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Humboldt
4915 N GantenbeinPortland, OR 97217
View a map of the surrounding area
Phone: 503-916-5468
Fax: 503-916-2638
E-mail: wpoinset@pps.k12.or.us
School-created web pages: http://www.humboldtnewspdx.org
School-brochure: http://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools-c/profiles/brochure/Humboldt.pdf
Grade levels: PK-8
Principal: Willie Poinsette
Student Enrollment: 240
About:
The Oregon Department of Education has honored Humboldt School for its early education reading program by naming it a Beacon School. To qualify for this status, a school must show steady and marked improvement in student performance and exhibit strong implementation of the Reading First program. Humboldt School is a caring community where everyone is challenged to excel. Students, staff and families are expected to continually establish and reach academic, professional and personal goals. Humboldt strives to be a high-achieving arts and technology K–8 school with a college-bound focus. Humboldt establishes dynamic partnerships and fosters the collaborative efforts of students, staff, parents and community members to energize, diversify and broaden our learning experience.
Pre School: Free, full-day.
Kindergarten: Free, full-day. We are a Reading First School.
Kindergarten Round-up: 9 a.m. Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Focus options: An Oregon Beacon School for excellence in K–3 reading instruction.
Testimonials
- Humboldt Elementary is not just made up of brick and mortar.
There are students, teachers, student teachers, parents and
community being challenged through Rigor, Relevance,
Relationships and Relentlessness.
Everyone who walks through the front door of Humboldt knows
that only their best is expected. The school staff doesn't
just take into consideration where you came from, but also
where you are going and the best way to get you there.
Humboldt is the starting point of where you need to be.
Nancy Clark (Community member)
Parent Experiences
Humboldt's parent room gives me a sense of security. I enjoy
networking with other parents and people of the community.
Lakeesia Lowery
In the 5 years I’ve been at Humboldt, the parents in the
parent room have supported me through the death of a parent
and companion. We help each other by getting new
perspectives and ideas for taking care of our children and
ourselves.
Sherri (G.G.) Warren
Humboldt's parent room has done wonders for me. When in need
of support, I know I will be supported. When in need of
someone to talk to, there is always an ear. Humboldt School
was something that no other school has, and that is us, the
parent support team.
Scherrie Mathews
At Humboldt, I get to spend time with other parents and
learn different parenting techniques.
Vickie
Humboldt's Parent Room can be summed up in two words, “A
BLESSING!” It is great to be able to connect with other
parents to chat, cry, laugh and feel supported.
Stacey Mingo
Before and after school programs
- Starting with the Supper Program to ensure students haveenergy for their after school classes, we have partneredwith several organizations to provide classes for our students:Chess for Success: Students grades K–8 learn how to playchess and participate in weekend tournaments.Chargettes Drill Team: Students grades 1–8 learn basic drillteam dancing and participate in the Junior Rose Parade in June. Ethos Music Classes: Small group classes for students grades4–8.Sports Activities: ISM (Innercity Sports Ministries)provides several sports activities for students grades 2–8.Spanish Classes: Offered through ISM for students grades 2–3.OSU Cooking Classes: Classes for students grades 4–8 andfamily cooking classes offered in the evening.Sports Fantasy Math League: Conducted by our technologyteacher. Students learn how to use NBA statistics toanalyze, calculate, estimate, predict and problem solve,while participating in a Fantasy Basketball League.Homework Assistance: Provided by our classroom teachers.
Community partnerships
- Ongoing partnerships with community organizations,
businesses and individuals support school goals and
provide expanded learning opportunities for staff and
students.
Blazers Boys & Girls Club
SMART (Start Making A Reader Today)
SEI (Self Enhancement Inc.)
