Chrisney Elementary

1. Chrisney Elementary Dream, Believe, Create 2007-2008 Julie Kemp 2008

2. Welcome to Chrisney Elementary! Located in . . . • Indiana • Rural Spencer County • The North Spencer County School District • The small town of Chrisney Home of . . . • 180+ students • 12 full-time and 5 part- time faculty members • And, the Chrisney Wildcats!

3. Vision Theme Beliefs Current Reality Unique Aspects Parent Involvement Curriculum Instruction Student Involvement School Improvement Goal – Reading School Improvement Goal - Writing Additional Links There are many important aspects of Chrisney Elementary. You may either view the show in its entirety or click on the topic of interest to you.

4. Vision Chrisney Elementary: Where students are Learning, Respecting, Striving . . . Achieving Beyond the Standard!

5. Theme • Each year a theme is established to further reflect our vision and beliefs. The 2007-08 is . . . Dream, Believe, Create

6. Beliefs • We believe each student should be actively engaged in a learning environment where by they connect, share and expand their learning experiences so they attain lifelong achievements. • We believe that students, parents, extended families, educators and the community share in the responsibility for learning. • We believe students should be provided with maximum opportunities for emotional, social, physical, and creative growth. • We believe in high expectations for both academics and behavior.

7. Current Reality • Declining Enrollment • Student day = 7:45 – 3:10 • Title I Targeted Assistance • Full Inclusion • 30% Mobility • 10% Special Education • 3% Ethnicity • Exemplary Status • North Central Accreditated • PL221 Compliant in all Areas • 80% Combined Pass Rate on ISTEP+ Math and English

8. Current Reality • We provide many additional opportunities for our students: • Stock Market • Circle the State • Destination Imagination • Tutoring • Academic Competitions • Leadership Activities • After School Adventures • Big Brothers, Big Sisters • And so much more! Julie Kemp 2007

9. Unique Aspects • Benchmarks and Assessments were developed locally with the encouragement of the North Spencer School Corporation. These benchmarks and assessments were created by grade level teams and are reviewed and updated yearly to ensure alignment with state standards. They also provide quarterly reports to assist in the planning of remediation. • A Progress Report based on the Indiana Academic Standards has been developed and implemented at the elementary school to communicate student progress. The standards are assessed on a four point scale with no letter grades present. These reports are reviewed yearly and updated as needed. • Through Curriculum Mapping, progression and consistency in curriculum are being maintained. Teachers from all grade levels meet in sessions, elementary and secondary. After comparing curriculum from grade to grade, a continuum aligns the journey from kindergarten through high school graduation.

10. Unique Aspects • Chrisney Elementary has an after school program funded through the Indiana Department of Mental Health. This program is called Afternoons Rock In Indiana and is for students ages 10-14. It is a drug prevention program. Within the 40 hour program, 10 of the hours must be drug prevention activities, and the remainder reinforces healthy leisure time activities. • The school campus is Accessible to the Community in a variety of ways. Chrisney Elementary School sits on a campus totaling 26 acres. Today the acreage includes the school, playground, outdoor lab, and baseball field. In the spring of 2008 construction will begin on a community library to be located on the campus grounds. • Chrisney Elementary Outdoor Lab was created in two phases over a period of time. In 1997 it was named Outdoor Lab of the Year by the State of Indiana. A committee has been formed for future developments and maintenance.

11. Parent Involvement • We offer many opportunities for parental involvement: • Parent Teacher Organization • More than 7 Parent Committees • Parent Volunteers • Parent Tutors • Parent Coaches • Family Nights • Monthly Community Room Discussions Julie Kemp 2007

12. Curriculum • A strong, seamless curriculum is at the heart of what we do. To ensure the curriculum reflects State Standards and Best Practices, teachers are continually: • Participating in internal professional development, • Utilizing assessment to inform instruction, • Participating in Corporation Curriculum Mapping and other curriculum meetings • Incorporating standards across the curriculum, • Developing a scaffolding of curriculum expectations within and among the grade level. Microsoft Online 2008

13. Instruction • Instruction is provided to all students within the regular classroom. • Best Practices are researched and implemented. • Time on task is a priority. • Instruction is monitored through valid, locally designed assessment. • Response to Intervention model is followed and implemented. • Remediation and Intervention are provided. Microsoft Online 2008

14. Instructional Beliefs The Literacy Block - Defined • Reading Workshop • Independent/Silent Reading Time: 20 minutes • Students Reading Independently • Teacher conducting a small guided reading group • Shared Reading Time: 20-30 minutes • Whole Class Teaching • Emphasis on Comprehension Strategies • Cross Curricular Reading • Guided Reading Time: 20-40 minutes • Students at Literacy Stations • Teacher conducting small guided reading groups • Students interacting with leveled text • Cross Curricular Reading • Read Aloud Time: 15-20 minutes • Teacher reading aloud to entire class. • Reading used as springboard.

15. Instructional Beliefs • Writing Workshop • Teaching Time: 5-15 minutes • Mini-lessons • Teacher working/conferencing individually or with small groups. • Teacher modeling • Writing Time: 20-30 minutes • Students brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, conferencing. • Sharing Time: 5-10 minutes • Students or teacher sharing some aspect of the day’s work that highlights something connected to an aspect of the workshop. • Phonics and Spelling Workshop Time: 15 minutes • Explicit teaching of word-specific knowledge as appropriate/specific to grade level. • Prefix and Suffix Scaffolding • Vocabulary Scaffolding

16. Instructional Beliefs • Math Time: 60 Minutes • Spiral Review • Problem Solving • Practice • Standards • Science • Incorporated Across the Curriculum • Corporation Determined focus through curriculum mapping • Science Labs • All instruction is delivered with the gradual release of responsibility model in mind.

17. Student Involvement • Students of all grade levels are involved throughout the school with the 6th graders providing leadership in many ways: • Kindergarten Buddies each morning • Hallway, Bathroom and Bus monitoring • Cafeteria workers • Library Aides • Peer Tutors • And much more! Microsoft Online 2008

18. Student Involvement • Beginning in 2008, students will create and maintain a Student Data Notebook to: • Track progress in Writing, Reading Comprehension, and Fluency. • The notebook will reflect the school improvement goals. • It will be updated quarterly and shared with parents often. Microsoft Online 2008

19. School Improvement Goal • All students will demonstrate improved reading comprehension through a balanced approach to literacy. Microsoft Online 2008

20. School Improvement Goal • All students will demonstrate improved writing across the curriculum. Microsoft Online 2008

21. Links • North Spencer County School Corporation • www.nspencer.k12.in.us • Entire School Improvement Plan Document Microsoft Online 2008