazear Charter Academy

3/2/2021

1 Comment

 
Picture
Picture
This week, we are highlighting our partnership with Lazear Charter Academy, a school devoted to “being the change you want to see!”

Picture
Lazear Charter Academy is in the Fruitvale neighborhood in East Oakland and serves grades Transitional Kindergarten – 8th. Lazear provides rigorous instruction and offers an extraordinary Science, Technology, Art, Engineering and Math (STEAM) program. The Lazear community is driven by love and connection while focused on developing the whole person through fostering students, their families, and school staff. Lazear has strived to develop a vigorous multi-tiered system which supports students growing academically, socially, and emotionally. This model promotes lifelong learners who develop critical thinking skills, create modern results to intricate challenges, and express ideas assertively.

The world has been forced to modify learning practices and community building for the past 11 months, and the Lazear community has established innovative ways to maintain connection. Through teamwork and collaboration, the Wildcat Family provides pertinent and profound ways to stay connected during Distance Learning. The Wildcats have been successful in maintaining community through:
  • Fun Friday: Socializing opportunities for peer-to-peer interactions. Each week students can play games, watch a movie, or hangout, with each teacher hosting a different room. 
  • Gratitude Challenge: Students and staff wrote sincere and thoughtful letters of appreciation to a Lazear staff member.
  • Santa Adoption:  Lazear staff volunteered to be a “Santa” to a student in need by purchasing a gift, labeling it, and dropping it off to the school.
  • Virtual Movie Night: Students wore their pajamas at the end of spirit week to watch a movie together.

Picture
  • Collective Care Friday: Historically, many of the joys of the work took place in the small moments of adult connection sharing a funny student moment, passing each other on the way to fill a water bottle, or sharing a quick meal during lunch time in the lounge. Lazear thrives on connection; connecting with each other is an important way to take care of ourselves and each other. The onsite Clinicians hold a loosely facilitated virtual space once a month to help replace those moments the Wildcats are missing from the on-campus school day. It is a space to share a funny story, eat lunch, talk, or just see some familiar faces.
  • Career Day: Student Council planned and organized a career day for 5th - 8th graders on March 4th. Overall, students are interested in various careers, and Lazear is supporting them to explore their interest by arranging a Zoom Career Day so the students get the opportunity to learn from amazing speakers and gain insight about their career experiences.
  • Community Meetings: Daily small group connection time with an adult to start each day, look at the schedule, assignments, and current events. This is an opportunity to build community with peers and staff, learn tech skills, hear school wide updates, and have some fun to start the morning.
Picture
  • Monthly Material Distribution: Each month, school staff put together baggies of materials for all grades that include printed work, school supplies schedules, and anything personalized for a student or family. Teachers are given the opportunity to come pass out bags on distribution day to have the chance to see kids and families briefly in person. The school also usually has a theme, like dress up and candy pass out for Halloween, or a Valentines in each baggie for February.
  • Spirit Week: To increase student engagement, Lazear set up a virtual spirit week where they encouraged all students (TK-8th) to dress up. The Student Council wanted to focus on student’s participation, so they incentivized the participation of each student by giving a raffle ticket each day a student dressed up. Also, Lazear arranged a movie night for the entire school at the end of spirit week. 
Picture
  • Dedicated School Personnel:  Lazear recognizes the challenges of distant learning. To support student’s academic participation, teachers creatively think of ways to encourage students to meet goals. For example, Ms. Tombs pied herself because her 4th grade students met their Zearn goal of 60%. Also, Ms. Friedman dyed her hair and eyebrows blue because the entire 3rd/4th graders met their Zearn goal. Lastly, teachers ensure that students have the materials they need to be successful. For example, one of our teachers, Ms. A, dropped off a desk to a 4th grade student to make sure that he has a place within his home where he can focus on his schooling. 
  • MTSS team hike/retreat: Team building and connection outdoors!
Picture
Blog Post Written By: Devina Brooks, Behavior Intervention Specialist
1 Comment
Ronni Pelley
3/2/2021 12:08:15 pm

Thank you for sharing all of the creative ways your site has been holding the school community. It is essential that we continue to strengthen and promote collective experiences and efforts during this time.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Authors:

    School Program Partnerships

    We're Hiring!

    Interested in joining our School Program Partnerships' Team​? Check out our open positions below!
    Teachers
    School Therapists
    Classroom Counselors

    Categories:

    All
    Academic Strand Updates
    All In! Snapshots
    Behavioral Strand Updates
    Clinical Strand Updates
    Program Highlights
    School Highlights
    Staff Guest Posts
    Staff Highlights

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.