About Our School

THE WALTER HAYS PHILOSOPHY

VISION

At Walter Hays, we are committed to building emotionally, socially and academically resilient students.

MISSION

Walter Hays students will develop self-respect, value learning, and cultivate an understanding of others through a school experience that fosters high expectations for academic, social, and emotional development in a global community.

VALUES

At Walter Hays, we believe that each child must be given the tools they need to achieve their own greatest potential.

We strive to ensure that our students develop …

A commitment to academic excellence
A capacity to interact in a socially productive way
A respect for themselves and others
A sense of physical well being and security

WALTER HAYS CURRICULUM GOALS

The Palo Alto Unified School District has established district curricular goals and standards for every grade level that either meet or exceed the State of California Standards. For a full description of these standards, please visit:

Curriculum Summaries

In addition, each year the Walter Hays School Site Council establishes school goals and creates the School Development Plan which describes our current strategies and activities in place to help us meet the School Board Strategic Goals:

Board Adopted Strategic Goals for July 2004 - June 2007

Goal Area 1: Educational Excellence

Thoughtful, resilient students with a passion for learning . . .fostering the genius in each child.

Goal 1a: Ensure academic growth and achievement and appropriate challenge for all students so that every student makes at least a year's growth each year.

Goal 1b: Close the achievement gap among students in different racial/ethnic groups by 20 percent each year as measured by individual student gains on multiple measures.

Goal 1c: Foster social-emotional-physical health and resilience in every student as measured by improved student behaviors.

Goal 1d: Provide diverse avenues for student success that honor the unique talents and abilities of each child.

School Development Plan

Walter Hays Final Report

Report to the Community

Safe School Plan

School Survey Results 2005-06

School Survey Results 2006-07

Walter Hays Survey Comments 2006-07

WALTER HAYS CHARACTER EDUCATION PROGRAM:

Educating the Whole Child

We believe that children who have strong social and emotional skills are better prepared to handle the challenges of academics, are more resilient, and are more likely to become the leaders of tomorrow.

The following research supports our beliefs:

Social and emotional skills create higher achievement (Ornstein,1986; Lakoff, 1980).
Children with highly developed social skills perform better academically than peers who lack these skills (Grossman, et al, 1997).
85-95% of the difference between a "good leader" and an "excellent leader" is due to emotional intelligence (Goleman, 1998).
UCLA research indicates that only 7% of leadership success is attributable to intellect; 93% of success comes from trust, integrity, authenticity, honesty, creativity, presence, and resilience (cited in Cooper and Sawaf, 1996).
Optimism is a skill that can be taught. Optimists are more motivated, more successful, have higher levels of achievement, plus significantly better physical and mental health (Seligman, 1991).

At Walter Hays Elementary School, students in kindergarten through fifth grade participate in a school-wide character education, social skills development program. This program is designed to support the development of empathy, resiliency, and optimism in our students.

Every year, students learn about and practice the following character education traits:

Self Discipline/Self Control
Honesty
Integrity
Fairness
Empathy
Caring
Respect
Responsibility

CLASSROOM ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS

The following enrichment programs are funded primarily by Partners in Education dollars, some Site Council funds provided by the State, and School discretionary dollars. Program selections, evaluations, and priorities are developed with parent and staff participation through the Walter Hays Site Council and PTA.

Classroom Aides: Walter Hays maintains classroom aides in all classrooms (full-time Special Day aides are funded by the district). Teachers describe this support as an integral part of the student-centered teaching approach in our classrooms. Aides lead small group activities, tutor one-on-one, and oversee and correct student work, although their tasks vary according to grade level, specialties, and teacher preferences.

Perceptual Motor Program: This physical fitness program involves all 5 senses in movement patterns, according to its creator, Jack Capon. PAUSD began this instruction in the 1960's. Dr. Jane Benson's program at Walter Hays provides developmentally appropriate, sequenced activities, which lay the foundation for skills and coordination development. Skills are built in structured steps, with lots of practice. All students spend 20 to 40 minutes per week with their teacher and Dr. Benson in activities that include; ball skills, jumping rope, field hockey. The value of this program is widely supported by our teachers.

