Shirley & Bill Wallin Elementary School Vision Statement: |
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.
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School Mascot: Wally the Wildcat
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Our Mission is to Be #1 for your children!
We strive to be #1ForKids by 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.
A few strategies that we utilize:
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%.
Recess: Current research shows that taking a recess break helps elementary aged students improve attention span and increase memory learning. Students have an afternoon recess and brain breaks throughout the day as needed.
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 who will differentiate lessons based on student needs in homogenous (leveled) groups. All homogenous groups receive grade level instruction. The difference is the class size, pace, and tools utilized for instruction. These groups change based on standards, readiness, and need for support or enrichment.
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%.
Recess: Current research shows that taking a recess break helps elementary aged students improve attention span and increase memory learning. Students have an afternoon recess and brain breaks throughout the day as needed.
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 who will differentiate lessons based on student needs in homogenous (leveled) groups. All homogenous groups receive grade level instruction. The difference is the class size, pace, and tools utilized for instruction. These groups change based on standards, readiness, and need for support or enrichment.