Back in the swing

TeWinkle Middle School is really looking forward to the new school year. The school has been undergoing changes, physically and academically, over the past couple of years, and students seem to be getting the message.

Tuesday was the first day of school for Newport-Mesa Unified School District as children returned to their respective campuses after summer vacation.

For eighth-graders at TeWinkle Middle School, it was the beginning of the end of a long road. Students at TeWinkle know the school has had issues in the past concerning test scores and have seen one principal leave and a new one step in. For them, despite the controversy that has sometimes accompanied the school, the action has been well worth it.

“I am looking forward to just getting the spirit back to TeWinkle,” 13-year-old Chad Fackler said. “We have been down in the dumps for a long time.”

TeWinkle educators and students have been trying to improve test scores since being sanctioned in recent years. Whether they have achieved the benchmarks needed will be seen later this week when the Academic Yearly Progress scores are released Thursday by the State Department of Education.

But students believe their school is more than its test scores. Most describe it as a fun place to be and are eager to see what new developments, like the new school gym, will bring.

“I don’t think we have ever had a big game before,” said Ahjanei Mitchell, who serves on the student leadership team with Fackler.

“We have never had a home game,” Fackler said.

The school is also working on creating an activity room on campus that would allow students the space and time to study after school while also being around their friends — an important asset, according to student leaders.

“We can be eager to learn,” Kenia Laura, 14, said. “We can come here, have fun, but still be good at school.”

For 13-year-old Alexis Paul, being a student leader at TeWinkle isn’t a simple task, but the goal isn’t hard to imagine.

“I really want to help the school,” she said. “To make the kids happy.”

Ensign Intermediate School was also in the midst of making changes on its campus for the 2008-09 school year. A new program called CHAMPS was started to help improve communication between students and teachers.

“We draw from five different elementary schools, so we are trying to bring the community together very quickly and ease that transition,” Ensign Principal Steve McLaughlin said. “Campuswide, all students are getting the same message.”

CHAMPS — an acronym for communication, help, activity, movement, participation and success — provides a system and procedure for how instruction is given in each classroom. The program still gives teachers the ability to instruct students using their own style and personality, but allows for a guideline — cues and terms — for each lesson.

For example, a CHAMPS philosophy may be applied to discipline; when students aren’t paying attention in class or are talking out of turn, the communication CHAMP level would be set at zero. The system aims to help students better understand classroom and outside-the-classroom procedures, activities and field trips.

The goal is to have a more streamlined method of instruction for students with instructional cues on a consistent basis throughout the school.

Each first-period class Tuesday was taught the same lesson about CHAMPS. Then, second-period classrooms used the CHAMPS model to talk about community and school involvement. Teachers used prepared videos and PowerPoint presentations throughout the day following the CHAMPS model.

“It establishes a very high level of expectation,” McLaughlin said. “The management of the school is incorporated in CHAMPS so we can get to instruction and learning much more quickly. Students will have an understanding and know what to expect.”

The program was created after faculty observed it at a middle school in Fullerton. Faculty then analyzed and changed the program to suit the needs of Ensign before it was prepared for launch this year, McLaughlin said.

Word from the district and school officials was that the first day of school went off without a hitch. Principals and district officials, while exhausted from the hectic start, were pleased with both the faculty’s and students’ performances on the first day back.

“We are just looking forward to another exciting year and we had a smooth opening,” Victoria Elementary School Principal Judy Laasko said. “We are thrilled to be back with Victoria families this year.”

Estancia High School Principal Phil D’Agostino said his campus saw more than 1,300 students on the first day, surpassing the school’s projected enrollment numbers. With the high numbers, D’Agostino said, seniors were helpful in showing incoming freshman around, and faculty were busy starting new programs and preparing students for the new year.

“I don’t think I was in my seat in my office until the end of the day,” he said.

DANIEL TEDFORD may be reached at (714) 966-4632 or at [email protected].