Kendale Elementary is a PreK-5 school located in suburban Miami with an enrollment of around 520 students. It serves a predominantly Hispanic community and has a diverse student body. The school has received numerous awards for its academic excellence. During her service learning experience, the author shadowed 4th/5th grade teacher Ms. Melton and assisted with lessons in reading, writing, and math. She also helped students with activities like kickball and holiday celebrations. Through this experience, the author learned about developing lesson plans, monitoring student behavior and progress, and gained insight into the teaching profession.

1. Service Learning Journal
KENDALE ELEMENTARY
Edf 1005 & Edf 2085
By: Karina Bolivar

2. •Kendale Elementary: Home of the Tigers!
School Profile
Grades: PK-05
Location Number:2641
Total Enrollment: 465
Mascot: Tiger
School Colors: Green &
Gold
Uniforms: Yes
http://kendale.dadeschools.net/

3. •Kendale Elementary Executive Summary
•
Kendale Elementary is located in suburban Miami and is part of the fourth largest school system in the country. Founded
in 1969, the school is situated on eight acres in a middle- class, predominantly Hispanic community. The school currently
serves Prekindergarten through 5th grade children and has an enrollment of about 520 students. The proximity of the
school to nearby Baptist Hospital and Miami-Dade College has resulted in working parents from the hospital requesting
their children attend Kendale Elementary. As a consequence, almost 30% of the students attending Kendale do not reside
in the community, but are attending by their parents’ choice. Additionally, Kendale has a full-time self-contained Gifted
program called Quest, which results in many students from outside the school boundaries attending the school. The
ethnicity of children at Kendale is: 17% Caucasian, 76% Hispanic, 4% Black and 3% other. Approximately 15% have
limited English proficiency (ELL); 15% are Special Education students (SPED). Kendale Elementary has a staff of 91
full and part-time employees, including 42 instructional classroom and resource teachers. Before and after school care
services are provided for more than 225 students of working parents. The Kendale family is committed to providing
education in a caring, nurturing atmosphere. Through the hard work and support of our students, staff, parents, and
community, the school has been the recipient of numerous awards acknowledging its many achievements, including the
Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, the Florida Governor’s Sterling Award (the first school in the county to be
recognized), the Intel/Scholastic’s 21st Century School of Distinction Award (one of only 20 schools recognized
nationwide), and the Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School Award (one of 23 in the nation recognized that year).Kendale
participated in the International Center for Leadership in Education’s Successful Practices Network and was recognized
as a Model School. Kendale Elementary was recognized by the Florida Department of Education with the Five Star
School Award. This recognition of excellence for exemplary parental and community involvement was a testament to all
of its stakeholders. The many prestigious awards that Kendale has earned exemplify the school’s quest for continuous
improvement and the result of the school family’s commitment to providing the best possible educational experiences for
those who attend the school. The school’s focus is on continued high academic expectations and fostering excellence in
all that it strives to do. The staff has achieved close cooperation between the home and school which is essential to
providing quality education. The involvement of the entire school community cultivates a harmonious and productive
learning environment.

4. OUR MISSION:
•
We are devoted to producing
successful, well-rounded citizens
who will excel in a diverse, global
society, equipped to meet the
challenges of tomorrow. We will
prepare our students to succeed
in middle school and beyond, by
equipping them with a rigorous
academic foundation, while
instilling the core values of
respect, responsibility, kindness,
cooperation and support.
OUR VISION & VALUES:
•
The vision of Kendale Elementary is
to instill in our students a respect
for oneself, respect for others and
respect for the power of
knowledge and learning while
providing them the tools necessary
for success in our ever-changing
world.
•
Respect, Responsibility, Kindness,
Cooperation and Support

5. •Ms. Meltons Classroom
Fourth & Fifth Grade
•
For the last couple of
months, I was able to shadow
Ms. Melton for my service
learning. She stresses to the
children how important
reading is. Other subjects
that she addressed were
Math and Writing.

6. •Lesson Plans
9:00am
Math Lesson for Fourth Grade
10:00am
Reading Lesson for Fourth Grade
11:00am
LUNCH
12:00pm
Writing Lesson for Fourth Grade
1:00pm
(Switch) Math Lesson for Fifth Grade
2:00pm
3:00pm
Reading Lesson for Fifth Grade
Writing Lesson for Fifth Grade
Dismissal

7. •Involved Activities
Throw it out of the window!
•
In Ms. Melton’s 4th grade class, the kids
were learning about Expository
writing. In order to encourage the kids
not to use such repetitive words in
their essays, Ms. Melton developed
the throw it out of the window
concept. Over used words in their
essays such as big, small, said, and etc.
are to be replaced and used with other
synonyms. Her reasoning behind it is
to expand each child’s mind and
vocabulary. When the kids explained
to me the concept, I thought it was
great!

8. •Other Involved Activities
Playing Kickball with the students

10. •Holiday Fun Activities
Thanksgiving 2013

11. •My Experiences
•
I learned a lot from both the teacher and the students. Ms.
Melton was a great mentor and was always on task. Through
this, I learned how to develop a lesson plan, help kids with their
writing skills, the importance of an accident report, and last but
not least how to monitor the students behavior and progress.
Everything that I have learned through my service learning has
helped me get a taste of what the teaching field will be like for
me in the future. I enjoyed doing my hours with such a great
group of kids and one day I hope to be an outstanding teacher
just like my mentor Ms. Melton.

12. •Florida Educator Accomplished Practices
Conveys high expectations to all students.
Respects students’ cultural linguistic and family background.
Models clear, acceptable oral and written communication skills.
Maintains a climate of openness, inquiry, fairness and support.
Deepen and enrich students’ understanding through content area
literacy strategies, verbalization of thought, and application of the
subject matter.
 Support, encourage, and provide immediate and specific feedback
to students to promote student achievement.
 Apply varied instructional strategies and resources, including
appropriate technology, to provide comprehensible instruction, and
to teach for student understanding.
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13. THE END!!!