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Del Obispo Elementary, located in the historic city of San Juan Capistrano,
reflects the benefits of blending old with new. Our faculty represents
experience and new perspectives: we have teachers who opened the school
and some who are in their beginning years of teaching. Del Obispo’s
staff of approximately 25 teachers, Principal, Learning Support Specialist,
Elementary Teaching Assistant Principal and classified staff are part
of the larger school community, which includes parents, local support
agencies and businesses. Del Obispo is fortunate to have an active PTA
and strong family involvement in school activities, as well as a dedicated
School Site Council comprised of parents, teachers and staff members.
There is a strong volunteer spirit at Del Obispo; we even have several
volunteers whose children or grandchildren once attended Del Obispo.
Del
Obispo is part of a three school complex, including Kinoshita Elementary
and Marco Forster Middle School, fostering collaboration and cross-school
connections, including cross-age tutoring and "Big Buddy" classes.
The 29-year-old campus is proudly maintained. New playground equipment,
a state-of-the-art iMac computer laboratory and new foodservice facilities
were recently installed. As a part of our Character Education program
at Del Obispo, street signs are posted along passageways, including "Responsibility
Road", "Citizenship Way" and "Caring Lane."
At
Del Obispo, we believe that all students can and will learn. To this end,
we provide early and ongoing intervention in reading, math and English
language acquisition, as well as enrichment and acceleration for gifted
students. Reduced class size in Kindergarten through third grade helps
teachers address the needs of students in these formative years. Student
progress is monitored closely, through the CORE Level testing program,
which assesses student achievement in Mathematics, Reading and Language
in the fall and spring of each year as well as regular, in class assessments
to assist teachers in tailoring instruction to meet the needs of each
child.
All
classrooms are equipped with several networked computers with Internet
access. In addition, all students visit the iMac laboratory weekly. These
computers were purchased with Governor’s Performance Award money
earned by the Del Obispo students of 1999-2000, who achieved an impressive
31-point improvement on the state Academic Performance Index.
Students
are recognized for their accomplishments at our morning flag assembly,
where one student is selected to be the Student of the Day and to lead
the school in the Pledge of Allegiance; at three Dragon Award Assemblies
each year where each student receives an award for his or her unique strengths
and talents; and with Dragon Dollars, which are given to students for
good behavior.
All
of these components work together to create a safe community for learners
which builds responsible, adaptable, independent future citizens with
strong links to home and community.
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