Orcutt Schools Update

Continuing our look at schools around the district, we profile Joe Nightingale School this month.
In a world where the parent most active at elementary schools generally is the mother, Joe Nightingale School has taken great strides to engage fathers, stepfathers, and grandfathers.
Thus far in the school year, over 50 dads, stepdads, and granddads of Nightingale children have served as school WatchDOGS.  In case you were wondering, DOGS stands for “Dads of Great Students”.
The program has a simple formula:  Dads volunteer to spend a day at school.  While on campus, they take on a variety of tasks including helping direct traffic in the parking lot, assisting with recess and cafeteria supervision, volunteering in their children’s classrooms, supporting physical education activities, and even doing campus clean-up.
“Over and over, the dads who come talk about how busy (school) is,” says Principal Don Nicholson, who credits parent Amy Curti of the Nightingale PTA for encouraging the school to begin its WatchDOGS program.  WatchDOGS is an initiative of the National Center for Fathering.
“The goal is to have every dad at our school take a day off to be here,” says Julie Kozel, the school’s vice-principal.  “The dads who have participated have really enjoyed it.  For many of them, it’s been an eye-opening experience.”
Nightingale currently is signing up men to serve as WatchDOGS in February and March.
Meanwhile, the school with the district’s highest enrollment (Nightingale has 733 students in grades K-6 and another 27 students in its preschool) is pleased with advances made this year in academic intervention and technology.
Nicholson and Kozel have organized 17 before- and after-school classes for students in need of extra academic help.  Of these classes, 13 are taught by classroom teachers who are devoting after-hours time to their students.  The focus of these classes is preview and review of grade-level instruction, so the students can be more successful during the school day.
In addition, Nightingale is one of several sites in the district to capitalize on software and online programs to supplement the core curriculum.  Two notable programs are SkillsTutor, which drills students in math facts and language mechanics, and Imagine Learning, which builds vocabulary in English Learners.  With two computer labs, the school has enough computer access to fully involve students.
“Every grade level has a lab time during the day that they share,” Nicholson explains.  “Every class has lab time twice a week.”
Finally, Nightingale is enjoying several new staff.  Among them are Kozel, who came to Orcutt after 24 years as a teacher and vice-principal in the Lompoc Unified School District; Office Manager Terry Garnica, who previously was a Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Deputy; and Special Education teachers Karen Cummings and Tony Payne, who previously were based at May Grisham School.
Kozel and Payne are products of the Orcutt Union School District.  Payne even attended Joe Nightingale School.
“I love it here,” says Kozel. “This is a wonderful school with wonderful people.”
“I am completely enjoying Nightingale,” remarks Payne.  “I grew up at this school, and it feels good to be home.”