Parkmead Elementary

1920 Magnolia Way, Walnut Creek, CA 94595

Located in Walnut Creek, the Parkmead Elementary School first opened its doors in 1948 in an area where agriculture was moving out to make room for suburban development. It is now a fast 10-minute walk from a busy downtown area that has developed into the San Francisco East Bay region's culturally rich center. The centralized location of the school provides an excellent base for exploring the Bay Area, the nature museum of the area, many living history sites and the largest performing arts center of the region, all of which are frequently used by the school. Despite poor attendance, the governing board decided to close the school in 1985. In 1989 Parkmead, with 324 students, was reopened. Parkmead School has grown to its present enrollment of around 450 TK-5 students in the years since it reopened. The sprawling campus comprises four classroom wings, an administrative wing and an active child-care centre. The campus also contains play facilities and 4 acres of lawn and fields that are used during non-school hours not only by the students but also by organized youth sports teams and neighborhood families.

Parkmead Elementary School and Community's goal is to empower our kids to thrive in an ever-changing world by cultivating a learning environment that fosters discovery, innovation, imagination, leadership and character. Based on this mission and ongoing study of our school's strengths and needs, we developed the following three strategies that guide our school site plan.

Here are the strategies that they plan to do: 

1. We will meet the needs of all students by implementing a differentiated and challenging academic program in which inquiry, discovery, creativity and collaboration are fundamental, while developing enthusiastic, lifelong learners.
2. Through reliable, concise and organized communications the Parkmead School Community can recognize the Parkmead Strategic Plan and the school guidelines. The group of Parkmead School must be an involved and supportive partner for the implementation of new and enhanced communication processes.
3. They will provide a healthy, non-threatening atmosphere in which diversity is valued by the Parkmead community and meaningful, fundamental lifelong values displayed.

In order to do that, we will provide our students with the following: A rigorous learning curriculum by emphasizing basic skills and fundamentals, while promoting critical thinking and study skills, high standards and requirements about student learning and teacher training, an integrated, organized program, students academic opportunities to succeed and to be remembered for success, an environment which stimulates and fosters a lifelong learning enjoyment, and chances for teaching and modeling positive instructions and their related life skills.