Kensington Education Foundation

KENSINGTON EDUCATION FOUNDATION (KEF) PROVIDES ACADEMIC INTERVENTION AND ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS AT KENSINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, A PUBLIC K-6 SCHOOL IN THE WEST CONTRA COSTA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT.

THE KEF SCIENCE PROGRAM PROVIDES STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN HANDS-ON SCIENCE LEARNING & EXPERIMENTS. THE GOALS OF THE PROGRAM ARE TO TEACH EACH CHILD TO THINK AND ACT LIKE A SCIENTIST AND TO FOSTER AN INTEREST AND ENJOYMENT OF SCIENCE. THE STUDENTS ARE CONTINUALLY REMINDED THAT NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO IN LIFE, THE ABILITY TO THINK AND ACT ANALYTICALLY IS ESSENTIAL. CHILDREN ARE ENCOURAGED TO THINK OF SCIENCE AS SOMETHING THEY CAN EXPERIENCE ANYWHERE - TO NOTICE THE WORLD AROUND THEM AND CONTINUALLY ASK QUESTIONS. DURING THE STUDENTS' SEVEN YEARS AT THE SCHOOL, MOST OF THE CA STANDARDS FOR K-6TH GRADE ARE COVERED. THE CURRICULUM ALWAYS INCORPORATES THE INVESTIGATION AND EXPERIMENTATION PART OF THE STANDARDS. FOR THE OTHER STANDARDS - PHYSICAL, LIFE, AND EARTH SCIENCES - THE CONTENT COVERED DEPENDS ON THE MAIN SUBJECT THAT YEAR WHICH ROTATES AMONG THE THREE SUBJECTS ANNUALLY. EACH YEAR, THE STANDARDS ARE REVIEWED FOR EACH GRADE TO SEE IF SOMETHING NEW NEEDS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR'S CURRICULUM.

THE READ NATURALLY AND OTHER READING-RELATED PROGRAMS PROVIDE READING INTERVENTION FOR 1ST THROUGH 6TH GRADE STUDENTS. THE PROGRAM GOAL IS TO ASSIST THOSE STUDENTS WHO STRUGGLE WITH READING FLUENCY AND COMPREHENSION TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL AND CONFIDENT READERS. IF AT ANY POINT IN THE YEAR, THEY REACH THEIR INDIVIDUAL GOALS, THEN THEY GRADUATE OUT OF THE PROGRAM WITH APPLAUSE FOR THEIR SUCCESS.

KENSINGTON ELEMENTARY'S STEAM PROGRAM IS COMPRISED OF HANDS ON LEARNING IN EACH OF THE STEAM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ART, ENGINEERING, AND MATH) AREAS, AND IS AN ACCESS POINT FOR GUIDING STUDENT INQUIRY, DIALOGUE, AND CRITICAL THINKING. STUDENTS IN GRADES K-3 ENGAGE IN LEARNING EXPERIENCES THAT ARE NOT USUALLY POSSIBLE IN THE DAILY CLASSROOM INCLUDING ROBOTICS, COMPUTER ANIMATION, AND DESIGN-ORIENTED PROJECTS.

EXPENSES OF $166,092 RELATE TO: 1) STUDENT INTERVENTION AND ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS IN AREAS SUCH AS LIBRARY, MATH ENRICHMENT, MATH INTERVENTION, PHYSICAL EDUCATION, MUSIC AND ART, 2) UPPER GRADE PROGRAMS (PRIMARILY FOR 6TH GRADE, BUT ALSO IN SUPPORT OF 4TH AND 5TH GRADE) 3) TEACHER & SCHOOL SUPPORT (SUPPLIES, TESTING SUPPORT, ETC.) 4) SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL PROGRAMS (KENSINGTON NEVER STOPS READING, MATH FESTIVAL, MULTI-CULTURAL NIGHT, ETC.)