Adopt-A-Class Program
KOIN TV
Hollywood West Fred Meyer
Interstate Fred Meyer
Rite-Aid
US Bank
Portland International Airport
Income Property Management (IPM)
ETHOS Music
ISM (Innercity Sports Ministries)
Oregon State University Extension Program
WORKS Reading Support Program
Safer Routes to School
Young Men's Mentoring Project
Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT)
Portland Trailblazers
Mr. David Yandell - Chess for Success
Student learning environment
- Our major focus is on the four “R’s”: Rigor, Relevance,Relationships and Relentlessness.In order to provide rigor, all students at Humboldt areprovided with experiences and opportunities that enable themto grow, learn, and develop the necessary skills, knowledge, and behaviors that will help them to value the learningprocess, become life-long readers, and become prepared tocompete in a fast-paced technologically advanced society. In addition to a rigorous curriculum, we strive to keep ourcurriculum relevant to our students’ needs now and in thefuture. Critical keys to this are grounded in the basicknowledge and application of reading, writing, mathematicsand technology as outlined in Oregon’s State Standards andBenchmarks. The arts, science and physical education, forexample, must also hold a place in a well-rounded education.These experiences will be provided during the school day andin after school programs.Relationships are vital to a strong high-achieving school.Parents are urged to become involved with our PTA (ParentTeacher Association). The Humboldt PTA is very active andplans special events for children, as well as parents.Each morning, students and staff join together in an allschool assembly. We say the Pledge of Allegiance and theHumboldt Pledge in English and in Spanish. Additionally, wecelebrate the success of our students, staff and families.These gatherings are an effective way to focus students onthe learning ahead while building a sense of school community.Lastly, we are Relentless in our journey to ensure that allchildren are more knowledgeable and better prepared to faceand resolve personal, local, national and global challenges.
Curriculum components
- Reading:
Humboldt is a Reading First and Early Reading First School. Humboldt adheres to and follows the findings and recommendations of the National Reading Panel. Reading
instruction is therefore research based and intentional in the areas of phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle (phonics), fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Students are grouped according to their reading level so instruction
can be most efficient.
Our Core Reading program is Open Court and is supplemented with the fluency program Read Naturally, along with targeted instruction designed to meet individual student needs. Students that are behind grade level are placed in intervention programs with the goal of accelerating their learning so that they may read at their grade level as soon
as possible.
Our intervention programs are Reading Mastery, Early Reading Intervention and Corrective Reading. We also use Language for Learning and Language for Thinking to support students\' oral language and vocabulary development. Students receive
an uninterrupted 120-minute reading block each day. Close monitoring of students\' progress helps ensure all children receive the support they need to become on-grade-level
readers.
This is our fifth year of participation in Reading First, and we were recently honored with the distinction of becoming a Reading First Beacon School for the State of Oregon. We are one of only three Reading First Schools in the state to be given this honor. Next year, Humboldt will be a demonstration site for teachers and educators to visit and observe our successful implementation of the Reading First Schoolwide Model.
- ESL/Bilingual Instruction:
The English as a Second Language teacher, teaching assistants and Humboldt staff work closely with English Language Learners individually and in groups, in regular
classrooms and in pull-out sessions. They design instructional activities to help our ESL students develop English language skills in content-area learning. Teachers assess an individual student\'s learning needs early to identify and plan for any additional assistance necessary.
- Mathematics:Math Investigations is used in grades K–5. The programemphasizes hands-on experience and problem solving.Connected Math is the math curriculum used by our 6th and7th grade classrooms. Connected Math is a naturalprogression from the students’ experiences with MathInvestigations. This program also emphasizes hands-onexperiences and problem solving. Throughout the school on adaily basis, the Every Day Counts calendar is used toenhance various math skills.
- Writing:As a Phase I Writing school, Humboldt has a strongresearch-based writing instructional program throughout theschool. We have monthly professional development meetingsthat focus on student work and where we need to take them intheir development. Phase I focuses on grades 3–5. In the primary grades: K–2 Kid Writing is implemented. Throughout the school, youwill see students writing and sharing their work.Additionally, teachers at Humboldt are trained in theinstruction of Step Up to Writing. The Step Up to Writingcurriculum and strategies are used as a resource to instructstudents in the structure of the writing process.
Staff
- Humboldt staff consists of approximately 25 teachers andeducational assistants, covering the areas of art, generaleducation, physical movement and health, English as a SecondLanguage and special education. Additionally, our staffincludes a family involvement coordinator and a mediaassistant.At Humboldt you will find that our staff is continuouslyasking themselves: how can we provide learning activitiesthat increase the probability of student success?Professional development and weekly team planning continueto provide useful information on the thinking and learningstrengths and limitations of our students; the influence ofsocioeconomic and family factors on children's schoolperformance and learning experiences, both within andoutside the home; and the role of gender and culturalbackground in learning preferences and styles. Each andevery Humboldt staff member is committed to serving eachstudent and helping individual children learn and succeed.Humboldt uses research that is based on best practices ineducationm to guide us through curriculum planning andprogram development. This focus ensures students arethe driving force in our teaching and learning practices.The learning needs of our students direct our instructional planning and classroom practices.Our continuous pursuits of best teaching practices has leadour primary grades to the Reading First instruction program.Through hard work and commitment, our fifth year ofparticipation raised student achievement and classroom instruction to levels that recently gave us the distinctionof becoming a Reading First Beacon School for the State ofOregon.Our staff at Humboldt is committed to providing instructionthat enhances learning for all students by engaging them inactivities that respond to students' particular learningneeds, strengths and preferences. Our goals are to:Create relevant and rigorous tasks for each student.Develop classroom activities based on current data,essential topics and concepts, significant processes andskills and multiple ways to display learning.Provide flexible approaches to content,instruction andproducts. Change the pace, level or kind of instruction we provide inresponse to individual learners' needs, styles or interests. Meet state and federal curriculum standards and requirementsfor each learner.Establish learner-responsive, teacher-facilitated,data-driven classrooms.
