Shirley & Bill Wallin Elementary School Mission Statement:
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School Motto: Empowering Children Everyday! |
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The staff, students, parents and community partners of Wallin Elementary School are committed to an EMPOWERED education. It is our mission to provide a caring, positive and safe learning environment where each child is challenged to achieve commensurate with his/her ability and is provided enriching experiences that foster personal integrity, respect and responsibility for the 21st century.
Please see the full 2017-2018 Parent/Student Handbook for more detailed information about Wallin E.S.! |
School Mascot: Wally the Wildcat
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Our Mission is to Become One of the Top 100 Schools in the Nation!We strive to be one of the top schools in America by researching and implementing proven programs and strategies to teach 21st Century Skills. These skills include Learning Skills such as critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration and communication; Literacy Skills including the use of media and technology resources to teach reading, researching, and writing; and Life Skills such as innovation, goal setting, productivity, and leadership. The “Top 100” logo to the left will be used in parent communications to identify when a program or strategy is being used to address our goal of being one of the Best Schools in America!
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Some programs and strategies we have implemented for the 2015-2016 school year include:
Independent Reading Time: According to research cited in Rigorous Reading by Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher, the more time students spend reading independently, the higher their achievement level. In this book, they site a study that found that the average elementary school student spent only 4-5 minutes a day in school actually reading independently. Most of Reading Instruction time was teacher directed instruction or the practicing of reading skills. They found that by adding just ten minutes a day of independent reading, students were exposed to over 800,000 more words per year and achievement scores increased by 30%.
Independent Reading Time will be provided each day. Here is how it will work:
Each class will have a set D.E.A.R (Drop Everything and Read) time each day. During this time students and teachers will read an already selected book.
Recess: In addition to lunch recess, each class will take a 10 minute brain break outside or in the classroom. Current research shows that taking a recess break helps elementary aged students improve attention span and increase memory learning.
Homogenous Grouping Strategies in Reading and Math: It is our mission to provide instruction commensurate with students’ ability and readiness levels. To accomplish this task, we have hired highly qualified teachers and grouped them in teams to provide homogenous groupings in reading and math. In many cases, because of year round scheduling, these teams will need to span two tracks.
For reading in grades 1-5, students will receive a total of 80 minutes of instruction each day. Thirty minutes will be spent on homeroom reading where students will receive instruction based on grade level standards and fifty minutes will be spent on homogenous instruction with students receiving instruction based on their ability and readiness levels. For Math in grades 1-5, students will receive a total of 70 minutes of instruction each day. Twenty minutes will be spent on homeroom instruction with students working on spiral review of grade level standards and math fact practice, and fifty minutes will be spent on homogeneous instruction with students receiving instruction based on their ability and readiness levels. Homogenous instruction will begin on or before October 01. In kindergarten, a modified version of homogenous groupings will be utilized when teachers feel the students are ready for the change in schedules.
Morning Motivation Assemblies: Once a month, students will attend a Morning Motivation Assembly teaching them character traits, Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, and Compassion. In addition, students will engage in goal setting and learn how to self-monitor their progress toward meeting their goals. Finally, staff and students will be recognized for their accomplishments and special honors.
Independent Reading Time will be provided each day. Here is how it will work:
Each class will have a set D.E.A.R (Drop Everything and Read) time each day. During this time students and teachers will read an already selected book.
Recess: In addition to lunch recess, each class will take a 10 minute brain break outside or in the classroom. Current research shows that taking a recess break helps elementary aged students improve attention span and increase memory learning.
Homogenous Grouping Strategies in Reading and Math: It is our mission to provide instruction commensurate with students’ ability and readiness levels. To accomplish this task, we have hired highly qualified teachers and grouped them in teams to provide homogenous groupings in reading and math. In many cases, because of year round scheduling, these teams will need to span two tracks.
For reading in grades 1-5, students will receive a total of 80 minutes of instruction each day. Thirty minutes will be spent on homeroom reading where students will receive instruction based on grade level standards and fifty minutes will be spent on homogenous instruction with students receiving instruction based on their ability and readiness levels. For Math in grades 1-5, students will receive a total of 70 minutes of instruction each day. Twenty minutes will be spent on homeroom instruction with students working on spiral review of grade level standards and math fact practice, and fifty minutes will be spent on homogeneous instruction with students receiving instruction based on their ability and readiness levels. Homogenous instruction will begin on or before October 01. In kindergarten, a modified version of homogenous groupings will be utilized when teachers feel the students are ready for the change in schedules.
Morning Motivation Assemblies: Once a month, students will attend a Morning Motivation Assembly teaching them character traits, Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, and Compassion. In addition, students will engage in goal setting and learn how to self-monitor their progress toward meeting their goals. Finally, staff and students will be recognized for their accomplishments and special honors.
