Jose Juan Urquizo
Principal, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academy
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925 North Sanborn Road • Salinas, CA 93905
(831) 796-3916 • FAX (831) 796-3921

Message from the Principal

At Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academy, we believe it is a human right to receive a high quality education that helps marginalized communities break the cycle of poverty, that words have the power to nurture or destroy a child’s self-worth, and  that we, as educators should serve as a guiding compass, that supports through positive relationships with our students, and the community as a whole. 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Academy (MLK) currently serves approximately 600 students in Kindergarten-6th grade,  one Communication & Social Skills Special Day Class as well as approximately 80 pre-schoolers in the Monterey County Head Start Program.  We are proud to provide educational services for all our students in a safe,  and state-of-the-art environment.  

Some highlights of our school include the following:

1.  We have a Family Resource Center (FRC) on our campus, The MLK FRC.  This center provides families in our neighborhood access to numerous resources such as:  
     -counseling;
     -adult English as a Second Language class;
     -technology classes; 
     -and referrals to a myriad of agencies/ organizations designed to support families in need.

2.  Our district has recently hired counselors to support students with their social-emotional needs.  Currently, our counselor works full time at our school.  Some of their duties include the following: classroom presentations, 
     parent presentations, group counseling, and a contributing member of our school Coordination of Services Teams, as well as PBIS Teams.  We have also partnered with Monterey County Behavioral Health. Our assigned clinician provides therapy to students dealing with trauma, and are able to have an additional counselor on-site for another day; thus, counseling is available to our students a total of five days per week.
3.  Classrooms are equipped with the latest technology, including updated wireless Internet, LCD projectors, document cameras (ELMOs).
4.  All students in Kindergarten-6th grades are provided 1:1 devices, Chromebooks; to assist with learning 21st Century technology skills.
5.  Teachers also receive ongoing professional development on the latest strategies of technology integration during the school day.  These trainings occur during regular Technology Club meetings led by our site based 
     Educational Technology Liaison.  Staff members are participating in ongoing Google Bootcamps to become Certified Google Level 1 Educators.  

Software programs that our students have access to include, but are not limited to, the following:
     -Google Classroom, Seesaw, Doceri, Accelerated Reader, Symphony Math, Type to Learn 4, Lexia Core 5, Lexia English, Achieve 3000, IXL Math, IXL English Language Arts, and Code.org

6.  MLK has a Before School Program (BSP), as well as an After School Program (ASP) that serves over 100 students on a daily basis.  During our ASP, students are able to participate in:
     -Drumline;
     -Trumpets;
     -Physical Education
     -Folkloric Dance

7.  MLK also has programs available to our students on Saturdays via a partnership with Hartnell Community College, which is the NASA SEMA Program, and the nationally recognized Coder Dojo Academy;
8.  MLK is also the hub for fall sports in the Alisal Union School District, as we house volleyball and basketball games on our school grounds. 
9. MLK students have access to an outdoor garden for use during the school day and during our After School Program.

10. MLK teachers meet in a revamped Instructional Coach's office/ Workroom where they have access to resources such as guided reading books and an area where they are able to collaborate during Grade Level Team 
      meetings.

11. MLK is currently in the 9th year of implementation of the Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) Model.  Students are recognized for their positive behavior and understand the mantra of being Ready, Responsible, and Respectful scholars.  We have Tier 1, Tier 2, as well as Tier 3 Teams that lead monthly recognition events in addition to a PBIS store.

12. Our instructional focus this year will be on ELD reading and writing standards.  Teachers will engage students daily with instructional lessons that focus on the ELPAC practice test including STORM writing strategies, and collaborative conversations to improve student reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills within the English language.

Teachers and administrators will prepare by implementing STORM Reading and Writing strategies. We will connect the ELD standards to the ELPAC demands. We will measure our progress by analyzing our local benchmarks monthly:  STAR, Lexia English, Lexia Core 5, and Writing Assessments.

At Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academy, our faculty works hard to promote our vision of success and excellence within each student.  Each teacher continues to motivate our students to work hard and be self-reliant; so that in turn, they can make a positive difference in their community.  Students are recognized monthly for academic success and improvement in behavior via our student of the month assemblies, as well as end-of-trimester Accelerated Reader assemblies.  

Teachers and all staff members are continuously working to provide all of our students with the best educational experience possible.