Carmela Elementary School was awarded the California Pivotal Practice Program, or CAPP, award for their Carmela Cares Program that supported student’s social emotional well-being during the Pandemic.
The 2022 Pivotal Practice award program recognizes and celebrates schools that implemented an innovative practice during Distance Learning due to the Pandemic. The award is given by the California Department of Education.
The Carmela Cares Program was a pivotal practice designed to address chronic absenteeism and to close the achievement gap for students. Distance learning provided a glimpse into the homes of students and alerted Carmela teachers about the challenges and barriers that kept students from being fully engaged. Knowing that students who feel a sense of connectedness tend to have better academic achievement and improved school attendance, the Carmela staff agreed that there was a need to focus on helping students feel connected to their teachers and peers. This became the drive behind the Carmela Cares Program.
Carmela developed standard practices for reaching out to students and families. Every teacher implemented daily social-emotional check-ins, committed to regular office hours for additional support, and scheduled home visits. The staff implemented various recognition programs and family engagement opportunities, including a weekly drive- thru library.
The CAPP award recognizes the hard work of teachers and staff that worked tirelessly to support the social emotional needs of Carmela students.
Carmela Principal, Karina Hartl, shared that the Carmela Cares Program puts social emotional needs at the forefront and has deepened their abilities to understand and support students so they can successfully access their learning.
“I am so proud of our team at Carmela for their dedication to supporting our students and meeting their needs during the pandemic,” Hartl shared. “I am excited about the future as we continue to implement this program. Our staff has worked diligently to ensure our students feel loved, seen, and heard. This is creating a foundation for our students to succeed in school.”
Congratulations, Carmela Elementary!