Huppertz Elementary Language Policy

Purpose: The purpose of this document is to outline the Huppertz Elementary Language Policy. This policy applies to the whole school and is to be communicated to and understood by all continuing and new teachers, students, parents, and administrators.

Philosophy: Language is fundamental for success in learning and active engagement in various social interactions. Language gives children the tools they need to interpret and understand the world around them. Language is ever changing and our role as teachers is to teach academic and social language to adapt to our environment. At Huppertz Elementary, we believe that every teacher is a language teacher and responsible for students’ language development. Language acquisition is best attained when students are immersed in a language-rich interactive classroom with structured academic conversations in the classroom to boost oral language development. Providing students with opportunities to interact with other students will naturally enhance language development/acquisition while also providing the scaffolding needed to increase language acquisition achievement. 

Language is also best acquired as student’s affective filter is lowered. The “affective filter” is a theoretical construct in second language acquisition that attempts to explain the emotional variables associated with the success or failure of acquiring a second language. The affective filter is an invisible psychological filter that can either facilitate or hinder language production in a second language. When a student’s affective filter is low, students become risk-takers as they manipulate language. In addition,

• Students feel safe in making mistakes without judgement and constant corrections
• Students feel empowered to interact with their peers and seek out models of language
• Students feel safe in answering questions and sharing their thinking with peers and the teacher

With this in mind, comprehensible input will be paramount in the construction of a second language. Comprehensible input is language input that can be understood by listeners despite them not understanding all the words and structures in it. It is described as one level above that of the learners if it can only just be understood.

Finally, language development is essential to the development of international mindedness. Valuing and appreciating the mother-tongue of our students is instrumental in respecting and learning about each student’s culture. Families will be encouraged to continue to speak, read and write in their mother-tongue. In addition to learning more about one’s own culture, learning a second language allows our students to appreciate other cultures and broaden their perspectives outside of their own. Teachers shall use language instruction to encourage inquiry, curiosity and opportunities to share local and global perspectives. We base these beliefs on research-based best instructional practices that focus on the social construction of language.  All members of the school community are invested in culturally-relevant instruction that places a significance on highlighting the diversity of our faculty and student population. 

Language of the Host Country (English): We will promote English language learning throughout the school by providing language rich learning environments. The teaching and learning of language will be incorporated into the programme of inquiry by varying the modes of communication. We will encourage students to speak in complete sentences and employ total response signals along with other research-based best instructional practices. We will incorporate all communication skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing, and media literacy) by encouraging students to participate in structured conversations as well as structured reading and writing activities. To promote engagement for all students, practices to enhance teaching and learning will include forms of scaffolding to help immerse all learner types (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc.)  The expectations surrounding the areas of writing, grammar, spelling, and referencing will follow grade level expectations outlined by state (TEKS) and the English Language Proficiency standards (ELPS) as well as the Approaches to Learning Skills.

Additional Languages: Students at Huppertz Elementary in 2nd-5th grade will receive Spanish language instruction for 45 minutes per week by a certified Spanish Teacher. In Spanish class, students will learn to listen, speak, read, and write the Spanish language. They will learn about the language (conventions and structures) and explore cultures of Spanish-speaking countries. Students will learn about different locations throughout the world that speak Spanish, such as Spain, Central and South America, Mexico and other Spanish speaking islands off the Caribbean. The school will promote the Spanish language by ensuring that common areas of the school are labeled in both Spanish and English, producing flyers and notes home in Spanish and English, hosting events such as Principal Coffee in Spanish and English, announcements in Spanish and English, and other promotional endeavors.

Supporting Students: A process that can be used to identify the language needs of each learner is by using common placement language tools (TELPAS and LPAC).  Based on the students level of language acquisition, the language teacher will be able to scaffold language support commensurate to students’ linguistic needs. 

The considerations that will be made for English Learners are to provide different forms of scaffolding and to provide extensive opportunities to engage in discussions utilizing the language.

Mother tongues and other languages in the community will be identified and promoted by advertising them, e.g. country and commonly used words, posters, and getting to know our students.

Differentiation strategies will be monitored by continuous assessment (formal and informal).

Parents will be involved in the language learning of their child through family projects and school functions. 

