Verdugo Hills High School WASC Self-Study Page 1

Verdugo Hills High School WASC/CDE Self-Study ReportAtmosphere of Trust, Respect and ProfessionalismCitizenship, Value, and PerformanceVHHS takes pride in maintaining a respectful and tolerant school culture. Thestaff is committed to supporting a caring school community that instills instudents the importance of good citizenship as well as the value ofexcellence in academics. Parents are a welcome sight on campus and canreceive supportive services through the “Parent Center”. This adds to thesense of security and trust with teachers. There are numerous opportunitiesfor parents to interact with teachers such as Open House, Back to SchoolNight, Award Assemblies, Play productions, Musical performances, Sports,and community events. The highly active staff engages willingly to sponsorstudent activities and extend instructional tutoring. Several teachers havebeen recognized as outstanding educators by the community and state. Avisit to our campus reveals an atmosphere of camaraderie and cohesiveness.Many opportunities are provided for teachers to meet, discuss, and reflect onperformance. The block schedule allows for the majority of teachers to havea common planning period. This allows more participants to plan eventsinsuring a sense of trust and professionalism in the effort. The staff uses itscommon planning period to improve curriculum, design programs, and makeefforts to connect with students and parents. Teachers often shareresponsibilities in the SLC and Departments. Teachers willingly sponsorclubs, attend extracurricular activities, write letters of recommendation anduse time outside the classroom to tutor and counsel students. At VHHS100% of our certificated staff fully credentialed.The Governance Council manages the activity of the school. It makescollaborative decisions about all aspects of the working environment. Itsmembers include representatives from all stakeholders ensuring fairness andequality.Other FindingsWhen students feel safe on campus to the degree that they enjoy takingownership of their surroundings, then we truly know we have done our job.VHHS is a safe school where students learn, grow and respect theenvironment. The dedicated staff has placed emphasis on studentVerdugo Hills High School WASC Self-Study Page 168