About+the+School


 * I. Overview**


 * __Overview of School Community__**

Smiths Station Elementary School is located in the rural community of Smiths Station in east Alabama (Lee County). The school serves a rural/suburban population influenced by surrounding industries and the communities of Fort Benning, Auburn, Opelika, and Columbus, Georgia. Since Smiths Station serves military families, a portion of the student population is considered to be transient.


 * __Overview of School__**

Smiths Station Elementary School currently serves 360 second grade students and 376 third grade students and will be transitioning to a K-6 institution beginning with the 2011-2012 school year. The 736 students are comprised of the following: 78% white, 18% black, 3% Hispanic, 1% Asian, and .4% American Indian with 55% of the students being male and 45% female. Currently, 46% of the student population qualifies for free or reduced lunch.

There are currently 85 faculty and staff members serving the students and their families. There are 22 second grade teachers, 22 third grade teachers, 8 special education teachers, 6 educational aides, 4 physical education teachers, 1 media specialist, 1 reading coach, 1 reading specialist, 1 counselor, and 2 administrators.

The school day begins at 7:45 am and ends at 2:55 pm with a thirty minute lunch break. Students visit the library media center once a week as a class and individually throughout the week as needed.


 * __School Mission and Goals__**

The SSES mission statement is as follows:

"The mission of Smiths Station Elementary School is to facilitate the maximum development of each child's potential. This will be accomplished by providing a positive learning environment that encourages a partnership between home, school and community for the betterment of our students. Our highest priority is to provide quality instruction through dedicated teachers meeting the individual learning style of each student. We will strive to prepare our students to be productive members of society in a technological world. Our end result will be to develop well rounded, respectful, responsible individuals who will be life-long learners."

These goals are part of the Lee County Schools Mission statement: · Preparing students for a knowledge-based, technologically enhanced, and culturally diverse 21st century. · Ensuring a partnership with families and communities to support student learning. · Communicating a vision for improving public education for ALL Lee County students. · Guaranteeing that students have an opportunity to learn the skills necessary for their future, either for jobs or further education. · Maintaining a strong partnership between the communities and the schools.. · Opening pathways of communication between all groups concerned with education. · Proactively implementing continuous improvement for grades K – 12. · Advocating professional development and teacher education programs.

The following goals have been determined by ARMT math scores and have been included as part of the school program improvement plan: · The students will increase their ARMT Number and Operations score by 6% · The students will increase their ARMT Geometry score by 8%

(Since SSES is currently focused on improving ARMT reading and math scores, there is currently no formal science curriculum.)


 * __Annual Yearly Progress Report__**

In 2009, 91% of students achieved ARMT level III and IV in Reading and 76% achieved these levels in Math. Students were ranked nationally in the 64th percentile in SAT-10 Reading and the 54th percentile in Math. The school also utilizes the DIBELS program with 67% of second graders reaching the required benchmark in 2009 and 70% of third graders reaching their benchmark.

SSES as identified various strengths and weaknesses amongst the assessments. The students have shown strength in ARMT areas covering whole numbers and reading vocabulary. The faculty has identified comprehension of material of recreational and literacy topics and all areas of geometry as skills that need improvement. SSES faculty also highlighted interpreting and creating graphs and grids as an area of improvement.


 * II. School Library**


 * __Overview of School Library:__**

Mission Statement: To ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information by integrating 21st Century skills into the curriculum. To empower students to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information.

Goals:

The goals of the library media center/specialist are:
 * to provide intellectual and physical access to information
 * to provide equity and freedom of access to information and ideas
 * to provide learning experiences that encourage students to become critical thinkers and team players
 * to provide leadership, instruction, and consulting assistance in the use of instructional and information technologies
 * to provide resources and activities that contribute to lifelong learning
 * to provide a facility that functions as the information center of the school
 * to provide a welcoming, attractive atmosphere conducive to learning
 * to provide a well-balanced collection of books and other media that will foster and stimulate a lifelong love for reading

Library Staff and Schedule:

The SSES library media center is currently served by one media specialist and an instructional aide. The library serves all 44 third and second grade classes weekly. Students, under the discretion of their teachers, are allowed to come during the open library hours (7:45-11:15 am and 12:00-2:15 pm) to check in and out books. Both professional and instructional materials are available to the faculty as well as audio-visual equipment. The media specialist also oversees the school computer lab.


