Claremont Middle School
Size/Enrollment/Resources
What is your school enrollment? Student-to-teacher ratio? Average class size? What resources
does your school offer (i.e. library, computer lab, science hands-on lab, band instruments, school
counselors, on-site nurse, etc.)?
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Claremont Middle School serves approximately 450 students in grades six through eight.
The student-teacher ratio is 20:1 (counting teachers for core subjects, PE and electives).
Claremont benefits from the Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA), a state program
that provides direct funding to improve school performance. QEIA mandates that we
average no more than 25 students per class.
Among Claremont’s resources:
o The Digital Media Lab features a bank of iMac computers with professional-level
software applications
o The Claremont Library provides access to more than 7,800 books plus other
resources and computers for student use.
o The Gym offers indoor space for PE, basketball, school assemblies, student
concerts and community events.
o The Cafeteria serves hot and free or reduced-price lunches to students every day.
o The Garden, tended by PTA volunteers, produces seasonal fruits and vegetables
such as tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and grapes.
o Our Professional Staff includes specialists in literacy, intervention, mental health
and restorative justice.
Safety/Discipline
Tell us about your school’s safety protocols and campus security. How do you deal with
disciplinary issues (including bullying)? How are food allergies addressed?
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Claremont uses a “Restorative Justice” approach to addressing conflicts that validates
students and gives them skills to communicate and advocate for themselves. We help our
scholars learn from experience, and we empower their judgment to make good choices—
important skills as they become young adults. School-wide, we have a clearly defined
process for managing conflicts that is shared by students, staff and teachers.
Recent data demonstrate that this approach is working. In 2011-12, Claremont had among
the highest suspension and expulsion rates in the district. This dramatically improved in
2012-13, when we posted the lowest suspension and expulsion rates among OUSD
secondary schools, and this trend is continuing in 2013-14.
Food allergies are handled on a case by case basis. Currently, students with food allergies
do not eat the prepared lunches, but bring their own lunch. Administrators and the school
nurse are notified and medication (epi pens, etc.) is kept in the nurses office.
Arts & Extracurricular Activities
Do you offer arts, music, and drama courses as a regular part of your curriculum? What sports do
you have? What clubs and other extra-curricular activities are available? Are these fee-based or
subsidized? Is Before and/or Aftercare available?
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Enrichment Wheel: For the 2013-14, we added a special 30-minute period to the bell
schedule for a rotating series of enrichment classes led by our talented teachers. These
classes are designed to cultivate critical and innovative thinking and help students make
connections to their core classes as well as to life beyond school. Students change to a
new enrichment class with every turn of the six-week “enrichment wheel.” Current
enrichment classes include:
o Critical Media Literacy
o Digital Storytelling
o Exploring Engineering
o Finance
o Gardening
o Gender Studies
o Global Concerns at Claremont
o Kitchen Chemistry
o Leadership
o Photography
o Scrabble
o Soccer
o Theatre Arts
o Calligraphy
o Creative Writing
Our after-school program, operated by Bay Area Community Resources, provides
structured academic support and enrichment activities until 6 p.m. every school day. It is
free of charge for all participants.
Other after-school extracurricular offerings in 2013-14 include:
o Jazz with Oaktown Jazz Workshop
o Strings with Glenview Strings
o Co-ed Flag Football
o Boys Basketball
o Girls Basketball
o Girls Volleyball
o MathCounts Math Club
o Running Club
Communication & Parent Involvement
How do teachers communicate with parents? How does the school communicate with parents?
How actively involved are the parents at your school in volunteering and/or fundraising?
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Teachers communicate with parents during in-person meetings; by phone, email and
written notes; and during parent-teacher conferences (there are 15 scheduled parentteacher conference days throughout the year). The Aeries web interface allows families to
monitor their students’ assignments, progress and grades online.
