Our School

Meet Our Principal

Mrs. Diana Verduzco

“We are very excited to welcome our families to our school, Global Language Academies of Downey at Carpenter. We would like to share some exciting news; Carpenter Elementary is authorized as an IB World School. IB World Schools share a common philosophy—a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education- that we believe is important for our students.

In conjunction, our dual-immersion program and IB program will help us provide a well-rounded, rigorous, globally competitive, 21st-century education. Our students will have the opportunity to develop as bilingual, knowledgeable, courageous, balanced, principled, reflective, caring, open-minded, communicators, thinkers, and inquirers. We strive to grow students that are college and career-ready, globally competitive, and citizens of strong character. We work together with our families and community to support all of our students in being the best that they can be.”

Fun Facts:

Mrs. Verduzco is bilingual in Spanish and continues to be fascinated by the language.
She studied in Greece.
Mrs. Verduzco also loves music! She played the flute in middle and high school honor band.

Our Mission

At Carpenter Elementary, we cultivate a love of learning; we ignite curiosity through inquiry-based experiences while thriving in a compassionate, active, and multi-linguistic environment. We foster a school community where our internationally-minded youth develop an appreciation of differences and respect for the dignity of all people.

Our Philosophy

At Carpenter Elementary, we believe the ongoing practice of assessment is a resource for both teachers and students to use as a means to provide guidance, motivation, and as a self-reflective tool for accountability. We assess our students in order to understand the unique learning processes of each child and allow students to show what they know in different modalities; while teachers provide meaningful feedback and reflect on their own practices allowing them to modify and improve their instruction.

Our Mascot

Carpenter Elementary School is the home of the Explorers! This unique mascot is a perfect fit for the values we hold dear at Carpenter Elementary School.

Explorers symbolize adventure, the pursuit of information and knowledge, and seeing more of the world to better understand its past, present, and where it might be headed in the future. Explorers are lifelong learners just as we want our students to be.

The globe emphasizes our Global Language Academies of Downey (G.L.A.D.) program. Our dual-language immersion program is unique in the district to our campus, and we’re proud to have the Explorer mascot readily present that.

It’s a big world out there, and at Carpenter, we want to make sure our students are not only prepared but excited to begin exploring it.

Instructional Program

Assessment Policy

The purpose of assessment is to inform teachers about students’ learning and guide instruction. This policy also outlines the tools used to assess student progress.

Download: English

School-wide Points of Inquiry

This matrix outlines the points of inquiry and how they are addressed for each grade level.

Download: English

Language Policy

This document covers our language learning philosophy, the role of the teacher, and how we will support students' language learning process.

Download: English