Meet Yao Laoshi

Mr. Yao

    Let the will be set on the path of duty.
    Let every attainment in what is good be firmly grasped.
    Let perfect virtue be accorded with.
    Let relaxation and enjoyment be found in the polite arts.

--Analects of Confucius, 7:6

My name is Lai Yao. My students call me Yao Laoshi, literally meaning Teacher Yao in English.

I come from Kunming City in China. It is a beautiful tourist city in the southwest, famous for its perfect weather, rich nature resources and colorful culture of 26 ethnic minorities. During World War II, the American Air Force, the Flying Tiger Team, protected this city from bombing by Japanese invaders. The flying tiger then became a symbol of eternal friendship between Kunming residents and Americans. English words such as ‘corner’, ‘go’, ‘double’ and ‘nice ’have also merged into local dialect vocabulary.

With more than fifteen years of teaching experience, I believe that the core of education is love. I love each of my students as my own child. I love sharing my knowledge with them. I love seeing them grow physically and mentally. Each small step they make forward is a huge motivation to me to stand firmly on my position and do better. That is the power of hope in a seed that someday will grow into a tall tree. That is the reason why I value and enjoy every moment being with them.

It is my great honor to work on this peaceful campus with a powerful team. Each child here deserves the best education. I am not as perfect as Confucius, yet I will not be tired of learning and teaching. I welcome all parents to contact me by phone 623-445-7435 or by email Yusuf.Yao@dvusd.org.

Thank you very much!

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Dear Families,

Welcome to a new year at Gavilan Peak! We are excited to continue the implementation of our behavior intervention plan for 15-16 school year.

The behavior intervention model is a team-based process for systemic problem solving, planning, and evaluation of student behavior. The focus of the plan is to create a positive school climate that fosters being respectful, responsible, and safe so students are able to learn. An important aspect of this plan is it is consistent school wide. Every classroom and support area has the same rules and procedures for handling behavior and encouraging positive interactions.

Our school behavior matrix was created by teachers and establishes clear rules for the behavior we expect in all areas of our school. We will explicitly teach those expectations to students and reward them for positive behaviors through character counts raffle. The expectations for all student behaviors will be clear throughout our building, cafeteria, multipurpose room and classrooms.

Our school rules specifically address:

We will apply consistent consequences and positive reinforcement for all students. We will be detailing expected behaviors, teaching in a positive way, and provide common language for everyone in our building. Please take some time to review with your child the positive behavior expectations described on the attached matrix. Ask you child to make sure they understand the expectations in different environments around the school.

A change to our system is the use of classroom behavior data to develop strategies and solve problems. In order to do this, teachers will be documenting minor behaviors in the classroom monthly using a minor tracking behavior form. The purpose of tracking minor behaviors is to collect data on student behavior, which allows teachers and the administration to better address problems that occur across classes. If consistent minor offenses occur within the same category (behavior), then the minor offense will be considered a major offense and be handled by administration. Tracking resets monthly.

Behavior Intervention – Examples for ONE behavior within a month (for example: Disrespect):

We believe that by helping students practice good behavior we will build a school community where all students have an environment where they respect themselves and others, feel safe daily to learn, and enjoy their school experience at Gavilan Peak!

We look forward to working with you as true partners in your child’s education!

Be Respectful
Be Responsible
Be Safe

Redirection by teacher/Warning
Student Reflection/parent contact
Student Reflection with Team consequence/parent contact
Office Referral/Parent contact

We believe that by helping students practice good behavior we will build a school community where all students have an environment where they respect themselves and others, feel safe daily to learn, and enjoy their school experience at Gavilan Peak!

We look forward to working with you as true partners in your child’s education!

Lai (Yusuf) Yao