DRAFT. Executive Summary. Felix Varela Senior High School. Miami-Dade County Public Schools

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1 Miami-Dade County Public Schools Ms. Nery Fins, Principal SW 96th Street Miami, FL Document Generated On October 9, 2013

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 3 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 5 Additional Information 7

3 Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. <br><br> The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1

4 Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? (FVHS) currently has approximately 3,154 students enrolled in grades nine through twelve with an instructional and non-instructional staff of 187. FVHS is located at SW 96 Street, the school sits on 45 acres and serves the Hammocks and West Kendall communities. Varela's students are from predominantly Hispanic families who have migrated to Miami from countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. The majority of the ninth grade students attended Hammocks, Howard A. Doolin, and Lamar Louise Curry middle schools; with the three elementary schools being Christina M. Eve, Gilbert Porter, and Oliver Hoover. In order to facilitate teaching and learning, the school operates on an alternating block schedule with students attending three 115-minute periods daily. On "A" days, students attend periods one, three, and five while on "B" days they attend periods two, four, and six. The block schedule allows greater exploration of subject matter, hands-on simulations, and flexibility in meeting student learning styles. Page 2

5 School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. VISION We, the Felix Varela community, are committed to the belief that all students can learn. It is the community's shared responsibility to create an equitable and diverse environment that fosters life-long learning and respect for others. Teaching and learning are an interactive process where high expectations are held for all students and it is through relevant, meaningful, and empathetic teaching that learning takes place. MISSION At Felix Varela Senior High, all students can learn and achieve. By challenging them with a student-centered, relevant, and rigorous curriculum, students will perform at high levels and become life-long learners who will succeed in an ever-changing, multicultural world. By fostering respect for diverse thought and innovation within a safe, nurturing and equitable environment, we enable our students to become productive and responsible citizens. CORE VALUES Excellence We pursue the highest standards in academic achievement and organizational performance. Integrity We build positive relationships through honesty, respect and compassion, which enhance the self-esteem, safety, and well-being of our students, families and staff. Equity We foster an environment that serves all students and aspires to eliminate the achievement gap. Citizenship We honor the diversity of our community by working as a team to ensure the educational success of all of our students and recognize that our obligations go beyond our professional responsibilities to promote democratic principles. Tone of Decency We foster a tone of decency within the school that explicitly stresses values of trust and decency. The school provides a wide array of courses that are aligned with the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) at the Pre- Collegiate (regular), Pre-AP (honors), Gifted, and Advanced Placement levels. Due to a dramatic rise in the gifted student population, FVSH now offers gifted Advanced Placement (AP) courses in all the core subject areas. Felix Varela offers to all incoming freshmen the opportunity of being in an academy of their choice. Each academy involves internships, mentorships, and other options that allow students to see the relevance of their course of study in terms of "real life." The Career Academies include Health Science, Information Technology, and Communications. Additionally, FVHS offers three Magnet Programs that align with student interests. The three magnet programs consist of Global Studies, Veterinary Science, and iprep. Each of these programs allows students to participate in internship programs. All internship programs align with student interests which are relevant to their future. School-site Student Services professionals implement lessons which focus on improving personal effectiveness, planning life after high school, and succeeding in post-secondary academic institutions. Page 3

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7 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. The primary educational focus of the staff at is to make certain that each student has an educational plan that suits his/her needs and goals. Some of the many initiatives and notable achievements include: - The school is extremely proud of having earned the School Grade of an "A" for three years in a row. This grade is the result of the incessant dedication and commitment to students of the entire school community ranging from the teachers to clerical to custodians. Everyone in the building actively worked in the areas of reading, mathematics; science and writing to assist each student succeed. - The Global Studies Magnet Program provides a rigorous educational curriculum dealing with the major issues confronting today's globalized world. The Global Studies Program includes the study of nations, ethnicities, cultures, world religions, international relations, as well as historical and political perspectives. Our mission is to provide our students with an in-depth understanding of the forces that shape our international community, problem solving skills to deal with the major issues that our world currently faces, and an overall rigorous curriculum that will provide a bridge to be a successful college student. - The iprep Magnet Program is a new and innovative magnet academy that provides students with an opportunity to participate in a rigorous curriculum that is technologically enriched. iprep@varela students will participate in various college preparatory and college level courses. During the students' Junior and Senior years, students will be allowed to participate in the Executive Internship Program to gain hands-on experiences. The iprep@varela facility is a state of the art environment; the program provides each student with an Apple MacBook and Barnes & Noble Nook to facilitate 21st Century learning. Our mission is to prepare students to be successful in college, well-rounded intellectually, and leaders in our community. - The Veterinary Science Magnet Program offers a sequence of courses that provide a rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in the Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources career cluster. It also provides technical skill proficiency, and includes competency-based applied learning that contributes to the academic knowledge, higher-order rea soning and problem-solving skills, work attitudes, general employability skills, technical skills, and knowledge of all aspects of the veterinary assisting industry within the Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources career cluster. - Outstanding accomplishment in obtaining Industry Certification. The Industry Certification examination data shows staggering results, as 95% of test-takers earned certification status. Disaggregated data depicts compelling passing rates: 100% for both Adobe Certified Associate (Dreamweaver) and Certified Veterinary Assistant (CVA); 75% for Adobe Certified Associate (Photoshop); 100% for Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA); and 64% for Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). Overall, both participation and passing rates have and will continue to increase each year. - The enrollment and passing rate in Advanced Placement has also increased; additionally, this trend should persist due to the implementation of iprep and the continued emphasis on the professional development of our AP teachers. In the May 2013 administration, 647 students took 926 exams with a passing rate of 69.9%. This is an increase of 94 students tested and an increase of 17 exams passed; additionally, there was an increase of 14.8 percentage points in passing rate as compared to the previous school year. Page 5

