Executive Summary. Patronis Elementary School

Transcription

1 Bay District Schools Mrs. Eleanor Spivey 7400 Patronis Drive Panama City Beach, FL Document Generated On February 21, 2014

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 3 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 4 Additional Information 5

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. <br><br> 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? is located in Panama City Beach, Florida. Our school was established in 1995 as a research and design facility. It opened as the largest elementary school in the district, with over 900 students enrolled in its Pre-K through 5th grade program. The current staff consists of a Principal, an Assistant Principal, an Administrative Assistant, 2 guidance counselors, 59 instructional teachers, and 30? support personnel. At this time, our student enrollment is 800. One significant change that has impacted student population is the relocation of our Pre-Kindergarten program. Beginning in August of 2013, our Pre-K classes were moved to a central location on the beach. We not only have lost those students in number, but also have felt the impact of that change in other ways. Our school is a true neighborhood school. Our families are deeply connected and involved in every aspect of Patronis Elementary. The children who began in our Pre-K classes traditionally would continue on through until the 5th grade. This allowed for parents, teachers, administrators, and our entire school community to be entrenched in the early learning and development from the beginning of their school careers. Parents, especially, enjoyed that their primary-aged students could attend school at one location. As a result of this change, many Patronis parents have opted to place their 4 year old children in private learning centers as opposed to district-run Pre-K classes. A unique feature about Patronis Elementary is represented by our fast-rising free and reduced lunch population. Over the last 3 years, our F/R lunch status has risen from 35% in to 44% for Although this increase affects our population, programs, and student needs, we do not qualify for any additional funding or assistance as a result. Our school's principal, Ellie Spivey, has been on extended leave during most of the recent months. Sadly, her youngest son was diagnosed with acute leukemia. Currently, she is with him as they seek treatment and a cure. Our Assistant Principal, Brooke Loyed has been a steadfast and courageous leader,seamlessly maintaining an environment in which all students and teachers feel valued, supported, and respected. Due to Mrs. Spivey's absence, Mr. Jerry Lassiter, an Administrative Assistant has come on board. Our school student and staff demographics are in keeping with our community demographics, with 93% white, 7% minority. The community itself is comprised of hospitality and tourism industry, navy base, and engineering contractors. The hospitality industry creates a large mobility rate among our students which presents a challenge in our learning environment. Page 2

5 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. Our motto is: At Patronis, everyone's job is to learn. Our mission statement is teachers, administrators, parents, and the community share the responsibility to provide a variety of curriculum, instructional, and assessment opportunities with the high expectation for every student to become a competent self-directed lifelong learner. Our vision statement is: We believe each student is important; Every student can learn; Some students need more time; All students can become responsible for their learning; Learning takes place in an orderly, caring environment. Our school-wide expectations are at Patronis: 1. We listen 2. We use good manners 3. We respect others 4. We move in an orderly way 5. We care Our unique program offerings include full-time Talented and Gifted (TAG) 2nd-5th, pull-out/consultation in Gifted Services in all grades, ESE services from inclusion to full-time in all grades, Speech/Language, OT/PT, and other various programs and services. Page 3

6 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. We are very proud of our school's notable achievements. 1. Patronis Elementary has been A+ school for the last 11 years according to the state accountability system. 2. In 2011, 2012, 2013 Patronis had highest FCAT points in Bay District. 3. Our school accomplished this with 44% (up from 39%) last school year free and/or reduced lunch, 26% ESE, and 10% minority. 4. During , we tested 100% of our students on FCAT. 5. We made a decision to implement CCSS ahead of state/doe suggested timeline. 6. Based on Administration and Leadership Team's book study using John Hattie's Visible Learning: A Synthesis of over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Student Achievement, a progressive decision was made regarding homework at our school. After reading his studies and conducting additional research, we made the ambitious choice to implement what we named the Reading First initiative. Our students would not be assigned worksheets or other "traditional" homework. Instead, as research supports for elementary learners, they would be asked to participate in silent reading and from texts of their choosing. 7. Another pioneering move has been underway at Patronis. After analyzing the math data of consistently high scoring students, the Leadership Team began searching for trends. We discovered a distinct pattern among the teachers of these high-scoring students which was that their math instruction took place first thing in the morning. Upon this realization, we made a school-wide effort to schedule math instruction so that it happened in the morning in an attempt to see if all students made significant gains. The Leadership Team is currently analyzing data (math), meeting with grade level team leaders, and discussing the potential success of this strategy. 8. houses the largest population of primary gifted learners in the district. After Hurricane Katrina, we had a kindergarten student enter our school whose family had lost everything yet somehow had his school documentation of his gifted paperwork from Louisiana. It was a revelation in thinking for us, since at that time and in our district, students were only referred for Gifted services at grade 3. After that student, our administration made every attempt at bringing more teachers on board to get the gifted endorsement. PES currently has 7 gifted endorsed teachers. We have full-time gifted classes at second, third, fourth, and fifth grades. In addition, we offer pullout and consultation services for any other qualifying students. Page 4

7 Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. 1. Administrators created a boys-only class taught by male instructor. He is utilizing research-based strategies that are appropriate for his students. For example, he uses The Minds of Boys research in his classroom. The boys in his class are thriving in this environment. 2. PES is proud of the 5 Nationally Board Certified Teachers on staff: Hull, Jumbeck, Hampson, McGonagil, and Dally. 3. We are a strong military community. Our school is less than one mile from the Naval Surface Warfare Center, our local Navy Base. This base is one of the major research, development, and test development centers nationwide. Many of our parents work at this Navy Base. We are fortunate to have volunteers, from engineers to enlisted men and women, work regularly with/mentoring our students. In addition, we recognized over 50 students in our school with active duty military parents. 4. Community: SPIVEYSTRONG. Teachers at our school organized a fundraising event last spring to help Mrs. Spivey's son, Russ, who was diagnosed with leukemia. Over 500 school family and community members participated. This event was hosted at a local business, Pineapple Willy's. Our PTO sponsors a Walk-A-Thon as our one-time annual school fundraiser. Over $20,000 was raised for the school year thanks to our families and business partners such as Pineapple Willy's, Boatyard, Fatty Patty's, Frank Wood Plumbing, Carousel Grocery, Just Kidding, Stay at the Beach Rentals, and over 17 other Bronze Level Members. Page 5