Partners in Education: Coronado Middle School and the Coronado Police Department's Team Up to Offer GREAT Program

The Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) middle school program for 6th grade students is part of the curriculum in the Life Skills elective wheel class.  The GREAT component consists of a competency-based life skills curriculum designed to produce knowledge and attitudinal and behavioral changes through the use of facilitative teaching, positive behavior rehearsal, cooperative and interactive learning techniques, and extended teacher activities. It is designed to provide students with the skills they need to avoid gang pressure and youth violence. A special feature of the program is the use of scenarios that address bullying behaviors. 

Students are presented with a situation where they must make decisions about how they would respond. The activity focuses on empathy, taking personal responsibility, and knowing when to take action. 

Another special feature of the curriculum is the GREAT Project, which requires students to present a plan for improving their school. Research indicates that gang members have lower levels of school commitment than non-gang members, as well as higher levels of social isolation. This assignment acknowledges these findings by helping students feel a stronger connection to their school.

Photos include GREAT class #1 and a photo of a GREAT student reaching out to homeless citizens in downtown San Diego offering them food as his GREAT community project!

CMS MOUSE Squad Makes a Difference for Student Learning

The CMS MOUSE Squad was very busy lately not only with CMS projects, but with District ones too!  They have been helping to install Chromeboxes which resulted in a very clean and neat look in CMS minilabs.

Other MOUSErs were taking the old CPUs down to the boiler room along with old unneeded cords and cables.  MOUSErs broke down all of the boxes and put them in the boiler room to be picked up for recycling. 

Other MOUSErs are getting the new Chromebook cords set to the proper length and installing them in carts, and finally others were putting the Chromebooks into the carts.  During this time they also were placing "property of" stickers on the Chromebooks and labeling them with inventory numbers as well as item numbers.  This is quite a process, but the outcome is looking wonderful. 

Coronado School of the Arts: a San Diego Tradition for 20 Years

 Since its inception almost 20 years ago, CoSA has evolved into a performing, creative and digital arts powerhouse, offering programs of value and interest to all high school students.  CoSA's conservatories now include: Classical and Contemporary Dance; Digital Animation; Graphic Design; Filmmaking; Broadcasting, Instrumental Music; Musical Theatre & Drama; Technical Theatre (set design/build, lighting design, costume/make-up, stage management); Visual Arts; and new for 2015-16 - Digital Game Design.

CoSA offers students a state-of-the art Performing Arts Center, broadcast studio, digital music lab, dance studios, multiple performance and exhibition opportunities each year, guest artists, relevant field trips and much more.

Each year, CoSA students earn local and national awards, from the Old Globe Honors and National Youth Arts awards to the Red Rock Film Festival "Audience Favorite" to the "Ben Vereen Award for Outstanding High School Musical."  COSA's students have been accepted to the nation's most prestigious colleges and universities, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University,  Berklee School of Music, UCLA and the UCLA School of Theatre, Film and  Television, Northwestern, Stanford, USC, NYU, and Cal Arts,  as well as all local community colleges and universities. CoSA's students are trained and prepared to work in their artistic fields, and their inquiring minds with a desire to create are in demand in today's highly competitive college applicant pool.
 

CoSA is supported by Coronado School of the Arts Foundation, a non-profit tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation whose stakeholders are passionate about supporting CoSA, improving community awareness of CoSA, and securing funds to perpetuate, improve and expand the school's programs. For more information the CoSA Foundation, call 619.522.4050 or visit www.cosafoundation.org.  

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CoSA Prospective Student Workshop Begins Next Week

Students in 8^th, 9^th or 10^th grade interested in applying to Coronado School of the Arts (www.cosasandiego.com) are invited to the Prospective Student Workshop on Tuesday, January 20 from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at Coronado High School, 650 D Avenue, Coronado CA  92118. Get tips on performing the best audition, how to put together a portfolio that shows off unique talents, and learn interview techniques from the pros - CoSA's award-winning faculty.  

Students and their parents will be guided through CoSA's application and audition/interview process, and can  ask questions and talk to faculty members one-on-one.  If you'd like to learn more about what CoSA has to offer, come on by.  No need to RSVP.