Balboa High School
San Francisco, California
New Pinnacle High School
Like the phoenix, its mascot, rises out of the ashes of the old
standard school and heads towards the technological age and beyond.
Resurrecting old school models of education with new school technology,
New Pinnacle high emphasis rigorous academic work, yet it keeps
a suttle down to earth atmosphere. Students are encouraged to
take the road less traveled, one of purpose and leadership
At New Pinnacle high we are in search of the best well-rounded
student available. With only 600 students we look for a student
that enters the school in search of knowledge and one who is not
afraid to work hard for it. A student who knows his/her limits
and boundaries but is not afraid to go above and beyond the limits
of his/her self evaluation to obtain that small grain of knowledge
that is being offered. We take students from all sorts of back
rounds with no emphasis on financial situations weather it be
good or bad. Your admittance to the school is all based on what
you showed at the middle school level and through your application
to the school. We would like to have a racially equal school were
the amount of students that are within the campus were at an equal
level. So that student would not feel disadvantaged or even lonely
at the fact that they were a minorny. With this equality we still
strongly suggest that student should mingle more with those that
are not of there race just to gain a more well rounded personality
and they leave the school with an understanding of other cultures
and of who they are them selfs.
Classroom Organization
The school's main focus for the classroom organization, is basically
to benefit each and every student. We plan to do this by providing
students with small class sizes and the same grade level (exceptions),
teachers aides, special education, bilingual education, and AP/
Honors courses. We believe that it is the school's job to provide
students with the most care and interest to prepare each student
for the future and to be successful on their own in the real world.
Our proposal to have the same grade level, is basically because
tests show that students who are around the same grade level,
tend to be more confident and sure of themselves rather than being
with students on a higher or lower level of learning. Small class
sizes of no more than 16 students will have one teacher and two
teachers aides to help the teacher when needed. Classes consisting
of less than 16 students will have one teacher and only one teachers
aide.
Our special education focus is basically to have a school where
we do not want to exclude any students' because of any disadvantages,
handicaps, or any learning disorders a student may have. Therefore,
we are proposing to have a special education class consisting
of no more than 5-10 students per class with one teacher and an
aide.
Bilingual education is also another key part of our school. Since
we want to have a diverse school, we need to be prepared to make
sure everyone has the opportunity to learn in their own language
(Classes are on demand). We plan to have no more than 16 students
per bilingual class.
AP/ Honors courses are also on demand. Since having all AP/ Honors
courses are unaffordable, we have a special policy for this. The
policy is really easy. To qualify, the student must have had a
grade ofatleast a B the previous semester. After receiving this
grade, the student has the option to go ahead and enter these
type of classes in order to challenge themselves more than they
normally would.
Community Involvement
Community Involvement is a very crucial part of our school's
existence. We believe that without the involvement of the community,
a school will feel very desolate. Our main focus for Community
Involvement is basically to have parent/ teacher/ student interaction.
We feel that is for the best to have this kind of interaction
between the school, community, and home.
Now to have a school where the parents are given the responsibility
to interact with their child's education, the parent(s) must make
a commitment to the school and to the community by signing a commitment
slip saying that they will make it priority to communicate with
the teacher and the student. This is required of the parents for
the student to be admitted into the school.
Part of this commitment is also for the parent to volunteer to
participate in atleast two special events or fundraisers put on
by the school. Our goal in doing this is basically to have a successful
interaction between the community and the school. We believe that
interaction is the key to having a successful school and a successful
education for the students. After all, the school should be run,
largely by the community to have a school that we all want to
have and attend.
Curriculum at New Pinnacle High School
The curriculum that we offer at New Pinnacle High School is
tailored to fit the fast paced 21st Century. With all the new
developments and technological advances that have sprung up throughout
the last century, New Pinnacle High is looking to fit the needs
as times have changed. Let's face it education and everyday life
isn't the way it used to be.
The curriculum that we at New Pinnacle High have developed is
from the concept of Paulo Freire, a Brazilian writer who explores
the concepts of education and how they should be approached. He
summarizes that education for a majority has been focused on the
"Banking Concept," which is basically where the teacher teaches
and the student learns and there is no teacher-student communication
occurring. Freire also explored another model of education called
"Problem Posing." Freire applauds this model, because it offers
an educational communication line between the teacher and the
student. This model gives a chance for the student to comply his
idea(s) to the demands of the students to better build a teaching
standard in which both parties learn and teach. This is the type
of education that New Pinnacle High School aims for.
