How To Run Cornelia Elementary

Transcription

1 Habersham County Schools Dr. Renee Pryor, Principal 375 Old Cleveland Rd Cornelia, GA Document Generated On January 23, 2013

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 4 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 6 Additional Information 7

3 Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1

4 Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? Cornelia Elementary is located in Cornelia, Georgia, which is in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The town of Cornelia has approximately 4,100 residents. Cornelia Elementary was previously housed on two separate primary and intermediate campuses. The school opened for the first time as a combined K-5 campus in a newly constructed building in the fall of Two Pre-Kindergarten fouryear-old classes were offered on campus beginning in A new wing was added in 2007 that now houses fourth and fifth grade classrooms. Cornelia's current enrollment in Pre-K through fifth grade is 624 students. While a high mobility rate creates an ongoing challenge, the demographic make-up of the student body at Cornelia has remained fairly consistent over the past three years. The student population of 624 continues to reflect varied ethnic backgrounds in the year Included in this population are: 36% Caucasian, 45% Hispanic, 4% African American, 6% Asian, and 9% Multi-ethnic. The Migrant Education Program serves 6 students. In Cornelia Elementary enrollment continued to be transient. There was actually an increase in student transfers. During the school year, 31% of our student population is served in English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and 25% are served in the Early Intervention Program (EIP). Cornelia Elementary is a Title I school. The economic status of our families continues to decline. For the school year, 86.7% of students received free and reduced lunches. The instructional day for students at Cornelia begins at 7:50 a.m. and ends at 2:40 p.m. Students participate in art, music, or PE daily. The fifty-minute time frame that students spend in these classes is used to provide common planning time for all teachers in grades K-5. Collaborative planning takes place a minimum of once weekly. School attendance is a high priority and incentives are offered to promote daily attendance. These incentives include banners that are placed outside each classroom with the highest attendance in the grade level for the month as well as a banner that is placed outside the classroom with the highest attendance school-wide. Additionally, Family Connections partnered with our school in and provides four bicycles and helmets for a drawing each nine weeks for students who have quarterly perfect attendance. Certificates are also given on honor's day to recognize students who have had perfect attendance. Teachers are encouraged to call when a student is absent. Once a student is absent for five days, the school sends a letter to parents/guardians. If a student misses ten days, the school social worker is contacted and an attendance support team meeting is scheduled. In compliance with the state of Georgia attendance policy, the administration made referrals to the system social worker when a student had ten consecutive unexcused absences or ten unexcused tardies within a quarter. Cornelia Elementary had an average daily attendance of 97.1% during the school year. All of the certified teachers at are currently highly qualified. Cornelia Elementary began the school year with the following personnel: principal, assistant principal, 31 regular classroom teachers, three full-time special education teachers, and three fulltime and one part-time EIP teachers. The faculty also includes one Academic Coach, four ESOL teachers, one art teacher, one music teacher, one PE teacher, one full- time speech pathologist whom we share with another elementary school, one media specialist, and one counselor. Itinerant certified personnel who serve the students include an occupational therapist, a migrant educator, and a physical therapist. The staff also consists of 13 paraprofessionals, one computer lab manager, one secretary, one bookkeeper, one data entry Page 2

5 coordinator, one nurse, four custodians, and six school nutrition employees. The Special Education department provides services for 66 students, including speech and language therapy, during the school year. The department consists of three full-time teachers and three paraprofessionals. A speech pathologist, occupational therapist, assistive technology specialists, physical therapist, and autism specialist also serves students at Cornelia Elementary. The school is dedicated to providing the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) for all special education students. Co-teaching classrooms and consultation programs continued to support this environment. Four students in the self-contained classroom also participate in inclusion settings throughout the day. We provide instruction by highly qualified teachers who meet the standards established by the state of Georgia. Many strategies to attract highly qualified teachers are used by our school. We work to provide a professional and positive work environment where teachers are given the opportunity to maintain a certain level of autonomy while being expected to contribute to and benefit from the other professional staff members. Teachers have the chance to provide leadership on a classroom and school-wide basis. Professional learning opportunities are made available to staff members. Teachers are expected to take responsibility for the success of their students and are held accountable for their results. Page 3

