Joe Michell Middle School

 

Joe Michell School is an older, classic neighborhood school nestled in the heart of a middle to lower middle class suburban neighborhood in Livermore, California. The neighborhood is home to a very diverse population. Many of the local residents are senior citizens who bought their homes when they were new and are now enjoying their retirement years. They sent their children to Michell School and a generation later walks their grandchildren to school. Several volunteer at the school with fundraising or working in the classrooms. The neighborhood has changed in recent years with an influx of young families and new immigrants to this country. The demographics of the neighborhood are reflected in the school’s population. The school has a significant Hispanic subgroup. Michell is a Title I school, which means many children qualify for free and reduced lunch. The part-time staffs include a librarian, a computer specialist, a school nurse, a psychologist, a PE specialist, an adaptive P.E teacher, a Kid Connection Child Advocate and a bilingual aide. We have several full-time special education instructional aides and a resource specialist, and a speech therapist.We also offer a fully integrated Gifted And Talented Education (GATE) program, which is further supported through our after school academic enrichment program. The primary sources of financial support for the school are state and federal funds including SLIP (School and Library Improvement Program) and Title I funds. The Parent Teacher Organization fundraises throughout the year to help buy instructional materials and the items necessary for children’s learning. The School Site Council allocated funds from the SLIP budget to support the Kid Connection program as well as educational programs at the school. Parental involvement is very important at Joe Michell. We have a very active P.T.O. who supports many facets of our educational programs by raising funds and they volunteer in classrooms. P.T.O. has raised money for many school activities, assemblies, library books, as well as paid for instructional materials. All students currently receive over the required minimum number of instructional minutes. The school implements a reading program, which is designed to target instruction to small, flexible groups of students performing at different ability levels. Wednesdays are designated early dismissal staff development days.