8 - was chosen to be a host school for a group of foreign exchange students from Shenzhen, China. They are going to complete their senior year and graduate with our students with hopes of entering the American university system. They are currently enrolled in a range of courses to suit their academic potentials. Areas of Improvement - Refine Professional Learning Community (PLC) and Common Planning Sessions - Maximize professional development for teachers in order to enhance curricular understanding. - Increase student college career readiness through counselor communication sessions with students. Page 6

9 Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. The Felix Varela Veterinary Science Magnet Academy is one of a kind because of our "Paws in the Classroom" approach. Felix Varela Senior High is the only high school in the nation that houses and cares for rescue dogs. Dogs and puppies from Friends Forever Humane Society, a local non-profit organization, make our academy their home. The academy students are responsible for the care and maintenance of each dog, from the moment they enter into our facility until their adoption into a permanent home. Vet students start their school day at 6:00am and end it at 6:00pm to fulfill their mission. Morning routines involve cleaning kennels and feeding and medicating the animals. In the afternoon, our animals are rotated into dog runs and are given the opportunity to socialize with people and animals. This increases the dog's appeal to potential adopters, as they become more family friendly and are able to easily transition into a new home. Some of our students choose to go the extra mile and participate in dog training, which allows their animals to be certified through the AKC Good Citizen program. This additional positive reinforcement makes the dogs more adoptable to the public. On weekends, academy students groom dogs in the morning which are then taken to a local Pet Smart to find a forever home. During the school day, the dogs are an integral part of classroom instruction. Unlike other programs, Varela Vet Academy students are able to learn by doing instead of merely reading from a textbook. Students gain hands on experience and are able to learn clinical practice skills of the Certified Veterinary Assisting (CVA) industry certification. In order to gain their CVA, seniors complete a 500 hour internship with a licensed veterinarian in our community. Once they complete their internship and gain this certification, they can obtain an entry level position in a veterinary clinic. Gaining this level of certification takes postgraduate students two years in college! This experience gives seniors a major advantage when applying to university level veterinary science programs... Students also manage an on-site working barn, where they house their personal animals. Through the Varela chapter of the national FFA organization, students show a variety of animals at local and state fairs. Currently, our program shows dairy goats, steer, sheep, poultry and rabbits. Caring for these animals gives students a unique and highly involved experience as they explore different careers in agriculture. Vet Academy students become experts in the animals they show, as the maintenance of their animal is very intensive. Students must formulate specialized diets based on weight, breed, and other considerations. They learn how to properly handle and restrain their animals, as well as how to use industry grade equipment. Most importantly, they keep detailed, accurate, and up to date records on each of their animals. Students also compete in Career Development Events through the FFA, which increases their self-esteem and team building skills. The use of animals in our program gives our students an edge against their counterparts when they graduate. Through hands on experience and training, students learn to handle real life situations that they would come across in the veterinary science industry. Even if they choose a different career path, the skills learned here come into use. Varela Vet Academy students are more responsible, confident, professional, compassionate, assertive, and cooperative due to their experience in the program. Our magnet academy offers an incredible and unique involvement for all of our students and prepares them for their experiences beyond high school. FFA Career Development Events Food Science and Technology-- 17th in the State Parliamentary Procedures-- 2nd in District Extemporaneous Speaking-- 2nd in District Prepared Public Speaking - 1st place in District, will compete at State Convention Ag Mechanics-- 10th in State 1 and high individual Page 7

10 Dairy Cattle Judging and Evaluation-- 8th in State 1 high individual Vegetable Identification-- 22nd State Livestock Judging - 32nd in state, 1 high individual Horse Judging and Evaluation--24th in state, 1 high individual Ornamental Horticulture-- Consumer use 9th in State, Landscaping 9th in state, Marketing 10th in State, Production 8th in State Veterinary Assisting-- 1st place in State, 1st three highest individuals, to compete in national Page 8