We want to provide an environment where the students and the
teachers both give substantial input to the classrooms activities
and where understanding and communicating is part of the daily
exercises performed in class. New Pinnacle High School has built
the basic skeletal structure that gives the student and teacher
a chance to both teach and learn. Within the curriculum will be
the Student Empowerment Lesson Plan.
We the teachers at Pinnacle High School want to make the lesson
plans that enjoyable and educational to the students. In our pursuit
to find the best tailored type of education we came up with a
curriculum that is based on student interest yet backed with the
basic skills that are needed to set the foundation in the education
of these students; we call this the student empowerment lesson
plan. This lesson plan allows the students to teach in their style
and method, under the skeletal structure that we the teachers
will provide. This type of lesson plan will be carried out in
all the academic areas: Science, English, Mathematics, and Social
Sciences. However the styles may vary according to the class syllabi,
but the essence of this plan will remain.
At New Pinnacle the students will be taught the fundamentals
of reading, writing, and arithmetic with the added twist of technology.
Along with the Student Empowerment System, the use of computers
will be a vital part of the students' success. They will use the
computer in practically every aspect of the mid-term projects,
semester projects, and final projects. Students are required to
create a minielectronic autobiography, which will be accessible
via the Internet and school computer systems. These autobiographies
will be tied into and part of the English core of each program.
The way the lesson plan works is the students will be assigned
a topic, in which, they will have to educate their fellow classmates
about. Students will be placed in groups of three to four people
where the students will delegate and assign roles to make the
lesson run smoothly. They will have a week to research and prepare
a lesson plan, which will be presented on that Friday (a week
from when the topic was assigned). They will be graded both individually
and as a group, so students much cooperate or their grades will
suffer.
To ensure that the students are using the skills that they acquire
through the various programs, each class will have a core project,
which will be due at the end of each semester. The projects will
be determined in accordance to the pathway/academy that the student
enrolls in. IF THE STUDENT DOES NOT COMPLY TO THE CURRICULUM THEY
WILL BE PLACED ON ACADEMIC PROBATION.
We want the best for all those who attend New Pinnacle High School.
It is the students' responsibility to keep up with the rigorous
programs that we offer. Good Luck!
With society changing so rapidly we at New Pinnacle High try
our best to mold the young man or young woman of today into what
we feel fits societies ever changing model. We take children and
make them adults. Those who enter are school enter it with a nonchalant
way of thinking and leave with a complete and uprisings understanding
of the real world. Where opportunity does not coming looking for
you. An I deal graduate is a person that can look at himself in
the mirror and understand just exactly who he is and then look
at the world and find his role and then take it to a whole new
level. An I deal graduate will leave the school with a sense of
purpose and not a sense of confusion on where he stands as an
individual. An Ideal graduate is also a student who entered with
no threat to society for he/she was ignorant and leaves it as
a tyranny of the new world where every inequality is challenged
and made right. We at new pinnacle high only bring out the best
and we make sure that we give our kids the real deal on society
and what they have to look for.
Mission Statement
New Pinnacle High School is a school whose purpose is to educate
and initiate the process of living the world attentively and learning
to ask questions. We as a school are proud to make high expectations
of the students. Our goal is to provide an education in which
the students will both value and take pride in being a part of.
We hope to offer a fulfilling four years into your child's life
by teaching them the ability to analyze and investigate the world
in which we live today. We as a school want to provide your children
with the environment that they should receive within the educational
foundations of K-12 public education, without the barriers of
over-crowded classrooms and insufficient teacher-student communication.
Our staff of teachers will work along-side your children and yourselves
so that the maximum potential of your student is met. Our main
goal is to make the experience of high school one that is both
memorable and educational. New Pinnacle's motto is: Like the phoenix
we will rise above and beyond the average into the 21st Century.