Language Resources: 

Language is promoted in the classroom through a variety of ways such as: 

• Word walls 
• Realia 
• Visual guides and/or infographics
• English/Spanish word walls
• Games and social interactions
• Music
• Planned, student interactions 
• Journaling 
• Speaking stems
• Writing stems  
• Body language and gestures to express appropriate words

Sheltered Instruction such as the SIOP Model is a resource that can improve second language acquisition. The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Model is a delivery approach composed of instructional strategies grouped into eight components:

1. Preparation
2. Building Background
3. Comprehensible Input 
4. Strategies 
5. Interaction 
6. Practice/Application 
7. Lesson Delivery 
8. Review/Assessment

Teachers will continue to receive professional development focused on language instruction from various trainers such as Region 20 specialists, SAISD trainings offered by the Bilingual Department and the World Languages Department, and other sources. We will also network with other IB schools to collaborate on best practices.

Language pathways are in place during parent classes offered by the campus, Coffee with the Principal, IB nights, Literacy Nights, STEAM Night, AVID Nights and other informational nights/classes. Some ideas for these nights/classes may include bringing in an interpreter to discuss career pathways, benefits to acquiring a second language and utilizing language knowledge as a skill.

Huppertz Elementary Inclusion Policy

Purpose: The purpose of this document is to outline the Huppertz Elementary Inclusion Policy. This policy applies to the whole school community and is to be communicated to and understood by all continuing and new teachers, students, parents, and administrators.

Huppertz Elementary defines inclusive education as a learning environment that values diversity and removes barriers for our Special Education (SPED), Dyslexia, 504, Gifted and Talented (GT) students, and students with diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. We also understand that all students have various learning modalities that should be considered such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.

Philosophy: Our philosophy is that all community members should be valued and respected. We believe that a student-centered approach puts diversity at the forefront of the curriculum and is accessible through varied learning styles. Our inclusion policy aligns with the International Baccalaureate (IB) in the belief that education should be accessible for every child to develop as lifelong learners. All students enrolled at Huppertz Elementary participate in the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP).

Our inclusion policy also aligns to local, national, and international policies and guidelines. Campus educators will ensure that student Individual Education Plan (IEP)s, Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)s, and 504 plans are distributed to appropriate staff members, thoroughly read, and implemented. The campus will hold annual Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD)s and 504 meetings with appropriate stakeholders. All staff members will follow the guidelines of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). General education teachers servicing GT students will meet the GT training requirements and intentionally collaborate with key staff members such as special education teachers, Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSP), and Behavior Specialists.

Teaching and Learning: We currently serve students on a wide academic achievement spectrum. Our students are also in much need of social emotional learning and support. Our students needs are met through a variety of approaches to include, but not limited to, differentiation, mindfulness techniques, class check-ins, individual student check-ins, classroom calming corners, multicultural classroom and school libraries, GT instruction, in class support, special education resource instruction, math and reading intervention instruction, enrichment opportunities such as after school clubs, guidance sessions, Social Emotional learning (SEL) sessions, individual therapy sessions with Community in Schools (CIS), intersessions throughout the year, after school tutoring, total physical response techniques, sheltered instruction practices, accommodations and modifications aligned to IEPs and 504 plans, dyslexia sessions, and a variety of other methods.

Resources: Our campus has access to a plethora of resources to support inclusive education but will always continue to actively seek out current research and practices to support all our students. Our campus has access to the following staff experts/consultants that have the responsibilities to maximize inclusive outcomes through collaboration:

·       Certified Teachers

·       Certified Special Education Teacher

·       School Counselor

·       GT Coordinator

·       Community in Schools

·       LSSP

·       Behavior Specialists (ECE-5th)

·       Head Start Family Support

·       Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Specialist

·       Dyslexia Specialist

·       IB Coordinator

·       Instructional Coach

·       ELAR Instructional Specialist

·       Math and Reading Interventionists

·       World Language Instructor

·       Campus Administrators

These staff members are supported by regular professional development such as SPED training, behavioral/social emotional learning training, mindfulness training, Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) training, English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) training, and emotional disturbance/accommodations training, to name a few. The majority also have access to and are qualified to administer assessments such as Measure of Academic Progress (MAP), Fountas and Pinnell (F&P), Circle, Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI), Dyslexia Screening, and CoGat Testing. In addition, the LSSP administers various assessments to qualifying students.

The campus is adequately equipped to support all students and meets American with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. An elevator and ramps are accessible to anyone that needs them. The campus also has a Science Lab, Math and ELAR Resource Lab, 3D printer, Computer Lab, and Library to support their backgrounds and learning styles.

Expertise that is still needed by the campus includes: Social Worker, Licensed Child Therapist, and additional trauma trained professionals that can respond to students affected by traumatic events.