Parent and family support
- Parent & Volunteer Support Team:Humboldt is a very unique school, where parents are anintricate part of the team. Parents and volunteers areinvolved in various aspects of the Humboldt infrastructure.They offer teachers assistance in classrooms byreading with students; support teachers by taking onsmall projects; provide a helping hand during classtransition times; assist in supervising lunch, recess and after school programming; and serve in any other functionthat allows teachers to focus primarily on students. Many parents and volunteers are involved in PTA, SiteCouncil and attend the Friday Coffee Chats that are held inthe Parent Room. Humboldt considers the parents andvolunteers partners that strengthen the school’s learningenvironment. Humboldt’s Family Involvement Coordinator,Cheryl James, actively recruits community and parentvolunteers to support Humboldt School in all areas,including academics, field trips and classroom projects. Sheprovides helpful classes and workshops to all members of theHumboldt family and also connects people with the necessaryresources to increase their quality of life.
Special programs and features
- Beacon School for the State of Oregon: Humboldt was selectedby the State of Oregon and the Reading First Center as aBeacon School because of our success in our K–3 readingprogram. We will be a demonstration site for other schoolsthroughout Oregon!SEI (Self Enhancement Inc.): The SEI program has asite-based office at Humboldt. The program is designed towork with identified students in grades 2–5 to improveacademic and social skills. SEI instills the concept instudents that “Life has Options.” On-Site Child Care: YMCA Before & After School Child Care.The YMCA offers an affordable, sliding fee beforeand after school program. Art and literacy are combined intothe YMCA’s existing program schedule, which includes sports and games, homework support, snacks and characterdevelopment. Kids have the chance to learn from professionalartists-in-residence, as well as explore literacy withKidzLit Coordinators from the Multnomah County Library. Our Family Involvement Coordinator actively reaches out toour community, establishing partnerships to support ourschool. Humboldt is witnessing more community involvementand support. We have a marked increase in parent participation at conferences, school events, field trips andour active PTA. In addition, we have Friday Coffee Chatsthat welcome our parents and community members into ourparent room for coffee, treats and dialogue. We also supportour parents with computer access and training, as well asjob search assistance. Adopt-A-Class Program: Many of our classrooms havesponsors from the business community. Adopt-A-Class invitesthe community into the classroom in support of teachers and their students. By adopting a classroom, donors formpartnerships with specific classrooms to provide financialand moral support. The result is a meaningful contributionto education in which donors experience the impact of their efforts and celebrate in a classroom's success.The Art Program at Humboldt is a fundamental part of thelearning experience and community that makes Humboldt thespecial place that it is. The Visual Arts Program atHumboldt emphasizes Discipline Based Art Education, orDBAE. This means that students are not only creating art butare learning art history, aesthetics and criticism. Theylearn to think and write about their own art, in addition to the work of master artists. Art at Humboldt also makesconnections to what students are learning in theirclassroom. Since students learn in a multitude of ways, arthelps make connections students may otherwise not get.ETHOS Music: Thanks to funding from the Portland Children'sInvestment Fund, ETHOS music center is in its 4th year ofproviding free after school music classes for students ingrades 4 and above at Humboldt.
- Blazers Boys & Girls Club: The club sends a bus to Humboldtdaily to pick up the students who attend their after schoolprogram.SMART: One-to-one tutoring twice each week with identifiedstudents in grades K–2. Students receive two new books eachmonth.Portland Trailblazers: Humboldt partners with theTrailblazers in the Read to Achieve Program, 3.0 andAttendance Rewards Programs and several other projects. Our6th and 7th grade students were privileged to receive avisit from Blaze and the Kia Squad this year.
Statistics and test scores
- Report cards and AYP Scores
Oregon Department of Education school report cards - School Enrollment and Program Data
- Standardized test scores
Course syllabus
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