Jr. Museum Science: Walter Hays contracts with the Palo Alto Jr. Museum and Zoo for hands on science instruction as a supplement to the science taught by our classroom teachers. The classroom teacher is present during these labs, which include the following subjects: magnets, electricity, solar energy, mixtures and solutions, rocks and minerals, fossils, animal studies, sandy beaches, marshes and mud flats, the kelp forest, and the open ocean.

Spectra Art: PAUSD offers the award winning Spectra Art program to new teachers. The docent teaches the art class and demonstrates grade-level appropriate instruction and projects. At Walter Hays, we have expanded this program to include art instruction for students in all K-5 classrooms on a biweekly basis.

Reading Specialist/Academy Program: Reading assistance is provided for children who fall below grade level benchmarks in grades 1-5. In grades 1-2, a reading specialist works with those reading below benchmark during two, 30 minute session per week. In grades 3-5, Walter Hays, in conjunction with the PAUSD funded Academy Program, offers assistance to those reading below benchmark for one hour, three days per week. The program involves small groups of students with matched abilities. The focus is on individual, silent reading, with students learning various reading strategies and developing self-confidence.

Oceans Week: In cooperation with the Jr. Museum Science instructors, Oceans Week classroom activities take place during the spring of the school year. Each grade specializes in an ocean unit, with art, science, language arts, and field trip activities geared to their specific area of study: K-1st: rocky shores, 2nd: sandy beaches, 3rd: marshes and mud flats, 4th: kelp forest, 5th: open ocean. Oceans Week also includes an all?]school Hat Parade and a classroom Open House.

Junior Great Books: In Jr. Great Books, students are challenged to develop their reading, writing, speaking and, most importantly, their critical thinking skills as they explore compelling questions raised by outstanding works of literature. The PTA provides funding for this program

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

Technology: Technology plays an important role in the Walter Hays student’s academic life. The staff, assisted by knowledgeable parents, provide ongoing computer skill development and usage for grades K-5 on equipment located in the computer pods, classrooms and library. The computer pods are equipped with enough computers to allow entire classes to learn skills as a group. Activities using the computer as a tool enhance skills in language, math, science, social studies, problem solving, word processing, keyboarding, and programming. Students learn to use telecommunications and electronic reference materials such as the World Wide Web, CD-ROM and DVD's as additional sources of information and gain the skills to use print and electronic research to create both written reports and electronic presentations.

The Library Media Center: The Library Media Center plays an integral part in the education of the students at Walter Hays, a role that is facilitated by its central location in the building. The more than 18,000 volumes are a balanced collection of picture books, longer fiction, reference and non-fiction books. A curriculum based CD-ROM, books on tape, and videotape collection, connection to the Palo Alto City Library, and Internet access gives students opportunities to research reference questions using current technologies.

Library Media Teacher: The Walter Hays library is staffed by a full time library media teacher who provides reading guidance to students and parents and instruction to students in library, reference, and research skills using both print and technological sources. The library media teacher also directs a dedicated corps of parent volunteers who keep the library running efficiently by handling many of the daily operations. Students have continuous access to the library for both curriculum and pleasure reading needs. Parents and children are responsible for replacing lost or damaged library materials. Students may donate a book, CD or magazine to the library in honor of their birthday or any other occasion. Please see the library media teacher for information.

DISTRICT INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES

District P.E. and Music Traveling Teams: P.E. and Music Traveling Teams are specialized teachers who deliver P.E. and music instruction to all schools throughout the district. Our students receive 30 minutes of P.E. instruction for grades 1-3 per week and an average of 35 minutes twice a week for grades 4-5 per week. Our music team for grades 1-3 delivers 30 minutes of musical rhythm, exploration, theory and history each week. Instrumental Grades 4-5 receive 40 minutes of general music, recorder, violin, viola, cello, clarinet, trombone, trumpet or flute instruction twice a week. These Traveling Teams also supply “release time” to teachers for lesson plan preparation. Special attention is given to allow grade-level teachers common release periods to encourage idea exchanges.

