About Katherine Smith
Principal’s Message
Katherine Smith opened in 1962 and the last fifty years has had a rich and diverse history in the Evergreen School District. The second school in the district, it has been recognized as both a California Distinguished School (1987 and 2002) and a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence (1988). As we look to the future, Katherine Smith continues to focus on preparing our students for the ever changing world and we consistently work towards this end.
In our design of Katherine Smith, we want to preserve the great tradition of this school while creating an innovative and fresh environment that looks to the future for inspiration. To bring about this ambitious work, our incredible staff works tirelessly to prepare for your children. They dedicate themselves to constantly improving the deeper learning experiences for students through purposeful, common core standards aligned project-based approaches, utilizing personalized learning structures to meet every student's academic needs, and developing a strong culture to support the social emotional wellness of our students and the greater school community.
Our staff dedicates themselves to these CORE VALUES:
•We believe children can learn at high levels, regardless of their race, socioeconomic background, language, or family situation.
•We participate in a cooperative and distributed leadership model.
•We are reflective, collaborative, and innovative with our teaching practice.
•We want our school to be a safe, healthy, supportive and nurturing environment for the whole community.
•We are willing to take risks.
As we strive to provide our students with high-quality project based learning experiences, we establish the expectation that our students are COLLEGE BOUND with a NO EXCUSES mindset. When you come to K Smith, you are going to college!
School Vision
Katherine Smith school will be the model of excellence for 21st century learning and community service.
School Mission
Prepare each student to think, learn, work, communicate, collaborate, and contribute effectively now and throughout his or her life.
Community & School Profile
Evergreen School District, located in the city of San Jose, is comprised of fifteen elementary schools and three middle schools. Once a small farming city, San Jose became a magnet for suburban newcomers between the 1960s and the 1990s, and is now the third largest city in California. The city is located in Silicon Valley, at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area, and is home to more than 973,000 residents.
Katherine Smith Elementary School is located in the northern section of the district’s borders. The school served approximately 600 students in grades TK-6 on a traditional calendar schedule. Teachers, staff, and administrators continue to act on the principle that students come first.