School Synopsis
In 1994 San Miguel opened with a singular purpose of bringing together two distinct schools of thought, the "Back to Basics" and "neighborhood" philosophies, into one school mission. In order to achieve that purpose, the administrator put together a team of parents, teachers and community members with beliefs that reflected their particular issues and concerns. Their goal was to create a common vision that would incorporate these differing beliefs into a school plan that is relevant, progressive, and educationally sound.
During our year-long journey the team looked at the California Frameworks, Sunnyvale School District standards, It's Elementary, and the latest research to formulate its vision. Countless hours of conversation about individual belief systems, educational practices, and curriculum content took center stage. At the end of our journey the "SMRT* Alternative" (San Miguel Revolutionizing Teaching), a comprehensive school plan with rigorous performance standards, was born and became the unifying mission for transforming San Miguel into a highly effective, innovative school for the 21st century.
Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, San Miguel has an enrollment of 502 culturally diverse students. Situated in a residential area of Sunnyvale, our student body consists of 4% Affrican-American, 12% Asian, 20% Philipino, 44% Hispanic/Latino, 18% Caucasian, and 2% other, with a mobility rate of 15 percent. The school parent community reflects a wide range of occupations, family structures and socio-economic levels. These factors combined with 11% of our population receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children influence the programs, instruction, learning environment, and relationships within our school "village."
As you walk through San Miguel, you may hear children and adults speaking any one of seventeen different languages, along with English, for the purpose of working together to create a productive learning environment. You may observe volunteers from The Jewish Coalition for Literacy, working with our children before school, during school or after school in their reading or math. The sound of "play ball!" may echo from our field from those who signed up for the City of Sunnyvale's after school program. Students might be working in our school garden, rehearsing their song flutes in preparation for their music class, practicing their lines for a classroom poetry presentation, or fund-raising to support science field trips.
In addition, you would see an extended school day to improve the performance of those scoring below 324 on the state test, and a Project Pride Program, which incorporates school uniforms, and rewards positive behavior throughout our school. These are just a few of the many intervention strategies used to ensure that all students whether they be Title I, ELL, Special Education, or GATE successfully become life-long learners who are productive and responsible citizens in our society.
The 1994 renovation of our school made San Miguel a model site by which other schools are measured. Telephones have been placed in each classroom along with student computer stations, cable TV, carpeting, air-conditioning and heating, upgraded lighting, and storage cabinets. The entire school was painted both inside and out, and our school's outdoor lighting system was upgraded. The installation of new playground equipment and the remodeling of our Library Resource Center and office complex has also contributed to providing a safe, secure, and attractive learning environment for our students.
The people of San Miguel "village" believe that all children can learn. We believe that it truly does take a collaborative, collective effort to enable all students to meet the social, multicultural and technological challenges of the twenty-first century. As a result of our collaboration, San Miguel is committed to the beliefs that "high expectations yield high results; a safe, nurturing environment supports learning; and education is the right of every child and the responsibility of the entire community."