Published in the January 20 – February 2, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Claudia Olaciregui

Claudia Olaciregui

Claudia Olaciregui

It’s time for our children to start becoming active members of society and teach our communities how humans impact our environment. At San Martin/Gwinn Environmental Science Academy, we have taken upon us the responsibility of teaching our youth the importance of our actions, and how these affect our natural world.

San Martin/Gwinn is a unique place to learn. We began in 1895 as a small country school in the southern end of the Coyote Valley. The plaza oak trees remind students, parents and staff that no matter how many faces come through our school, the goal remains the same: to teach our children skills and strategies that will help them develop critical thinking and problem solving skills, prepare them for college and the workforce and keep them safe.

In 2014, our school transformed into an environmental science academy focused on curriculum that enhances students’ understanding and appreciation of the natural world. We are especially proud of our Monarch butterflies habitat and student-grown organic vegetable garden. During the last year, our students have been working on supporting and improving our environment by student-led recycling programs and rain barrel projects to support the drought. The kids are also creating compost for our garden.

This year, the Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Education approved San Martin/Gwinn to become a K-8 academy. Our community, staff and students are very excited with this new endeavor, as we believe that our program, climate and culture are a great place for our children to learn and grow. In addition to this vision, San Martin/Gwinn provides students with a variety of perks:

• An Environmental Science Academy and Dual Immersion Program (90/10 model)

• Grades 4-6th students benefit from 1:1 Chromebooks and devices and use of technology throughout all grades

• Newly renovated campus with outdoor science labs/classrooms thanks to Measure G funding

• Our middle school classes will have Spanish (taught by bilingual certified teachers) and environmental science electives, and our community will have shorter commutes
• On-site after-school daycare from YMCA and Go Kids

• YMCA-staffed structured games during lunch recesses

• ASPIRE (After School Program of Intensive Reading and Enrichment)

• On-site private tutoring companies

• After-school activities including drums, music, robotics, competitive soccer, and theater

• One designated science teacher that facilitates hands-on science experiments on a weekly basis

• In-house PEI (Prevention and Early Intervention) program that support the needs of all our students

• Support Special Day Class inclusion

As part of our goals, San Martin seeks to close the achievement gap in 21st-century skills reading, writing, science and math between the widely diverse student groups that populate our school. We’re also simultaneously raising the academic performance of every student in the school. And we are no longer considered a Program Improvement School.

We believe all of our students have the ability and right to learn. We also believe students learn best in an emotionally and physically safe environment where each child is respected, valued and included. We acknowledge that all children can learn if we, their teachers and school staff, identify what students know and use that knowledge as the basis for planning instruction.
Our goal is to prepare each child for success in secondary and post-secondary academic institutes both in the classroom and in their interpersonal relationships so they can grow academically and socially into productive members of our society.

This month, we will host informational meetings open to the public. These meetings will be held 8 a.m. Jan. 22 and 6 p.m. Jan. 27. We also have school tours on Mondays (Dual Immersion Program) and Tuesdays (K-8 Environmental Science Academy). Please call our community liaison, Imelda, at (408) 201-6480 to make an appointment.

Today, our beloved planet Earth is asking humanity to make a change in its attitudes, actions and beliefs. We need our children to be ambassadors for our planet. At San Martin/Gwinn, our students are learning about the physical and biological processes that support life. Please visit our campus and see our kids learn and become agents of change.

Claudia Olaciregui is the principal of San Martin/Gwinn Environmental Science Academy in San Martin. She wrote this column for Morgan Hill Life.