A BRIEF HISTORY OF WELBY WAY ELEMENTARY AND MAGNET SCHOOL
A BRIEF HISTORY OF WELBY WAY ELEMENTARY AND
MAGNET SCHOOL
Each day over 700 ethnically diverse and unique students arrive at the school. They know the parents, teachers, and administrators have a common goal of making a positive difference in their lives. Ethnicities are similar in both schools with the resident school having a 60% minority population. Welby Way School opened in 1959 during a growth spurt of families moving into affordable housing in the West San Fernando Valley. From the time the school opened, there was an immediate parent involvement and community commitment. Parents volunteered in the classrooms, assisted teachers with the preparation of materials and established a booster club to support the school library and other similar projects that enhanced children’s learning; thus, making the school the hub for its Canoga Park / West Hills location. In 1978, a gifted and high achieving magnet school, a program started to encourage voluntary integration, was added to the campus.
Because of the precedence started early on, it was not a difficult decision for the community, in 1989, to become a School Based Management (SBM) school. We established our own governing body and found ways to improve student achievement and staff effectiveness. SBM governance encouraged more parent involvement in school decisions. After three years of being a SBM school, in 1993 we received 100 percent staff support to become a part of a major reform movement, Los Angeles Educational Alliance for Restructuring Now (LEARN) as a Phase #1 school. The principal and lead teacher participated in intensive ongoing state of the art training providing the tools, skills, support, and assistance needed to transform ourselves into a collaborate learning community. As a result of becoming a LEARN school, we were given more local autonomy, empowerment and flexibility to make decisions relating to every aspect of school operation. The autonomy and flexibility has allowed Welby Way School to create and maintain our character and to match our pedagogy and curriculum to the needs of the students on our school site.
Visitors to Welby Way campus immediately sense the climate that makes our school truly unique. It is obvious to all that the teaching and administrative staff cares greatly about the students’ academic achievement and well-being. What sets Welby Way apart is a willingness of all staff members to share unselfishly their expertise and experience. Whether it is an outstanding lesson plan, a valuable resource or an innovative way to spark student intellect, the attitude of Welby staff is – there is no individual ownership of good ideas when they can benefit children. Staff development and education is a high priority at our school. Our teachers see themselves as lifelong learners and their students benefit from this desire to constantly improve what we do and how we do it. Teachers look for innovative ways to focus on what can be done rather than the old paradigm of what cannot be done.
The vision of Welby Way is to help students work and achieve according to their unique gifts and optimum learning pace/style. To meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world, students will need to become resourceful, responsible learners. Their future depends on being able to think for a living, and to continue learning throughout life. Fulfilling this vision for all students is a challenge we at Welby Way are willing to accept and willing to make happen.
Page last updated 12/27/2008