Principal's Welcome
Principal's Message
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Principal's Messagetitle
Dear Friends and Families of Denair Elementary Charter Academy,
My name is Laura Cardenas. I have been serving Denair Elementary Charter Academy for the past 7 years as Learning Director. I am honored to introduce myself as the Interim Principal of DECA and excited to continue being part of such a tight-knit community. As an educator, I am deeply committed to fostering positive relationships, creating a sense of community, and providing a high-quality education for all students.
I believe that by working together, we can achieve our shared goal of supporting the academic and social-emotional growth of every student. I am committed to upholding the school mission and aligning our efforts with the district vision of providing a safe, supportive and inclusive learning environment.
I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you, and to working collaboratively to create a dynamic and engaging learning community. Thank you for the opportunity to lead this wonderful school.
Warm regards,
Laura Cardenas
Welcome to Denair Elementary Charter Academy
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Welcome to Denair Elementary Charter Academytitle
Hello DECA families and soon to be DECA families! Welcome to the home of the coyotes! I am excited to share the following information about DECA with you!
Denair Elementary Charter Academy (DECA) is a dependent charter school of the Denair Unified School District for TK-5th grade students.
Our mission/vision: Denair Elementary Charter Academy is dedicated to providing an equitable, innovative and engaging learning environment for all students with a multicultural and multilingual emphasis. We are a community that fosters positive relationships by promoting the growth of the whole student.
DECA has two program options for families when enrolling.
Traditional Program (beginning in transitional kindergarten): Classroom instruction is provided in English. Students receive thirty to forty minutes of Spanish instruction two to three days per week in the Language Lab.
Dual Language Immersion Program (beginning in kindergarten): Classroom instruction is provided in Spanish for a specific percentage of the week. In kindergarten 90% of the week is in Spanish, and Spanish Language Arts instruction is provided rather than English Language Arts instruction. As students move through the grade levels the percentage of Spanish instruction decreases while the percentage of English instruction increases until it becomes 50/50.
Beginning in first grade students participate in an elective rotation called “Academic Adventures.” Students rotate through a variety of electives each year. Electives may include, but are not limited to, performing arts, plant science/horticulture, health and nutrition, art, technology, and engineering design.
Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) is used on campus. PBIS is a framework to establish behavioral expectations and supports to create a positive school climate in which all students achieve social and academic success. There are school wide rules and behavior expectations as well as an incentive system to reward students when the expectations are followed. The rules are as follows:
I am a DECA coyote, so I keep in mind…I am safe, responsible, respectful and kind. Go DECA!
Students earn “Coyote Cash” from staff for following behavior expectations. Students can then redeem their “Coyote Cash” in the “Coyote Cave” store.
Character education is taught using “Character Bound,” a program that is broken into three modules: kindness, integrity and citizenship. College awareness is taught via a college bound initiative. Each classroom is a college, and students learn about all facets of college through discussion, research, field trips, etc.
DECA is what it is because of our amazing students, staff, parents and community members! We encourage you to follow us on Facebook. We would love to tell you more about DECA or show you our amazing campus! Feel free to call or stop by the office for more information!
#DECAproud
Learn More About DECA
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Learn More About DECAtitle
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Mrs. Laura Cardenas
Director of Elementary and Preschool Education/DECA Principal
Denair Elementary Charter Academy
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