II. <strong>School</strong> Vision and MissionBlaker-Kinser Junior High is a school in which all students are actively engaged in the mastery ofacademic and social skills needed for success in school and in life. Families, students and Blaker-Kinserstaff work together to provide enriching and relevant experiences so all students can become confidentand self-directed individuals.
III. <strong>School</strong> ProfileBlaker-Kinser Junior High is located in the community of <strong>Ceres</strong> in the central San Joaquin Valley. Theschool has an enrollment of 881 7th and 8th grade students, with an average of 96.13% daily actualattendance. The ethnic composition of the student population is 69% Hispanic, 19% White, not ofHispanic origin, 3% African American, 4% Asian, 2% Native American and 3% Other. English learnerscomprise 29% of our student population and 81% of the students qualify for the National <strong>School</strong> LunchProgram.The original school campus was built in 1994 (Phase I) and the buildings have been well maintained.Phase II was completed in 1998 with the addition of six classrooms, a music building, art building,technology building, home economics building and gymnasium. Construction on six additional classroomswas completed in the late fall of 2006. The school is nicely landscaped and encompasses 23 acres. Thegrounds include pickle ball courts, ¼ mile track, football field, soccer fields, basketball courts and twosoftball diamonds.The Blaker-Kinser staff includes 38 certificated teachers, a principal, an assistant principal and a learningdirector. In 2008-2009, 36 of the 38 teachers meet the rigorous NCLB criteria to be highly qualified in theirsubject area. The 2 teachers who have not yet met NCLB status are working on certification in theirindividual subject areas. Specialized programs include music, art, technology, as well as five specialeducation teachers. Support staff include one part time nurse, one part time health clerk, one part timeschool psychologist, one part time mental health clinician, an office manager, two full time secretaries,one part time attendance clerk, one part time ASB clerk, one library media clerk, one full time campussupervisor, four noon duty supervisors, four custodians and six cafeteria employees.Parent involvement is highly encouraged by all staff members. We have an active <strong>School</strong> Site Council,English Learner Advisory Committee, and an active Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA), whichparticipates in fundraising throughout the year. They also sponsor the graduation party and dance, as wellas contribute to the classrooms and programs upon request from the teachers. Parents are invited toattend all school events, including Back to <strong>School</strong> Night, parent/teacher conferences, sports events andfine art performances. Blaker-Kinser has also enjoyed an increasing amount of community support asdemonstrated by local businesses donating time and money to our programs.The school staff encourages parent participation in the classroom in an ongoing effort to make parents anintegral part of the education of their children. Parents are welcome to visit classrooms and oftenvolunteer to supervise school sponsored events such as school dances and chaperoning field trips.Information regarding upcoming events and special activities is sent home regularly through the ConnectEd phone messaging system and monthly newsletters. Regular communication between home andschool is an important factor in student success.Blaker-Kinser Junior High <strong>School</strong> uses site-based teams, with the goal of increasing communication andcollaboration among all stakeholders. Teams comprised of teachers, administrators, classified staff,parents and students address specific areas of concern to the school community. Feedback is then givento the Department Leader Committee, the <strong>School</strong> Site Council, Parent Teacher Student Association andthe English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC), which provide input and report back to the school staff.
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