Dear Parents, Guardians and Community Members,

Los Lunas High School is currently planning for the implementation of new Small Learning Communities (SLC) for the 2008/09 school year. Research on high school reform shows that belonging is a vital part of school and a prerequisite to learning.

“This is my place; this is where I belong!” These are the confident words of people who have found acceptance, ownership, and affirmation in an environment where they feel they truly belong – a place or a situation that is right for them.

Belonging is acceptance, stability, and affirmation of individual worth as a person. Every person seeks it; every human needs it; and every child deserves it and must have it if growth and learning are to take place.

Our commitment to this belief prompts us to take specific actions, like the implementation of Small Learning Communities.

First of all, we plan for each young adult who comes into the school to enter into an environment that is safe and secure. When it comes to SLCs, we plan for and work toward success for each student. Various practices are used in each classroom to diagnose performance and address students’ needs for review and re-teaching. Personal help from the teacher, given in a kind and caring way, often moves students toward the success that is envisioned. Remedial programs and intervention strategies are ready to provide the help needed and to ensure that each student has more intense remediation if it is appropriate. We also work toward helping each student grow and develop socially and emotionally. The need for friendships and acceptance among peers is part of students’ feeling of belonging. These needs are nurtured and their fulfillment is carefully guided by the entire school staff. Relationships with a variety of people within the school setting feed the students’ feeling of belonging in that school. Participation in activities and clubs fosters a feeling of belonging, and for this reason we structure and sponsor a wide variety of events in which students can engage. Sometimes it is easy to think that only young children need to feel they belong at school. But older students also need assurances that they are accepted and can share in the ownership of their school.

Professional staff, as well as support staff, make a concerted effort to help every student feel that someone cares about him or her and values his or her presence in the school. Teachers, administrators, and staff members make a conscious effort to be the students’ mentors and let the students know that they are student-centered.

A genuine feeling of belonging is a prerequisite to learning and healthy development. Every student needs to be able to say, “This is my classroom; this is my school; this is my place. This is where I belong.” When students can say this out of the honesty of their own beliefs, then, and only then, can optimum learning take place.

It is our effort to assist all students in achieving higher levels of success. Your participation and commitment to this endeavor is vital and will help ensure that kids stay in school, graduate, and pursue the profession of their dreams.

Please stay in touch.

Claudia Krause-Johnson

Principal

866-4646