Why should parents choose El Rancho School for their child?

With so many options available to families, you might ask yourself why our parents choose to continue into El Rancho’s K-6th Grade School. There are several factors that convince parents that El Rancho’s School is the best one for their child and family.

SAFETY We live in a dangerous world. There is nothing more important than your child’s safety. El Rancho’s gated and locked campus and layers of security precautions give parents the comfort of knowing their child is safe at school.

PRIMARY GRADES Statistics show that the first grade report card is the best predictor of academic performance at the 12^th grade level. In this country there is only a 3% variance between the 1^st and 12^th grade report cards. This would indicate the best use of family funds is at the beginning of their school years. The reason given for the above close correlation is when children learn to read well in the first year, there is a strong tendency to continue academic excellence each grade thereafter.

PROVEN ACADEMIC RECORD El Rancho School, the 17-year average on the Stanford Achievement Test in reading is the top 3.7% in the nation. This is at a time when California public school students are ranked third from the bottom in this country in student achievement. Student enrollment in our classrooms is one-third to one-half of public or church schools. Individual attention fosters higher achievement. In addition, fewer children in a classroom means there is less noise and fewer distractions to interfere with children’s concentration.

COST COMPARISON OF PUBLIC SCHOOL AND CHILDCARE vs. EL RANCHO TUITION For a family that works outside the home, the hours of public school require childcare before and after school, early out Thursdays, and for days when school is closed. When those costs are factored in, there is about a $130 difference. One way of looking at it is $130 a month buys your child a fabulous education, playtime after school, and a place where you know your child is safe.

STRESS-FREE, GENTLE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT Our dynamic, affectionate, and tender-hearted teachers gently guide each child, at their own pace, through a phonics-based reading and writing program.

ACADEMICS The children receive a balanced blend of academics, humanities, and sports and fitness. At El Rancho our teachers instruct more than just the core subjects of reading, writing and math. We achieve our top results by teaching:

• • Reading comprehension skills, literary elements, vocabulary development and phonics
• • Guided writing activities that include sentence, paragraph and essay structure, and students type and format formal reports in 4^th grade and up
• • Grammar including the parts of speech
• • In math the students are taught computation, complex problem solving, word problems and logic and reasoning skills.
• • In science the students do hands-on projects and experiments, work with microscopes, use the scientific process to examine the validity of their hypothesis, learn how to dissect a worm and frog, participate in our science fair and upper grade scholars attend a one-week overnight environmental camp.
• • In social studies, the students learn about the physical, social and cultural attributes of their community, state, country and world through their text books, direct teacher instruction, the internet, guest speakers and field trips for second – sixth graders. El Rancho scholars study important US documents, have a thorough understanding of US history that includes how our government works, they research and write state and country reports, participate in activities that foster good citizenship and 6^th graders welcome their fellow students to their World Culture Day.
• • Auxiliary classes in Spanish and PE are given twice a week, and music once a week.
• • Fine art instruction, as well as fun arts and crafts projects, are completed often.
• • Public speaking topics are assigned at the beginning of the week, and presented on Fridays.

CHARACTER TRAINING – El Rancho School “partners” with their families in helping each child grow and develop personal qualities and work habits that lead to a successful future. Students learn more about kindness, honesty and trustworthiness, perseverance, empathy, acceptance, compassion, fairness, respect, responsibility, gratitude, etc. and demonstrate these qualities. Fourth – Eighth graders have an annual community service project and complete personal reflection activities.

TECHNOLOGY El Rancho School students in fourth grade, and up, use the internet daily to broaden their understanding of concepts that are being taught by their teachers. The teachers use two 46” instructional monitors, and the students have access to 15 individual computers. These students also have labs in navigating Windows 8, typing and formatting monthly book reports and quarterly projects in Microsoft Word, keyboarding skills, and creating power point presentations.

STUDY HALL After school scholars in 2^nd- 6^th grades attend study hall, after school, on Monday-Thursdays. Our parents report that they have more family time in the evenings because they complete most of their homework before even leaving school.

FIELD TRIPS
El Rancho’s 2^nd – 6^th grade classes enjoy a variety of field trips that directly correspond to the instructional lessons taught by their classroom teachers. The following is a partial list.

Second through sixth grade students attend a pumpkin patch, musical, and a science field trip each school year.

Our 2^nd/3^rd graders visit local community locations like a restaurant, grocery store, post office, fire department, etc.

The 4^th graders attend places that relate to California history such as Indian Grinding Rock Sate Park, Crocker Art Museum, Ca. History Museum, the Gold Discovery Museum, Ca. Railroad Museum, + a tour and gold panning in Columbia.

The 5th through 6^th graders go on field trips related to learning about the USA and how we are involved in our world. This group tours the courthouse, State Capitol, a bank, and a television studio. The annual field trip to San Francisco may include stops at the Dept. of Treasury, Boudin Bakery, either the California Academy of Sciences or the Exploratorium, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge via the Blue and Gold Fleet, and overnight on the USS Pampanito. In addition to those fun-filled excursions, these students attend on alternate years Alliance Redwoods and Sly Park Environmental Camp; a five-day, four-night unforgettable science and group bonding experience.