It is with great enthusiasm and pride that I welcome you to Alderwood Basics Plus School. From its inception, the Irvine Unified School District has been organized around school choice. The original Basics Plus School was created in 1976 as a response to community concern that addressed the school's founding tenets. Alderwood Basics Plus still holds those original tenets in high regard. The Basics Plus tenets as identified in 1976 were: A.) Acoustically contained classrooms B.) Consistent grading system C.) Consistent reporting system to parents D.) Consistent discipline E.) Academic focus. AB+ was created in 1980 as the original school was split into two separate schools. As such, we are one of two "basics plus" schools in the District. All students residing in the city of Irvine have the option of attending our school. Due to budget constraints, however, parents must provide transportation for their children. Approximately four hundred and fifty students attend Alderwood which operates at capacity on a first-come first-served basis. Most all grade levels, especially in the primary grades, maintain a lengthy waiting list.
 
Due to the fact that all parents choose to send their children to AB+, parental support of the program is extremely high. Each parent and student signs a contract that establishes their support of the school's tenets and rules. This creates a unique and highly desirable feature of our program and that is a special bond that exists between parents and staff who share and support a common philosophy of education. A philosophy that includes homework assigned on a regular basis, a program that is self-contained physically and organizationally, a commitment to established rules of conduct, strong level of articulation amongst staff, and an academic focus with the majority of class time devoted to teacher-directed instruction. A special strength of our educational program includes the many parents who volunteer in our classrooms and the generosity of individual monetary contributions to support our educational program. In addition, the school Parent Teacher Association (PTA) provides substantial program enrichment through its fundraising activities and assistance to various school-wide events. The Alderwood Education Foundation (AEF) through its fundraising efforts also provides program enhancements in the science and art curriculum areas.
 
I am personally proud and honored to be a member of this staff and regard my position as one of support to the classroom teacher. The educational program of Alderwood Basics Plus School is guided by the central mission of the school. "To enable all students to become contributing members of society empowered with the skills, knowledge, and values necessary to meet the challenges of a changing world, by providing the highest quality educational experience we can envision."
 
Sincerely,
 
Ken Horner
Principal