Ideal Students
New Pinnacle High looks for students who are vibrant and willing
to take risks to further educate and open doors to new and outstanding
opportunities. As we roll into a new century, New Pinnacle is
in an all out pursue to find students who exert positive energy
into the foundation of their future educat-onal careers. We are
looking for students who show great potential, as leaders of the
21st Century, but whom do not have the all the access to schools
that will challenge their minds. But because we are a small school,
we can only admit a certain amount of students and as a result
we are on the lockout for students who go above and beyond what
is expected and step up to a challenge or two. Like our motto
and philosophy, we look to rise above the average and create something
that will ensure success and stability in your child's future.
Student Population*
We want to ensure that the student population is diverse, so
we as a school will admit students from all backgrounds to ensure
that there racial diversity within the school. We hope to have
a veiy diverse society of students to help the students with the
reality of today's society. In having a diverse school, we hope
to teach the students how to interact by putting aside stereotypes
and taking the first step to deconstructing the racial barriers
within society.
*Our efforts at New Pinnacle High, are to pursue a school
that is open to everyone regardless of race or ethnic background
Programs/ Curriculum*
*The listed programs ais only brief descriptions of what
will be offered. An actual curriculum flyer will be presented
separately
A few programs that New Pinnacle High School will offer are as
follows:
Law Academy -- Through the Law Academy, students will
have the chance to interact within the cities local government.
The students will have field trips to local court rooms and law
firms, giving the students a chance to view, first hand, what
the LAW is all about. In this academy the students will learn
about how laws are made and the different structures of the law
and the government, as well as exposure to essential items likes
debate, moot courts, mock trials and other court room/law related
exercises. Students will also be given the chance to work alongside
mentors and if a student would like to pursue the a career within
the law, summer intemships will be made available.
Communication Arts Academy -- Through Comm. Arts Academy
the students will receive curriculum that is tied in with the
media. As part of Comm Arts the students will learn how to polish
their writing skills to comply with the heavy creative writing
component of Comm Arts. Within the Comm Arts Academy students
will be exposed to creative writing, debate and speech class,
and journalism and media broadcasting. During the semester the
students will be able to go on field trips to local news stations
and news paper printing facilities to see exactly how things work.
During the summer if students show substantial interests the program
will provide summer interns with local new broadcasting companies,
and other positions where the students acquired Communication
skills can be put to the test. This academy will be responsible
for the monthly new bulletin and annual yearbook for New Pinnacle
High School.
Media Arts Academy -- This academy much like the Comm
Arts Academy will provide the students with skills of dealing
and associating with a fast passed society as well as the more
hands or learning of the booming technology that faces the students
in the 21 sit Century. The technological adve.nces that will be
offered through-out the whole school, will be the focus of this
academy. This academy will teach students how to use equipment
that is used in the entertainment industry, as well as in the
everyday offices of Silicon Valley. The computer and camcorder
will be the two most vital pieces of technology that students
must learn how to operate. This class will provide students with
field trips to places like the Metreon, and the Zeum an interactive
Multi-Media function accessible to New Pinnacle High School. Summer
intemships will also be available to those who are interested.
Science Pathway -- Through this pathway the students can
experience the life of someone in the scientific field. Students
will learn about their specific scientific field of study. Students
will be provided all materials that will be needed to succeed
in this field of academic study. Intemships will be available
to those who are interested. Internships will be held held at
the University of California San Francsico Hospital on Parnasus
Avenue in San Francisco.
Parent Involment
We at New Pinnacle High School believe that paren. teacher communication
is sssential to the students' success. We propose that there be
quarterly meetings with the parents so that we the educators can
ensure that your students get the best education to our maximum
capacity and highest standards. Meetings will be held in the evenings
and childcare will be provided at these parent teacher conferences
to make it more accessible and more convinent to you the parents.
Those who cannot attend the meetings will be called via the telephone
or e-mailed depending on the request made. We at New Pinnacle
High School want to assure you, the parents, the best possible
education for your children. At anytime that you feel your student
needs an extra hand, you can call into our school office and sign
your child up to after school tutoring sessions or Saturday classes
(teachers will voleiteer upon request). If that is not possible,
there will be a website posted to which students can ask teachers
who are online for help; if the internet is not accessible there
will be a phone number that students can call to get help on home
assignments. It is encouraged that students take responsibility
for their education. Parents are welcomed to stop by during the
day to observe their students progress. Bulletins will be sent
home on a weekly basis to inform you on the activities happening
around the school grounds (we are willing to e-mail the information
upon your request). We want the best, as do you, for your students!
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