What is your current role at EFC and at what school site do [...]]]> Lucy Schmidt, Assistant Principal at World and Achieve Academies, has been with Education for Change for over 8 years!  Check out what brought her to EFCPS, how she has grown and what she loves most about leading at World and Achieve Academies.

What is your current role at EFC and at what school site do you work?

“This year I’ve had the amazing opportunity to take on a leadership role at the school in which I’ve taught for the last 7 years.  For seven years, I taught third grade with a dedicated team of teachers at World Academy.  I’m thrilled to continue my work, now as Assistant Principal, with all of our students and teams of teachers at World and Achieve Academies in the Fruitvale District of Oakland.”

How long have you been with Education for Change?  What attracted you to the organization?

“I started with Education for Change at one of our founding schools, World Academy, 8 years ago.  I had just moved to the Bay Area and was determined to make a difference in the lives of children.  My mentor teacher had worked in Oakland schools, and through his shared experiences, I knew that’s where I had to be.  I was excited to learn about what Education for Change was starting and their dedication to closing the achievement gap.”

What inspired your career progression within the organization?  What opportunities helped you get to where you are today?

“When I first started teaching, I knew that education was my lifelong career.  Education for Change encouraged my professional development and leadership through a variety of trainings, committee involvement, leadership opportunities and planning teams.  Two years ago, a member of our home office encouraged me to pursue an official leadership role and suggested I apply for New Leaders.  I feel like this encouragement and closeness with our home office is something that can’t be found in larger districts.  It is because of this support that I have completed my second year in my administration program and am now an instructional leader at the school I love.”

What do you enjoy most about working at Education for Change?

“The community and our students first drew me into our school and continue to motivate my work.  However, it is the team of teachers and staff at World and Achieve with whom I have worked, learned, and grown over the years who make coming to school something I look forward to every day.  Everyone at our school is dedicated to the success of our students and the support of each other.”

Wednesday afternoons are a great time to find yourself at Learning Without Limits, where the school co-hosts a farmers’ market stocked with fresh fruits and veggies as well as eggs, honey, nuts, and other healthful treats!  School day teachers are often given coupons to distribute to students in class that can be [...]]]>

Wednesday afternoons are a great time to find yourself at Learning Without Limits, where the school co-hosts a farmers’ market stocked with fresh fruits and veggies as well as eggs, honey, nuts, and other healthful treats!  School day teachers are often given coupons to distribute to students in class that can be traded in for free goodies like small bags of strawberries and almonds.  The Reading Partners Plus after school teachers also take students to the market as a reward for good behavior.  “It’s wonderful to see our students so excited about nutritious snacks,” notes Alix Black, the Reading Partners Classic Site Coordinator  at LWL.  The majority of food sold is locally grown and pesticide-free, and can be purchased with EBT and SNAP benefits as well as cash.  The market is run as part of Oakland FRESH, a program that began as a partnership between the East Bay Asian Youth Center and the Oakland Unified School District.  It strives to provide alternatives to the corner store food common in Oakland’s under-resourced neighborhoods.  Check it out from 1:45-6:00 p.m., almost every Wednesday!

Parents gather outside of LWL to purchase fresh fruits and veggies as they wait to pick up their children from school.

Education for Change Public Schools kicked off Dr. Seuss Reading Month this week in honor of the acclaimed author’s birthday.   He would have turned 109 on March 2nd.  All members of the larger EFC community were invited to read to our elementary students about The Cat in the [...]]]> Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Education for Change Public Schools kicked off Dr. Seuss Reading Month this week in honor of the acclaimed author’s birthday.   He would have turned 109 on March 2nd.  All members of the larger EFC community were invited to read to our elementary students about The Cat in the Hat, Horton Hears a Who, Green Eggs and Ham, The Lorax and all other unusual creatures from Dr. Seuss’s rich imagination.

This small, yet exciting event at our EFC schools is part of a much wider initiative both here in Oakland and across the entire country.  Nationwide, approximately two-thirds of students aren’t reading proficiently by the end of third grade.  Oakland Reads 2020 is attempting to turn this problem around.  Leaders in Oakland have made an incredible commitment to this new citywide literacy program which aims to ensure that 85% of 3rd graders in the city are reading at grade level in 7 years.

Thanks to all those who read to our students this week and here’s to a month filled with reading and imagination!

Ms. Grunt poses for a picture with her Kindergarten class at World Academy.

World Academy is full of decorations to celebrate Dr. Suess

Students & teachers participated in a Reading Month Door Contest.

]]> http://efcps.org/oh-the-places-youll-go/feed/ 0 http://efcps.org/zumba-a-community-building-experience/ http://efcps.org/zumba-a-community-building-experience/#comments Sat, 09 Mar 2013 03:22:31 +0000 lawaldron http://efcps.org/?p=1652 If you happen to walk by Lazear Charter Academy on any given weekday morning, you may likely hear a vibrant mix of Reggaeton and Cumbia streaming from the walls of the campus auditorium.   Inside, a group of Lazear parents are dancing in a Zumba class—the energy and the excitement are tangible.

Back in August 2012 [...]]]> If you happen to walk by Lazear Charter Academy on any given weekday morning, you may likely hear a vibrant mix of Reggaeton and Cumbia streaming from the walls of the campus auditorium.   Inside, a group of Lazear parents are dancing in a Zumba class—the energy and the excitement are tangible.

On stage, instructor Reina Castillo leads the group through a fast-paced routine.

Back in August 2012 when Lazear underwent it’s transformation into an EFC school, our parents and staff connected with Reina Castillo, a Zumba instructor with over 3 years of experience.  Reina began offering classes at the beginning of the school year and the program has since taken off!

“It’s obvious that the mothers at Lazear love to exercise and love to dance,” said Castillo, “Zumba is like a party and these classes have helped to unite and strengthen the Lazear community.  These women are so helpful and so kind – I truly enjoy coming here.”

Every morning, as parents drop off their children at our Fruitvale campus, about 30 of them stay to dance, to talk and, most importantly, to connect.  Many of them also serve as dedicated volunteers at the school.  They help our teachers, our administrators and our students to succeed.  Rocio González is one such volunteer with two children at Lazear—one in kindergarten and one in 5^th grade.   She makes sure to participate in class at least 3 times a week.

“Reina has reintroduced Zumba into many of our lives,” said González, “we feel invigorated in class and have so much fun together.”

There’s no question that Zumba classes at Lazear are as much about building community as they are about exercise and fun!  The same parents who united to help save their school from closure last year remain as involved and committed as ever.

Below is a schedule of classes open to the Lazear community.   Each session is $3.

Parents gather for a picture after morning zumba session, happy and exhausted!