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Castro Elementary School found its new principal and is adding an assistant principal to its head office.
A month after Principal Judy Crates announced her plans to retire this summer, the Mountain View Whisman School District has announced the outgoing principal’s replacement, as well as the creation of the assistant principal position, which previously did not exist at the school.
Theresa Lambert, who goes by Terri, will take over as head of Castro in the 2013-14 school year, according to a district press release. Lambert will be joined by Marcela Simoes de Carvalho, who will fill the brand new role of assistant principal — a position created to address Castro’s ballooning student population.
According to Craig Goldman, superintendent of MVWSD, Castro is expected to have some where near 650 students next year. That’s more than any other elementary school in the district, and even more than Crittenden Middle School, he said.
Additionally, with its traditional elementary school track and its “dual-immersion” Spanish-English program, Castro is a bit like “two schools under one roof,” according to Crates. Each program has its own challenges and bringing on a second site administrator will help bring the proper level of oversight to each program.
Lambert and Simoes de Carvalho are each bilingual — fluent in Spanish and English — and both have experience with dual immersion programs. Lambert successfully started a dual immersion program in a previous district and Simoes de Carvalho currently teaches a third-grade dual-immersion class at Castro.
Lambert has worked in the field of education for more than 27 years, according Goldman. She has experience working with every elementary school age group and has a track record of successfully accelerating student achievement. She is currently working a masters in educational leadership from San Jose State University.
Goldman said he was personally impressed with Lambert’s track record as principal of Rose Fererro Elementary School in Soledad, Calif. “Over the last two years the school has gained 94 points on the (Academic Performance Index),” Goldman said, noting that the school was also nominated for the National Blue Ribbon School award.
Additionally, Goldman said he believed Lambert would be a good fit as she has been following a similar path as MVWSD schools — “implementing Explicit Direct Instruction and Common Core state standards.”
Simoes de Carvalho has been in the field of education for 19 years and has been with the district for 17. She has worked at Landels Elementary and in the district office as director of English learner programs and summer school director. She holds a doctorate of education degree in Organization and Leadership from the University of San Francisco.
The word in the Castro community suggests a lack of transparency. Superintendents Goldman and Robinson sold us a load of goods when they organized sham meetings asking for our input for the new principal since it appears they already had some one lined up. (Fool us once, shame on us. Fool us twice, shame on you!)
From reading the article, this principal was hired chiefly because of her past experience with the explicit direct instruction movement being rammed down everyone’s throat.
A “good fit”? Really? How will a principal from Soledad possibly relate to the Castro and Silicon Valley community? PACT gets a Harvard graduate, and we get a principal from a rural prison and agriculture community? Please, some one explain how this is even the prescription for Castro’s Latino population? The unspoken comparison in this decision is just plain insulting to our Latino community if not racist to the core!
BTW does working on an MA now earn one the equivalent of having an MA? (Correct me if I’m wrong but most teachers at Castro have MAs and this principal doesn’t!?!) And does being nominated for a Blue Ribbon award translate now as having received one? Something is not quite right here. The community deserves a better explanation, especially after Goldman and Robinson came pandering to us for our supposed “valued” input.
This principal better be able to walk on water to replace Dr. Crates. And why the need for an Assistant Principal especially if Castro loses one of its best teachers!?!? How about an extra teacher instead? From where does the money all of a sudden appear for such luxuries.
WHINER!
Castro got a Principal that has experience in Dual Immersion – there are not THAT many of those schools around.
Stevenson got a Harvard grad because he had experience in progressive education.
Are you just looking for stuff to complain about? REALLY! You are going to complain about getting a VP who was a teacher at the school – who already knows some of the parents & students, and really understands the culture & neighborhood. REALLY?
This just in. 2013 Blue Ribbon awards have been announced without mention of any school from Soledad. And the Master’s degree is still a work in progress. All fluff, no substance.