Bonsall's new school opens in fall

On August 29, when principal Tom Pellegrino throws open the gates to Bonsall West Elementary, a stampede of Colts will thunder through to find their quarters amid Bison, Coyotes, Diamondbacks and Fire Ants. It’s not the opening of a new zoo but the first day of school for preschoolers through fifth-graders at the Bonsall Union School District’s new state-of-the art facility at 5050 El Mirlo Drive in Oceanside.

Technically the school’s mascot is a Colt, but the colorfully named buildings that house the classrooms evoke images of the creatures that inhabit California and will remind all who attend Bonsall West of their elementary school. Each classroom has an identifying drawing by its door. The smallest children are in the Fire Ant building.

“Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Wayne Jones, who mitigated the deal with the developers and the City of Oceanside, this school became a reality,” says Jefrey Schleiger, Bonsall Union School District Superintendent. Jones is the Assistant Superintendent of Business Services for the district. Schleiger says it’s Jones who gets the credit for the state-of-the art facility that broke ground in February 2004 and will open its doors this fall.

The 46,850-square-foot facility is situated on eight acres at the westernmost boundary of the district that overlaps the City of Oceanside.“At its heart, it is a community school,” says Pellegrino, “and it’s Bonsall’s first community school. We’re bounded on two sides by homes and ultimately will be bounded on four sides when the Arrowood development is completed.” Community school designation indicates their facility sports fields can be used by groups other than those with school affiliation.

Bonsall West has 24 classrooms that will accommodate 620 students, although Pellegrino estimates the initial enrollment will be 200 to 300 students. School will start at 8:15 a.m. and end at 2:45 p.m. For preschoolers, seven-hour and three-hour programs will be available. There will also be daycare before and after school and busses will serve students who live within the school’s boundary. Students who attend Bonsall West will go to Sullivan Middle School for sixth, seventh and eighth grades.

After-school programs are important to Pellegrino. “We are working to start a branch of the Boys & Girl’s Club on campus,” he says. Academic support after school for students who need extra help is also planned. Soon they will seek a Head Start grant for preschool students. Their objective is to bring parents to the school to instill trust and value in it for their children. It is important for parents to feel a connection and a partnership with Bonsall West, Pellegrino said. They especially want parent volunteers to assist at all levels of interaction. Students whose parents or grandparents are involved in their children’s schools are typically the high achievers.

The blue-roofed facility has a large a computer lab and three to five computers in each classroom, plus wireless laptop computers for student use. The entire school is a wireless network and has a fiber optic LAN with server-based connectivity that enables a class to sign on to the Internet. Classrooms are fitted out with LCD projectors and large screens that replace television monitors. This capability allows an individual teacher to project a student’s writing or a science project to an entire class as an instant teaching aid. A large auditorium, cafeteria and kitchen and vast green playing fields make up expected facilities. Not so expected, however, is a large kiln.

“It looks like a jail for kids, but it’s not,” Pellegrino says, pointing to a cinder block structure with an iron barred gate. The kiln will be used to fire tiles created by students, then affixed to the exterior hardscape surrounding landscaping beds and walls. It’s a way of building memories between the students and the school, Pellegrino says.

Physical education, art and music will be integrated into the core curriculum whenever possible and an after-school band class will be offered. The curriculum is also designed to accommodate GATE-level students as well as English learners. Pellegrino speaks with pride about their innovative three-tier teaching plan. The first tier consists of systematic and explicit instruction with regular benchmark testing. Students falling behind will receive second-tier support in small groups within the classroom. For students who still need more or specialized help, their needs will be determined on an individual basis through diagnostic testing, then they will receive third-tier instruction. Pellegrino and his staff believe the three-tier teaching method will ensure that every student learns to read, write and compute math. No Child Left Behind legislation mandates schools raise student scores, says Pellegrino. We’re doing things differently here, he says, to make sure each student gets the best education the school can offer. He’s man of conviction.

Above his desk hangs a framed quote from Albert Einstein, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Outside, the cool cream- and sand-colored walls of Bonsall West surround an exciting playground with tetherball poles, climbing equipment for older children and a separate area for smaller kids. An amazing array of “chalked” grids — actually stenciled with white paint on asphalt — enforces math and English. They include a fractions grid, the X/Y axis used in algebra, a negative number line and an alphabet grid, among others.

“Kids can play games on these grids, like spelling their names, or practicing multiplication tables,” Pellegrino says, “or teachers can use them for instruction.”

Safety is a prime concern at Bonsall West. Key cards are used to access rooms and teachers will have key cards designated for restrooms. They are coded to record the whereabouts of individuals using the cards to monitor students out of the classroom while class is in session. A state-of-the art security system with motion detectors and cameras is in place to protect students and reduce theft or damage.

It’s no doubt Principal Tom Pellegrino is the man for this job. The former teacher at Sullivan Middle School for five years also served as its vice principal for a year before taking the reins at Bonsall West. Prior to that he was the athletic director at La Costa Canyon High School, where he taught also English, and began his career in education teaching English and coaching at Torrey Pines High School.

Pellegrino trained well for this job and can hardly wait for August 29 to welcome his first Colts into their new corral. So, parents and students, look for the man with the broad shoulders and wide smile. He’s your new principal at Bonsall West Elementary — your leader to an excellent education.

For more information about Bonsall West Elementary log onto their Web site at http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/districts/bonsall or call (760) 721-8001.