The school communicates with parents through multiple channels:
o Robocalls from the school office re: upcoming events, important dates and
announcements from the administration
o A weekly e-mail newsletter, The Knightline
o The Claremont website: www.claremontms.org
o Paper flyers and announcements that are sent home with students
o Monthly PTA meetings
o Informal community-building events, such as monthly coffee/tea get-togethers and
family BBQs
Claremont has an active School Site Council, Dads Club and a PTA that volunteers
countless hours and raises more than $175,000 each year to support academic and
enrichment programs.
Curriculum & Academics
How does the school meet the needs of those with learning challenges as well as those who are
GATE identified? What class electives do you offer? What is the school philosophy around
testing and how does it affect the curriculum? What does 6th grade orientation look like? How do
you prepare the new students for their new school?
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At Claremont, we believe that a strong social-emotional foundation goes hand in hand with
high expectations and academic rigor. We recognize that every one of our students has
valuable gifts and talents, so we use research-based instructional strategies to increase
achievement for all—providing targeted intervention for students who are performing
below grade level in particular subjects, while empowering our teachers to engage and
challenge students who are proficient or advanced.
The curriculum at Claremont follows the Common Core standards adopted by the state,
but we don’t stop there. Our teachers and staff collaborate on ways to differentiate
instruction, fully leverage the Common Core, and respond to students’ academic needs.
For example, in response to the educational needs of our 7th grade students, we created
two sections of Advanced Math 7 for the 2013-14 school year, and in 2014-15, we will
introduce Advanced Math 8 covering Algebra and Geometry.
Electives: At Claremont, each student enrolls in one elective per school year, and each
class serves students in grades six through eight. In 2013-14, students have a choice of
five different electives:
o Journalism: By examining media and by making observations about our school
and community, journalism students learn to be critical and informed citizens.
o Design Making & Thinking: Through problem-finding, tinkering, prototyping and
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redesign, students begin to embrace their ability to design their futures.
o Ethnic Studies: Claremont is the first middle school in the district to pilot this
course, which presents the interdisciplinary study of people around the world in
relation to ethnicity.
o 3D Animation: By learning the technical and artistic skills associated with graphic
design, 2D drawing, 3D modeling and animation, students explore the world of
computer arts.
o Choral Music: Offered by Oakland Youth Chorus, this elective provides a
multicultural music education and performance program that fosters talent,
confidence and community.
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6 grade families come to registration and orientation in August prior to the start of school.
A special welcome is held for 6th graders and their families on the first day of school and
parent volunteers are available throughout the first week of school to help 6th graders
navigate their new school and multi-class schedule.
Overall
How does your education program educate the whole child? What type of student thrives at your
school, and why? What students don’t and why? What are your greatest challenges and how are
you addressing them? What is your school most proud of?
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At Claremont, we strive to promote critical thinking and lifelong learning in a holistic, safe
and nurturing environment that embraces a diverse population of young scholars from
throughout the city of Oakland. Our relatively small student body allows us to cultivate a
strong sense of unity and shared vision among our students, staff, teachers and families.
At the same time, we openly celebrate the diversity of our community and strive to serve
the educational and social needs of children and families from every background.
Addressing Challenges: Immediately prior to 2012, Claremont’s administrative
leadership went through a great deal of change, which had a ripple effect on everything
from instruction to school climate. Since they joined Claremont in the 2012-13, our
passionate and dedicated co-principals—Oakland natives (and identical twins) Reginald
and Ronald Richardson—are changing the definition of “principal.” As they say, “Research
shows you can’t sustain change with a top-down approach.” In collaboration with the
Claremont teachers, they developed an organizational model called the “Five Pillars of
Horizontal Leadership,” which launched in August 2013.
The goal is to cultivate leadership among all teachers and administrators—empowering
them to work together to promote cohesion, continuity and advancement of the Five Pillars
they collectively identified:
o Enhancing the school’s ability to serve the needs of its children and families
o Curriculum and instruction
o School-wide intervention
o Accountability and systems
o Culture and climate
Each "Pillar" has a team of teacher/staff advocates that meets regularly. They use weekly
professional learning community (PLC) meetings to share new ideas and action steps, and
to solicit feedback. The innovative Five Pillars model puts theory into practice, and has
already had a positive impact on the school and the community.