School Community Violence Prevention Grant

May 10, 2006
Santa Paula News

The California Department of Education has notified the Santa Paula Elementary School District that Isbell Middle School is the recipient of the 2006 School Community Violence Prevention Program Grant.

The California Department of Education has notified the Santa Paula Elementary School District that Isbell Middle School is the recipient of the 2006 School Community Violence Prevention Program Grant. This program is jointly administered by the California Department of Education and the Attorney General’s Office through the School/Law Enforcement Partnership.The purpose of the program is to enable educational agencies to collaborate with local communities, community based organizations and law enforcement on violence prevention activities. Isbell will receive $500,000 over a five-year period to carry on violence prevention activities. The Santa Paula Elementary School District was the only educational agency in Ventura County to receive this competitive award.Isbell Middle School worked with a broad representation of community agencies including: the Santa Paula Police Department, Interface Children and Family Services, Convivir Family Resource Center, Boys and Girls Club of the Santa Clara Valley, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County, City Impact, Palmer Drug Abuse Program and school staff. They designed the program that was submitted to the California Department of Education. The steering committee conducted a thorough needs analysis of specific school safety needs, met with parents, teachers and students, and selected violence prevention activities that have been identified as model programs by the U.S. Department of Education.Some of the activities and resources that will be available at Isbell through the School Community Violence Prevention Program will include: the Peacemakers curriculum, which will be taught by a Program Coordinator and the middle school counselors; a mentoring program implemented by Big Brothers Big Sisters; the Street Smart After School Program will be implemented by the Boys and Girls Club; and the Parent Project, a parent education program to address the specific needs of parents with adolescent children offered through Convivir. Isbell will also have a part-time project coordinator housed at the school to administrate and implement all aspects of the program.
The Peacemakers Program will be a great curricular addition to the middle school. The program will teach students to recognize their feelings, express feelings in a socially appropriate fashion, build self-esteem, learn conflict resolution strategies, effective communication skills with peers and adults, and pro-social problem solving techniques. The Parent Project, which will be offered in both English and Spanish, will provide parents with an opportunity to increase their parental involvement with the school, learn how to resolve difficult issues with their children, improve their communication skills, and improve their overall parent-child relationship.The Santa Paula Elementary School District is delighted to have been awarded this grant and will be working closely with the partnership agencies to begin implementing the program in the fall of 2006.For more information about the School Community Violence Prevention Grant, please contact Frida Goldstein-Friend, Director of Student Support Services and Special Education at (805) 933-8836.



Site Search

E-Subscribe

Subscribe

E-SUBSCRIBE
Call 805 525 1890 to receive the entire paper early. $50.00 for one year.

webmaster