This week, we are highlighting our partnership with Lazear Charter Academy, a school devoted to “being the change you want to see!”
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:
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
Blog Post Written By: Devina Brooks, Behavior Intervention Specialist
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