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Sierramont

3155 Kimlee Drive
San Jose, CA 95132
Phone: 408/923-1955
Fax: 408/729-5840

"PREPARING OUR STUDENTS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY"

Principal: Ron Fairchild

Assistant Principal:Chris Kinn

Enrollment: 929

The safe and secure school environment at Sierramont is the result of a caring but firm expectation that all students will meet the appropriate behaviors outlined in the

Sierramont Code of Conduct, Student Handbook, and Dress Code. All staff members believe in and support high expectations for good behavior and academic success. All of these elements are presented to students in a program called "Spartan Pride" which means, Pride in the way we dress, Pride in our academic achievements, and Pride in the way our school looks.

Positive behavior is reinforced in a variety of ways including: phone calls and notes home to parents, a Student of the Month program, academic awards, and Spartan Pride awards that recognize positive behavior.

Sierramont Middle School is noted for expanding the role of technology as an active part of all students’ learning experiences. We provide computer instruction in a lab setting for all students and most classrooms have computers for student use. Through a grant from private industry, all classrooms have a large screen monitor linked with our centralized video system and have the capacity to display information from the teacher’s workstation.

Classroom computers are connected to the Internet and are also able to link with and extract information from CDs in our library. Our technology plan calls for every classroom to have at least one computer and large screen monitor.

Our focus takes us into the future with students using technology as a tool for learning — to conduct research, to process information, and to link with a multitude of on-line resources.

The academic success of all Sierramont students is linked to our expectation that each student will be organized and accountable for his or her learning. All students are expected to organize their work in a three-ring binder and use a Time Tracker, our weekly homework assignment sheet that allows parents to monitor schoolwork. Frequent phone calls home to parents and our Homework Hotline system also contribute to a focus on academic success.

Sierramont is one of only a few middle schools in Santa Clara County to provide incoming sixth grade students with a positive and supportive transition from fifth grade to the middle school with our Welcome Every Body (W.E.B.) Program. This program also allows us to provide leadership training for 80 of our seventh and eighth grade students.

 

A challenging curriculum is provided for all students and is reflected in the following:
  • Communication skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) are blended into all aspects of our curriculum and instruction.
  • Language arts and social studies classes are combined in the sixth and seventh grades. This program uses social studies as a basis for exploring literature, writing, and to help students develop high level analysis and evaluation skills.
  • A core class, integrating math and science curriculum, is also provided for sixth grade students.

  • Accelerated math programs provide challenging courses to students at every grade level. Our goal is to have all students successfully complete algebra by eighth grade or be fully prepared to succeed in algebra as a ninth grader. Eighth grade course offerings include pre-algebra, algebra and geometry.
  • Our science program provides innovative and interesting hands-on lab experiences for students at each grade level.
  • In physical education, the focus is on students acquiring skills, knowledge, and attitudes that lead to lifelong health and fitness.
  • Exploratory enrichment programs provide creative experiences in art, industrial technology, home economics, computers, and foreign language.
  • Courses in instrumental music or chorus are option for interested students.

Gifted and high-achieving students are challenged through an extended core curriculum that includes interesting literature, open-ended assignments, and tasks with expectations linked to high ability levels.

Special after school programs, including foreign language, Science Fair and History Day competitions, a variety of content area related clubs, activities and special projects, and an American Sign Language program, are also available.

For students needing more academic support, our heterogeneously grouped classes provide positive peer role models. Sierramont teachers have supportive attitudes and demonstrate their belief that all students will succeed through instructional strategies that meet the needs of less skilled students.

Homework Club, our after school tutoring program, matches students with tutors in all subject areas four days each week. Reading and math support for students needing help in these areas is provided during the school day and in before and after school tutoring.

The counseling program provides students guidance and support through individual contacts with two full time Sierramont counselors. Counseling groups and preventive guidance classes are organized to discuss issues relevant to middle school students. Counselors conduct ongoing training for peer support groups and our school-wide conflict resolution program whose purpose is to help students responsibly and constructively solve their own conflicts.

Sierramont teachers are respected instructors and leaders in innovative assessment practices. Teachers provide students with various opportunities to demonstrate what they have learned, taking students beyond simple multiple-choice paper/pencil tests. Assessment practices are frequently built into learning activities and include projects, demonstrations, collaborative group tasks, oral presentations, and portfolios.

 
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