• Category 2

    Selected in 2018

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: suburban
    Town Population: 9,834
    Student Enrollment: 535
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 4%
    White/Caucasian: 84%
    Hispanic: 10%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 2%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:14
    % Reduced Lunch: 42%
    % ELL Learners: 4%
    Founded: 1997
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Kelly LaBauve
  • CONTACT:
    9735 Lockhart Rd.
    Denham Springs, LA 70726
    225-791-8581
    kelly.labauve@lpsb.org
Eastside Elementary School
Denham Springs, LA
The Vision of Eastside is to create an environment where faculty, staff and students want to be and are inspired to learn.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
The VIPs program encourages parents to get involved with the school and be visible on campus throughout the school day. We also invite parents to attend our school wide technology night, STEAM night, book fairs, testing meeting, positive behavior parties, parent lunches, Veteran’s Day Program, kindergarten Thanksgiving Play, parent-teacher conferences, and end-of-year awards’ ceremonies. We also use social media (Instagram, FaceBook and Twitter), the Remind App, Flipgrid, and Google Classroom to keep parents informed of events and to give parents a glimpse into what is occurring daily in our classrooms.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
The implementation of our Very Important Parents Program, VIPs, has helped to strengthen ties in our community. We communicate with VIPs through an email account, FaceBook page, Instagram, and Twitter. We send a power point and sign-up sheet to all guardians at the beginning of the year to make them aware of our VIPs program. Parents are encouraged to share the information with grandparents. VIPs are encourage to help our school from home and at school, which allows even working parents to be involved. Throughout the year, we ask VIPs to assist at school for Technology Night, STEAM Night, Santa’s Shop, Positive Behavior Rewards, Veteran’s Day, and many other functions. At the end of the year, we hold a VIPs luncheon for all VIPs who help support our school throughout the year. This program has been beneficial because it allows our students to see their parents involved in school activities. It also allows our staff to form relationships with our VIPs.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
We believe change can be the catalyst for unparalleled success. We believe change is inevitable, and we strive to stay up-to-date with educational research. We encourage the staff to offer constructive criticism to their peers and to accept constructive criticism as a way to grow professionally and assist students even more than they already do. Teachers are required to observe peers on and off campus in order to continue growing professionally. We all believe that every student is capable of excellence.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
Our first goal is to continue to collaborate with peers to research and implement effective strategies that allow us to reach our 21st century learners. Our second goal is to continue to implement blended learning and place one-to-one devices in all of our classrooms. We must continue to educate children the way in which they learn best. By striving to attain these goals, we will continue to create an environment that is current, consistent, and comforting for our students as individuals, therefore instilling a life-long love for learning.
What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
Students first! We believe in relationships with our students and always putting our students first. When making everyday decisions, it is sometimes more convenient to make the easy choice. Putting students first can mean making hard choices. This means adults on our campus meet students where they are, and develop classrooms and lessons that are student centered. We believe in looking at each student individually and the impact certain ideas and initiatives will have on them. We teach students how to take pride in their community, their school, and their own learning.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
We implemented a school-wide writing program, known as the Hooked on Writing Framework, which gives students a “formula” for writing. Students use the program from Pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade and in all subject areas. This allows all students to feel successful with writing down their thoughts and supporting their writing with evidence. We also require that special education teachers and regular education teachers collaborate and create common formative and common summative assessments. The teachers also meet to discuss data from these assessments.
Explain how ESEA federal funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
Funds are used to pay for one paraprofessional, four contract tutors, and technology for all students. Our paraprofessional and contract tutors are responsible for working with small groups on literacy skills. Groups are divided into readiness levels based on STAR assessments and teacher recommendations. This allows us to close the achievement gap for our struggling students. We use one-to-one devices in third through fifth grade classrooms and two-to-one devices in second grade classrooms to assist teachers in created blended learning environments.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
Teachers are allowed to choose from a menu of professional development that is geared towards their own needs as well as their students’ needs. New initiatives and trends are introduced to teachers throughout the year during grade level meetings. Currently, the majority of our teachers are personally interested in STEAM activities, blended learning, and creating flexible learning environments.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
Data is used throughout the school year. At the beginning of the year, standardized testing data is used to determine what content strands need to be targeted for individual student success. Students take district created standards-based assessments three times a year to track student progress towards mastery. During the year, teachers analyze common summative assessments, STAR, and grades. Data is analyzed with the administration and grade level team during the school year and is used to identify students who are struggling and need additional assistance. Data is also used to identify students who are mastering content and may need more challenging content presented. All students are also required to meet with their teachers a minimum of four times a year to update personal data folders, which track standardized assessments, grades, STAR, and benchmark assessments. By employing multiple data sources, we can tailor instruction to individualize learning for every student.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
At Eastside, all teachers and staff members work together to promote student learning. We developed a vision statement, which states, “The Vision of Eastside is to create an environment where faculty, staff and students want to be and are inspired to learn.” We believe in working with parents to create opportunities for students to reach their fullest potential. We hold high expectations for adults and students on our campus. We believe we are all engaged learners. We strive to keep a positive atmosphere for all who come to our school. We encourage students to be Positively Outstanding Patriots and reward them with Positive Behavior Referrals to the office when staff witnesses outstanding characteristics in the areas of responsibility, safety, self-control, or respect.
Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2018

  • Grades: pre k - 5
    School Setting: suburban
    Town Population: 9,834
    Student Enrollment: 535
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 4%
    White/Caucasian: 84%
    Hispanic: 10%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 2%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:14
    % Reduced Lunch: 42%
    % ELL Learners: 4%
    Founded: 1997
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Kelly LaBauve
  • CONTACT:
    9735 Lockhart Rd.
    Denham Springs, LA 70726
    225-791-8581
    kelly.labauve@lpsb.org