6 School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. Cornelia Elementary is a community of learners where education is valued. Students, staff, parents, and community collaborate to create a nurturing, safe, and supportive environment in which diversity is respected. Students are provided with problem-based learning, engaging activities, and authentic tasks which will prepare students in the 21st century to become life-long learners. Cornelia Elementary believes that we can all learn and succeed. We also believe that all students have varying strengths, learning styles, and levels of learning. Students who do not meet standards in math and/or reading as measured by CRCT, grade level assessments, and universal screenings, qualify for our instructional extension program entitled STARS (Students, Teachers, Achieving and Reaching Success). Once these students are targeted, classroom teachers begin implementing interventions and strategies through the Tier 2 or Tier 3 Response to Intervention Process. Using the RTI process and framework, teachers collaborate and develop lists of interventions to use for struggling learners, as well as receive needed support for those learners, such as Early Intervention Program, and also help from support staff, such as ESOL teachers, Speech teachers, Academic Coaches, Psychologists, Counselors, Administration, etc. Cornelia Elementary has partnered with Habersham County Family Connections. Our school has been targeted as part of Family Connections' three-year-plan to assist families of enrolled children. We are working to improve parenting skills and attitudes by offering a variety of programs designed to bridge cultural barriers to successful parenting and family wellness. Types of programs and services offered create opportunities for parents to participate in seminars and /or classes that address their needs. Topics such as budgeting, job search skills, and home safety have been suggested. Cornelia Elementary has also partnered with the Parents as Teachers Program. They provide parent education and family support to families throughout pregnancy until their child enters kindergarten, usually age 5. The families receive personal visits, parent group meetings, health screenings, and other resources. To help make the transition from pre-kindergarten to kindergarten, our school has a Georgia approved preschool program. Under the umbrella of Bright from the Start (BFTS), and using the High Scope Curriculum and BFTS Content Standards as our guide, our students in pre-kindergarten are provided with an enriched curriculum that includes: language/literacy, math, science, social studies, creative, social and emotional, and physical development. The students in this program are integrated into the school community as they are provided with breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria, participate in the use of the media center, and are also provided with times to play on the K-1 playground. Students from the pre-kindergarten class are able to make an easy transition to kindergarten because they are already a part of the school community. Forty-four children are in this program. Our school also has an on-site Homework Center, which operates Monday through Friday until 5:30 p.m. It is not provided by Habersham County Schools. Habersham County Homework Centers, Inc. is a non-profit organization, governed by its own board, and works in cooperation with our school system. Homework Center employees are available to assist students who may be having difficulties with their class work. In the area of community outreach, Cornelia currently works cooperatively with local businesses and service agencies to plan and provide services for our students, families and teachers. Community and parent volunteers, PTO and family events continue to enhance our Page 4

7 stakeholders' involvement. Habersham Central High School students are involved in providing extra assistance in our school. Student participation in community services and projects, such as the canned food drive and Red Ribbon Week provides opportunities to accept responsibility for developing a community that cares. Our leadership team is referred to as the Better Seeking Team. Cornelia Elementary embraces a collaborative approach to leadership and school improvement. This team is comprised of the principal, assistant principal, academic coach, a grade level representative from each grade K-5, an ESOL representative, an EIP representative, a special education representative, a paraprofessional representative, a representative from art/music/pe, and a parent representative. The team meets a minimum of once monthly and addresses issues that affect instruction and the implementation of initiatives. Page 5