Student Study Team: The Student Study Team meets with parents and teachers to discuss the needs of and recommend appropriate interventions for individual students about whom there may be concerns. This team includes the school psychologist, the resource specialist, the speech language teacher, the classroom teacher, and the principal. Parents and teachers may request a student study team meeting by either contacting the resource specialist or the school principal.

Individual Educational Plan (IEP) Teams: IEP Teams analyze the special education needs at each school in the District. Coordinated by our Resource Specialists, Walter Hays has programs to provide language-speech assistance, special education programs and other services deemed necessary to fill the needs of individual students. The Resource Specialist provides assessment and consultation to parents, to staff, and in some cases to students.

Special Needs and Low Achievers Tutoring: Individual or small group instruction is provided for 2nd through 5th grade children identified as needing extra help. Identification is made either through performance on a standardized achievement test, which is given in the fall, or through teacher recommendation. These children would not qualify for the type of assistance as described in an IEP but would benefit from some additional assistance in order to participate more fully in the classroom setting. Instruction is provided by classroom aides and some outside tutors all of whom have received in-service training specific to tutoring.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT

Walter Hays teachers use a number of formal and informal assessment methods to evaluate student achievement, attitude, and parent satisfaction with the instructional program. Students at Walter Hays participate in the statewide assessment program or STAR. Students in grades 3-5 take the California Standards Test, a standards based assessment designed to evaluate the students’ knowledge in the content areas. Students in grade three also take the California Achievement Test, or CAT-6, a nationally normed test. In addition, students in grades 4 and 5 take the Education Records Bureau Writing Assessment Test or ERB. This assessment is used to evaluate student writing in six areas: overall development, organization, support, sentence structure, word choice, and mechanics. Teachers use the results of this assessment to craft their instructional program. Finally, students in grades 3 and 5 take the Mathematics Assessment Resource Service or MARS test. This performance based assessment gives students an opportunity to demonstrate their mathematics knowledge in a series of “real-life” problem solving tasks.

Walter Hays 2004-2005 SARC

Sate of California SARC Home Page

Sate of California - Testing and Accountability Home Page

WALTER HAYS GENERAL INFORMATION

Bulletin Boards: There are bulletin boards posted outside every classroom as well as next to the office and in the corridor outside the multi-purpose room. Check these boards for information about special events and activities.

Middlefield-Embarcadero Sign: There is a marquee sign on the corner of Middlefield and Embarcadero, which lists upcoming special events.

Wildcat: The Walter Hays PTA publishes a biweekly newsletter which contains important information about school activities and special events. The Wildcat is sent home in the Friday folder and is also available in the office

E-News: Our school has a distribution list available to all staff, parents, and members of the community interested in our school. To subscribe or unsubscribe send an email to hays-request@laki.pausd.org with the word subscribe or unsubscribe in the body of the message

Excused Absences: A child may be dismissed from school if a call or note to the teacher has indicated the specific reason. Children may not be excused on a regular basis for extra-curricular activities such as music, art, or dance lessons. A child leaving school early must report to the office and wait for transportation there. Students returning to school also need to check in at the office.

Extended Absences: If your family is planning a trip for more than 2 days, please notify your child’s teacher and the school office in advance, so arrangements can be made to make-up schoolwork.

Hot Lunch: Hot lunch is available every school day. Menus are sent home every month. Books of 20 lunch tickets may be purchased. A new point of sale system with swipe cards will be introduced during the 05-06 school year. Income eligibility guidelines for reduced price meals are available from PAUSD. Note: Students are not to leave school grounds during lunch without written permission.

New Lunch Information

Order Lunch Tickets

Lost and Found: Small items found at school, such as keys, glasses, etc., will be kept in the school office. Larger items and clothing may be found in school corridor next to Room 19. We advise parents to mark children’s belongings with their names. All lost and found items not claimed at winter break and at the end of the school year will be donated to the PTA Wardrobe.

PTA Wardrobe: The PTA Wardrobe is a community outreach project sponsored by the PTA, which provides free clothing to needy children. It is located at 750 N. California Ave (at Jordan Middle School), and may be reached at 494-8120. The Wardrobe is open the week before school begins through the end of June on Wednesdays from 2- 5 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 - 1 p.m. Donations are tax deductible and volunteers are always welcome.

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