Executive Summary. Taylorville Primary School

Executive Summary Taylorville Primary School Tuscaloosa County Schools Mrs. Keri K Criss, Principal 350 Bobby Miller Parkway Tuscaloosa, AL 35405 D...
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Executive Summary

Taylorville Primary School Tuscaloosa County Schools

Mrs. Keri K Criss, Principal 350 Bobby Miller Parkway Tuscaloosa, AL 35405

Document Generated On January 5, 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

1

Description of the School

2

School's Purpose

3

Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement

4

Additional Information

5

Executive Summary Taylorville Primary School

Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning.

The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis.

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Executive Summary Taylorville Primary School

Description of the School

Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves?

Taylorville Primary is located in the center of the Taylorville community, which is located in the southern region of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Surrounding the school are two neighborhoods, a community center, the Bobby Miller Center, which is the hub of family activity in our area. We also have a thriving little league baseball organization. On any given night, in the spring and fall, our parking lot is full of citizens visiting the complex which joins our school. This location sets the tone for our commitment to be a school with community involvement and support.

The dynamics of the Taylorville community have changed dramatically over the course of 5 years. In April 2011, an EF-4 tornado tore through the heart of Tuscaloosa and changed our community. In 2012 Taylorville Primary received Title I designation. We have refused to let these numbers impact our success. Teachers have completed professional development on poverty in order to better understand and serve our poverty stricken students. Even though our dynamics have changed, we continue to beat the Tuscaloosa County average on district assessments. This has been achieved in a variety of ways. We have utilized our Title I funds to provide smaller class sizes and we have added 3 reading specialists that provide an extra intervention to our students who struggle in that area. We also have added a full time paraprofessional who provides math and writing intervention. We have also added a full time para-professional to teach weekly technology lessons to our students, as well as, serve students whom use computer based interventions in order to succeed in the classroom.

Academics are not the only way that we help our students be successful. We have implemented the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Students and are in year two of working towards becoming a Lighthouse School. We have also started a new program this year called the Dream Team. This program works with our Branscomb students (our most poverty stricken students). The program meets bimonthly afterschool to provide activities such as academic enrichment, personal development, and lots of fun! We try to instill in these students a belief of Walt Disney himself, "If you can dream it, you can do it." This program is run strictly on teacher and community volunteers. Our school also boasts a highly successful art and music program in order to develop a well-rounded student.

Our TPS family consists of 586 students, a principal, and an assistant principal, 30 K-2 classroom teachers, 2 Pre-K classroom teachers, 4 special education teachers, 3 reading specialists (intervention), an instructional coach, a librarian, a counselor, a music teacher (PTO funded), an art teacher, a physical education teacher, a physical education para-professional, 2 special education para-professionals, 2 paraprofessionals serving in intervention and the computer lab, 2 Pre-K axillary teachers, a bookkeeper, a secretary, 2 custodians, and 5 child nutrition staff members. This unique team creates a learning environment for all students to be the best they can be.

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Executive Summary Taylorville Primary School

School's Purpose

Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students.

The Taylorville Primary School mission statement is "We will do the right thing for every child, everyday". Evidence of this statement is visible from classroom instruction to the faces of our students. We work diligently to develop a well-rounded student both academically and through extra-curricular activities. Each teacher focuses on student progress and classroom success. Teachers continually monitor academic progress through weekly progress monitoring and our professional learning communities. In our PLCs, we come together as a grade level team to discuss our student's academic progress and ways to make them successful. Our students are not just "our classroom students" but belong to all of us.

We are extremely proud of our fine arts program in the areas of music and art. Our students enjoy music and art every week. Our music teacher is paid soley through PTO fundraising, which shows the commitment of our stakeholders to our school. Each year our students try out for our TPS choir. Our choir has been chosen for the past 11 years to perform at Disney World as part of Disney's Performing Arts program. In December 2015 TPS took 44 students to Disney to perform. Keeping with our purpose of developing a well-rounded child, our students enjoy an excellent art program. Anyone walking the hallways of our school will notice the artwork that lines the walls. This program cumulates with a TPS art show, held at the Bobby Miller Center each spring.

Another component of a well-rounded child is character education. This school year we begin year two of being a Leader In Me school. The Taylorville Primary faculty and staff have been trained on the 7 Habits of highly effective people. This year we are focusing on instilling the habits into our own lives and introducing them to the students. We have a school wide theme, which reflects our school's purpose, "Taylorville Primary School- Where the Magic of Learning and Leadership Begins".

We have created a Disney themed environment to let students, parents and community members know that we strive to be the "Happiest School on Earth". We are thrilled each day as our students enter our doors. Upon arrival they are reminded that the magic of learning and leadership begins here.

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Executive Summary Taylorville Primary School

Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement

Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years.

We are proud of our school's notable achievements: -7 National Board Certified Teachers -Every classroom is equipped with at least 2 computers, a projector, a UPIC, and 3 Ipads. -Applied and was awarded two Pre-K classroom grants. -A fine arts program that includes weekly art and music for all students. -TPS has performed at Disney World for the past 7 years. -Successfully hosted two Parent Nights where parents were informed of assessments, grade level standards and expectations and the 7 Habits character program. These are the areas of continual improvement: -Implemented professional learning communities where teachers meet in grade level teams to discuss student performance and achievement -Teacher training with using the College and Career Ready standards in the areas of mathematics, English language arts, phonics, 21st Century technology skills, and Writing. -Implemented School-wide phonics instruction using Saxon Phonics -Implemented a safer afternoon dismissal procedure -Adopted student self-tracking attendance and behavior. -Implemented sight word data walls -Began a lunchroom behavior monitoring program -Participated in professional development on effective ways to assist students of poverty -Year two of learning and practicing the 7 Habits of highly effective students

Page 4 © 2016 Advance Education, Inc. All rights reserved unless otherwise granted by written agreement.

Executive Summary Taylorville Primary School

Additional Information

Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections.

None

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