Executive Summary. Windermere Elementary School

Transcription

1 Orange County Public Schools Diana Greer, Principal Park Ave Windermere, FL Document Generated On August 26, 2015

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. 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 at Park Ave., Windermere, FL in West Orange County and serves the communities of Windermere and Winter Garden. has an enrollment of 797 students as of May 11, The enrollment for in May 2014 was 779 and in May 2013 the enrollment was 814. is the only school located in the Town of Windermere. Unique features for Windermere are a low mobility rate and high parental involvement which strongly assists in the performance outcomes for the school. A challenge for Windermere Elementary is competing with enrollment options at private schools located in our area. The student demographic information for is as follows: Our percentage of American Indian students is.3 %( 2 students), Asian/Pacific is 7.3 % (58 students), Black 5.0% (40 students), Hispanic 12.8% (102 students), Multiracial 1.9% (15 students), White 72.8% ( 580 students) for a total enrollment of 797 students. The staff demographic information for is as follows: Our percentage of Black staff is 13.5% (10 staff members), Hispanic 10.8% (8 staff members), White 75.7% (74 staff members). We have 0% staff members designated as American Indian, Asian/Pacific, or Multiracial for a total of 74 staff members. 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. Windermere Elementary's school-wide purpose to help students achieve their maximum potential is reflected in the school's theme "Achieving Excellence Together". Extensive incentive reading and writing programs are used to encourage increased non-fiction reading comprehension as well as stronger writing. Current Florida State Standards are supplemented by Intervention/Enrichment Curriculum, district adopted resources and computer adaptive programs. In writing we use strategies and resources from Core Connections, Write from the Beginning and Thinking Maps to help students organize their thoughts. Windermere utilizes many different learning strategies to assist all students in improving their academic achievement. These strategies target all students within our population. embraces the Orange County Public School's Vision, Mission and Goals. OCPS Vision To be the top producer of successful students in the nation OCPS Mission To lead our students to success with the support and involvement of families and the community OCPS Goals To focus our efforts to accomplish our mission and achieve our vision, the board and superintendent set five broad goals. 1. Intense Focus on Student Achievement 2. High-Performing and Dedicated Team 3. Safe Learning and Working Environment 4. Efficient Operations 5. Sustained Community Engagement Windermere Elementary school is a safe, secure, healthy learning community where expectations for academic success, mutual respect and personal responsibility are high and each person is supported in meeting or exceeding those expectations. Student expectations are communicated by teachers and administrators through learning goals, 9 weeks expectations, progress reports and comments in the ProgressBook grading platform. Strong partnerships with our community and parent organizations help to promote a culture of academic excellence. Program offerings are also communicated to all stakeholders. supports and enhances student learning through differentiated instruction, rigorous curriculum, and integrated technology. Further enrichment is available through the Strings Program, Chorus, Junior National Honor Society, Art Club, Zoo Crew, News Crew, Student Council, Technology Club, and Math Club. 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. has maintained an "A" school rating for the last 13 years. The continued success of the school is due to a relentless focus on increasing the level of proficiency and opportunities for rigorous curriculum for all students at Windermere. Over the past three years, Windermere has surpassed the state school-grade average by over 100 points, and district average by over 100 points annually. The students attending have unceasingly demonstrated over 80% proficiency in reading and math scores. Students in the lowest quartile have demonstrated growth in the area of reading where 61% learning gains occurred in reading and 83% learning gains occurred in math. Furthermore, the implementation of a Science Lab during special area rotations has afforded students the opportunity to participate in STEM labs and continue to deepen their understanding of science and math throughout the school day. This has attributed to our 86% proficiency on FCAT Science in will continue to work to reduce the achievement gap within our subgroup categories, specifically working at a reduction within our Blacks, Hispanics, Students with Disabilities, and English Language Learners. To assist in increasing proficiency levels for all students, a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) is implemented in both Reading and Math and built into the master schedule. Windermere is one of the district's BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) schools. Students in 4th and 5th grade have an opportunity to participate in innovative teaching and learning through digital content. We are in our 2nd year of implementation and plan to add components of the BYOD in 3rd grade to prepare rising students for the program's technological proficiencies. Based on the feedback from the surveys this spring, there will be an additional focus on professional development opportunities for teachers to better understand and implement the Universal Design for Learning to support all students. During the summer of 2015 an annual professional development calendar will be created to articulate the monthly training opportunities which will be delivered through grade-level professional learning communities. As another response to the feedback from the surveys, additional communication will be provided through digital newsletters and curriculum nights to continue to update parents and stakeholders of state mandated assessments and the progression plan for all 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. students are able to access rigorous course work as well as explore optional club opportunities that foster a well-rounded educational experience. All 5th grade students at are required to participate in the annual school science fair. All students are encouraged to participate in the Accelerated Reading program to promote literacy. The students at are able to showcase talents that enrich their elementary school experience with their participation in art contests, chorus and strings performances, Battle of the Books, Math Olympiad competitions, Science Olympiad competitions, Technology conferences, and school-based field day experiences. The students at have the opportunity to participate in after school programs such as Spanish, Golf, Art, Keyboard, Guitar, Baton, Bricks 4 Kidz, Soccer, Girls on the Run, and Karate. Windermere also offers before and after school care that is sponsored by ASP (After School Program). has a history of strong parental and community support in the day-to-day activities held on campus. We have a strong partnership with the Town of Windermere. The Windermere Mayor serves on our SAC committee as a community representative. Windermere Elementary has established parent organizations who support our teachers, students, and families. Our PTA, Mustang Education Fund, Partners in Education and SAC support our school through sponsoring events, hosting family spirit nights at a local businesses, providing enhancements on campus, and funding technology. Windermere Elementary is the proud recipient of the Five Star School Award from the Florida Department of Education for our evidence of exemplary community involvement. Windermere Elementary has been awarded The Golden School Award for their parent involvement and volunteer service. This year alone our school has logged a total of 5,089 volunteer hours. We have 8 volunteers with over 100 hours and 2 volunteers with over 200 hours. Additionally, students are celebrated by the school and administration for exhibiting character traits, achievement of Accelerated Reader Goals, Perfect Attendance, and Honor Roll. Page 5