Policy Documentation and Confidentiality: Provision for inclusion within the classroom will be included in weekly lesson plans and monitored by the Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) during lesson plan review and during Professional Learning Networks (PLN)s. Coordination and structuring of inclusiveness within the larger campus can include Corrective Instruction CIAPs, professional development and targeted training (e.g. bullying prevention, GT training). Additional inclusive extracurricular activities can also be coordinated by campus staff. Documentation of evidence of inclusiveness may include artifacts, such as photos, videos, paper samples, hands on activities, interactive notebooks, from IB night, ARDs, cultural nights, IB unit evidence, behavior logs, and classroom incentive systems. Parents also have access to inclusive learning experiences via Toddle, progress reports, and school events.

In addition, all IEPs will be documented in the curriculum through unit and lesson plans, small group instruction, learning continuums, data sources, Child Observation Records (COR), progress reports, and report cards.

Some documentation may be confidential and is securely stored appropriately. Staff members are trained on confidentiality and policies are outlined in handbooks and staff training modules. Confidentiality requirements are communicated during parent/teacher conferences, ARDs, meetings, orientations, and handouts. Individuals that have access to confidential documents are outlined below:

·       Student academic data

o   Teachers, ILT, Parent (if requested), Student

o   Held in classrooms (data binders), google sheets in Huppertz drive, data walls in classrooms and PLC room 

·      Official student record

o   Teacher of record, Data clerk, ILT, Parent (if requested)

o   Held in frontline and data clerk office

·      IEP and other SPED/504 documentation

o   Teacher of record, SPED dept., ILT, Parent (if requested)

o   Held by teacher of record, SEMS clerk, online & paper copies

·      Parent/teacher communication records

o   Teacher of record, Parent (if requested)

o   Held in communication app (Toddle), email, & conference sign in

Policy Processes and Communication: The policy review process is collaborative, first starting with teacher and administrator collection of ideas and refinement of the policy itself. The community (parents/guardians, families) are also given input and an opportunity to review the policy. District personnel also can provide feedback for revisions to the policy. The policy is reviewed annually but can be reviewed collectively as needed.

The Inclusion Policy is communicated to community members in a variety of modes such as, but not limited to, campus website, campus social media sites, Toddle, Principal chats, handbook, family events, upon request, and parent/teacher conferences. In addition, the campus frequently communicates with parents and community members through weekly newsletters, email and phone callouts, fliers, and teacher newsletters.

Adopted: January 2022

Huppertz Elementary Admissions Policy

Purpose: The purpose of this document is to outline the Huppertz Elementary Admissions Policy. This policy applies to the whole school community and is to be communicated to and understood by all continuing and new teachers, students, parents, and administrators.

The purpose of this policy is to encourage parents to enroll their child(ren) in grades PK-5th grade, inform parents of any prerequisites that may be necessary for enrollment, promote the rigorous curriculum offered at Huppertz Elementary, provide an inclusive learning environment for all students, and develop internationally minded students who are prepared to take on real world issues.

Philosophy: The International Baccalaureate (IB) mission statement commits to creating learners “who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.” Our admissions policy upholds this commitment by allowing all students to access our campus curriculum through our open enrollment process. Our process allows for a diverse range of students to enroll which enhances the knowledge our learning community members share with each other outlined in our campus mission statement.

SAISD Enrollment Process: In order to enroll, families will visit the SAISD website homepage and click on the enrollment link at the bottom of the page. Families will create a Frontline registration account and will follow steps to register a new user. Parents/guardians will then enter the information requested and upload documents. Families will submit and confirm at the end of this process.

For returning students, families can request help from the front office in completing the above steps by contacting the campus data clerk at 210-438-6580.

Choice School Enrollment Process: For families living in Bexar County, parents must complete the choice application via School Mint if they would like their child(ren) to have the opportunity to attend our school. Parents can access more information about the process by visiting the district’s online website at www.saisdchoice.com or by contacting them by phone at (210) 554-2660. The deadline for choice applications is posted on this website. Once parents submit an application, offers from a randomized lottery are announced. The choice application is then approved by the district and the offer is extended to the student. Once the parent accepts the offer, they finalizing their decision by completing the online registration process through www.saisd.net/register

Students living in and out of SAISD who want to attend a different neighborhood school may submit a transfer request. Transfer approval depends on space availability, program availability (pending special needs), and campus capacity.  

The campus will use various marketing tools to promote the school by:

-Opening the campus during school’s tour week

-Hosting a booth at Experience SAISD

-Displaying school banners in the community

-Handing out flyers and brochures

-Selling merchandise from our campus spirit store

Non-Discrimination: It is the policy of San Antonio ISD not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation or disability in its vocational programs, services or activities as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and SAISD's board policies DIA, FFH, and FFI. 

