Dear Pepper Tree Community;
Welcome to Pepper Tree in cyberspace! We are excited to have this means of communication for members of our community, as well as interested people from the outside who might want to know about our school.
Pepper Tree is a K-6 elementary school in Upland, California. We currently have 798 students who are being served by 27 regular education classroom teachers and 2 special education teachers.
Children in grades 1st through 3rd grades are being taught with a student-teacher ratio of approximately 29:1, while children in grades 4-6 have a ratio of about 31:1. Kindergarten has class sizes at approximately 34:1 divided into early/late birds with a 1 ½ hour overlap time. In addition to the regular and special education classroom programs, Pepper Tree has programs in GATE (Gifted and Talented Education), ESL (English as a Second Language), band, speech, and adaptive P.E. for students meeting the qualifications of these programs.
Our major goal areas for the 2011-2012 school year are:
- The implementation of a variety of instructional strategies to increase student achievement Our goal is to provide our best teaching to prepare students to meet the rigorous state standards. The study of our STAR scores and other assessment tools help to identify instructional strengths and needs to plan for programmatic change for increased student achievement.
- The ongoing development of our technology program We now have the technology needed in each classroom to maximize whole class instruction (Interwrite boards, sound systems, document cameras, projectors, etc.). Students use computers to practice curricular learnings in reading and math, to word process writing, to access and download information from the internet, and to communicate with others.
- The continued refinement of our school wide behavior program As important as the academic growth of our students is the promotion of dignity, self-esteem, and responsibility. Staff puts an emphasis on teaching these values so students can reach their full potential both academically and socially.
- Ongoing review of budget With resources becoming more and more scarce it is imperative that we make wise spending choices and use the resources we do possess to run a quality school program.
Basic skills are taught and integrated throughout the curriculum so that learning focuses on meaningful application and the development of higher level thinking skills. Numerous activities and events are scheduled throughout the year to enhance the instructional program. Students are actively involved in learning, inside and outside the classroom. Field trips correlate with the curriculum and give students an opportunity to see and experience their classroom studies.
Pepper Tree is a school community which is highly dedicated to its children. Teachers are well-trained, extremely hard-working, and committed to providing a quality education for their students. Parents are involved in the education of their children and are active in every part of the school, from working in the classroom to serving the entire school through PTA-sponsored activities. I invite you to explore Pepper Tree further by clicking on grade levels and other links provided.
Sincerely,
Marilyn Ward
Principal
May 13, 2008: Pepper Tree Elementary School California Distinguished School Recognition. Front Row, left to right: Pepper Tree parent Kristen Romero; staff Laura Nelson, Jennifer Brault, Sara Ries; Principal Marilyn Ward. Back Row: School Board Members Joe Lenz, Linda Angona, Wes Fifield, Steve Frazee and Michael Varela.
