El Verano moves toward ‘community school’ model

Opening of Family Resource Center a big step in ?restructuring plan|

El Verano Elementary School Principal Maite Iturri put it this way: “You can do everything right in the classroom, but if a student arrives for the day with medical or emotional needs that haven’t been met, not a lot of learning is going to take place.”

Iturri made that statement on the eve of the grand opening of her campus’s new Family Resource Center – a project that has been five years in the making.

In 2010, Iturri became fascinated by an innovative education model designed to address the obstacles that can hamper lower-income students’ ability to fulfill their academic potential.

Iturri, who was in her fourth year as El Verano head of school, had observed a “Community School” in Napa, and became convinced that offering much-needed health-and-human-services to families right on campus could have a real impact on student success.

With the formal opening of its Family Resource Center this week, El Verano took a major step forward in its transition to the “community school” model.

El Verano has a rich and diverse cultural makeup among Sonoma Valley Unified School District schools – the campus serves the highest proportion of Latino students (76 percent), English learners (67 percent) and students from low-income households (93 percent) of all the schools in the Valley.

In 2012, 20.2 percent of El Verano students tested proficient in English Language Arts and 26.7 percent scored proficient in math. By comparison, students from all district elementary schools scored an average of 37.6 percent and 40 percent respectively.

Using $300,000 in grants from the S.H. Cowell Foundation and Dean Witter, as well as parent donations and district support, Iturri is launching an academic-restructuring plan to change the trajectory of student academic achievement.

And opening the new Resource Center provides the family support piece that is critical to academic success, said Iturri.

The new Family Resource Center in room 31 features a bank of computers, sofas for visitors, a mini-classroom set-up and meeting areas.

Two full-time case workers, Angie Sanchez and Mario Castillo, are on hand to provide crisis management, streamline access to housing, help with questions about law and other health-and-human services, many of which will soon be available on campus through partnerships with other community-based organizations.

Crucial to the success of this new plan is increasing parent and community engagement. While some families will take advantage of the wide array of programs (earthquake-preparedness seminars, family literacy nights, tutoring for parents and community parties), Iturri hopes that others will come on campus for English language classes, Zumba, yoga, men’s basketball or parent groups.

“El Verano, La Luz and its growing cohort of community partners are working together to foster community leadership, health, literacy and a thriving neighborhood,” said Sonoma Valley School District Superintendent Louann Carlomagno. “We are big believers in the power of the partnership between our schools and our community.”

Mali Lopez, the education and engagement manager of La Luz Center, has high hopes for what the Family Resource Center can bring to El Verano.

“(It) will offer opportunities for parents and their children to achieve academic success,” said Lopez. “The Family Resource Center at El Verano Elementary is the first of its kind in Sonoma Valley and I am thrilled to be a part of this project.”

“(Iturri) became convinced that offering much-needed health-and-human-services to families right on campus could have a real impact on student success.”

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