Frank C. Havens Elementary School

Infobox_School
name =Frank C. Havens Elementary School


imagesize =250px
motto =
established =1908
type =public elementary
district =Piedmont Unified School District
grades =K-5
president =
principal =Tery Susman
head of school =
faculty =
staff =
students =
enrollment =493
athletics =
conference =
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location =1800 Oakland Ave.
Piedmont, CA 94611
information =[phone]
website = [http://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/havens/index.html Official school site]

Frank C. Havens Elementary, commonly referred to as Havens, is one the three elementary schools in Piedmont, California. It is part of the Piedmont Unified School District.

History

The school was first built in 1908, a year after the establishment of Piedmont as a city. The city's first elementary school, it went by the name the Piedmont (Bonita Avenue) School. The name was changed and the building was entirely rebuilt in the 1950s.cite web
last =
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coauthors =
title =Frank C. Havens Elementary School
work =Historical Photo Archive
publisher =City of Piedmont
date =
url =http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/html/history_arc/95-13-75.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-02-28 ]

The plot of land on which the school was built was donated by Frank C. Havens.cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =A Brief History of the City of Piedmont
work =
publisher =City of Piedmont
date =
url =http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/html/history.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-02-28 ] The school was named after Havens, an important figure in the history of Piedmont. Havens was in charge of the Realty Syndicate, which subdivided convert|13000|acre|km2|0 of East Bay property. He acquired a five-year lease on the Piedmont Springs Park and began a major restoration. A block from the school are tennis courts; before the courts were built, Havens built an art gallery in the same location. Along with Francis Marion Smith, Havens encouraged the development of pre-Piedmont into a city.

Demographics

ocioeconomics

Piedmont children attend the elementary closest to their home. A block away from Highland Avenue and the center of the city, Havens is the closest to "upper Piedmont," and Havens families are perceived to be the most affluent cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =About Piedmont Schools
work =
publisher =Berkeley Parents Network
date =September 2006
url =http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/schools/piedmont/about.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-02-28] as homes in upper Piedmont, as a whole, are constructed on larger lots than homes in lower Piedmont. Zero percent of the student body participates in free or reduced-price lunch programs, compared to the state average of 51 percent.cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Teachers/Students
work =
publisher =GreatSchools.net
date =
url =http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/ca/other/273
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-03-03 ]

Race and ethnicity

Racially, the student population is mainly white (72 percent) and Asian (14 percent).

Five percent of students are English learners. Languages spoken at home include the following.

Construction

In 2006, voters authorized the Piedmont City Unified School District to issue up to $56 million in bonds to improve Piedmont public school buildings so as to reduce dangers from earthquakes, to meet state and federal seismic safety standards.cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Measure E: School Seismic Risk Reduction Safety and Access Program Measure Piedmont Unified School District
work =
publisher =SmartVoter.org
date =
url =http://www.smartvoter.org/2006/03/07/ca/alm/meas/E
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-03-03 ] Havens was determined to be unsafe and has been undergoing retrofitting. Some students attend their classes in portable classrooms, which have taken up the concrete playground, limiting the space for recess and physical education. Fourth- and fifth-grade students now use the city's nearby tennis courts for P.E.cite web
last =Susman
first =Teresa
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Note from the Principal
work =
publisher =Havens Elementary School
date =2006
url =http://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/havens/schoolinfo.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-02-28] The portables are expected to be in use for at least two years.cite news
last =Davis
first =Linda
coauthors =
title =Net gain for Havens Elementary students
work =
pages =
language =
publisher =Contra Costa Times
date =September 2006
url =http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_km4465/is_200609/ai_n17004994
accessdate = 2007-02-28 ]

Academics

Ninety-seven percent of teachers are fully credentialed. The average number of years teaching is 15. The ratio of number of students to number of paraprofessional staff is 16:1.

The website greatschools.net, which reviews schools for their quality and collects statistics and feedback, gave Havens a 10 out of 10 for test scores.cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Test Score Ratings
work =
publisher =GreatSchools.net
date =
url =http://www.greatschools.net/school/rating.page?id=273&state=CA
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-02-28 ]

In 2005, the school's API score rose 20 points, from 916 to 936. The state average API score in 2005 was a 709.cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =School Academic Performance Index Chart
work =2005 Accountability Progress Report
publisher =California Department of Education
date =
url =http://ayp.cde.ca.gov/reports/APR/2005APR_Sch_API_Chart.asp?AllCds=01612756002299&SchCode=6002299&DistCode=61275
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-03-03 ]

After-school activities

Havens Schoolmates is a before- and after-school program run by the Piedmont Recreation Department. Located on the school's campus, children of working parents remain at Schoolmates until their parents pick them up. The Recreation Department run by the city of Piedmont, and it is not run by Piedmont Unified School District.

Other after-school activities include chess, Mad Science, flute, violin, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Camp Fire Girls.cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Afterschool Activities
work =
publisher =Havens Elementary School
date =
url =http://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/havens/afterschool.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-02-28 ]

ee also

*Egbert W. Beach Elementary School
*Wildwood Elementary School

External links

* [http://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/havens/index.html Official school site]
* [http://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/havens/schoolmates.html Havens Schoolmates]
* [http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/ca/273 Havens Elementary School] reviewed at greatschools.net

References