8 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. Last year Cornelia Elementary had many successes. One area that deserves special mention is that for the first year ever all of our third grade students met or exceeded the reading portion of the CRCT. 4th grade students made some incredible gains. They went from 1.35% below RESA average to 1.39% above RESA average in reading; from 1.4% below RESA average to 1.41% above RESA average in ELA; from.54% below RESA average to 1.51% above RESA average in science and from.74% above RESA average to 2.46% above RESA average in social studies. All grade levels in all subjects also performed higher than the previous year. This is a testament to the dedication that our faculty and staff have towards our student population. In the fall of 2011, Cornelia Elementary participated in a GAPSS (Georgia Assessment of Performance on School Standards) Analysis Review. During the GAPSS Visit 94% of the scores fell within the Operational/Fully Operational range. Cornelia Elementary continues to seek community involvement because we know that community engagement is a vital part of a truly successful school. In 2011 Cornelia Elementary added a new Partner in Education, Cantrell and Wilbanks Family Dentistry. Cornelia Elementary also won the Safe Routes to Schools Georgia Partner of the Year Award. Winners of this award were chosen based on the progress of their Safe Routes to Schools programs during the past year in getting more students to walk and bike to school and increasing the awareness of SRTS within its community. Cornelia faces many challenges in meeting our goals in the areas of reading, language arts and math. The fact that our student population represents various ethnic and economic backgrounds contributes to the three greatest challenges, which are our growing population of non- English speakers, transient rate, and a lack of parent involvement. Busy schedules, language barriers, and varying cultures often limit parent involvement. Therefore, our emphasis is to provide opportunities for parents to become involved in the school setting. Parent opportunities such as Parent Orientation, Curriculum Nights, Art Night, the Talent Show, Muffins with Mom, Biscuits with Dad, Spring Fling and Field Day are but a few we've implemented to promote effective parental involvement. To further address the issue of parent involvement, we employ a full time Parent Involvement Coordinator (formerly parent liaison) who is instrumental in working with our parents, partners, and community members. She is trained in Parents as Teachers (birth through age 3 and ages 3-5). She sets up our parenting workshops and encourages their participation in our school events. Additionally our PIC works with our school social worker on attendance and school-wide incentives for students. She also organizes efforts to help families in need, and we are able to use Title I funds for parent activity nights. Our Parent Involvement Coordinator also speaks Spanish and is able to help us communicate with our Spanish-speaking parents. In order to further strengthen the home school connection for all parents, we have parent resource materials available to promote understanding of educational concepts in order to support their children. We also have a partnership with Family Connection. Georgia Family Connection Partnership (GaFCP), a nonprofit public-private intermediary, exists to: 1) unify their commitment to Georgia's children and families, 2) make sure their efforts to improve the lives of children and families work, and 3) protect every dime of their investment in Georgia's future. Even though Cornelia Elementary is faced with the challenges that high poverty rates can bring, we are committed to providing a nurturing environment that supports all students in being life-long learners and productive citizens. Page 6

9 Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. Cornelia Elementary operates a schoolwide Title I program. A Title I school is eligible to become a Title I school-wide program when the poverty level, (determined by free and reduced meal counts, is at or above 40%. The purpose of schoolwide Title I programs is to improve the entire educational program in a school which should result in improving the academic achievement of all students, particularly the lowest achieving students. Because Cornelia Elementary has been a Title I school for many years, we have often had funds that can be used for additional staff and programs to help meet the needs of our "at-risk" and Limited English Proficient (LEP) students. The strength of our Title I program lies in the positions it funds to help meet the needs of all students, all teachers, all parents, and community members. Title I funds an Academic Coach, EIP teachers, and a Parent Involvement Coordinator. The majority of our EIP classes use the augmented model. We are using reduced class size in kindergarten and first grade in order to meet the specific needs of students. The Academic Coach serves teachers in grades K-5. Throughout the year the coach provides staff development for all K-5 classroom teachers, special education staff, and paraprofessionals in the area of standard based instruction. Resources, such as articles and chapters from professional books, are often provided and discussed during professional learning opportunities to provide further understanding of teaching the components of a standards-based classroom and other instructional strategies. Coaching supports ongoing professional learning, allowing classroom teachers to reflect on their teaching practices and refine skills. Last year our Academic Coach helped us implement Thinking Maps, a language of eight visual patterns based on a fundamental thought process. Our Parent Involvement Coordinator (PIC) is instrumental in working with our parents, partners, and community members. She is trained in Parents as Teachers (birth through age 3 and ages 3-5). She sets up our parenting workshops and encourages their participation in our school events. Additionally our PIC works with our school social worker on attendance and school-wide incentives for students. She also organizes efforts to help families in need, and we are able to use Title I funds for parent activity nights. The Migrant Education program serves qualifying students at Cornelia. The local education agent works with students whose parents are migratory agricultural workers and whose family has moved within the last thirty-six months to seek employment. Assistance is given to students and their families both academically and socially in matters that affect the children's learning experience. Cornelia has four ESOL teachers that serve our EL students through predominantly inclusion/push in models. Currently, we have 180 students who qualify for ESOL services. We also support EL students through the implementation of SIOP (Sheltered Instructional Observation Protocol). Teachers received initial training, follow-up training, and have access to an on-site SIOP coach for ongoing support. Currently, Cornelia Elementary has 18 students participating in the Habersham County Gifted Program. Students go to Fairview Elementary School for instruction and program services one day a week by grade level. Page 7