Quail Summit Elementary School

(Revised October 2009)

Quail Summit Elementary School is nestled in the hills of Diamond Bar in the Walnut Valley School District. The school mission and core beliefs, which resound throughout the halls, can be summarized in its motto: The School with a Heart. A diverse student population is cultivated academically and socially, including Asian (57.12%), White (15.29%), Hispanic (14.94%), African-American (4.22%), and Filipino (5.98%). Labeled high-performing, Quail Summit is both California Distinguished School and a National Blue Ribbon School. The students benefit from a wealth of teaching experience. There is a wealth of teaching experience at Quail Summit. Of both core and itinerant teachers, forty-seven percent of teachers have taught more than 20 years, and another 44% of teachers have taught between 11-19 years. Only nine percent of the entire staff has taught less than four years.

Quail Summit school houses twenty-six regular education classrooms, a large multipurpose room with a stage, a library media center/computer lab, a host of offices for support staff, and one LACOE special education class. A full kitchen serves hot and cold lunches to students recommended by the National Food Program. There are three additional structures adjacent to the main building that house fourth and fifth grades. A separate Kindergarten area has its own play yard and garden. Enrichment Club, the before- and after-school day care program, is housed in its own building across from kindergarten.

The full time certificated staff includes 24 teachers, one resource specialist (RSP) and principal. Part-time certificated staff includes a speech and language specialist, ELD aide, psychologist, counselor, and a reading intervention staff. Quail Summit is fortunate to have multiple itinerant teachers in vocal music, instrumental music, adaptive physical education (APE), regular physical education, and guidance counseling.

One part-time instructional aide gives additional support to the 4 kindergarten extended day programs. All full-time teachers are credentialed and meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Ongoing staff development is a priority for the refinement of research-based teaching strategies.

Quail Summit’s instructionally rigorous curricular program is based on National, California, and WVUSD content standards in all subject areas. The school has consistently exceeded its target goal for the Academic Performance Index (API) on the California Standards Test (CST). The school has scored over 800 every year and scores continue to show consistent improvement. Our current API is 930. In order to monitor students’ learning throughout the year, teachers administer ongoing assessments in English Language Arts and Mathematics with district-adopted benchmark tests. Teachers utilize school-wide technology assisted programs, including Accelerated Reader, Skills Tutor, and Netrekker for remedial and accelerated learning opportunities.

The Walnut Valley School District receives an estimated $5,100 dollars per student for all educational services during the school year. School Improvement funds that support school wide goals and objectives and are received in the estimated amount of $34,410 per year. The School Site Council (SSC) allocates these funds each year for staff development, student materials and supplies, instructional aides and student support personnel to meet the goals of the school plan. Community Club, the school’s major fundraising body, generously supports field trips, technology and helps with other student centered expenses. The fundraising efforts have provided a full iMac computer lab and computers in each classroom. Quail Summit assures equal access for every school to the core curriculum. RSP are fully included in the curriculum with additional support in the RSP room when necessary to improve identified skills based on the Individualized Educational Program (IEP). Quail Summit practices inclusion throughout the school evidenced by cooperative learning, addressing multiple intelligences and differentiated instruction within lessons.

Quail Summit integrates a quality Character Education throughout the instructional program. School-wide assemblies and Sprit Days focus on the positive values and character traits of responsibility, respect, compassion, courage, and service. A school-wide bully prevention program was started in grades 4 and 5 and is now being taught in grade 3. The program has been successfully implemented for the past 3 years. Students set class and individual goals for the month and semester to encourage growth throughout the year.

Quail Summit is a wonderful place to learn and grow.