Es norma del distrito de San Antonio no discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo, identidad de género, expresión de género, orientación sexual o discapacidad, en sus programas, servicios o actividades vocacionales, tal como lo requieren el Título VI de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964, según enmienda; el Título IX de las Enmiendas en la Educación, de 1972, la Sección 504 de la Ley de Rehabilitación de 1973, según enmienda, y las pólizas DIA, FFH, y FFI de la mesa directiva de SAISD.

Policy Processes and Communication: The policy review process is collaborative, first starting with teacher and administrator collection of ideas and refinement of the policy itself. The community (parents/guardians, families) are also given input and an opportunity to review the policy. District personnel also can provide feedback for revisions to the policy. The policy is reviewed annually but can be reviewed collectively as needed.

The Admissions Policy is communicated to community members in a variety of modes such as, but not limited to, campus website, campus social media sites, Toddle, Principal chats, handbook, family events, upon request, and parent/teacher conferences. In addition, the campus frequently communicates with parents and community members through weekly newsletters, email, phone callouts, fliers, and teacher newsletters.

References:

• https://www.ibo.org/globalassets/publications/recognition/modelpolicy_india-1.pdf
• https://www.saisd.net/page/oaes-home
• https://saisdchoice.com/resources/
  
  

Adopted: April 2022

Huppertz Elementary Academic Integrity Policy

Purpose: The purpose of this document is to outline the Huppertz Elementary Academic Integrity Policy. This policy applies to the whole school community and is to be communicated to and understood by all continuing and new teachers, students, parents, and administrators.

The purpose of this policy is to provide clear academic expectations to the whole IB community. It will explain “good practices in embodying teaching and learning in a culture of academic integrity.” The policy will also help to ensure that we are in compliance with district expectations.  

Philosophy: The IB mission statement mentions that we are seeking to create lifelong learners through intercultural understanding and respect. To fulfill the IB and campus missions, students must demonstrate academic integrity while participating in real life learning experiences. 

As learning community members share their knowledge with one another (school mission), it is understood that credit and acceptance is given for ideas and works. This aligns with the IB mission of creating learners “who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.”

Within academic integrity, it is important to consider not just giving credit to previously published works but also validation of ideas by peers. 

Definition: Academic dishonesty at Huppertz Elementary is defined as students' use of unauthorized assistance with the intent to deceive a teacher or other person who may be assigned to evaluate the students’ work.

Students should be aware that they are responsible for their academic honesty and be able to recognize what behaviors constitute academic misconduct.

For example:

• Plagiarism 
• Copying another student’s work (full or partial) 
• Using unpermitted notes, collaboration, or use of devices on a test
• Finding and replacing words to cover plagiarism, copy from others, or using a partial copy from others
• Not citing work 
• Taking credit for someone else's work
• Cheating
• Misuse of academic materials
• Participating in academic dishonesty
• Completing work while logged into another student’s account

Academic Integrity: Teachers will provide explicit lessons on Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills and Learner Profile attributes as evidenced in lesson plans submitted weekly to the Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) for review. Feedback will be provided to teachers before implementing lessons. 

Teachers will follow district policies and complete required annual training on academic integrity and digital citizenship. 

Teachers and librarians will provide lessons on digital citizenship to all students that include hands-on/real-life experiences. 

Students will have opportunities to reflect on their learning process and final product to explain their academic integrity.

All stakeholders will be aware of the school’s academic integrity policy in written form to ensure fidelity to policy.

Consequences: In the event that students do not adhere to the academic integrity measures put in place by the school, the students will face one or several consequences to include:

-Low academic achievement 

Teacher Managed:

-Opportunity to resubmit work

-As students are still developing the ATL Skill: Research, additional teacher support may be necessary (reteach whole group or small group)

-Alternate assignment 

-Student-led Parent phone call/conference

-Student written reflection

-Proximity Control 

-Loss of Privilege (free stations, etc) 

Admin Managed:

-Discipline referral to admin

-Student-led Parent phone call/conference

-Technology restrictions

Policy Processes and Communication: The policy review process is collaborative, first starting with teacher and administrator collection of ideas and refinement of the policy itself. The community (parents/guardians, families) are also given input and an opportunity to review the policy. District personnel also can provide feedback for revisions to the policy. The policy is reviewed annually but can be reviewed collectively as needed.

The Academic Integrity Policy is communicated to community members in a variety of modes such as, but not limited to, campus website, campus social media sites, Toddle, Principal chats, handbook, family events, upon request, and parent/teacher conferences. In addition, the campus frequently communicates with parents and community members through weekly newsletters, email, phone callouts, fliers, and teacher newsletters.

Adopted: February 2022