Students in Context Fireside Elementary

1. Students in ContextFireside Elementary By Maria Piskorz

2. Fireside Elementary • Located in Louisville, Colorado • K-5 • Also has a pre-k program

3. Fireside: Populations • School Daily Schedule:  8:00-2:30 • Enrollment (FTE):  455 • Funded Headcount:  439 • Student/Teacher Ratio: 16.4/1

4. Fireside: Populations Category Number Percentage Female 204 53.9% Male 214 46.1% African-American 1 0.2% American Indian 1 0.2% Asian 48 10.6% Caucasian 330 71.1% Hispanic 59 12.7% Free Lunch 57 12.3% Reduced Lunch 13 2.8% ELL 69 14.9% Special Needs 37 8% 504 2 0.4% TAG 30 6.5% Out of District 16 3.4%

5. Fireside: School Climate • Each spring, BVSD's Planning and Assessment Department surveys students to find out what they think about their schools. The questions are intended to measure positive and negative features of the overall climate of the schools, as seen through the eyes of the students. • According to the 2011 Student Climate surveys at Fireside Elementary School: • 91 percent of students in grades 3-5 say they have friends at school. • 86 percent of students in grades 3-5 say they feel safe at school. • 83 percent of students in grades 3-5 say that if they are teased at school, they have an adult they can talk to. • School climate is also addressed in the 2011 Parent Snapshot survey: • 96 percent of parents say teachers treat their student with respect. • 99 percent of parents say students of different cultural, racial and ethnic backgrounds are treated with respect at this school.

6. 2010-2011 School Resource Allocation Funds • Fireside Elementary • Base SRA (Student Resource Allocation) - $30,713 • Special Needs Allocation - $4,263 • Size Adjustment - $688 • Student Accounting - $213 • Copier Total - $9,556 • Printing (outside of school) - $150 • Total Curriculum Development/Staff Development - $936 • Leadership with Benefits (pays teachers for being on committees, etc.) - $1,629 • PASD – (principal’s budget) - $8405 • Sub Benefit Adjustment - $307 • 2009-2010 Carryover - $12,655 • Budget Adjustments • Custodial Supply Transfer - $4,012 • October Count Adjustment - $5,891 • CELA Testing - $662 • New Classroom Allocation - $500 • Minority Student Achievement Allocation - $11,723 • Translation Services Allocation - $594 • 3A Funds Reallocation – (Bond mill levy passed by voters to fund pre-K within the Boulder Valley School District) - $33,180 • Cultural Diversity - $1,200

7. District Assessments Visual Arts 2010-11 Analysis and Evaluation • Fireside - 97% • BVSD - 97% Music 2010-11 • Fireside • Play -94% • read/notate - 83% • Sing - 83% • BVSD • Play - 93% • read/notate - 91% • Sing - 88% Physical Education 2010-11 • Fireside • Cognitive -84% • Fitness -94% • Skill -90% • BVSD • Cognitive -83% • Fitness -88% • Skill -89% BVSD conducts assessments each year of elementary student achievement of standards in art, music and physical education. Following are Fireside Elementary School's most recent results, reported as the percent of students who are proficient and above.

8. State Assessments

11. Classroom Demographics • Grade level – 1st • Boys: 8 • Girls: 12 • English Language Learners – 5 students; one has waived ESL services • Free and Reduced lunch – teachers are not allowed to know this information • Identified special needs students: none • Description of students with an RTI plan – the teacher has brought up 4 kids for RTI.   Three of them are on ILP's;  one student was brought up for behavior • Description of students with an IEP - none • Description of students who are in the Gifted and Talented Programs – no students are identified as TAG in this class, typically students do not get brought up for TAG till 2nd or 3rd grade;

12. School and Community Programs and Events Clubs and other opportunities for students: Track-and-Field Days Variety Show Homework club Talent show – all grades SAC – afterschool program Poetry Program – 1st grade in May The Fireside Gazette is Fireside's student newspaper, written by 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. Fireside students will publish two issues of the Gazette this year. Fireside is a Eco-Cycle Green Star School • Art Club • Destination Imagination • Fifth-grade musical • Fire Choir – 5th • Fun Run • Garden to Table Project • Hand Bell Choir • Instrumental Music – 5th • Intramurals • Junior Great Books • School Recycling Program • Science Fair • Student Council • Student Newspaper

13. School and Community Programs and Events • Community outreach programs, opportunities for community involvement at your school • Parent information night in September • Ice cream social – meet the teacher in August • Grill’n Bid fundraiser October • Parent teacher conferences for three days twice a year • “How to help your child with homework” – first annual • Puentes Committee – ELL community outreach program, meet Sundays afternoons, once a month • Fireside Festival – in May • Volunteer Tea – April, volunteer appreciation day

14. School Business partnerships through the PTO: On-going fundraising programs • King Soopers Reloadable Card Program • Vitamin Cottage and Sunflower Market Gift Cards • Old Chicago Pizza Palz • Kohl's Cares for Kids Fundraising Card Program • Target Visa • Box Tops and Campbell Soup Can Labels • Ink Cartridge and Cell Phone Recycling • Albertson's • GrandrabbitsToyshoppe • PlayFair Toys

15. Part 4: Data Analysis and Interpretation • Based upon the data what trends do you notice about your students? Strengths/Challenges The data reflects the climate of the school. Fireside is located in an affluent community. While less diverse than many other schools, Fireside truly embraces its international community. More than 17 languages are spoken at Fireside. There is a very strong sense of community within the school. The school comes together as a community through various school events, such as the international potluck, Fireside Spring Festival, Eco Cycle activities, and many more. Fireside supports its struggling learners by providing opportunites such as offering free homework club after school twice a week. I believe that it is always a challenge to meet the needs of all learners. The ELL program at Fireside is excellent. However, as of next year, there will be pretty sever cuts made to the ELL program. Also, Fireside is adopting the new CELA standards mandating a “push in” rather than a “pull out” model for ELLs. Many teachers have expressed concern over the additional responsibility for ELL students meeting standards in all content areas.

16. Part 4: Data Analysis and Interpretation • How will your accumulated knowledge of your students, school and district impact your teaching and your relationships with students and parents? • I feel that through my involvement in the school community and various school activities, I have gained a deeper understanding of the school and the students attending it. I learned that the parents are very active in their children’s learning and tremendously supportive. The parents were really open to feedback and suggestions. I had a “publishing party” in my classroom to share the books that the first graders wrote. Sixteen out of eighteen parents came to the party! Communicating with parents was something I was somewhat apprehensive about at the beginning of my student teaching journey. I discovered that through open communication and assuming positive intent, parent-teacher communication can be constructive and integral to student achievement.