Grantham SchoolGrantham School2013-20142013-2014

Partnering with you provide Partnering with you provide your child’s education the your child’s education the

best it can be with the goal best it can be with the goal of ensuring each child of ensuring each child

graduates.graduates.

Grantham Staff, Parents, Students Grantham Staff, Parents, Students and the community working and the community working

together to reach EXCELLENCE!together to reach EXCELLENCE!

The staff of Grantham School is committed to ensuring students meet and/or exceed annual student growth and proficiency expectations as well as prepare students to be productive citizens.

GRA Direction:

GRA Core Values:

We are committed to being life-long learners and achieving excellence.

We are committed to being reliable, trustworthy, honest, efficient, and loyal.

We are committed to being respectful and nurturing. We are committed to inspiring others by being passionate

about our profession We are committed to being creative and innovative. We are committed to being a good steward of all we have. We are committed to serving others with a positive attitude. We are committed to the well being of all. We are committed to working together as a team.

GRA Belief Statement:

Grantham School believes all students can learn in an engaging, rigorous, and relevant learning environment enhanced by appropriate and meaningful relationships between students, parents, staff, and extended community.

We believe that every individual…

deserves respect and needs to respect others. needs a safe and orderly environment. needs a positive support system which

includes parents, peers, and staff. deserves resources and opportunities to

experience success. deserves education in the use of technology

which is essential in today's world. needs discipline.

GRA Purpose and Mission

Grantham School shall provide an exemplary education to produce globally competitive, healthy, and responsible students led by 21st Century professionals governed by quality leadership and supported by 21st Century systems. “…if you have a purpose in which you can believe, there’s no end to the amount of things you can accomplish.” Marian Anderson

The mission of Grantham School is to develop life-long learners by challenging, inspiring, and nurturing students to achieve through academic goal setting, character development, and stewardship.

Reminder of Procedures/Expectations:

Attendance: Read attendance policy and have your child at school on a daily basis.

Arrival/Departure: Parents are to sign students in when arriving late and sign students out when picking students up early. We discourage tardiness and early departure as it disrupts the learning environment.

Parents are to drop students off at the designated area of either the gym ( grades 4-8) or support/2nd grade building (grades K-3) each day. Walking students to class is prohibited by all grade levels after Independence Day -September 13. Fewer adults on campus promotes a safer environment as well as enables each teacher to begin instruction/ supervision as expected. We appreciate your support and understanding in these matters.

Confer with the teachers after school or during their planning time to establish a time for conferences, etc.. Teachers are not interrupted during instructional time to meet or answer telephone calls.

Notation: Failure to adhere to published procedures will result in violator being prohibited from being on campus for a minimum of one year. The WCPS Central Office will send a letter regarding the violator being banned from campus and document the infraction.

Funding Sources

Federal Funding Title I State and Local Allocation (Used for classroom needs such as consumables, copies, ink

cartridges, posters, etc.)

Grantham General Fund (money from fundraising)

Grants

Resources and Strategies Funded

Instructional support materials Classroom Libraries for K-8

(300 minimum books/grade level in K-4 and 100 in 5-8)

Interactive Boards in all classrooms in grades K-8 Hands-on learning materials for grades K-8 Staff Development in Technology Integration,

Thinking Maps, Components of Literacy and Writing, as well as Math

Title I Teachers in Reading and Math K-8 Curriculum Facilitator K-2 Reading Specialist

Student Support

I. Grantham School Student Support System All students are monitored by staff working closely with them. Guardians

Students report incidents or ask questions to their instructor or other apporpriate staff member such as guidance, CFST, administration, etc. as needed.

Mentor Program- Each student at Grantham School has immediate access to a mentor. Homeroom teachers function as mentors and provide direct services. If a student needs additional support, the school will attempt to link students with mentors within as well as outside of the school community. The Administration, Child and Family Support Team (CFST), Guidance Department, Behavior Specialist and Success Coach facilitate the process of connecting students with appropriate mentors based upon student need.

II. Instructional Support K-4 Title I instructional specialist Support during ACC. K-8 instructional support providers for identified students during the day. K-8 Exceptional Children’s services provided for students meeting

specified criteria based upon results from pyschological evaluation. Home Base, GRA Parent/Student Live Binder, GRA Website

Goals for 2013-Goals for 2013-20142014 Grantham School will provide a Grantham School will provide a quality learning environment to:quality learning environment to: increase student proficiency in all increase student proficiency in all

core subjects.core subjects. increase in student growth on increase in student growth on

district assessments/measurement.district assessments/measurement. improve student writing improve student writing

conventions and content.conventions and content. produce globally competitive produce globally competitive

students.students. produce productive citizens.produce productive citizens.

Team SpecificsTeam Specifics

Please use activities in the Please use activities in the Home Activity Folder to work Home Activity Folder to work with your child each night. with your child each night.

Please look at your child’s green Please look at your child’s green communication folder in order to communication folder in order to be aware classroom behavior be aware classroom behavior and academic performance.and academic performance.

Academic Focus to Academic Focus to Accomplish Goals Accomplish Goals

Sustain Student growth throughSustain Student growth through close, analytic reading in all classes.close, analytic reading in all classes. expository/argumentative writing in all expository/argumentative writing in all

classes.classes. purposeful discussion/debate in all purposeful discussion/debate in all

classes.classes. mathematical reasoning.mathematical reasoning. engagement in critical thinking.engagement in critical thinking.

Student AssessmentsBenchmark Expectations

3D 3D 3D TRC 1 TRC 2 TRC 3

STARR1

STAR R2

STAR

R3

STAR

R4

STAR

M1

STAR

M2

STAR

M3

STAR

MR

CS1R CS2R CS3R CS1M CS2M CS3M

“FAB FIVE” FOCUS

1. Close, Analytic Reading2. Expository/Argumentative

Writing3. Discussion/Debate4. Mathematics – Add, Subtract,

Multiply, Divide, Ratios5. Critical Thinking

Close, Analytic Reading

Routine activity suggestions: Encourage your child to read a book and focus on details such as character development, character traits, plot, or author’s purpose. By directing student attention on the text points, it empowers students to understand the central ideas and supporting details.

Writing

Routine activity suggestions: Please have your child practice correct sentence structure including a capital letter at the beginning of the sentence, capitalize proper names, and correct punctuation at the end. Children should also draw a picture that contains 5-7 details that reflects their writing.

Mathematics “FAB FIVE” Addition -operation that represents the

total amount of objects together in a collection.

Subtraction –operation that represents the inverse of addition, subtraction is a kind of addition

Multiply- operation of scaling one number by another -The basic idea of multiplying is repeated addition. For example: 5 × 3 = 5 + 5 + 5 = 15

Divide - separate into parts Ratios – develop relationship between two

numbers of the same kind ( e.g., objects, persons, students, spoonfuls, units….

Routine addition activity suggestions:

When working with your child, please provide objects that your child can use to demonstrate the problem. Include math vocabulary in conversations with your child.

Routine subtraction suggested activities:

When working with your child, please provide objects that your child can use to demonstrate the problem. Be sure to use vocabulary such as subtract, minus, how many are left, and how many fewer.

Critical Thinking

Routine activity suggestions: Encourage your child to think about the reasons why things happen, cause and effect, and solutions to problems.

GROWING-REACHING-ACHIEVING

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ENGAGING

“GROWLITUDE”

Don’t forget to display your PRIDE everyday!