 * III. Overview of Curriculum Standards**

Math
(Items in red have been targeted for intervention.)

2nd Grade: · Demonstrate number sense · ** Two digit addition and subtraction ** · ** Multiplication and division ** · ** Fractions ** · ** Determining the value of coins and bills up to $2.00 ** · Describe a pattern in a number sequence · Associative property of addition · Describe change over time · Describe attributes of 3D figures · ** Use concepts of direction and distance ** · Measure length in inches, feet and yards · Measure weight and volume · Tell time using digital and analog clocks · Use bar graphs, line graphs, circle graphs, and Venn diagrams

3rd Grade: · Compare, order, and expand whole numbers through 9,999 · ** Solve addition and subtraction problems with 3 digit numbers, with and without regrouping ** · Quick recall of multiplication and division facts · ** Multiply one, two, and three digit multiplicands ** · ** Divide whole numbers using two digit dividends and one digit dividers ** · ** Demonstrate equivalent fractions ** · ** Use coins to make change up to $1.00 ** · Complete a geometric or numeric pattern · Recognizing commutative, associative, and identity properties of multiplication · Identify geometric representations for points, lines, line segments, parallel and perpendicular lines, angles, and rays · ** Specify locations on a coordinate grid using horizontal and vertical movements ** · Measure length in metric units · Determine elapsed time to the day and hour · Recognize data as either categorical or numerical · Determine the likelihood of different outcomes in a simple experiment

Science
2nd Grade · Identify states of matter · Identify vibration as the source of sound · Light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object · Describe observable effects of forces including buoyancy, gravity, and magnetism · Identify the relation of structure to function in plants · Identify the characteristics of animals · Identify geological features such as mountains, valleys, plains, deserts, lakes, rivers, and oceans · Identify evidence of erosion and weathering of rocks · Describe evaporation, condensation and precipitation in the water cycle · Identify the impact of weather on agriculture, recreation, the economy, and society. · Identify basic components of the solar system.

3rd Grade · Classify substances as soluble or insoluble · Identify chemical and physical changes in matter · Describe ways energy from the sun is used · Define source and motion · Identify the relationship between simple and compound machines · Identify the structures and functions of the muscular and skeletal systems of the human body · Describe the life cycle of plants · Describe how organisms are organized in the Animalia and Plantae kingdom · Describe how fossils prove evidence of prehistoric plant life · Determine habitat conditions that support plant growth and survival · Describe the earth’s layers · Identify conditions that result in specific weather phenomena · Describe ways to sustain national resources · Describe the positions of the earth, the moon, and the sun during the course of a day/ month

Information Skills
Various documents may be consulted concerning information skills and 21st Century standards. Links are provided to the P21 project website and the AASL //Standards for 21st Century Learners// here. The Alabama Course of Study standards for information skills has been provided here. The AASL recommended benchmarks for each grade level are available in the //[|Standards for 21st Century Learners in Action]// for $39.00.

//**Standards for 21st Century Learners (AASL)**//


 * 1. Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge**

Second and third graders can develop inquiry based questions and use various formats (e.g., print and/or media) to find answers with the help of an adult or a more knowledgeable peer. Students should develop the ability to perform keyword searches and begin to recognize reliable sources (e.g., Encyclopedia Britannica). Students demonstrate persistence by not giving up the search for information when faced with a challenge. They also understand and follow the rules regarding the legal and ethical use of technology and other resources.


 * 2. Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge**

Second and third graders can work in cooperative groups to make decisions, answer questions, and create new knowledge. They begin to connect their understanding of new information to the real world. Students can organize information by using graphic organizers and other tools provided by the teacher and/or library media specialist. Third graders can apply new information by writing reports. These students posses the basic skills to use productivity and/or multimedia to create a new product from gathered information (e.g., PowerPoint presentation).


 * 3. Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of a democratic society.**

Second and third graders can use basic writing and speaking skills to communicate new knowledge. They demonstrate teamwork by working well with others and by using social technologies (e.g., VoiceThread). Once again, they must demonstrate the responsible and ethical use of technology by following school rules.


 * 4. Pursue personal and aesthetic growth**

Second and third graders read, view, and listen for pleasure and personal growth. They seek information for personal learning from a variety of different formats and genres while connecting new ideas to their own interests and prior knowledge. Students can respond to literature in a creative manner. Students appreciate literature and are motivated to read for pleasure.